How we scoreSee the ranking

Best AI receptionist for plumbers, HVAC and home services

For trades who miss calls on a ladder or under a sink: booking, transfers and Spanish weigh more, and every pick serves home services.

Prices checked on November 11, 2026 · 9 compared

Upfirst

Our No. 1

Small businesses that want booking, warm transfers and 35+ languages on the cheapest plan

Upfirst official website, captured Nov 11, 2026
$24.95/mo
$60for 200 min

$24.95/mo for 30 calls
Checked Nov 11, 2026

9.5/10 · Excellent
Check price at Upfirst Read the review

Why it stands out:

  • Calendar booking and warm transfers on every plan, even the $24.95 one
  • 14-day trial (or 100 calls) with no credit card
  • Spam and calls under 15 seconds are not billed

The catch:

  • It bills by the call: the $24.95 plan covers 30 calls, then $1.50 each, so a busy month is cheaper on Premium.

My AI Front Desk

Owners who want calls, texts, web chat and a simple CRM in one $99 plan

My AI Front Desk official website, captured Nov 11, 2026
$99/mo
$99for 200 min

$99/mo for 200 minutes
Checked Nov 11, 2026

9.0/10 · Excellent
Check price at My AI Front Desk Read the review

Why it stands out:

  • Voice, web chat, 400 SMS and a CRM in one $99 plan
  • Cheapest extra minutes among the bundles ($0.25)
  • HIPAA with signed BAAs, according to the brand

The catch:

  • There is only one self-serve plan: if 200 minutes is too much or too little, you pay overage or talk to sales.

Goodcall

Shops with long calls: billed per unique customer, never per minute

Goodcall official website, captured Nov 11, 2026
$79/mo
$79for 200 min

$79/mo for 100 unique callers
Checked Nov 11, 2026

8.9/10 · Very good
Check price at Goodcall Read the review

Why it stands out:

  • No minute metering: repeat callers count once a month
  • Free demo agent: build and hear it before you pay
  • SOC 2 and HIPAA compliant, according to Goodcall

The catch:

  • The Starter plan covers 100 unique customers and allows only one external tool, so a busy shop with several systems outgrows it fast.

Smith.ai

Best with a human backup

Firms that want a live North America-based receptionist behind the AI

Smith.ai official website, captured Nov 11, 2026
$150/mo
$163for 200 min

Free plan (25 calls); paid from $150/mo for 75 calls
Checked Nov 11, 2026

8.7/10 · Very good
Check price at Smith.ai Read the review

Why it stands out:

  • Live human backup on complex calls, any time
  • Free plan with 25 calls a month, forever
  • Native Clio and Zapier integrations, Calendly scheduling

The catch:

  • Per-call pricing is high: $150 buys 75 calls on Pro, and extra calls cost $2.50 each.
Compare all plans and features
Upfirst9.5My AI Front Desk9.0Goodcall8.9Smith.ai8.7Phonely8.9Dialzara8.7

Compare plans

Entry plans side by side, from each brand's own pricing page. Green marks the best value in each row.

Best AI receptionist for plumbers, HVAC and home services: plans compared
Plan detailsGreen = best value in this table
Upfirst9.5Check price
My AI Front Desk9.0Check price
Goodcall8.9Check price
Smith.ai8.7Check price
Phonely8.9Check price
Dialzara8.7Check price
Rosie8.7Check price
Ruby7.9Check price
Sameday AI7.5Check price
Price and limits
Entry price$24.95/mo$99/mo$79/mo$150/mo$50/mo$29/mo$49/mo$250/mo$449/mo
200-minute month$59.95$99$79$162.50$50$96.20$49$720$449
Extra minute$0.60$0.25$0.32$1.00$0.35$0.48Next planNot statedNot stated
Calendar bookingOn the entry planOn the entry planOn the entry planOn the entry planNot statedHigher plans onlyHigher plans onlyOn the entry planOn the entry plan
Call transferWarm transferLive transferLive transferWarm transferLive transferBlind transferHigher plans onlyWarm transferNot stated
Languages35+20+Not stated250+10+222
Free trial14 days7 daysFree demo agentFree planNot stated7 days7 daysNot statedDemo only
SetupSelf-serveSelf-serveSelf-serveSelf-serveSelf-serveSelf-serveSelf-serveSet up with youSet up with you
IntegrationsCRM via API + ZapierZapierCRM via API + ZapierNative integrationsNative integrationsZapierZapierNative integrationsNative integrations
The ranking

All 9, ranked. Ordered by home-services fit; each score is the service's one overall score.

