The best AI receptionists for contractors compared.
14 options contractors actually weigh, side by side. We make one of them, and we show you where each of the others wins.
Prices checked September 2026.
Every option side by side
| Option | Who answers | Setup | Starting price | Channels | Books jobs | Follows up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TheContentLabs.AI (us) | AI | Done for you | From $497 a month flat, usage at cost | Calls, texts, Instagram, Facebook, WhatsApp, web chat, forms | Yes, by your rules | Yes, written for each lead |
| Podium | AI | Sales-led | Not published | Calls, texts, web chat, email, Facebook, Instagram, Google | Onto Podium dispatch | Yes |
| Jobber Receptionist | AI | Self-serve | $29 a month add-on, plus a Jobber plan | Calls, texts, web chat | Into Jobber | Task for your team |
| Housecall Pro CSR AI | AI | Self-serve | Not published, plus a Housecall Pro plan | Calls, web chat (texts in early release) | Into Housecall Pro | Coming soon |
| Avoca | AI | Sales-led | Not published | Calls, texts, web chat | Into ServiceTitan and others | Yes |
| Goodcall | AI | Self-serve | $79 a month per agent | Calls | Yes, rules you set up | None found |
| RingCentral AIR | AI | Self-serve | $49 a month (100 minutes) | Calls, texts | Yes | One text after the call |
| Rosie | AI | Self-serve | $49 a month (250 minutes) | Calls, web chat (texting add-on) | On $149 plan and up | None found |
| My AI Front Desk | AI | Self-serve | $99 a month ($79 yearly), plus credits | Calls, texts, web chat, email, forms, WhatsApp | Yes | Yes, sequences |
| Dialzara | AI | Self-serve | $29 a month (60 minutes) | Calls, web chat (texting add-on) | On $99 plan and up | Paid add-on |
| Smith.ai | AI or live humans | Done with you | Free (25 calls), then per call | Calls; web chat sold separately | Per-call add-on | Per-call add-on |
| Ruby | Live humans | Done with you | $250 a month (50 minutes) | Calls; chat sold separately | By your instructions | None listed |
| PATLive | Live humans | Done with you | $49 a month, then $2.99 a minute | Calls; chat sold separately | By your script | None listed |
| Stone Systems | You (text automation) | Done for you | $297 a month | Texts, web chat, Facebook, Instagram, email inbox | You book | Auto text and campaigns |
TheContentLabs.AI (us)
- Who answers
- AI
- Setup
- Done for you
- Starting price
- From $497 a month flat, usage at cost
- Channels
- Calls, texts, Instagram, Facebook, WhatsApp, web chat, forms
- Books jobs
- Yes, by your rules
- Follows up
- Yes, written for each lead
- Who answers
- AI
- Setup
- Sales-led
- Starting price
- Not published
- Channels
- Calls, texts, web chat, email, Facebook, Instagram, Google
- Books jobs
- Onto Podium dispatch
- Follows up
- Yes
- Who answers
- AI
- Setup
- Self-serve
- Starting price
- $29 a month add-on, plus a Jobber plan
- Channels
- Calls, texts, web chat
- Books jobs
- Into Jobber
- Follows up
- Task for your team
- Who answers
- AI
- Setup
- Self-serve
- Starting price
- Not published, plus a Housecall Pro plan
- Channels
- Calls, web chat (texts in early release)
- Books jobs
- Into Housecall Pro
- Follows up
- Coming soon
- Who answers
- AI
- Setup
- Sales-led
- Starting price
- Not published
- Channels
- Calls, texts, web chat
- Books jobs
- Into ServiceTitan and others
- Follows up
- Yes
- Who answers
- AI
- Setup
- Self-serve
- Starting price
- $79 a month per agent
- Channels
- Calls
- Books jobs
- Yes, rules you set up
- Follows up
- None found
- Who answers
- AI
- Setup
- Self-serve
- Starting price
- $49 a month (100 minutes)
- Channels
- Calls, texts
- Books jobs
- Yes
- Follows up
- One text after the call
- Who answers
- AI
- Setup
- Self-serve
- Starting price
- $49 a month (250 minutes)
- Channels
- Calls, web chat (texting add-on)
- Books jobs
- On $149 plan and up
- Follows up
- None found
- Who answers
- AI
- Setup
- Self-serve
- Starting price
- $99 a month ($79 yearly), plus credits
- Channels
- Calls, texts, web chat, email, forms, WhatsApp
- Books jobs
- Yes
- Follows up
- Yes, sequences
- Who answers
- AI
- Setup
- Self-serve
- Starting price
- $29 a month (60 minutes)
- Channels
- Calls, web chat (texting add-on)
- Books jobs
- On $99 plan and up
- Follows up
- Paid add-on
- Who answers
- AI or live humans
- Setup
