Directory · checked October 3, 2026
AI receptionistsyou can call first.
You can call an AI receptionist before you buy one: these companies publish a demo number anyone can dial without signing up. We compared seven on price per included minute, booking, languages and independent reviews, checked on each company's own site on October 3, 2026. Tylum is first, and it has the lowest price per minute here.
Demo lines
Demo lines, compared
| Company | Demo number | Entry plan | Per included minute | Books on entry plan | Languages | Independent reviews | Pros and cons | Pricing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tylum Voice | (408) 790-0686 | $49/mo, 300 min | About 16¢ (Pro 13¢) | Yes, built-in calendar (Pro adds Google/Outlook sync) | English | None yet (launched Sept 2026) | + Lowest price per minute here; minutes rounded once a month; the demo is the real product − English only; no CRM integrations yet | tylumvoice.com |
| Marlie AI | (929) 577-3301 · (332) 334-9231 · (445) 274-4430 · (929) 209-5940 | $49/mo, 250 min | About 20¢ | From $99 | English, Spanish | None found | + Four industry demos; Spanish − Booking starts at $99; overage $0.35/min | Official |
| ModPhone | (234) 231-6622 | $49/mo, 200 min | About 25¢ | Yes | 30+ languages | None found | + Many languages; low overage ($0.15/min) − Fewer included minutes; trial terms inconsistent on its site | Official |
| AnswerNow | (586) 488-4597 | $49/mo, 180 min | About 27¢ | Yes | Not stated | None found | + Simple minute pricing; $0.20 overage − Fewer minutes; integrations and languages not published | Official |
| Upfirst | (833) 564-4778 | $24.95/mo, 30 calls | Per call ($0.83 a call) | Yes | 35+ languages | G2 4.9 (26), Capterra 5.0 (12) | + Lowest entry price; many languages and integrations − 30 calls a month on the entry plan; no human backup | Official |
| Smith.ai (AI Receptionist) | (380) 333-6907 | $0 for 25 calls; Pro $150 for 75 | Per call ($2.00 a call on Pro) | Yes | English, Spanish | G2 5.0 (32 AI reviews), Capterra 4.9 (48), Trustpilot 4.4 (374); BBB F | + Human backup on hard calls; Clio, HubSpot and Salesforce integrations − $2.00 a call on Pro; 30 days' notice to cancel; BBB billing complaints | Official |
| GrayWorks | (202) 335-4047 | $39/mo, 40 min | About 98¢ | From $129 | English (Spanish on $199) | None found | + Low entry price; answers as itself − Only 40 minutes; booking from $129 | Official |
A selection of self-serve AI receptionists with a public demo line and published prices, not every vendor. Prices, numbers and review counts are from each company's own site and the review sites named, checked October 3, 2026; we did not place test calls, and these change. "Per included minute" is the entry price divided by its included minutes; per-call plans are shown per call. Company names are trademarks of their owners; Tylum is not affiliated with them. Corrections: [email protected].
The short version
Why Tylum comes out ahead on price
About 16¢ per included minute on Basic and 13¢ on Pro. RingCentral works out to 49¢, Zoom to 30¢, Marlie to 20¢ and GrayWorks to 98¢ on their entry plans.
Basic includes 300 minutes and books appointments into Tylum's built-in calendar. At the same $49, RingCentral includes 100 minutes and ModPhone 200; Marlie's booking starts at $99.
Extra minutes are $0.20. RingCentral charges $0.50 and Marlie and GrayWorks $0.35; ModPhone is lower at $0.15. On a paid plan, Sam never stops answering.
Tylum adds up the time Sam is on the line across the month and rounds once. RingCentral bills in 30-second steps, and Ruby rounds every call up to a full minute. On most per-call plans a short call costs the same as a long one (Nextiva doesn't count calls under 30 seconds).
You forward the number you already have. There's no phone system to switch to, unlike add-ons that need RingCentral, Zoom Phone or a paid Quo plan.
The demo line is the real product, not a sample business, and it books a real 15-minute consult with our founder. Then a 14-day trial with up to 60 minutes, month to month, with no notice period to cancel.
On quality, don't take our word, or anyone's: call Sam and two or three of the lines above back to back, ask the same questions, and listen for how quickly and how well each one answers.
