How Much Does an AI Receptionist Cost for a Contractor? (2026)

By Gravun Editorial Team · Published October 20, 2026 · Updated October 20, 2026 · Prices checked October 20, 2026

Short answer: An AI receptionist for a contracting business usually costs $0 to about $500 a month. What you pay depends on whether it's billed per call, per minute, or included in software you already pay for. On the vendors' own pricing pages, Smith.ai charges per call, from a free 25-call plan up to $500 a month. Jobber sells its Receptionist as a $29-a-month add-on to a Jobber plan. Gravun includes 100 AI receptionist minutes in its $99 Starter plan.

Key facts (US dollars, checked October 20, 2026)

• Jobber Receptionist: a $29/month add-on. Jobber plans start at $49/month for Core (1 user). Receptionist is included in Jobber's Plus plan. [1]
• Smith.ai AI Receptionist: Free plan with 25 calls a month, then $3.00 a call. Pro is $150 a month for 75 calls, and Enterprise is $500 a month for 300 calls. [2]
• Housecall Pro CSR AI: no price on the CSR AI page or the pricing page. [3][4]
• Gravun: Starter is $99 a month with 100 AI receptionist minutes and up to 3 users. Pro is $250 a month with 500 minutes and 10 users. [5]
• A human receptionist: the US median wage was $18.27 an hour in May 2025 (BLS), which is about $38,010 a year before payroll costs. [6]

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What does an AI receptionist cost per month?

Prices fall into three pricing models: per call, an add-on to your field service software, or minutes included in an all-in-one plan. The table shows each vendor's published price and what it's billed on.

Sources: [1]–[7] below. Prices are in USD and checked on each vendor's own page on October 20, 2026. Taxes and card-processing fees are not included.

Do AI receptionists charge per minute or per call?

Both models exist, so convert them to the unit you actually track: calls per month.

• Per call (Smith.ai): you pay the same for a 1-minute call and a 6-minute call. Smith.ai says it bills per call because "per-minute services work opposite to your needs". [2]
• Included minutes (Gravun): 100 or 500 minutes a month come with the plan. As an illustration only, at an average of 3 minutes a call, 100 minutes covers about 33 calls a month and 500 minutes covers about 166. Your average call length will differ, so check it in your phone bill.
• Flat add-on (Jobber): a fixed $29 a month on top of your Jobber plan. Jobber's pricing page doesn't state a usage cap, so ask Jobber what happens at high call volumes before you rely on it.

Is an AI receptionist cheaper than hiring a receptionist?

Yes, by a wide margin on price. A person still handles complicated or upset callers better. The US median wage for receptionists was $18.27 an hour in May 2025, or $38,010 a year, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. [6] That's about $3,170 a month in wages alone, for roughly 40 hours a week of coverage. Every AI option with a published price in the table above costs less than 20% of that, and answers around the clock.

The real trade-off is judgement. Contractors usually get the best of both by letting the AI answer after hours, during jobs and when lines are busy, and passing emergencies and big jobs to a person. Smith.ai offers transfer to its live agents. [2] Jobber lets you set keywords such as "no heat" or "burst pipe" that transfer the call or text you. [8] Gravun's receptionist can hand the call to a colleague. [7]

What should an AI receptionist do for a trades business?

Before you compare prices, make sure it can do these six things. A cheap receptionist that only takes messages still leaves you calling everyone back.

1. Answer 24/7, including evenings, weekends and when you're on a roof.
2. Take the job details: name, number, address, what's wrong and how urgent it is.
3. Book into your real calendar, not just send you an email.
4. Pass emergencies to a person using rules you set.
5. Write the call up on the customer's record so the office isn't retyping it.
6. Be honest that it's an AI and offer a person. That builds trust, and in some places it may be a legal requirement, so check your local rules.

Items 3 and 5 are why the software you connect it to matters as much as the receptionist. A stand-alone answering service hands you a transcript. A receptionist built into your CRM creates the lead, the booking and the follow-up in the same place.

What's the cheapest way to get an AI receptionist?

• If you only need calls answered and get few calls, Smith.ai's Free plan is the lowest published price ($0 for 25 calls, then $3.00 a call). [2] You'll still need separate tools for scheduling, quotes and invoicing.
• If you already use Jobber, its $29 Receptionist add-on is the cheapest way to add one inside your current system. [1]
• If you're paying for several separate apps (CRM, phone, booking, quoting, invoicing), an all-in-one plan with receptionist minutes included can cost less overall. Gravun Starter is $99 a month for up to 3 users with 100 minutes and the rest of the platform included. See our worked example of separate-app costs.

