The three ways phone answering is priced
| Model | How it works | Good fit when |
|---|---|---|
| Per minute | You pay for every minute a person or AI spends on your calls. | Call volume is low and predictable. |
| Per call | A set price for each call answered, sometimes with a minimum. | Calls are short and you can estimate how many you get. |
| Flat monthly | One price per month for answering, within a stated usage range. | You want a predictable bill and your call volume swings with the season. |
Traditional live answering services usually charge per minute or per call, and the bill grows with your busy season. AI receptionists more often charge a flat monthly price, because the cost of an extra call to the provider is small.
What's often extra
- Setup or onboarding fees
- A new phone number, or forwarding from your existing one
- After-hours or weekend coverage
- Appointment booking or calendar connections
- Text-message confirmations to your customers
- Transferring calls to you live
Before you compare prices, write down which of these you actually need. A low headline price can end up costing more once the extras you need are added.
How to estimate your real cost
- Look at your phone bill or call log for last month: how many calls came in, and how many went to voicemail?
- Multiply the missed calls by how often a caller like that turns into a job, and by what a typical job is worth to you.
- Compare that to the monthly price. If one recovered job a month pays for the service, it's usually worth trying.
What Riley costs
Riley is $149 a month, and that price includes your own Riley phone number, the call minutes and the AI. There's no free trial, because every line costs real money from the first call; you can call the demo line at (361) 301-9955 to hear her first. The price covers answering your business line when you can't, capturing what each caller needs, taking appointment and callback requests for you to confirm, flagging urgent calls, and trying to reach you when a caller asks for a person. You keep your number by forwarding it. Cancel anytime.