Best Free AI Receptionists of 2026
Which AI receptionists are actually free, which are free trials, and what each costs once the free part ends, with every limit sourced.
By , research by the BestBots team ยท Updated Oct 19, 2026
Fact checked against each company's published pricing, documentation and verified user ratings. How we score
Smith.ai is the best free AI receptionist and the only one with a permanent free plan: 25 calls a month answered by AI, with booking and transcripts, then $3.00 per extra call. Quo gives 10 free AI calls a month with any paid phone seat. Everyone else offers a free trial of 7 to 14 days, and three of those need no credit card.
Our top picks
We checked every AI receptionist we cover for free plans, trials and refund terms, using their pricing pages and terms as of October 2026. "Free" below means exactly what the vendor's page says, with the catch spelled out.
Free plan vs free trial vs free allowance
These are not the same thing, and vendors blur them.
- Free plan. Free every month, forever, within a limit. Only Smith.ai offers this for a finished AI receptionist (25 calls).
- Free allowance with a paid product. The AI is free, but only if you pay for something else. Quo includes 10 AI calls with a $19 phone seat. Jobber Plus includes unlimited AI Receptionist use. Boulevard's AI usage is free for its salon customers through November 2026.
- Developer free tier. Free minutes to build your own agent. ElevenLabs gives 15 minutes a month; Retell gives $10 in credits once; Vapi $5.
- Free trial. Free for 7 to 14 days, then billed. Watch whether a card is required and whether usage beyond the trial allowance is billed.
- Money back guarantee. You pay, then can get a refund. Nextiva's XBert offers 30 days.
Our picks, in detail
- Starting price
- $0 per month
- Free plan
- Yes
- Free trial
- Free plan with 25 calls per month
- Minutes or calls included
- 25 calls free; 75 to 500 calls on paid tiers
Smith.ai is the only AI receptionist here with a free plan that never expires: 25 real calls a month answered by AI, with booking, transcripts and summaries, then $3.00 per extra call. Known spam numbers are filtered and not billed, and you can add live receptionist escalation per call.
Pros
- Free plan with 25 real calls a month, so you can run it on live traffic before paying
- Escalation to live North America based receptionists when the AI should not handle a call
- Native Clio, HubSpot and Salesforce integrations, plus Zapier and Make
- Spam calls from a list of 20 million+ known numbers are filtered and not billed
- Recording, transcription, summaries and lead qualification on every plan
Cons
- Per call rates of $1.60 to $3.00 are two to four times what Upfirst charges at similar volume
- Live agent calls cost extra per call, and that rate is not on the AI pricing page
- Volumes above 500 calls are quote only
- Six month term plans are non refundable, and Trustpilot reviewers describe disputes over exactly that
Skip it if you regularly take more than about 50 calls a month; per call overage makes paid plans elsewhere cheaper.
- Starting price
- $19 per user per month
- Free plan
- No
- Free trial
- 7 days
- Minutes or calls included
- 10 calls with any plan; 40 to 600 on paid Sona tiers
Every Quo phone plan includes 10 Sona AI calls a month at no extra charge, so the AI is free if you already pay for a $19 Quo seat for your business number. Usage can be capped so you never pay more than you plan, and extra calls on the free allowance cost $1.00.
Pros
- Business phone line and AI receptionist on one bill from $19 per user
- 10 AI calls included every month
- Paid tiers fall to $0.45 per call at 600 calls, with a usage cap
- SOC 2 Type II and HIPAA with a BAA
- Trustpilot 4.2 from 1,091 reviews and App Store 4.4 from 10,814 ratings
Cons
- Only works on Quo numbers; you cannot add it to another phone system
- Sends booking links instead of booking directly into a calendar
- Three languages, no switching mid call
- Seat price and Sona tier are two separate charges
Skip it if you do not want a new phone system; Sona only answers numbers inside Quo.
