01 · Flat subscription
One price for ongoing use
An AI receptionist may charge a fixed subscription instead of selling human time. This is the simplest model to budget when call volume or call length changes from week to week.
Virtual receptionist pricing
Know what the monthly price really buys.
Virtual receptionist pricing can start with Selena at a flat $20 per month for unlimited use and rise into hundreds or thousands of dollars a month for staffed receptionist minutes. The useful comparison is not just the headline fee. It is who answers, what work is included, and what makes the bill change.
Choose Selena when repeatable AI call handling and a flat $20 per month for unlimited use fit better than staffed receptionist minutes.
100 calls and texts free. No credit card required.
Account access is immediate; dedicated-number setup follows after you confirm your mobile number and SMS consent during signup or later in Settings.
Three common pricing models
“Per month” can mean three very different things.
Before comparing providers, find the unit underneath the monthly price. That one detail tells you whether a busier month changes the bill.
02 · Bundled minutes
A set amount of receptionist time
Many staffed services include a monthly block of receptionist minutes. When those minutes run out, calls continue at an overage rate or move you toward a larger plan.
03 · Base fee plus usage
A small entry price, then metered calls
Some plans begin with few or no included minutes. This can suit very light use, but the base fee is not the full expected bill when calls arrive regularly.
Estimate the work, not just the number of calls.
Ten quick messages and ten detailed intake calls can create very different staffed-service bills. Ask what happens before, during, and after each conversation.
- Call handling time. Find out whether billing starts at answer and ends at hang-up or includes wrap-up work.
- Transfers and hold time. A live transfer may consume more minutes than a message-only call.
- After-call tasks. Notes, appointment entry, outbound messages, and follow-up can be included or metered separately.
- Unwanted calls. Ask how robocalls, wrong numbers, and sales calls affect your allowance.
- Overages. Compare the rate after the bundle is gone and whether the service warns you before it happens.
Current public examples
What virtual receptionist plans cost in July 2026.
These examples use public prices from each provider's own website, checked on July 22, 2026. They are not identical products: Selena uses AI, while Posh and Ruby staff calls with human receptionists.
| Provider and model | Published entry offer | Higher-usage examples | What changes the bill |
|---|---|---|---|
| Selena · AI receptionist | First 100 combined calls and owner-sent texts free, then a flat $20 per month for unlimited use | Pro is a flat $20 per month for unlimited use rather than increasing with receptionist minutes | Moving from the free lifetime allowance to Pro |
| Posh · human receptionists | $65 per month with no included minutes, then $2.30 per receptionist minute | $130 for 50 minutes; $215 for 100; $420 for 200 | Included receptionist minutes and the overage rate |
| Ruby · human receptionists | $250 per month for 50 receptionist minutes | $395 for 100 minutes; $720 for 200; $1,725 for 500 | The monthly receptionist-minute bundle |
Prices and plan terms can change. Follow the provider links for current terms before buying. The cheapest plan is not automatically the best fit: a human service and an AI receptionist solve overlapping, but not identical, call-handling jobs.
A simple way to estimate cost
Turn your call pattern into a monthly comparison.
You do not need a perfect forecast. A rough week of call activity is enough to expose whether a minute bundle is likely to fit or create regular overages.
01 · Count
Start with calls you miss
Review one typical week. Count the business calls you could not answer and remove obvious spam or personal calls. Multiply that number by about 4.3 for a monthly estimate.
02 · Time
Estimate conversation length
Use a short, average, and long scenario. A two-minute message and a seven-minute scheduling call should not be treated as the same unit on a per-minute plan.
03 · Stress test
Price a busy month
Add 25% to the average. Then include overages and any separately billed work. If the estimate becomes uncomfortable, choose a larger bundle or a flat plan.
Questions to ask before signing
Find the costs that do not fit in the headline.
A provider should be able to explain each item in plain language. If the answer is “it depends,” ask for the exact rule and a worked example based on your call volume.
What exactly is a billable minute?
Ask whether the clock includes hold time, transfers, after-call notes, appointment entry, and outbound follow-up. Also ask how each minute is rounded. Several short calls can cost more when every call rounds up.
What happens after the allowance?
Get the overage rate in writing and learn whether usage stops, continues automatically, or triggers a plan change. A warning before the limit is more useful than a surprise at invoice time.
Are setup and customization included?
Some services include onboarding, scripts, integrations, and account changes; others charge separately or reserve them for larger plans. Ask what happens when your hours, greeting, or routing rules change.
Does every calendar month work the same way?
Confirm the billing cycle, rollover policy, cancellation terms, and whether unused minutes expire. A 28-day cycle produces 13 bills in a year, while calendar-month billing produces 12.
Which calls need a person?
List the conversations that require discretion, empathy, complex intake, or a firm-specific process. Those may justify staffed coverage even when an AI plan has a lower headline price.
Which calls follow a repeatable pattern?
Routine inquiries, message capture, basic qualification, and appointment requests are easier to define. They are the strongest candidates for an AI receptionist or a tightly scripted service.
Where Selena fits
A flat-price option for a repeatable first conversation.
Selena answers with an AI voice, asks what the caller needs, and sends you a concise text summary after the call. You keep the final judgment and decide what deserves a response.
| Decision | Selena may fit | A staffed service may fit better |
|---|---|---|
| Primary job | Answer, gather the reason, and send an immediate summary | Handle nuanced conversations that need human discretion |
| Scheduling | Check availability and book when Google Calendar is connected | Follow a complex multi-system intake or dispatch process |
| Budget | Keep Pro at a flat $20 per month for unlimited use | Pay for trained human attention and a defined receptionist workflow |
| Owner control | Review the summary and choose the next step yourself | Delegate more of the first-call decision to a person |
| Caller needs | Routine inquiries and clear appointment or message requests | Sensitive, emotional, regulated, or unpredictable calls |
Selena is an AI phone assistant, not a human receptionist service. It does not promise emergency coverage or human judgment. If your first call carries safety, legal, medical, or other high-stakes decisions, choose a trained person and the right professional process.
Virtual receptionist pricing FAQ
The short answers before you compare plans.
How much does a virtual receptionist cost?
Virtual receptionist prices vary by service model. AI plans can use a flat subscription, while staffed services often bundle receptionist minutes and charge for overages. Selena's Starter plan includes 100 combined lifetime answered calls and owner-sent texts, and Pro is a flat $20 per month for unlimited use. Staffed plans can cost hundreds of dollars per month as included minutes increase.
What counts as a receptionist minute?
The definition depends on the provider. Some staffed services count the time a receptionist spends handling the call and related work, then bill additional usage when the included bundle runs out. Ask whether hold time, transfers, after-call notes, spam calls, and outbound tasks count.
Is a flat monthly plan better than per-minute pricing?
A flat plan is easier to budget when call volume or call length varies. Bundled-minute pricing can make sense when you need human receptionists and can estimate usage closely. Compare the service you need, not only the monthly fee.
Why can an AI receptionist cost less than a human answering service?
An AI receptionist does not staff calls with a human team, so providers can price the service differently. The tradeoff is judgment: AI suits repeatable call handling, while sensitive, complex, or unpredictable conversations may be better handled by a trained person.
Keep comparing
Choose the call coverage, then judge the price.
Try the flat-price option first.
Start with 100 calls and texts free. No credit card required, then a flat $20 per month for unlimited use.
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