How much does an answering service cost?

How answering service pricing usually works

Most answering services charge in one of these ways:

• Per minute. You pay for the time spent on your calls, often with a set number of minutes included each month.
• Per call. You pay a fixed amount for each call answered, whatever its length.
• Flat monthly fee. A set price for a set amount of use.

Prices vary a lot between providers, and between services that use people in a call center and those that use AI. Always check the provider's own pricing page before you decide.

Extra fees to check before you buy

The monthly price is not always the full price. Ask about:

• Setup fees
• What happens when you use all your minutes or calls, and the price of extras
• Charges for nights, weekends or holidays
• Charges for transferring calls to you
• Contract length and cancellation fees
• Whether unused minutes roll over
• Sales tax

Ruqaya AI answering service cost

Ruqaya AI has three plans: Starter $39/month (150 minutes, about 60 calls), Growth $79/month (350 minutes, about 140 calls, adds live transfer of urgent calls) and Pro $129/month (700 minutes, about 280 calls, adds a monthly call review). Prices are in US dollars. There is no contract, and new customers get a 14-day money-back guarantee on the first month. See the pricing page for every detail.

Here is the rest of the detail, so there are no surprises:

• Extra minutes: optional, 20¢ each. If you leave them off, the receptionist keeps answering but only takes short messages until your minutes reset. We email you at 80% and 100%.
• Nights, weekends and holidays: no extra charge. Every plan answers 24/7.
• Unused minutes: they do not roll over. Minutes reset on the same day each month.
• Setup fee: free for our first 3 customers, then a one-time $99, shown before you pay. If we cannot get your receptionist live, it is refunded.
• Contract: none. Cancel from your dashboard and it keeps working until the end of the month you paid for.
• Tax: sales tax may be added at checkout depending on where you are. Payments are handled by Paddle, our Merchant of Record.

AI answering service vs a receptionist on staff

Many owners compare an answering service with hiring someone to answer the phone. A person on staff can do many other office jobs, which is a real benefit. But they also need wages, training and cover when they are sick or on holiday, and most do not work nights and weekends.

An AI answering service does one job: it answers your calls, takes the details and gets them to you. It works 24/7 at the same monthly price, and you can change its answers yourself in your dashboard. For many small businesses the best setup is both: a person during busy office hours, and the AI receptionist for overflow, lunch breaks, evenings and weekends.

Whichever you choose, write down how many calls you get in a normal month and how long they last. That makes it much easier to pick the right plan and avoid paying for minutes you do not use.

How minutes are counted

We add up the real talk time of every call to your receptionist, to the second. A typical call to a trade business lasts about 2 to 3 minutes, which is why 150 minutes is roughly 60 calls. Your dashboard shows minutes used and left at any time.

Which plan is right for you?

• Starter ($39) suits a business with a modest number of calls that mainly needs messages taken and urgent calls flagged by email.
• Growth ($79) suits businesses that need emergencies transferred live to a phone.
• Pro ($129) suits busier businesses that want more minutes and a monthly call review.

You can change plans later from your dashboard. See the full pricing page, or read about our after-hours answering service.

Try before you pay

Call our demo receptionist at (229) 949-4846 at any time to hear how it sounds. There is no general free trial, but our first 3 businesses get their first month and setup free with our founding offer (email team@ruqayaai.com with the subject FOUNDER). New customers can also ask for a full refund within 14 days of their first payment.

Common questions