How much does an AI phone agent cost?

Most AI phone agents for small and mid-market businesses cost between $99 and $500 per month, with the specific number driven by four things: call volume, minutes of actual conversation, the capabilities you turn on (appointment booking, payment collection, multilingual support), and whether you need branded-voice or custom voice cloning.

For comparison, the alternatives typically cost:

• Hiring a full-time receptionist: $35,000–$55,000 per year in U.S. wages, plus benefits and overhead — usually $4,000–$6,000 per month all-in

• Traditional human answering service: $100–$300 per month at low volume, climbing to $1,000+ per month at higher volume due to per-minute billing

• IVR-only auto attendant: $0 (included with most cloud PBX plans) — but it doesn't actually resolve calls

What drives AI phone agent pricing

• Minutes of conversation — the single biggest cost driver; most platforms charge per minute at scale

• Number of agents / deployment scope — one agent or multiple across different departments

• Advanced features — payment collection (PCI-scoped calls usually cost more), live calendar integration, CRM sync, custom voice cloning

• Phone numbers — local and toll-free numbers are cheap individually but add up at scale

• Support tier — self-service vs. white-glove onboarding and support

How to compare pricing across vendors

• Look at total cost at your actual volume, not the headline starting price. A $19/month plan that charges $0.25/minute on top is not cheaper than a $99/month plan that includes 500 minutes.

• Watch for surcharges on things like carrier fees, premium voice models, toll-free inbound minutes, and SMS message volume

• Ask about overage pricing — what happens when you exceed your plan's included minutes matters more than the starting price

• Confirm what's included — some platforms bundle CRM integration, compliance features, or call recording; others charge for each

Typical real-world totals

• Small SMB (dentist, law firm, home services) at ~200 calls/month: $100–$250/month all-in

• Mid-size business at ~1,000 calls/month: $400–$800/month

• Multi-location or multi-agent setups: $1,500–$5,000+/month

Related concepts

• Is an AI receptionist worth it?

• AI receptionist vs. hiring a receptionist — cost breakdown

• ROI of an AI answering service

See current pricing

Current pricing for 365agents is always on our pricing page — no fine print, no per-minute surprises. If you need a custom plan for multi-location or enterprise, reach out and we'll price it transparently.