How much does an AI receptionist cost?
Short version: anywhere from free to over $1,000 a month, because “AI receptionist” covers everything from a DIY chatbot you assemble yourself to a metered AI phone agent. Here’s an honest map of the market — and exactly what we charge, since hiding pricing behind a demo call is its own answer.
The quick answer
Typical market ranges: DIY chatbot builders run free–$100/mo; configured AI website-chat services commonly land in the low hundreds per month; AI phone receptionists usually run a few hundred to $1,000+/mo and are metered by minutes or calls.
BOOJEE AI Front Desk — a 24/7 AI website chat receptionist, configured for your business — is a flat $298/mo, $798/mo, or $1,998/mo, with a 14-day free trial and no setup fee.
Market Overview
What front-desk coverage typically costs.
These are generic market ranges you’ll see advertised across each category — not quotes from any specific provider, and any given vendor may sit outside them. They’re here so you can sanity-check anyone’s pricing, including ours.
| Option | Typical monthly cost | What you're paying for | The catch |
|---|---|---|---|
| DIY chatbot builder | Free – ~$100 | Software only — you write the flows, the answers, and maintain it | Your time. Most DIY bots ship half-configured and answer like it |
| AI website chat, configured for you | ~$100 – $500 | An AI trained on your business answering site visitors 24/7 | Quality varies wildly — always demand a live demo before paying |
| AI phone receptionist | ~$200 – $1,000+ | An AI voice agent answering your phone line | Usually metered per minute or per call — busy months cost more |
| Human answering service | ~$100 – $500+ for minute bundles | Live humans answering your phone from a script | Per-minute billing, hold times at peak, and they only cover the phone — full comparison here |
| In-house human receptionist | ~$2,500 – $4,000+ in salary | A real person at your desk — judgment, warmth, multitasking | Covers ~40 of the week's 168 hours, before benefits, PTO, and turnover |
| BOOJEE AI Front Desk | $298 / $798 / $1,998 flat | 24/7 AI website chat configured on your business, leads captured and alerted instantly | It's website chat only — it will not answer your phone or texts, and we'd rather tell you that here than after you've paid |
BOOJEE Pricing — In Full
Our actual prices. No demo-call gate.
Flat monthly rates, no setup fee, no per-chat or per-minute charges, month-to-month. Every plan starts with a 14-day free trial through self-serve signup.
Solo operator or small team
- 24/7 AI website chat
- Up to 200 chats/mo
- Lead capture on every conversation
- Email lead alerts
Growing businesses with bookings
- Everything in Starter
- Booking / calendar link
- CRM lead log
- Custom greeting & FAQs
- Up to 1,000 chats/mo
Multi-location or hands-off preference
- Everything in Pro
- We configure it for you
- Industry-specific playbook
- Priority support
- Unlimited chats
In a hurry? The signup page has an express option — pay first via Stripe checkout and we set up your account right after. And the chat bubble in the corner of this page is the live product; interrogate it before you spend a dollar.
Buying Advice
Four pricing traps to check
before you sign anything.
Metered billing
Per-minute and per-conversation pricing means your best month — the one where leads pour in — is also your most expensive. Ask what a busy month actually costs, not the advertised floor.
Setup fees & onboarding charges
Some providers add a one-time configuration fee of several hundred dollars. Ask whether training the AI on your business is included. (With BOOJEE, it is.)
Annual contracts for an unproven tool
If a vendor needs a 12-month commitment before you've seen the AI answer one real customer question, ask why. Month-to-month keeps the pressure on the product, where it belongs.
Channel confusion
“AI receptionist” can mean chat, phone, or both. Make the vendor say plainly which channels are covered. Ours, plainly: website chat only — no phone, no SMS. If you need phone coverage, read our comparison with answering services.
FAQ
Cost questions, answered straight.
How much does an AI receptionist cost per month?
Anywhere from free (DIY chatbot builders, your labor not included) to $1,000+/mo (metered AI phone agents). Configured AI website chat services commonly land in the low hundreds. BOOJEE is a flat $298, $798, or $1,998 per month depending on tier, with a 14-day free trial.
Is an AI receptionist cheaper than hiring a person?
For website coverage, dramatically — an in-house receptionist typically costs a few thousand a month in salary for ~40 hours a week, while AI chat covers all 168 for a flat rate. But it's not a person: it won't run your front counter, comfort an upset client in person, or answer the phone. Most businesses treat it as coverage for the hours and channels a human can't be there.
Does BOOJEE charge setup fees or per-chat fees?
No setup fee, no per-chat or per-minute charges. Configuration on your services, hours, and pricing policy is included. Plans carry chat-volume caps (200/mo Starter, 1,000/mo Pro, unlimited Done-For-You) and are month-to-month.
Why is AI phone answering priced so differently from chat?
Voice AI carries telephony costs — numbers, per-minute carrier charges, real-time speech processing — so vendors meter it. Website chat doesn't, which is why we can price flat. To be explicit: BOOJEE is website chat only and does not answer calls or texts.
Can I try it before paying?
Twice over. The chat bubble on this page is the live product answering as a sample business — test it now. Then every plan starts with a 14-day free trial via self-serve signup.
See it answer before you decide.
Start 14-Day Free Trial — From $298/moQuestions first? Email ai@BOOJEE.estate — or ask the live demo in the corner.