01
Upfirst official website, captured Nov 11, 2026

Upfirst

9.5/10 · ExcellentOur No. 1

Best for: Small businesses that want booking, warm transfers and 35+ languages on the cheapest plan

  • Calendar booking and warm transfers on every plan, even the $24.95 one
  • 14-day trial (or 100 calls) with no credit card
  • Spam and calls under 15 seconds are not billed

The catch: It bills by the call: the $24.95 plan covers 30 calls, then $1.50 each, so a busy month is cheaper on Premium.

$24.95/mo

$24.95/mo for 30 calls. About $60 for a 200-minute month. Checked Nov 11, 2026.

Check price at Upfirst Read the review
02
My AI Front Desk official website, captured Nov 11, 2026

My AI Front Desk

9.0/10 · Excellent

Best for: Owners who want calls, texts, web chat and a simple CRM in one $99 plan

  • Voice, web chat, 400 SMS and a CRM in one $99 plan
  • Cheapest extra minutes among the bundles ($0.25)
  • HIPAA with signed BAAs, according to the brand

The catch: There is only one self-serve plan: if 200 minutes is too much or too little, you pay overage or talk to sales.

$99/mo

$99/mo for 200 minutes. About $99 for a 200-minute month. Checked Nov 11, 2026.

Check price at My AI Front Desk Read the review
03
Goodcall official website, captured Nov 11, 2026

Goodcall

8.9/10 · Very good

Best for: Shops with long calls: billed per unique customer, never per minute

  • No minute metering: repeat callers count once a month
  • Free demo agent: build and hear it before you pay
  • SOC 2 and HIPAA compliant, according to Goodcall

The catch: The Starter plan covers 100 unique customers and allows only one external tool, so a busy shop with several systems outgrows it fast.

$79/mo

$79/mo for 100 unique callers. About $79 for a 200-minute month. Checked Nov 11, 2026.

Check price at Goodcall Read the review
04
Smith.ai official website, captured Nov 11, 2026

Smith.ai

8.7/10 · Very good

Best for: Firms that want a live North America-based receptionist behind the AI

  • Live human backup on complex calls, any time
  • Free plan with 25 calls a month, forever
  • Native Clio and Zapier integrations, Calendly scheduling

The catch: Per-call pricing is high: $150 buys 75 calls on Pro, and extra calls cost $2.50 each.

$150/mo

Free plan (25 calls); paid from $150/mo for 75 calls. About $163 for a 200-minute month. Checked Nov 11, 2026.

Check price at Smith.ai Read the review
05
Phonely official website, captured Nov 11, 2026

Phonely

8.9/10 · Very good

Best for: Budget-minded teams that want 200 minutes and 50+ languages from $50

  • 200 minutes for $50 a month ($33 billed annually)
  • 50+ languages with premium voices on every plan
  • Unlimited concurrent calls and 3 numbers included

The catch: The pricing page doesn't say whether there is a free trial, and it lists 200 minutes on the plan card but 250 in its table.

$50/mo

$50/mo for 200 minutes. About $50 for a 200-minute month. Checked Nov 11, 2026.

Check price at Phonely Read the review
06
Dialzara official website, captured Nov 11, 2026

Dialzara

8.7/10 · Very good

Best for: Very low call volumes that want an answering line from $29

  • $29 entry plan with 60 minutes, no contract
  • 10 languages including Spanish on every plan
  • Transparent overage from $0.48 down to $0.35 a minute

The catch: The $29 plan only does blind transfers and has no calendar sync; both start on the $99 Business Pro plan.

$29/mo

$29/mo for 60 minutes. About $96 for a 200-minute month. Checked Nov 11, 2026.

