ReceptionHQ
Per-minute plans claim exact-second billing, rather than rounding each call up. Source for RHQ-CURRENT-SECONDS
Applies to per-minute plans, not MessageExpress per-call billing.
Plan prices and billing
A minute allowance, a call allowance and unlimited AI calls buy different work. Here is every published monthly plan we reviewed, with the overage rate where the provider lists one.
Dollar amounts are the provider’s US-page figures, read November 14, 2026. Ask for a total including taxes and surcharges. Prices below use monthly billing.
Monthly phone receptionist plan. Ask for the overage rate, rounding rule and total including tax.
Handling and contract detailsHuman-first plans, monthly. Paid handling add-ons are separate; confirm applicable taxes and reasonable-use terms.
Handling and contract detailsAI service, not 25 human receptionist calls. Test and simulated calls are separate categories.
Handling and contract detailsNew Client Priority calculator example, not a fixed plan price or independent estimate. Actual mix and quote can differ.
Handling and contract detailsMonthly Pro offer; the vendor’s unlimited-call and no-overage claims have not been contract-tested. Enterprise has annual volume-based agreements.
Handling and contract detailsPlus relevant sales tax. Same-page allocation wording conflicts with PAYG; no included-call allowance or final total is assumed.
Handling and contract detailsDirect page capture. An Abby Minute is not a common minute across human and AI calls. Confirm the starter price in writing; search-index content can differ from the live page.
1 Abby Minute buys 1 human minute or 2 AI minutes; mixed calls split usage. Source for ABBY-UNIT
Handling and contract detailsLive call answering monthly plan; government taxes and fees extra. Vendor’s approximate call counts are not call allowances.
Handling and contract detailsInbound monthly plan; outbound voice, SMS and website-chat allowances have separate terms. Confirm taxes and minute rounding.
Handling and contract detailsLive receptionist plan. $95 one-time setup from the official FAQ is separate; overage rate and coverage hours require confirmation.
Live Receptionist Services has a $95 one-time setup fee. Source for DAV-SETUP
Handling and contract detailsMonthly live receptionist plan; confirm taxes and billing increments. Old third-party overage figures are not used.
Handling and contract detailsAI allowance is calls, not minutes. Human-escalation billing details need confirmation.
Handling and contract detailsMonthly billing in USD, plus tax. Included credits are shared with web chat, assistant messages and staff-first calls; phone-only allowance shown. Confirm rounding and applicable terms before subscribing.
Handling and contract detailsOpen question
MessageExpress: from $25/month plus $1.99 per answered call in the PAYG FAQ. Source for RHQ-CURRENT-PAYG
The same page also says base subscriptions include a call or minute allocation. Source for RHQ-CURRENT-ALLOCATION
Ask“For the quoted tier, are any calls included? When does the $1.99 charge apply?” Keep the allowance and extra-call rate in your written quote.
Billing rules
Ask what happens to hold time, transfer time, spam, unanswered transfers and after-call work. Use each provider’s actual rules before calculating a total.
ReceptionHQ
Per-minute plans claim exact-second billing, rather than rounding each call up. Source for RHQ-CURRENT-SECONDS
Applies to per-minute plans, not MessageExpress per-call billing.
Davinci Virtual
Live receptionist time is tracked by the second; automated transferred-call time is separate. Source for DAV-SECONDS
Do not treat 10,000 automated minutes as 10,000 live receptionist minutes. The FAQ’s extra-automated-minute price wording is ambiguous and is not normalized.
LEX Reception
Minute-based plans; each call is rounded up to the next minute. Source for LEX-UNIT
The FAQ illustrates a 2m28s call as 3 billable minutes.
PATLive
Bills live on-call time, excluding after-call notes, message entry and wrap-up. Source for PAT-BILLING
Quote checklist
Copy these six points into each request so the written quotes can be compared line by line.
Monthly calls and typical duration, including short calls.
Business hours, overflow needs and after-hours coverage.
Messages, intake, bookings, payments or dispatch.
Required calendar, CRM and transfer destinations.
Human answering, AI answering, and the fallback when a transfer fails.
Written total including usage, add-ons, setup, taxes and cancellation notice.