Best AI Receptionists in 2026 (Our Picks)

Article Overview‍

• AI receptionists can answer, route, and manage phone calls for you
• The best AI receptionists include Allo, whose affordable pricing suits SMBs; Smith.ai, which offers a hybrid human-AI model for traditional businesses; and Slang, which specializes in hospitality for restaurants

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How much does a missed call cost?

If you're a small business, probably more than you think. 

A new lead, a loyal client, a five-star review, all gone in 30 seconds of silence. Multiply that by a few calls a week, and you've got hundreds of missed opportunities for your business.

That’s why we are going to talk about AI receptionists.

And no, AI receptionists don’t just pick up the phone. They can qualify leads, book appointments, and make sure no opportunity slips by. 

Let me explain everything about AI receptionists and why I always say, it is like cloning your best employee, without payroll.

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What’s an AI receptionist?

First things first. What exactly are we talking about? 

AI receptionist definition

In simple words, an AI receptionist is a digital assistant that answers, routes, and manages phone calls using artificial intelligence. 

They can also transcribe voicemails, summarize conversations, book appointments, and even qualify leads, without needing a human on the other end.

Impressive! 

But is an AI receptionist the same as an AI answering service? 

Let me explain the difference.

AI receptionist vs. AI answering service

While AI receptionists and AI answering services use the same AI technology under the hood, they focus on slightly different goals.

• An AI answering service is like a modern voicemail. It picks up when you're unavailable, plays a custom greeting, transcribes the caller's message, and sends you a clean summary instantly. It's fast, reactive, and helps ensure you never miss important info, even when you're off the clock.
• An AI receptionist, on the other hand, is more proactive. It doesn't just capture messages, it can route calls, schedule appointments, answer questions, and even qualify leads. It acts more like a human receptionist, trained to understand who’s calling and why, and to take the right next step in real time.

Both are essential—but your choice depends on whether you want to catch missed calls or handle them professionally while you focus elsewhere.

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What are the advantages of using an AI receptionist?

1. Schedule appointments in real time

Forget back-and-forth emails. Your AI receptionist can book, reschedule, and confirm appointments instantly via call or SMS. Even outside business hours.

2. Route calls to the right person, automatically

No more "press 1 for sales." Your AI receptionist understands who's responsible for what and sends the call to the right person—fast.

It’s like an IVR on steroids.

3. Learn your business and answer smarter

You can train your AI receptionist with your policies, pricing, workflows, and more. Over time, it becomes a true expert on your business.

4. Always-on summaries and insights

Every call gets a clear summary: who called, what they wanted, and what to do next. Plus, get access to transcripts, analytics, and trends to spot issues or opportunities.

5. Built for modern workflows

AI receptionists today integrate with your calendar, CRM, Slack, or whatever tools you already use. Some even come with texting platforms, APIs, or thousands of pre-built integrations.

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Convinced? 

Let’s check now which are the best AI receptionists.

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The best AI receptionists in 2026

Allo, best for small businesses

What is Allo?

Allo is an AI phone system that features a powerful AI receptionist. It works from your phone or desktop and doesn't require extra hardware.

Its mobile-friendly design, reliability, and affordable pricing make it ideal for small businesses.

Allo's core features

• 24/7 availability: Allo answers your calls with customized greetings, collects caller intent, and routes or responds automatically.
  
• AI summaries + call transcription: Every voicemail and call is recorded, transcribed, and summarized with action-ready insights.
  
• Instant call notification + inbox: You get call notes via email, text, or directly in the Allo inbox.
  
• Smart routing: Route calls based on who's calling, the day/time, or if it's a known client or spam.
  
• Call tagging and contact sync: Create and label contacts in-app letting you know who is calling and key information about the caller. Then it syncs them with your CRM or phone book.
  
• Webhook + CRM integrations: Connect with your important tools. Allo can send call data to Google Sheets, Notion, or your CRM with webhooks or native integrations.
  
• Professional greeting builder: Record or generate your own phone greeting directly in-app.