Check price at Dialzara Read the review
07
Rosie official website, captured Nov 11, 2026

Rosie

8.7/10 · Very good

Best for: Solo owners who want 250 minutes for $49 and a dead-simple setup

  • 250 minutes for $49: the cheapest 200-minute month among ready-made receptionists
  • Trains itself from your Google profile and website
  • Native iOS and Android apps, English and Spanish on every call

The catch: Calendar booking and call transfers start on the $149 Scale plan; the $49 plan texts a booking link instead.

$49/mo

$49/mo for 250 minutes. About $49 for a 200-minute month. Checked Nov 11, 2026.

Check price at Rosie Read the review
08
Ruby official website, captured Nov 11, 2026

Ruby

7.9/10 · Fair

Best for: Businesses that want real people answering, with AI only as a helper

  • Real receptionists answer 24/7, holidays included
  • Bilingual Spanish call handling
  • No activation, onboarding or setup fees

The catch: It is the most expensive option here by far: $250 for 50 minutes, $720 for 200.

$250/mo

$250/mo for 50 minutes. About $720 for a 200-minute month. Checked Nov 11, 2026.

Check price at Ruby Read the review
09
Sameday AI official website, captured Nov 11, 2026

Sameday AI

7.5/10 · Fair

Best for: Busy HVAC, plumbing and roofing shops that live in ServiceTitan

  • Built for home services: residential and commercial routing
  • Schedules into ServiceTitan and Housecall Pro
  • 3 locations and your whole team on the Launch plan

The catch: It starts at $449 a month and sign-up goes through a demo call, with no free trial.

$449/mo

$449/mo for 500 minutes. About $449 for a 200-minute month. Checked Nov 11, 2026.

Check price at Sameday AI Read the review

Prices checkedOn November 11, 2026, on each brand's own pricing page

Official sourcesEvery plan limit links to its source

Public methodOne published formula, no paid placement

Links are flaggedSome links may earn us a commission

“Upfirst is our No.”
Dana WhitfieldEditor, phone and front-desk software, Best AI Receptionist

Who should pick what

For plumbers, HVAC techs, electricians and contractors, the call comes in while you are on a ladder. This ranking keeps the services that serve home services and weighs booking (20%), transfers and Spanish more. Every pick here forwards from your existing number.

Solo trade: Upfirst or Rosie. Multi-truck shop on ServiceTitan or Housecall Pro: Sameday AI is built for you, at a much higher price.

Also see: Best AI receptionist, Best AI receptionist for small business, Best AI answering service, Cheapest AI receptionist in 2026: the best under $100.

How this ranking is weighted

Same criteria values for every ranking; only the weights change, and they only set the order. The score shown next to each service is its overall score, the same on every page. Criteria a brand doesn't state score 2/10.

CriterionWeight
Cost of a 200-minute month25%
Price of an extra minute10%
Appointment booking20%
Call transfer15%
Languages10%
Free trial or free plan5%
Setup effort10%
Integrations5%

Full method and scales

Frequently asked
questions

What is the best AI receptionist for plumbers and HVAC?
Upfirst. It comes first on this ranking's weights and scores 9.5/10 overall. Upfirst is our No. See the Upfirst review.
How did you rank these 9 services?
With one published formula: 9 criteria, each scored out of 10 from the brand's own pricing page, then weighted for this need (cost of a 200-minute month 25%, price of an extra minute 10%, appointment booking 20%, call transfer 15%, languages 10%, free trial or free plan 5%, setup effort 10%, integrations 5%). Details on how we score.
What does a 200-minute month cost?
From $49 to $720 in this ranking, using each plan's included volume and published overage (prices checked on November 11, 2026).
Can I keep my business phone number?
Yes. Every service here works by forwarding your existing number to the receptionist's line, so you can start with after-hours or overflow calls only.
Do you get paid by these companies?
Some links may become affiliate links: if you sign up through them we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you. It never changes the order, which comes from the formula. Read our disclosure.

Upfirst comes first here, 9.5/10 overall.

Compare the top 3Read the Upfirst review