Where Gravun fits, and where it doesn't

Gravun is an all-in-one CRM for trades and home service businesses. The AI receptionist is one of more than 15 tools in the same workspace, not a stand-alone product. The others:

• CRM and contacts, and a deals pipeline
• A shared inbox for email, texts, calls and web chat, and a business phone with recordings and summaries
• Calendar and online booking pages
• Quotes with Gravun Sign e-signatures
• Invoices with deposits, payment plans, recurring billing and reminders, plus online payments
• Jobs and scheduling, pricebook, inventory, expenses and fleet
• Email and text campaigns, and automatic review requests
• Team chat (Gravun Relay), automations and approvals, and reports
• Gavin, the AI assistant, which drafts follow-ups and prepares work, with nothing going out without your approval

When the receptionist books a caller, the appointment, contact and call summary land in the same system you quote and invoice from.

Where others may fit better:

• If you want live human agents as backup, Smith.ai offers that and Gravun doesn't.
• If your whole team already runs on Jobber, its add-on avoids a switch.
• If you need more than 500 receptionist minutes a month, compare overage costs carefully. Gravun bills extra minutes pay-as-you-go, so check the current rate in your account before committing.

Gravun pricing: Gravun Starter is $99 USD a month for up to 3 users and includes 100 AI receptionist minutes. Gravun Pro is $250 USD a month with 10 users included and 500 AI receptionist minutes, and extra users are $15 a month on Pro. Both plans have a 14-day free trial (card required, cancel anytime; no charge until day 14), are billed monthly, and have no contract or setup fee.

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FAQ

How much does an AI receptionist cost for a small contractor?

Published prices run from $0 to about $500 a month. Smith.ai's AI Receptionist is free for 25 calls a month and then $3.00 a call. Jobber's Receptionist is a $29-a-month add-on to a Jobber plan. Gravun includes 100 receptionist minutes in its $99-a-month Starter plan.

Is an AI receptionist cheaper than a human receptionist?

Yes. The US median receptionist wage was $18.27 an hour in May 2025, or about $38,010 a year (BLS), before payroll costs. Published AI receptionist prices are under $500 a month and cover 24/7, though a person is still better for complex or upset callers.

Do AI receptionists charge per minute or per call?

It depends on the vendor. Smith.ai bills per call. Gravun includes a set number of minutes in each plan (100 on Starter, 500 on Pro) and bills extra minutes pay-as-you-go. Jobber charges a flat $29 a month add-on.

Does Housecall Pro's AI receptionist cost extra?

Housecall Pro doesn't publish a price for CSR AI on its CSR AI page or pricing page. It's listed with the other add-ons, so ask Housecall Pro for a quote.

Will customers know they're talking to an AI?

That depends on the product. Gravun's receptionist tells callers they're talking to an AI and that they can reach a person. Housecall Pro lets the owner choose whether CSR AI discloses that it's an AI.

Can an AI receptionist book jobs into my calendar?

Yes, the products compared here can. Jobber and Housecall Pro book using your booking settings, Smith.ai books through scheduling tools such as Calendly, and Gravun books into a free slot on your Gravun calendar and writes up the call on the customer's record.

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Sources

1. Jobber pricing (plans, $29/mo Receptionist add-on, Receptionist included in Plus): https://www.getjobber.com/pricing/ (checked 2026-10-20)
2. Smith.ai AI Receptionist pricing (Free, Pro $150, Enterprise $500, per-call billing, live-agent transfer): https://smith.ai/pricing/ai-receptionist (checked 2026-10-20)
3. Housecall Pro CSR AI (features, disclosure FAQ, no price listed): https://www.housecallpro.com/features/csr-ai/ (checked 2026-10-20)
4. Housecall Pro pricing (Basic from $59/mo billed annually; CSR AI listed with add-ons, no price): https://www.housecallpro.com/pricing/ (checked 2026-10-20)
5. Gravun pricing: https://gravun.com/pricing (checked 2026-10-20)
6. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook, Receptionists (median pay May 2025): https://www.bls.gov/ooh/office-and-administrative-support/receptionists.htm (checked 2026-10-20)
7. Gravun platform, AI receptionist section: https://gravun.com/platform (checked 2026-10-20)
8. Jobber Receptionist feature page (keyword escalation, call and text answering): https://www.getjobber.com/features/ai-receptionist/ (checked 2026-10-20)

Related reading

• How to Stop Missing Customer Calls and Messages
• Missed-Call Text Back: How It Works and What to Send
• The Real Cost of Running a Business on 5 to 10 Separate Apps
• The 2026 Service Business Software Pricing Index