- Starting price
- $0.08 per minute
- Free plan
- Yes
- Free trial
- None listed
- Minutes or calls included
- Not published
ElevenLabs' free plan includes 15 agent minutes a month and 4 concurrent calls, enough to build and test a custom phone agent with its 5,000+ voice library. ElevenLabs charges no telephony fee, and paid plans start at $6 a month for 75 minutes.
Pros
- Flat $0.08 per extra minute on every plan and no ElevenLabs telephony fee
- 5,000+ voices across 31 languages, the widest voice library of the platforms compared
- Visual workflow builder, knowledge base with RAG, tools and custom LLM support
- Free plan with 15 minutes and 4 concurrent calls to prototype
Cons
- LLM cost is extra and shown only inside the product, so the all in rate is not published
- HIPAA BAAs require Enterprise
- Going over your concurrency limit doubles the rate to $0.16 per minute
- Trustpilot score is 3.0 from 1,188 reviews, mostly about credits and billing across ElevenLabs products
Skip it if you want a finished receptionist; you design the agent, connect Twilio or SIP and pay your carrier and LLM separately.
- Starting price
- $49 per month
- Free plan
- No
- Free trial
- 7 days, no credit card
- Minutes or calls included
- 250, 1,000 or 2,000 minutes
Rosie gives 7 days free with no credit card, and the plan you land on afterwards is cheap: $49 for 250 minutes in English and Spanish. It trains itself from your website and Google Business Profile, so the trial is spent on real calls rather than setup.
Pros
- $49 for 250 minutes is the lowest cost per included minute on a published plan in this group
- English and Spanish on every plan
- Trains itself from your website and Google Business Profile
- Can run for after hours or overflow only through conditional call forwarding
- Native iOS and Android apps
Cons
- Calendar booking and live transfers need the $149 Scale plan
- No published overage rate, so you cannot model a busy month
- Only Google Calendar and Calendly natively; CRMs go through Zapier
- Thin review record: 3.5 on the App Store from 11 ratings and no Trustpilot reviews
Skip it if you need calendar booking during the trial on the entry plan; direct booking starts on the $149 Scale plan.
- Starting price
- $24.95 per month
- Free plan
- No
- Free trial
- 14 days
- Minutes or calls included
- 30 to 600 calls depending on plan
Upfirst offers a 14 day free trial, and its $24.95 Starter plan covers 30 calls afterwards with spam, sub 15 second and silent calls not billed. Booking into Google, Outlook, Calendly, Acuity, Square and Clio works on every plan, and a free 30 minute onboarding call is included.
Pros
- Lowest entry price among per call receptionists at $24.95 for 30 calls
- Spam, sub 15 second and silent calls are not billed
- Calendar booking on every plan, including Clio, Calendly, Acuity and Square
- 35+ languages with automatic switching when the caller changes language
- 14 day free trial and 20% off for annual billing
Cons
- No review listing with 10 or more reviews that we could find, so less public proof than Smith.ai
- No staffed human backup; transfers go to your own phones
- HIPAA BAAs only on custom plans above 600 calls
- Native CRM list is short beyond Clio; most CRMs go through Zapier
Skip it if you want a long public review record before you commit.
- Starting price
- $99 per month
- Free plan
- No
- Free trial
- 7 days, no credit card
- Minutes or calls included
- 200 minutes plus about 40 from the credit pool
My AI Front Desk's 7 day trial needs no card and covers voice, web chat, two way SMS and a CRM in one plan, which lists 200 voice minutes and 20+ languages at $99 a month after the trial.
Pros
- Voice, web chat, two way SMS and a CRM in one $99 plan
- 20+ languages
- Lowest overage in this group at $0.25 per minute
- Vertical integrations for property management and therapy software
Cons
- Trustpilot 3.4 from 19 reviews; 21% are 1 star, several over refused refunds and billing after cancellation
- Its terms say refunds are generally not provided, which matters most on the $948 annual plan
- Reviewers report slow support replies during trials, and the company had not replied to negative reviews
- One public plan, so light users pay for chat, SMS and email features they may not use
Skip it if refunds matter; its terms say usage fees beyond the trial allowance still apply during the trial and refunds are generally not provided.
