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AI receptionist vs a call center
A call center puts trained people on your phones and usually bills by the minute: a published range for inbound call centers is $0.50 to $1.75 a minute1. Our AI receptionist answers when you can’t, says it’s an AI in its first sentence, takes the details, books where your calendar allows and texts you every call. We haven’t published its price yet. If your callers need a person who can handle anything, a call center is the better choice. If calls ring out after hours or on a job, the AI receptionist fits.
Side by side
| Call center (published range) | autoants AI receptionist | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | $0.50 to $1.75 a minute for inbound call centers, depending on the country and the work1 One example package: 1,000 minutes for $1,100, about $1.10 a minute1 | Not published yet: we price it with you, on its own or on top of any plan. The minutes it includes are written into your agreement. |
| What’s included | Depends on the contract: customer service, order taking, technical support and more1 | Answers 24/7 or only after hours, your pick. Says it’s an AI first, takes messages, books where your calendar allows, passes the call to a person by your written rules, and texts you every call. It never quotes, diagnoses or promises an arrival time. |
| Your hours per week | Not part of the published range1 | About 10 minutes a week reading the call texts. We read the transcripts each week and fix its answers. |
| Who answers at 2 AM | Depends on the contract; not part of the published range1 | The AI, if you pick 24/7. It says it’s an AI and texts you the details. |
| Setup time | Not part of the published range1 | We set up your facts, calendar and hand-off rules, then make ten test calls before it answers a real one. Your part is a 30-minute kickoff call. |
| Contract terms | Not part of the published range1 | 90 days, then month to month; cancel by email. You own every account, page and list. |
Facts about others come only from their own public pages or published price ranges, each linked below with the day we checked it. If something has changed, write to hello@autoants.com and we’ll fix it. Prices shown are for our first 3 shops.
When a call center is the better choice
- You have a steady, high volume of calls that need people all day.
- Calls need selling, long troubleshooting or judgment an AI shouldn’t make.
- Calls need medical, legal or insurance answers. Ours never gives them.
- Your callers won’t talk to an AI. Some won’t, and that’s their call.
When the AI receptionist fits
- Calls ring out after hours, at lunch or while you’re on a job.
- You want every call written up and texted to you, with the caller’s details.
- You want a caller in a real emergency passed to a person at once, by rules you write.
- It runs on its own or on top of any of our plans.
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Will callers know it’s an AI?
Yes. It says it’s an AI in its first sentence, and again if anyone asks.
What does it never do?
It never quotes a price, diagnoses a problem, promises an arrival time, or gives medical, legal or insurance advice. Those calls go to you.
How much does the AI receptionist cost?
We haven’t published its price yet. We price it with you, on its own or on top of any plan, and the minutes it includes are written into your agreement.
What does a call center cost?
One published range for inbound call centers is $0.50 to $1.75 a minute1, depending on the country and the work.
Sources
- Twilio, “How much does call center outsourcing cost?” (published 2025-11-22). https://www.twilio.com/en-us/blog/insights/cloud-comms/call-center-services-pricing. Checked October 20, 2026.