Built into phone systems
If you're comparing your phone company's receptionist
Several phone systems now sell an AI receptionist as an add-on. They're convenient if you already use that phone system. Tylum costs less per included minute than RingCentral's and Zoom's; Nextiva and Quo bill per conversation or per call instead.
| Add-on | Price | Per included minute | Going over | Pros and cons | Pricing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tylum Voice | $49/mo, 300 min; $129/mo, 1,000 min | About 16¢ (Pro 13¢) | $0.20/min, rounded once a month | + Forward the number you already have; booking on every plan − English only; no CRM integrations yet | tylumvoice.com |
| RingCentral AI Receptionist | $49/mo standalone ($39 as a RingEX add-on), 100 min | 49¢ | $0.50/min, billed in 30-second steps | + Built into RingCentral's phone system, extensions and contacts − 100 minutes included; $0.50/min overage | Official |
| Zoom Virtual Agent Receptionist | $29.99/mo, 100 min (or $0.30/min with Zoom Phone) | 30¢ | Add-on minutes | + Low entry price; works with any phone − 100 minutes included at that price | Official |
| Nextiva XBert | $99/mo for 100 conversations | Per conversation (99¢) | $0.99 per conversation | + Calls under 30 seconds don't count; 30-day money-back guarantee − About $0.99 per conversation | Official |
| Quo (OpenPhone) Sona | About 10 calls free; paid from $25/mo | Per call | Tiered per-call rates | + Free starter allowance; part of the Quo phone app − Requires a paid Quo phone plan | Official |
From each company's own pricing page, checked October 3–4, 2026. "Per included minute" is the entry price divided by its included minutes. These add-ons don't publish public demo numbers, so they aren't in the demo-line table above.
Honestly
Where others are stronger
Upfirst and ModPhone advertise 30+ languages; Smith.ai and Marlie handle Spanish. Tylum answers in English today.
Smith.ai and Upfirst connect to CRMs and tools like Clio and HubSpot. Tylum connects to Google Calendar and Outlook on Pro.
Smith.ai can escalate to its own human receptionists. Tylum transfers to you or your team.
Smith.ai and Ruby have years of independent reviews. Tylum launched in September 2026 and has none yet; most of the newer services above don't either.
Making the call count
What to try on a demo call
Hours, location, prices, what you offer. These are most of the calls a receptionist gets.
Try to book an appointment, then move it. Real callers rarely get it right the first time.
Does it recognize urgency and get you to a person, or take a message and move on?
A good receptionist hands off gracefully, and should say it's an AI if you ask.
Then check how it bills: by the minute, by the call or by the caller. See what an AI receptionist costs.
Questions
Demo calls, briefly
Is Tylum Voice cheaper than RingCentral's AI receptionist?
Tylum is cheaper than RingCentral's AI receptionist per minute: Tylum Basic is $49 a month with 300 minutes and $0.20 overage, while RingCentral's standalone AI Receptionist is $49 a month with 100 minutes and $0.50 overage, billed in 30-second steps (October 2026 pricing). RingCentral's add-on may suit businesses that already use its phone system.
Which AI receptionist is cheapest per minute?
Of the AI receptionists we compared in October 2026, Tylum Voice has the lowest price per included minute: about 16 cents on its $49 plan with 300 minutes, and about 13 cents on its $129 plan with 1,000 minutes. Per-call services such as Upfirst and Smith.ai can cost more or less depending on how long your calls run.
Can I call an AI receptionist before I buy one?
You can call many AI receptionists before you buy: the companies publish a demo phone number you can call without signing up. Tylum's live demo line is (408) 790-0686, and the table on this page lists others we verified on each company's own website in October 2026.
What should I test on an AI receptionist demo call?
Call the way your own callers would: ask about hours and prices, try to book or reschedule, change your mind halfway through, describe something urgent, and ask for a person. Listen for whether it answers clearly and hands off at the right moment.
Is a demo line the same as the real product?
A demo line is not always the real product: some run a sample business built for the demo, while others are the product answering as itself. Tylum's demo line is the real product answering for Tylum.
Do demo calls cost anything?
The companies listed don't charge for calling their demo lines, but normal phone-carrier charges may apply.