Our take on live answering services
We're Zinng, an AI answering service, so we'll be upfront about our bias: we think AI makes the best front line for your phones, because it answers every call on the first ring, 24/7, for a flat monthly price.
When a caller needs a real person, Zinng transfers the call to you or your team. You can try a free demo built from your own website in about a minute and hear it for yourself.
But plenty of businesses want a human voice on every call. If that's you, these are the five live answering services we would consider, ranked by our rating, which is calculated from their published pricing, billing rules, trials and what real customers say about them.
The top 5 live answering services compared
| Service | Rating | Starts at | Per minute | Billing | Free trial |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Specialty Answering Service Best overall | 4.9 | $44/mo | $1.54/min | Per second | 14 days, no card |
| 2 PATLive Best all-US-based team | 4.5 | $49/mo | $2.99/min | 6-second | 14 days, card needed |
| 3 AnswerFirst Best for low or unpredictable call volume | 4.2 | $30/mo | $1.95/min | Per second | None (30-day refund) |
| 4 Abby Connect Best for an in-office US team | 3.6 | $165/mo | $3.30/min | 30-second | 14 days, payment needed |
| 5 MAP Communications Best budget live answering | 3.6 | $49/mo | $1.37/min | Full minute | Yes, no card |
An independent live answering service with per-second billing, the lowest published entry price, and a no-card free trial.
Rounds each call up to a full minute, so real bills usually run higher.
"Was able to get the issue resolved very quickly and easily, the rep understood the issue I was having immediately."
"I would have a problem & they would try to make it seem as if I was the issue."
Prices and ratings checked September 29, 2026.
A live answering service founded in 1990 with fully published pricing, US-based receptionists, and free Spanish.
Rounds each call up to a full minute, so real bills usually run higher.
"Their representatives are courteous and professional, and they collect the information I need from prospective tenants."
"Bots call the numbers and it counts towards your minutes."
Prices and ratings checked September 29, 2026.
A 100% live answering service with usage-based pricing and one-second billing.
Rounds each call up to a full minute, so real bills usually run higher.
"The AnswerFirst agents (staff) are friendly, easy to understand, competent... The price is right, too."
"The agent consistently mispronounced our company name and struggled with the script."
Prices and ratings checked September 29, 2026.
A family-owned service with in-office receptionists in Las Vegas. It also sells AI answering, but these plans are for human answering.
Rounds each call up to a full minute, so real bills usually run higher.
Prices and ratings checked September 29, 2026.
An employee-owned live answering service with HIPAA, HITRUST and SOC 2 certifications.
Rounds each call up to a full minute, so real bills usually run higher.
"It is so easy to navigate the online portal and our technicians love the app!"
"Highly overpriced in my opinion. Charges full boat for junk calls."
Prices and ratings checked September 29, 2026.
Also worth a look
These three didn't make our top 5, but each is the right fit for some businesses.
A UK-owned answering service that absorbed VoiceNation in 2020. These are its human plans; it also sells AI answering. Owned by Moneypenny (UK).
Rounds each call up to a full minute, so real bills usually run higher.
"Lauri is very friendly, helpful and accommodating. Good rates and great service."
"Once Moneypenny took over for VOICENATION we never got our messages."
Prices and ratings checked September 29, 2026.
Moneypenny is the company formerly known as VoiceNation in the US, so you may still see the VoiceNation name in older reviews.
The best-known live receptionist brand for small businesses, with 24/7 bilingual answering.
Rounds each call up to a full minute, so real bills usually run higher.
"Everyone at Ruby is professional and patient with callers. All of the receptionists are polite and cheerful."
"Whenever my service with Ruby was active, my business saw a massive spike in spam calls, robocalls, and immediate hang-ups that ate into my billable minutes."
Prices and ratings checked September 29, 2026.
Ruby is the most polished live receptionist brand we looked at, but it is also one of the most expensive, which is why it rates below our top 5.
Human-first live receptionists billed per call, with legal intake features. Smith.ai also sells a separate AI receptionist.
Rounds each call up to a full minute, so real bills usually run higher.
"As a solo attorney, I cannot overstate how important Smith.ai's 24/7 service is to my practice."
"They advertise a 30 day guarantee of money back... Scammers"
Prices and ratings checked September 29, 2026.
