AI receptionist pricingFree website chat. Phone answering from $29 a month.
Phone prices shown below are billed annually; choose Monthly to see month-to-month rates. Every paid plan includes your trade’s knowledge, intake questions, and calendar booking.
14 days of Pro included. No credit card.
Try Pro for 14 days before choosing your plan.
After the 14 days you pick a plan or drop to Free, which keeps the website chat. Nothing is charged unless you choose it.
Billed annually, ~17% less than month to month.
100 phone minutes a month · $348 billed annually
- Everything in Free
- Live talk time on the phone, counted per second. Screened spam never counts, and the clock stops when a person picks up a transfer.100 phone minutes a monthLive talk time on the phone, counted per second. Screened spam never counts, and the clock stops when a person picks up a transfer.
- The flat per-minute rate for talk time past your plan. No per-call fee and no rounding up.$0.29/min after thatThe flat per-minute rate for talk time past your plan. No per-call fee and no rounding up.
- The chat widget on your site with no conversation cap and no “answered by Penny” mark.Unlimited website chat without the Penny markThe chat widget on your site with no conversation cap and no “answered by Penny” mark.
- Penny checks open slots and your booking rules before adding an appointment to Google Calendar or Outlook during a call or chat.Calendar booking in Google or Outlook, on phone and chatPenny checks open slots and your booking rules before adding an appointment to Google Calendar or Outlook during a call or chat.
- Edit your trade’s emergency rules in plain English. Penny attempts a transfer to the number you choose and follows your fallback if nobody answers.Your trade’s emergency rules and a transfer numberEdit your trade’s emergency rules in plain English. Penny attempts a transfer to the number you choose and follows your fallback if nobody answers.
- Review call details and available transcripts, then send supported call, lead, and appointment data through Zapier or signed webhooks.Call log with transcripts; Zapier and webhooksReview call details and available transcripts, then send supported call, lead, and appointment data through Zapier or signed webhooks.
375 phone minutes a month · $1,188 billed annually
- Everything in Starter
- Live talk time on the phone, counted per second. Screened spam never counts, and the clock stops when a person picks up a transfer.375 phone minutes a monthLive talk time on the phone, counted per second. Screened spam never counts, and the clock stops when a person picks up a transfer.
- The flat per-minute rate for talk time past your plan. No per-call fee and no rounding up.$0.27/min after thatThe flat per-minute rate for talk time past your plan. No per-call fee and no rounding up.
- Set who is on call by day and hour. Penny attempts the transfer and tells the receiving person who is calling after they answer. Your fallback rules apply if nobody picks up.On-call schedule and dispatch; warm transferSet who is on call by day and hour. Penny attempts the transfer and tells the receiving person who is calling after they answer. Your fallback rules apply if nobody picks up.
- Send intake records to Jobber, Housecall Pro, or ServiceTitan for your office to review and schedule. HubSpot and Salesforce connect through Zapier or signed webhooks.Jobber, Housecall Pro, ServiceTitan, HubSpot, SalesforceSend intake records to Jobber, Housecall Pro, or ServiceTitan for your office to review and schedule. HubSpot and Salesforce connect through Zapier or signed webhooks.
- Callers get a text confirming the booking, a missed call gets a text back, and a caller can text a photo of the problem for the ticket.Text confirmations, missed-call text-back, photo-by-textCallers get a text confirming the booking, a missed call gets a text back, and a caller can text a photo of the problem for the ticket.
- Several numbers or locations under one account, each with its own greeting, hours, and routing, plus call flows written for how your office works.Multiple numbers and locations; custom workflowsSeveral numbers or locations under one account, each with its own greeting, hours, and routing, plus call flows written for how your office works.
1050 phone minutes a month · $2,988 billed annually
- Everything in Pro
- Live talk time on the phone, counted per second. Screened spam never counts, and the clock stops when a person picks up a transfer.1050 phone minutes a monthLive talk time on the phone, counted per second. Screened spam never counts, and the clock stops when a person picks up a transfer.
- The flat per-minute rate for talk time past your plan. No per-call fee and no rounding up.$0.24/min after thatThe flat per-minute rate for talk time past your plan. No per-call fee and no rounding up.
- Call volume, outcomes, leads, and bookings over time, with a read API and export for your own reporting.Analytics and reporting; API and exportCall volume, outcomes, leads, and bookings over time, with a read API and export for your own reporting.
- Transcripts that keep protected health information to a minimum, retention controls you set, and a BAA on request.Compliance mode (PHI-minimized, retention, BAA)Transcripts that keep protected health information to a minimum, retention controls you set, and a BAA on request.
- Front-of-the-line support and a guided setup session that tunes Penny to how your office runs.Priority support and guided setupFront-of-the-line support and a guided setup session that tunes Penny to how your office runs.
14 days of Pro included. No credit card.
Chat on your website. 100 conversations a month.
- One visitor session counts as one conversation, however long it runs. The count resets every month.100 chat conversations a monthOne visitor session counts as one conversation, however long it runs. The count resets every month.
- The free widget carries a small “answered by Penny” mark. Starter removes it.A small “answered by Penny” mark on the widgetThe free widget carries a small “answered by Penny” mark. Starter removes it.
- A visitor asks for a time, Penny takes the request, and you confirm it from the email. Live booking onto your calendar begins on Starter.Appointment requests you confirmA visitor asks for a time, Penny takes the request, and you confirm it from the email. Live booking onto your calendar begins on Starter.
- Penny notices the caller’s or visitor’s language and switches, mid-conversation if needed, at no extra charge.English and SpanishPenny notices the caller’s or visitor’s language and switches, mid-conversation if needed, at no extra charge.
