AI receptionist vs hiring a receptionist

Compare a part-time or full-time receptionist, a live answering service, and an AI receptionist plan. Every default is sourced below. Change any number to match your business.

AI plan preset (fills the three AI fields)

Calls per month (estimate, use your own)Placeholder estimate, not an industry average.

Average call length in minutes (estimate)Placeholder estimate. Check your phone logs.

Receptionist hourly wage ($)Median for receptionists, May 2025: BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, Receptionists (May 2025 data).

Part-time hours per weekAssumption for a part-time schedule. Edit freely.

Full-time hours per weekStandard full-time schedule.

Payroll overhead and benefits, % of wagesEstimate: benefits were $11.51 per $25.22 of wages (45.6%) for private office and administrative support workers, BLS Employer Costs for Employee Compensation, Table 4 (June 2026). Part-time roles often carry fewer benefits.

AI plan price ($/mo)From the vendor pricing page (preset).

AI minutes included per monthFrom the vendor pricing page (preset).

AI overage per minute ($)My AI Front Desk: 25 credits per minute, 1 credit = $0.01. Set your own if your plan does not publish one.

Answering service base price ($/mo)Smith.ai human-first Starter: $300/mo for 30 calls, smith.ai/pricing/receptionists.

Answering service calls includedSmith.ai Starter.

Answering service cost per extra call ($)Smith.ai Starter overage: $11.50 per call over 30.

What this does not count

Hiring, training, turnover, and covering a human receptionist's sick days or vacations.
Coverage hours. A 20-hour receptionist covers 20 hours a week; AI plans and the answering service cover nights and weekends.
Quality differences. We have not tested any of these services hands-on.
Answering service add-ons such as booking ($1.50 per call at Smith.ai).

Sources

BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, Receptionists (May 2025 data): median hourly wage $18.27.
BLS Employer Costs for Employee Compensation, Table 4 (June 2026): office and administrative support, wages $25.22/hr, benefits $11.51/hr.
myaifrontdesk.com/pricing, checked 2026-10-25.
heyrosie.com/pricing, checked 2026-10-25.
smith.ai/pricing/receptionists, checked 2026-10-25.

Next: Find which AI receptionist fits Read the 2026 pricing study