Quick answer: An AI receptionist for a medical clinic costs between $19 and $10,000+ per month depending on the provider. Most small-to-midsize clinics pay $95–$400/month for a quality solution. Guidely charges a flat $297/month for unlimited calls with no per-minute fees or contracts.
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You searched for AI receptionist pricing because you want a straight answer. Here it is: the market is all over the place. Some providers charge $19/month. Others charge $10,000. The difference comes down to call volume limits, per-minute fees, healthcare-specific features, and whether you're paying for AI or human agents.
We built this guide after spending weeks pulling real pricing from provider websites, sales calls, and user reviews. Every number below is sourced from publicly available data as of March 2026.
How do AI receptionist providers compare on price?
| Provider | Monthly Cost | Per-Minute / Call Fees | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Guidely | $297/mo flat | None, unlimited | Independent clinics |
| Sully.ai | $79–99/provider | None | Multi-product AI suite |
| Smith.ai (AI) | $97.50–270/mo | $2.40/call over limit | Multi-industry |
| Curious Thing | $19–99/mo | Usage-based | Budget option |
| Weave | $399+/mo | $750 setup fee | All-in-one phone system |
| Ruby (Human) | $235–1,640/mo | Per-minute billing | Human-only preference |
| Nexa (Human) | $239–1,399/mo | $1.59–1.99/min overage | After-hours overflow |
| AssortHealth | $1,500–10,000+/mo | Custom | Large health systems |
| Hyro.ai | $10,000+/mo | Custom | Enterprise hospitals |
A few things jump out from this table. The AI-only options cluster between $19 and $400/month. The human answering services (Ruby, Nexa) start in a similar range but scale fast once call volume goes up because of per-minute billing. The enterprise healthcare platforms (AssortHealth, Hyro) are in a different league entirely, built for multi-location hospital systems with tens of thousands of monthly calls.
For a single-location clinic doing 200–800 calls per month, you're looking at that $95–$400/month range for a solid AI solution.
What affects the cost of an AI receptionist?
Price alone doesn't tell you much. A $19/month service with aggressive per-minute charges can end up costing more than a $297/month flat-rate plan. Here are the variables that actually determine what you'll pay.
Call volume
Most providers tier their pricing by number of calls or minutes. A practice handling 100 calls/month fits comfortably in a starter plan. At 500+ calls/month, you're either on a higher tier or getting hit with overage charges. Flat-rate plans (like Guidely's) remove this variable entirely. Your cost stays the same whether you get 50 calls or 5,000.
Per-minute vs. flat rate pricing
Per-minute billing sounds cheap until you do the math. If your average call is 3 minutes and you handle 300 calls/month at $1.75/minute, that's $1,575/month. A flat-rate service at $297/month handles the same volume for 81% less. Per-minute pricing punishes you for having longer, more thorough patient conversations, which are exactly the kind of calls that book appointments.
Setup and onboarding fees
Some providers charge $250–$750 just to get started. Weave, for example, lists a $750 setup fee. Others bundle onboarding into the monthly cost. If you're comparing two services at similar monthly rates, a $500 setup fee means you're paying the equivalent of several extra months upfront.
Contract length
Annual contracts are common. Some providers offer a lower monthly rate if you commit to 12 months, but you're locked in even if the service doesn't work for your practice. Month-to-month plans cost slightly more but give you the flexibility to switch. Guidely is month-to-month with no contracts.
Healthcare-specific features
General-purpose AI receptionists are cheaper but miss the nuances of medical practices. Healthcare-specific features like HIPAA compliance, insurance verification questions, EHR/PMS integration, and medical terminology handling cost more but prevent the "sorry, I can't help with that" moments that lose patients.
What are the hidden costs most AI receptionist providers don't mention?
The advertised price is rarely the final price. Make sure to ask about these before you sign anything.
Per-minute overage charges
You buy a plan for 100 calls/month. Month one, you get 140 calls. Those extra 40 calls are billed at the overage rate, often $2–$5 per call or $1.50–$2.00 per minute. Your $95/month plan just became $175. And the busier your practice gets (a good thing), the more you pay (a bad thing).
Setup and onboarding fees
One-time fees from $250 to $750 are standard with several providers. Some call it "onboarding," others call it "implementation." Either way, you're paying hundreds of dollars before your phone rings once.
Long-term contracts with early termination fees
A 12-month contract at $300/month means you owe $3,600 whether the product works or not. Some providers charge 50–100% of the remaining contract value if you cancel early. Always ask: "What happens if I want to cancel after 3 months?"
EHR and PMS integration costs
Connecting to your EHR (Epic, athenahealth, DrChrono, etc.) sometimes costs extra, anywhere from $50 to $200/month on top of your base plan. Some providers include basic integrations but charge for the specific one your practice uses.
Feature gating
The base plan handles basic call answering. Want appointment scheduling? That's a higher tier. After-hours coverage? Another add-on. Spanish language support? Premium plan only. These add-ons can double your monthly cost before you realize it.
