Best AI Receptionists and Phone Answering Services in 2026

How We Chose

Phone answering splits into three camps: software that answers on its own, services where trained people answer with AI help, and tools tuned to one industry. We chose at least one strong option in each, plus a platform for teams that want to build their own.

We weighed what each vendor publishes about pricing, who it is for, how it hands a call to a person, and its security claims. Two things matter more than features: what happens when the AI cannot help, and whether you are allowed to record the call. We cover both at the end. For the wider set of assistants, see our best AI personal assistants roundup.

Rosie: Best for Flat-Rate AI Answering on a Small Budget

Rosie answers calls 24/7 with AI, takes messages, filters spam, and supports English and Spanish. Its pricing page lists Professional at $49 a month for 250 minutes, Scale at $149 for 1,000 minutes, and Growth at $299 for 2,000 minutes, with a 7-day free trial and no card required.

It suits solo owners and small shops. The honest limit: the features that matter for many businesses, direct calendar booking and warm call transfers, start on the Scale plan, so the cheapest tier is mostly message taking.

Goodcall: Best for Unlimited Minutes at a Predictable Price

Goodcall prices per agent per month, with Starter at $79, Growth at $129, and Scale at $249 (less on annual billing). It lists unlimited minutes, transfers to directory contacts, and API and Zapier integrations, with a free trial.

It suits businesses with steady call volume that want to avoid per-minute bills. The limit is that plans cap the number of unique customers per month (100, 250, or 500) with a fee for each extra one, and call history retention is only 7 days on Starter.

Retell AI: Best for Teams Building Their Own Voice Agent

Retell is a platform rather than a finished receptionist. You build the agent, and pay as you go at roughly $0.07 to $0.31 per minute depending on the model and options, with $10 in free credits. Its site lists call transfer and SOC 2 certification, describes the platform as HIPAA-ready, and says custom BAAs are available on enterprise plans.

It suits developers and companies with specific call flows. The limit is that you are responsible for design, testing, and the call script, and the final per-minute cost depends on the voice and language model you choose.

PolyAI: Best for Enterprise Voice Agents

PolyAI sells managed voice agents for large organizations in financial services, healthcare, hospitality, retail, and utilities. Its site describes call routing, authentication, booking, billing, and FAQ handling, and lists SOC 2, HIPAA, GDPR, and PCI DSS compliance. Ask how it hands calls to people, since the site does not detail that.

It suits contact centers with complex call types and compliance needs. The limit: pricing is not published and it is built around an enterprise buying process, so it is overkill for a small office.

Smith.ai: Best for a Hybrid of AI and Live Agents

Smith.ai offers AI-first and human-first modes, with live agents on staff 24/7. Plans are priced by call volume: Starter at $300 for 30 calls, Basic at $810 for 90, and Pro at $2,100 for 300, with add-ons such as appointment booking at $1.50 and recording and transcription at $0.25 per call.

It suits professional practices and service businesses that want a person available for important calls and AI for the rest. The limit is cost: it is a lot more than a pure AI tool, though it is priced per call, not per minute.

Ruby: Best for Live Receptionists With AI Behind the Scenes

Ruby provides live virtual receptionists around the clock, in English and Spanish, who answer calls, qualify leads, schedule appointments, and route calls. AI is used in support roles such as transcription, sentiment analysis, and call flows, and it offers HIPAA-compliant receptionists.

It suits businesses where tone and judgment matter, such as law firms and home services. Plans are by minutes, from $250 for 50 minutes to $1,725 for 500, so heavy call volume gets costly.

Slang: Best for Restaurants and Hospitality Groups

Slang answers restaurant phone calls, manages reservations, routes VIP callers to staff, and sends real-time alerts. It lists partnerships with OpenTable, SevenRooms, Tripleseat, Perfect Venue, and Yelp.

It suits full-service restaurants and hospitality groups. Pricing is not published, so you need a demo. The vendor's own performance claims are marketing figures, so ask for a trial on your own call volume.

Arini: Best for Dental Practices

Arini is an AI receptionist built for dental offices, from single clinics to larger dental groups. Its site says it answers calls, schedules appointments, sends reminders, reactivates inactive patients, and integrates with existing practice management systems.

It suits dental practices that want booking tied to their scheduling system. It is a narrow tool, so it will not help a non-dental business. Pricing is not published. Third-party summaries say it is HIPAA compliant, but its own homepage does not spell that out, so ask for the exact compliance terms and a BAA.

OpenAssistant: Best for Making and Following Up on Calls, Not Only Answering Them

We build OpenAssistant, so weigh this entry accordingly. It is an executive assistant with its own name, phone number, and email (or one on your company domain), and it can take and place phone calls as well as use iMessage, SMS, WhatsApp, and email. That makes it useful for the work around the phone: confirming appointments, following up on a missed call by text or email, and scheduling across several calendars. See the AI scheduling assistant page and the product page.

It is not a dedicated receptionist service with staffed lines, restaurant booking integrations, or a published call-answering plan, so if inbound answering at volume is your main need, start with one of the tools above. It is in private beta, with SOC 2 Type II and no training on customer data detailed in the Trust Center.

How to Choose

• Solo owner or small shop, budget first: Rosie or Goodcall.
• Sensitive or high-value callers (legal, medical, financial): Smith.ai or Ruby, so a person can take over. Check HIPAA terms where relevant.
• Restaurant or dental office: use the industry tool with integration into your booking system before a general one.
• Technical team with custom needs: Retell. Large regulated organization: PolyAI.
• Mostly outbound and follow-up work: an assistant like OpenAssistant, alongside an answering service.
• Customer questions, not appointments: see our guide to AI tools for customer support teams.

What to Check on Call Recording Consent and Handoff to Humans

This section is general information, not legal advice. Rules vary by state and country, so check with your counsel.

• Recording consent. Many US states allow recording with one party's consent, but several require every party to agree. Commonly cited all-party states include California, Delaware, Florida, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, and Washington, though lists differ by source. If a caller is in one of those states, its rule can apply. Ask whether the tool plays a disclosure at the start of the call, and whether you can turn recording off.
• AI disclosure. Tell callers they are speaking with an AI. For outbound calls, the FCC ruled in February 2024 that AI-generated voices count as artificial voices under the TCPA, which generally means prior express consent for those calls.
• Handoff. Test what happens when the AI cannot help or the caller asks for a person. Look for warm transfers to a named number, a fallback order across several numbers, and the context passed along, so callers do not repeat themselves.
• After-hours and emergencies. Define which calls always go to a human, such as urgent medical or safety situations.
• Data handling. Ask where recordings and transcripts are stored, how long, who can access them, and whether they train models. Request a HIPAA business associate agreement if you handle health information. Our guide to how to know if an AI tool is safe has a checklist.