- Penny reads your site for services, hours, and service area, and starts with a working reference on your line of work.Answers from your website and your trade’s knowledgePenny reads your site for services, hours, and service area, and starts with a working reference on your line of work.
- The details each visitor shares, their question, and the outcome, in your inbox as the conversation ends.Lead capture, with an email after every conversationThe details each visitor shares, their question, and the outcome, in your inbox as the conversation ends.
Phone answering, live booking, and call transfers begin on Starter.
Try Penny freeFrom $3,000 a year, with custom volume and a named account team.
- Everything in Business
- Minutes sized to your call volume, on a contract you negotiate with the account team.Custom phone volumeMinutes sized to your call volume, on a contract you negotiate with the account team.
- The flat per-minute rate for talk time past your plan. No per-call fee and no rounding up.$0.21/min after that, the lowest rateThe flat per-minute rate for talk time past your plan. No per-call fee and no rounding up.
- Chat on your site with no conversation cap and no mark.Unlimited website chatChat on your site with no conversation cap and no mark.
- A named team that knows your setup, with contractual response times.A dedicated account team and SLAsA named team that knows your setup, with contractual response times.
- Connectors built for your systems and a hands-on onboarding for your team.Custom integrations and onboardingConnectors built for your systems and a hands-on onboarding for your team.
Billed annually on a custom contract.
Talk to usNo setup fee. Keep your number and cancel from billing. Enterprise uses a custom annual contract.
Know the rate before a busy month.
Compare the included allowance and additional-use rate on any answering plan. Human services may count calls or minutes; your total depends on the plan and how much you use it.
A Saturday call uses the same minute rate as a Tuesday call. Your subscription includes talk minutes; extra minutes use the rate on your plan. A storm week can cost more if it takes you past that allowance. Usage alerts help you track it.
| How you’re answered | Who answers | How it bills | Typical cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Penny (AI receptionist) | Software, trained for your line of work | Subscription with included minutes, then the published per-minute rate | $29–$249/mo, billed annually |
| Virtual receptionist (human) | A remote receptionist on a shared team | Per minute or per answered call; the bill scales with volume | See the provider’s current plan and allowance |
| Answering service (human) | A call-center agent who takes a message | Per-minute or per-call blocks, plus overage | See the sourced provider table in the cost guide |
Provider prices and check dates are listed in the answering service cost guide. Compare total usage as well as the subscription. Read the cost guide.
The essentials come with every paid plan.
Starter, Pro, and Business all answer the phone the same way. What changes up the ladder is the minutes, how Penny reaches your team, which software she writes into, texting, and reporting. Website chat comes with every plan, including Free.
Call coverage while you work and after you close
Nights, weekends, holidays, and the overflow during the day. No busy signal or separate after-hours rate. Spam screening filters nuisance calls; voicemail remains available as a fallback.
Your trade’s knowledge
The HVAC reference distinguishes heat pumps from furnaces, and the plumbing reference covers fixture replacements and service requests. Penny starts with your line of work, then reads your website. For a maintenance visit, she gathers the equipment details your team needs.
Live calendar booking
She checks your availability and writes the appointment to Google Calendar or Outlook while the caller is on the line, on the phone or in chat. A later call can move or cancel it.
Lead capture with required fields
Name, number, address, and the reason for the call, with the fields you mark as required gathered before she books. The summary is in your inbox as the call ends.
English and Spanish
Penny notices the caller’s language and switches, mid-call if needed, at no extra charge.
Transfer to a live person
Penny attempts to connect a caller to the number you set. Pro adds an on-call schedule and a warm transfer, so the receiving person hears the intake after answering and before the caller is connected.
Your number and your tools
Get a local number or forward the one on your truck, with a carrier guide step by step. Every call sits in your log with its transcript, and Zapier and signed webhooks carry it into anything else you run.
Emergency rules
Review your trade’s defaults and edit the safety instruction, contact, and fallback in plain English. Reported hazards follow these instructions before routine intake or scheduling.
The bigger plans add minutes and depth: Pro brings on-call dispatch, Jobber, Housecall Pro, ServiceTitan, HubSpot, Salesforce, and texting; Business brings reporting, an API, and compliance mode. The way Penny answers the phone is the same on $29 and $249.
Compare the profit from a job with your answering costs.
In a 2020 Pew survey, 67% of U.S. adults said they generally decline unknown cellphone calls but check a voicemail if one is left. That finding is not a missed-job rate for your business. Starter is $29 a month billed annually. Compare your full answering bill with the profit from the work it helps you win, after labor, materials, and other costs.
Review the jobs that became confirmed appointments and the phone minutes used to take them. Your subscription includes a monthly allowance; additional talk time is billed at your plan’s published rate. Those figures let you compare the service with the work it brings to your office.
Call Penny and try it
The live demo uses Summit Heating, a fictional HVAC business. Listen to her intake here; test your own trade’s rules in your Penny account.
(630) 297-4128- Ask the HVAC demo whether Summit Heating offers the service you need.
- Tell her your furnace won’t light and hear which question she asks first.
- Ask for an appointment and listen for the details needed before she offers a slot.
What the plans cost and what a minute is.
Minutes, overage, the 14 days, compliance mode, and the refund.
Free is chat on your website: 100 conversations a month, a small “answered by Penny” mark on the widget, and appointment requests that you confirm by email. Starter adds a phone line with 100 minutes a month, live booking onto your calendar from the phone and the chat, the emergency rules for your trade, a transfer number, and the call log with transcripts. It also removes the mark and the conversation cap.
Give Penny a call before you forward yours.
Try the HVAC demo, then set up Penny for your business. Your account includes 14 days of Pro; Free keeps your website chat after the trial.
14 days of Pro included. No credit card.