- Starting price
- $99 per month
- Free plan
- No
- Free trial
- 30 day money back guarantee, no credit card required
- Minutes or calls included
- 100 interactions (calls, texts, chats)
Nextiva's XBert has no free trial but a 30 day money back guarantee with no credit card required to start, on a $99 plan that covers 100 calls, texts and chats. Calls under 30 seconds are not billed, and Nextiva rates 4.5 on Trustpilot from 8,704 reviews.
Pros
- $99 for 100 interactions covers calls, texts and web chat in one bucket
- Calls under 30 seconds do not count as interactions
- 30 day money back guarantee and no long term contract
- Says it is SOC 2 certified and HIPAA compliant
- Nextiva carries 4.5 on Trustpilot from 8,704 reviews
Cons
- Supported languages are not published
- ServiceTitan, Salesforce and HubSpot are request based integrations (2 to 4 days)
- No staffed human backup
- Trustpilot reviewers describe confusing onboarding and long hold times
Skip it if you want to pay nothing up front; this is a refund guarantee, not a free tier.
- Starting price
- $65 per month
- Free plan
- No
- Free trial
- 7 days or 250 receptionist minutes, no credit card
- Minutes or calls included
- Pay as you go, or 50 to 500 mixed AI and live minutes
Posh's trial covers 7 days or 250 receptionist minutes with no credit card, and it includes both AI and US based live receptionists, so you can see how a hybrid handles your calls. After the trial, On Demand is $65 a month pay as you go.
Pros
- Published per minute rates for both AI and live answering
- AI and live minutes share one plan pool
- Clio Grow, Clio Manage and Rocket Matter integrations
- Free trial of 7 days or 250 minutes with no card
- 4.7 on Trustpilot from 199 reviews
Cons
- AI minutes cost $0.95 to $1.15, several times pure AI tools
- Billed for follow up tasks like scheduling and reminders, not just talk time
- Some long term reviewers report quality slips
Skip it if you want the lowest price after the trial; AI minutes cost $0.95 to $1.15.
Every free option compared
| Service | Type | Limit | Card needed | After the free part |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Smith.ai | Free plan | 25 calls a month | Not stated | $3.00 per call, or Pro from $150 |
| Quo Sona | Allowance | 10 calls a month with a seat | Yes, paid seat | $19 seat; Sona from $25 for 40 calls |
| ElevenLabs Agents | Developer free tier | 15 minutes a month, 4 lines | No | $6 for 75 minutes, then $0.08 a minute |
| Retell AI | One time credit | $10 in credits | Not stated | $0.055 a minute plus models |
| Vapi | One time credit | $5 in credits | Not stated | $0.05 a minute plus models |
| Rosie | Trial | 7 days | No | $49 for 250 minutes |
| My AI Front Desk | Trial | 7 days | No | $99 for 200 minutes |
| Posh | Trial | 7 days or 250 minutes | No | $65 pay as you go |
| Upfirst | Trial | 14 days | Not stated | $24.95 for 30 calls |
| RingCentral AI Receptionist | Trial | 14 days | Not stated | $49 for 100 minutes |
| Dialzara | Trial | 7 days | Not stated | $29 for 60 minutes |
| Clara | Trial | 7 days | Not stated | $39.99, unlimited calls |
| Nextiva XBert | Money back | 30 days | No | $99 for 100 interactions |
| Goodcall | Free demo agent | Until you connect a number | Not stated | $79 for 100 unique callers |
| Boulevard AI Receptionist | Allowance | Free usage through November 2026 | Boulevard plan | $125 for 200 minutes per location |
All limits as listed on vendor pages in October 2026. "Not stated" means the pricing page did not say; check at signup.
When free is enough
A free plan fits if you get roughly one call a day or less, most callers want a message taken or a simple answer, and a missed call does not cost much. A solo consultant, a side business or a weekend only service can live on Smith.ai's 25 calls.
