Voice and bookings
AI receptionist cost comparison
A live answering service is usually priced per minute and gets expensive as calls grow. A SaaS receptionist is a monthly fee plus usage. A custom agent is a one-time build, typically $3,000 to $12,000 for one location at KeenCraft, plus about $0.07 to $0.15 per call minute to run. The custom build costs less over time only when its monthly run cost stays under the alternative long enough to cover the build.
Enter monthly calls and how long they last. The comparison is a live answering service, a SaaS receptionist, and a custom agent with a one-time build plus a per-minute runtime.
One time. Single-location work is often $3,000 to $12,000.
About $0.07 to $0.15 for a standard stack.
SaaS, year one
$4,068
600 minutes a month. The custom build is $8,792 in year one and $10,376 over three years, build included once.
- Live answering / month
- $900
- $32,400 over 3 years
- SaaS / month
- $339
- $12,204 over 3 years
- Custom runtime / month
- $66
- $10,376 over 3 years
- Build versus SaaS
- 29.3 months
- Versus live answering: 9.6 months.
Planning model, not a quote. A KeenCraft engagement is a fixed Statement of Work after a free strategy call.
How the number is calculated
- Minutes per month = calls × average length.
- Live answering per month = minutes × the live rate per minute.
- SaaS per month = the subscription + minutes × the SaaS rate per minute.
- Custom run cost per month = minutes × the runtime rate. Year one adds the build once. Year three adds the build once and 36 months of runtime.
- Months until the build costs less than another option = build cost ÷ (that option's monthly cost − custom monthly cost). If the custom minute is not cheaper, the build never crosses over on cost.
Starting example
The figures below use the fields the calculator opens with. Change the fields and the live result updates. This example stays on the page so the formula can be checked without the form.
- Live answering, year one
- $10,800
- SaaS receptionist, year one
- $4,068
- Custom build, year one
- $8,792
- Custom build versus SaaS
- 29.3 months
Questions this calculator answers
How much does an AI receptionist cost compared with a live answering service?+
At the starting example, 200 calls a month at 3 minutes, a $1.50 live minute is $900 a month. A $249 SaaS plan plus $0.15 a minute is $339. A custom agent at $0.11 a minute is $66 to run, after an $8,000 build. Live coverage is the expensive line. The SaaS plan can stay cheaper than a build for a couple of years at this volume.
What rates are the defaults?+
They are 2026 planning figures, not a vendor's quote. Live answering often lands around $0.75 to $1.50 a minute. SaaS receptionists are often a few hundred dollars a month plus usage. A standard custom runtime is about $0.07 to $0.15 a minute, from what an AI voice agent actually costs in 2026. Swap in the quote you were given.
Does the cheapest option book the appointment?+
Cost is not the booking. A live service can take a message. A SaaS plan can book only the calendars it already connects. A custom build is the path when the appointment has to land in the system the office already opens, including a CRM write. The cost comparison tells you when that build is the cheaper bill, not when it is the right product.
Where is the speech, model, and voice price list?+
KeenCraft does not republish provider catalogs. The per-minute layers are in the voice-agent cost article, which links the Softcery calculator for STT, LLM, and TTS prices. This page compares the bill a business pays for coverage, not the wholesale stack.
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