One caution: Smith.ai currently has a BBB rating of F, which BBB attributes to not responding to two complaints, and some 2026 reviews dispute refunds under its money-back guarantee.
Live answering service or AI answering service?
A live answering service puts a human receptionist on your calls. You usually pay a monthly plan for a set number of minutes, then a per-minute rate on top. For a typical small business taking 150 calls a month that average 80 seconds, the services on this page range from about $270 to over $1,400 a month.
An AI answering service answers every call instantly, even when ten people call at once, for a flat monthly price. Zinng starts at $49 a month with 300 minutes, and if you need more you buy extra minutes in buckets instead of paying overage. When a caller needs a person, the AI transfers the call to you.
Choose a live service if every caller must reach a human, for example if your calls are long and emotional. Choose AI if you mostly need calls answered, questions handled and leads captured around the clock. Many businesses use AI as the front line and transfer the calls that need a person.
What to ask any answering service before you sign
Across every live answering service we checked, the most common complaint was the same one: paying for spam calls and getting surprise overage bills. Before you sign, get these answers in writing.
- How are robocalls, spam and hang-ups billed?
- What is the billing increment: per second, per minute, or per call?
- What happens when you go over your plan, and is there a cap?
- Do you record calls, and do callers hear a recording notice? Some states, like California, require every party's consent.
For what it's worth, this is where AI shines. You can tell Zinng's AI to end robocalls and sales pitches on its own, so a spam call costs you a few seconds, and numbers you block don't count against your minutes at all. We wrote up how to stop spam calls on your business line if you want the full playbook.
How we rate answering services
Every service gets our rating from 0 to 5, calculated from the published facts on this page rather than our opinion. Customer reviews count for 35%, price for 25%, billing fairness for 20%, and trial and terms for 20%.
- Customer reviews: Trustpilot and Google ratings, weighted by how many reviews each has, minus a penalty for a poor BBB grade.
- Price: what a typical small business would pay each month for 150 calls averaging 80 seconds, using each service's real plans and rounding rules.
- Billing fairness: whether you pay by the second or get rounded up to a full minute, whether spam calls are charged, and any extra fees.
- Trial and terms: free trials, refund guarantees, contract minimums, setup fees, and whether prices are public at all.
We don't rate Zinng on this page, and no company paid to be included or ranked.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best live answering service?
Specialty Answering Service is our top pick for most small businesses because it bills by the second, has a free trial with no card, and has strong reviews. PATLive is best if you want an all-US-based team, AnswerFirst is best for low or unpredictable call volume, Abby Connect is best for an in-office US team, and MAP Communications is the best budget option.
How much does a live answering service cost?
Live answering services start around $44 to $250 a month, and most charge roughly $1.30 to $5 per minute depending on the plan. For a typical small business taking 150 calls a month that average 80 seconds, the services we rated range from about $270 to over $1,400 a month.
What is the difference between a live answering service and an AI answering service?
A live answering service uses human receptionists, usually billed by the minute. An AI answering service like Zinng answers every call instantly, 24/7, for a flat monthly price, and can transfer callers to a person when they need one.
Do answering services charge for spam calls?
Many do. Being billed for robocalls, wrong numbers and hang-ups is the most common complaint about live answering services, so ask how spam is billed before you sign.
Is an answering service worth it?
If a missed call can cost you a job, usually yes. For most service businesses, one extra booked customer a month covers the cost of the service.
Answering services by state
Every state page compares the answering services worth considering there, with local industries, languages and pricing.
- Alabama
- Alaska
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- California
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- Florida
- Georgia
- Hawaii
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Maine
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Montana
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- New York
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Utah
- Vermont
- Virginia
- Washington
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
Answering services by city
- Anaheim
- Atlanta
- Bakersfield
- Colorado Springs
- Denver
- Fresno
- Long Beach
- Los Angeles
- Oakland
- Palm Springs
- Pasadena
- Phoenix
- Riverside
- Sacramento
- San Diego
- San Francisco
- San Jose
- Santa Barbara
- Santa Rosa
- Ventura
Sources
Every price and rating on this page comes from each company's own pricing page, Trustpilot, Google, and the Better Business Bureau. Each service card shows the date we last checked it, and prices change often, so confirm before you buy.