What to ask every provider: "What is my total monthly cost at 300 calls/month, including all features I need, with no contract?" If they can't give you a clear number, that's your answer.
How do you calculate the ROI of an AI receptionist?
Forget the features list for a minute. The only question that matters is: does this make me more money than it costs?
The math takes about 30 seconds.
Even if those numbers are aggressive for your practice, cut them in half. Cut them by 75%. If an AI receptionist books just one extra patient per month that would have otherwise gone to voicemail, it pays for itself. Everything after that is profit.
The average medical practice misses 30–40% of incoming calls. That's not a guess. It's consistent across multiple industry studies. Your front desk staff are checking in patients, handling paperwork, dealing with insurance. They physically can't answer every call. An AI receptionist runs in parallel. It picks up the calls your team can't.
What should you actually pay for an AI receptionist?
It depends on your practice size and what you need.
Solo practitioner or micro practice
Under 150 calls/month
Budget range: $79–$150/month. At this volume, a per-call plan from Smith.ai or a per-provider plan from Sully.ai can work. Watch your overages carefully. If your call volume is unpredictable, a flat-rate option gives you certainty.
Small to midsize clinic
Sweet spot150–800 calls/month
Budget range: $200–$400/month. This is where flat-rate pricing wins. At 300+ calls/month, per-minute services will cost you $500–$1,500. Guidely's $297/month flat rate is designed for exactly this range. No overages, no surprises.
Multi-location or large practice
800+ calls/month across locations
Budget range: $500–$2,000+/month. You need multi-location routing, centralized dashboards, and probably EHR integration. Weave, AssortHealth, or an enterprise-tier from Guidely are worth evaluating. Per-minute pricing at this volume is prohibitively expensive.
Health system or hospital network
5,000+ calls/month
Budget range: $5,000–$15,000+/month. Enterprise platforms like Hyro.ai and AssortHealth handle the complexity of large health systems: multi-department routing, deep EHR integration, and compliance at scale. This is custom pricing territory.
For perspective: what does a human receptionist cost?
Full-time receptionist
- Salary$2,800–4,200/mo
- Benefits & payroll tax$700–1,200/mo
- Training & turnover$500–1,000/yr
- Total$3,500–5,400/mo
AI receptionist (Guidely)
- Monthly cost$297/mo
- Setup fee$0
- Available24/7/365
- Total$297/mo
An AI receptionist doesn't replace your front desk team. It handles the calls they can't get to, the ones that currently go to voicemail. Think of it as a second receptionist that works every shift, never calls in sick, and costs 90% less.
Frequently asked questions about AI receptionist pricing
How much does an AI receptionist cost per month? ▾
AI receptionist services range from $19 to $10,000+ per month. Budget AI options start around $19–99/month with usage limits. Mid-range solutions like Guidely cost $297/month with unlimited calls. Enterprise healthcare platforms like Hyro.ai start at $10,000+/month. Most independent medical practices land in the $95–$400/month range.
Is an AI receptionist cheaper than a human receptionist? ▾
Yes. A full-time human receptionist costs $2,800–4,200/month in salary alone, plus benefits, PTO, and training. AI receptionists range from $95–400/month for most small practices, and they work 24/7 without breaks, sick days, or overtime pay. Most practices use AI to supplement their human team, not replace it.
Do AI receptionists charge per minute or per call? ▾
It depends on the provider. Some charge per-minute (Ruby uses per-minute billing), some per-call (Smith.ai charges $2.40/call over your plan limit), and others charge a flat monthly rate (Guidely is $297/month for unlimited calls). Flat-rate plans are more predictable, and your bill stays the same regardless of call volume.
What hidden costs should I watch for? ▾
The five big ones: per-minute overage charges (can double your bill), setup/onboarding fees ($250–750 is common), annual contracts with early termination fees, EHR/PMS integration costs ($50–200/month extra), and feature gating where essentials like scheduling or after-hours coverage are only on premium tiers.
Can an AI receptionist handle medical clinic calls? ▾
Yes. Several AI receptionists are built specifically for healthcare, including Guidely, Sully.ai, and AssortHealth. They handle appointment booking, insurance verification questions, patient routing, and after-hours calls while maintaining HIPAA compliance. General-purpose AI receptionists can answer calls but often struggle with medical terminology, insurance questions, and the specific workflows medical practices need.
How long does it take to set up an AI receptionist? ▾
Most AI receptionist services can be set up in 24–72 hours. Simple call forwarding setups take as little as 15 minutes. More complex implementations with EHR integration and custom call flows can take 1–2 weeks. Guidely typically goes live within 48 hours of your demo call.
Will patients know they're talking to AI? ▾
Modern AI voice technology sounds natural and conversational. Most patients don't notice or don't mind. They care about getting their appointment booked quickly, not who (or what) answers the phone. That said, transparency is important. Reputable providers are upfront about AI usage, and many jurisdictions require disclosure.