Allo Pricing

Starts at $25/month (paid monthly). The Business plan includes an unlimited AI receptionist for $45/month/user (paid monthly).

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Allo Demo

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Slang.ai, best for restaurants

What is Slang.ai?

Slang is an AI receptionist specifically built for the hospitality industry. It specializes in and excels at handling menus, reservations, and customer FAQs with natural-sounding AI.

This makes it an ideal tool for restaurant owners.

Slang.ai's core features

• AI phone agent trained to understand food orders, reservations, waitlist status, and FAQs
  
• Real-time menu syncing, so callers always get accurate options
  
• Personalized greetings and responses to match your brand voice
  
• POS and online ordering integrations for seamless table or pickup coordination
• Multilingual support for diverse clientele
  

Slang.ai Pricing

Slang.ai starts at $399/month/location (paid monthly)

Slang.ai demo

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Smith.ai, best for traditional businesses

What is Smith.ai?

Smith.ai is an AI receptionist service that offers both AI and human receptionist options.

This hybrid model, as well as their premium pricing, makes it better suited for law firms, agencies, and enterprise businesses that can’t afford to miss a single inbound lead.

Smith.ai's core features

• 24/7 coverage: Live agents powered by AI handle calls around the clock
  
• Custom call flows and scripts: Tailor how your calls are handled based on caller type or reason
  
• Lead screening and qualification: Automatically identify high-quality leads and route them to sales
  
• Appointment scheduling: Syncs with your calendar to book and confirm meetings in real time
  
• CRM and app integrations: Native connections with HubSpot, Salesforce, Clio, Calendly, and more
  
• Call summaries + transcripts: Each call is logged with context, outcomes, and follow-up actions

Smith.ai Pricing

Smith.ai's prices start at $95/month for 50 calls

Smith.ai Demo

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Goodcall, best for tech-friendly companies

What is Goodcall?

Goodcall is an AI phone agent tool started in 2021.

Unlike Smith.ai, its goal is to provide an AI receptionist that replaces humans as much as possible.

To achieve this, the company developed a flexible, easy-to-configure workflow builder, making Goodcall ideal for tech-forward firms looking to ensure their AI receptionist operates precisely as intended.

Goodcall's core features

• 24/7 availability: get your calls answered 24/7.
• Advanced knowledge: answer your clients' questions based on your website or Google My Business page's content.
• Lead collection: collect leads information directly during calls.
• Zapier integration: sync your data seamlessly.

Goodcall Pricing

Goodcall prices start at $79/month for 100 unique monthly callers.

Goodcall demo

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Rosie, best for small business lead capture

What is Rosie?

Rosie is an AI phone receptionist specifically designed for small businesses that struggle to keep up with incoming calls.

Unlike traditional voicemails where leads often go to die, Rosie engages callers by answering their specific questions using your business data. It’s built to be a "set it and forget it" solution for owners who need to stop losing potential clients while they're out in the field or busy with other tasks.

Rosie’s core features

• Knowledge Base Training: Rosie scans your website and Google My Business profile to automatically learn about your services.
• Customizable FAQs: You can manually input specific answers and customize greeting messages to match your professional tone.
• Instant Notifications: Receive immediate alerts and AI-generated summaries once a call concludes so you know exactly who to prioritize for a callback.
• Zapier Integration: Connects with over 8,000 apps, allowing you to sync call data with your CRM or project management tools.
• Bilingual Support: Able to handle inquiries in both English and Spanish.
• Advanced Training (Growth Plan): Allows you to upload internal documents, such as pricing spreadsheets, for more technical accuracy.

Rosie Pricing

Rosie offers predictable, flat-rate pricing with no hidden per-minute fees:

• Professional: $49/month (Unlimited minutes, message taking, and FAQ support)
• Scale: $149/month (Adds appointment links, call transfers, and SMS capabilities)
• Growth: $299/month (Adds the ability to train the AI on internal files)
• A 7-day free trial is available for all new users.

Important note: Keep in mind that Rosie, unline Allo for example, requires you to have an existing phone system to forward calls to.

Frequently asked questions about AI receptionists

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