Our take on answering services in Chicago
Looking for a Chicago answering service? We're Zinng, an AI answering service, so we'll be honest 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.
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 Chicago businesses want a human voice on every call. If that's you, these are the four live answering services we would consider, based on their published pricing and what real customers say about them.
The top 4 Chicago 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 Ruby Best premium experience | 3.2 | $250/mo | $5/min | Full minute | None (21-day refund) |
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.
The best-known live receptionist brand for small businesses, with 24/7 bilingual answering.
California: Has a California service page; no California office found.
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, and the one Loop law firms ask about most. It is also the most expensive service on this page, which is why it rates fourth.
The best Chicago answering service for your type of business
Law firms
Legal callers are often stressed and calling more than one firm, so the first answer wins the client. Ruby is the premium live option, and Smith.ai is built around legal intake, with live agents and an AI receptionist.
Human-first live receptionists billed per call, with legal intake features. Smith.ai also sells a separate AI receptionist.
California: BBB lists the company in Los Altos, CA.
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.
Many firms put an AI front line first: it answers every call 24/7, collects the details of the matter, and transfers urgent calls to an attorney. That's the setup Zinng is built for.
Medical, dental and veterinary practices
Get a signed HIPAA Business Associate Agreement before the first patient call. Of the services we checked, Specialty Answering Service, Ruby, Abby Connect and MAP Communications list HIPAA compliance.
Contractors and home services
Chicago winters bring sudden call spikes: a cold snap that knocks out furnaces across Cook County can double an HVAC company's calls in a day. Per-minute plans with steep overage get expensive fast in a month like that, so check the overage rate as carefully as the plan price.
An AI service answers many calls at once, so nobody waits on hold during a storm day. It can also text callers a booking link or transfer urgent calls to your on-call tech.
What's different about hiring an answering service in Chicago
Keep your Chicago number
You don't need a new number to use an answering service. Keep your 312, 773 or 872 number, or a suburban one like 847, 630 or 708, and forward it to the service, either for every call or only when you don't pick up.
Our free call forwarding codes tool shows the exact codes for your carrier.
Your callers are on Central time, most services aren't
PATLive and AnswerFirst are in Florida, Specialty Answering Service is in Pennsylvania and Ruby is in Oregon. All of them answer 24/7, but if the service books appointments for you, confirm your schedule is set in Central time.
Illinois rules apply
Illinois makes it a crime to secretly record a private conversation without everyone's consent, so ask whether the service records calls and whether callers hear a notice. Our Illinois answering services guide covers the law and Spanish-language demand across the state.
What to ask any Chicago 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 three 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?
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. Our cheapest answering service comparison prices 22 services side by side.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best answering service in Chicago?
For a live, human answering service, Specialty Answering Service is our top pick, PATLive is best for an all-US-based team, AnswerFirst is best for low or unpredictable call volume, and Ruby is the premium choice many Loop law firms consider. If you are open to AI, an AI answering service like Zinng answers every call instantly for a fraction of the price and can transfer callers to a person.
How much does an answering service cost in Chicago?
Live answering services start around $30 to $300 a month. For about 200 minutes of calls, expect roughly $269 with Specialty Answering Service up to $720 with Ruby. AI answering services start around $49 a month for a few hundred minutes.
Is there an answering service based in Chicago?
None of the national answering services we compared is based in Chicago or Illinois, but all of them answer Chicago calls 24/7 from elsewhere in the country. Where the operators sit matters less than price, billing rules and reviews.
What is the best answering service for Chicago law firms?
Ruby is the most polished live receptionist service we looked at and Smith.ai is built around legal intake, but both cost more than the general-purpose services. Many firms start with an AI front line that answers 24/7 and transfers urgent calls to an attorney.
Can I keep my 312 or 773 number?
Yes. You forward your existing 312, 773, 872 or suburban number to the answering service, either for every call or only for calls you miss. Many services, including Zinng, also let you port your number over.
Can an answering service record calls in Chicago?
Illinois makes it a crime to secretly record a private conversation without the consent of everyone on it (720 ILCS 5/14-2). Ask any answering service whether it records your calls and whether callers hear a recording notice.
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.
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.
- 720 ILCS 5/14-2 (Illinois eavesdropping law)