- Done with you
- Starting price
- Free (25 calls), then per call
- Channels
- Calls; web chat sold separately
- Books jobs
- Per-call add-on
- Follows up
- Per-call add-on
- Who answers
- Live humans
- Setup
- Done with you
- Starting price
- $250 a month (50 minutes)
- Channels
- Calls; chat sold separately
- Books jobs
- By your instructions
- Follows up
- None listed
- Who answers
- Live humans
- Setup
- Done with you
- Starting price
- $49 a month, then $2.99 a minute
- Channels
- Calls; chat sold separately
- Books jobs
- By your script
- Follows up
- None listed
- Who answers
- You (text automation)
- Setup
- Done for you
- Starting price
- $297 a month
- Channels
- Texts, web chat, Facebook, Instagram, email inbox
- Books jobs
- You book
- Follows up
- Auto text and campaigns
Each name opens the full comparison and its sources.
How to choose
- Who answers
- AI answers instantly, day or night. Live services give you a human voice, by the minute.
- Done for you or self-serve
- Self-serve is cheaper, and you run it. Done for you means it gets built and tuned on your business.
- Channels
- If your leads text and DM, a phone-only answerer leaves them waiting.
- Books the job
- Taking a message isn't booking. Look for real openings on a real calendar.
- Follow-up
- Most leads don't book on the first contact. Ask what happens after they go quiet.
- The real price
- Add up minutes, per-call fees, add-ons and any software you need first.
The best pick for each situation
TheContentLabs.AI (us)
Owners who want every lead answered, booked and followed up, plus the website, without running software.
Shops ready to run dispatch, payments and reviews on Podium.
Jobber users who want calls and texts covered cheaply.
Housecall Pro users who want native call and chat answering.
Large HVAC and plumbing shops on ServiceTitan.
Owners who want a cheap phone agent they run themselves.
Businesses already on RingCentral phones.
Solo operators who want cheap DIY call answering.
Tech-comfortable owners who configure it themselves.
Owners who want the cheapest DIY call answering.
Owners who want live humans on the phone.
Owners who want a live human voice on every call.
Owners who want 24/7 live agents, Spanish included.
Contractors who want a managed website and answer calls themselves.
Common questions
What is the best AI receptionist for contractors?
It depends on three things: whether you want it done for you, which channels your leads use and what software you run. If you want every call, text and DM answered, booked and followed up without running it yourself, that is what we built, from $497 a month with the website included. If you run your business in Jobber or Housecall Pro, their built-in receptionists book straight into it. If you want the cheapest phone answering you set up yourself, Dialzara, Rosie and Goodcall start between $29 and $79 a month.
What is the cheapest AI receptionist for a small business?
Among the options here, Dialzara starts at $29 a month for 60 minutes, Jobber's receptionist is a $29 add-on for Jobber customers, and Rosie and RingCentral AIR start at $49 a month. Smith.ai's AI plan has a free tier of 25 calls. At these prices you set it up yourself and texting, chat and follow-up vary by plan: RingCentral AIR answers texts, Rosie includes website chat, and Dialzara sells texting as an add-on. Price the channels you actually need before comparing.
Is an AI receptionist better than a live answering service?
An AI answers every contact the moment it arrives, never puts a caller on hold and usually costs less per contact. Which channels it covers depends on the product, so check the table above. A live service like Ruby or PATLive gives you a human voice and bills by the minute. If a person on every call matters most, pick a live service. If speed and every channel matter most, pick an AI.
Which AI receptionist works with Jobber, Housecall Pro or ServiceTitan?
Jobber Receptionist books into Jobber and Housecall Pro's CSR AI books into Housecall Pro. Avoca is a certified ServiceTitan app. TheContentLabs.AI books into the calendar in our CRM and does not write jobs into those systems.
See exactly what you're leaving on the table.
Hear it for yourself. Call the AI now at (949) 867 6657, or get a free audit of what your missed calls cost.