The math turns quickly. At 50 calls a month, Smith.ai's free plan costs $75 in overage (25 calls at $3.00), while Upfirst's Premium plan covers 90 calls for $59.95 and Clara covers unlimited calls for $39.99. Past about 30 calls a month, a cheap paid plan beats free. Run your own numbers in the cost calculator, or see how much an AI receptionist costs.
How to get the most out of a trial
- Set it up before day one. Write your FAQ, prices, hours and transfer rules first, so the trial clock runs on real calls.
- Use conditional forwarding. Send only missed and after hours calls to the AI during the trial, so you can compare.
- Call it yourself. From a second phone, try a booking, an angry customer and a question it should not answer.
- Read every transcript. Look for wrong answers and missed bookings.
- Set a calendar reminder a day before the trial ends.
Free options for personal phones
If you want AI to deal with spam on your own phone rather than answer for a business, you do not need any of these. iPhone's Ask Reason for Calling setting asks unknown callers why they are calling before your phone rings, and Google's Call Screen on Pixel phones screens calls and hangs up on spam. Both are free. Details: can AI answer phone calls.
Red flags
- Usage billed during the trial. My AI Front Desk's terms say usage beyond the trial allowance still applies. Watch outbound calls and SMS.
- Auto renewal into annual plans. Confirm you are on monthly billing when the trial converts.
- No published overage. Rosie does not list a rate for minutes past the plan. Ask before a busy month.
- "Free forever" plans without a phone number. A demo agent you cannot connect to your line is a demo, not a receptionist.
How we picked
We reviewed the pricing pages and terms of every AI receptionist in our database, kept the ones with a free plan, free allowance, free trial or money back guarantee, and recorded the limits exactly as listed. Order is editorial: the most useful free access for a small business first. Scores follow how we score. Full paid rankings are in best AI receptionists.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a completely free AI receptionist?
Smith.ai's free plan is the closest: 25 AI answered calls a month at no charge, then $3.00 per extra call. Everything else is a free trial, a free allowance bundled with a paid phone plan (Quo, 10 calls), or a developer free tier (ElevenLabs, 15 minutes).
What is the best free AI answering service?
Smith.ai, because its 25 free calls renew every month and include booking, transcripts and an optional human fallback. If you take more calls than that, Upfirst's 14 day trial leads into a $24.95 plan for 30 calls.
Which AI receptionist trials do not need a credit card?
Rosie (7 days), My AI Front Desk (7 days) and Posh (7 days or 250 minutes) list trials with no credit card. Nextiva's XBert does not need a card to start and has a 30 day money back guarantee.
Can I use ChatGPT as a free AI receptionist?
Not directly. ChatGPT does not answer your business phone line. You can build a phone agent on a voice platform such as ElevenLabs (15 free minutes a month), Retell ($10 in free credits) or Vapi ($5 in credits), but you pay for phone numbers and minutes once you go live.
Is there a free AI receptionist for my personal phone?
Yes. On iPhone, turn on Ask Reason for Calling under Settings, Apps, Phone, Screen Unknown Callers. On a Pixel, Google's Call Screen screens unknown callers and hangs up on spam. Both are free but only screen calls; they do not answer questions or book.
What happens when the free trial ends?
Most services move you to a paid plan automatically if you added a card. After the trial, entry plans run $24.95 (Upfirst), $29 (Dialzara), $39.99 (Clara), $49 (Rosie, RingCentral) and $99 (My AI Front Desk, Nextiva) a month. Cancel before the trial ends if you do not want to continue.
Are free AI receptionists good enough for a business?
For a light line, yes. Smith.ai's free 25 calls cover a solo practice that gets a call a day. Above that, the free plan's $3.00 overage adds up fast, and a $25 to $50 paid plan is cheaper.
Are there free AI receptionists built into business software?
Some software includes AI answering. Jobber Plus includes its AI Receptionist with unlimited usage, and Boulevard's AI Receptionist usage is free for salons through November 2026. Both require a paid subscription to the main software.