How we compare

A whole AI front-desk team for one monthly price.

Most answering services bill by the minute or by the call, and they cover the phone. PG Trends sets up a team of AI agents for your phone, texts, inbox and follow-up, at one monthly price.

Find Your AI Setup → See the math ↓

Side by side

What Each Service Charges

Service	Starting price	Setup fee	How you pay	What it covers	Setup, in their own words
Smith.ai AI Receptionist	$150/mo for 75 calls	None	Per call; extra calls $2.17 to $3.00	Phone: AI answering, scheduling, live-agent backup	Self-setup AI (paid plans add onboarding help). “Set up your AI Receptionist in ~15 minutes.” source
Smith.ai live receptionists	$300/mo for 30 calls	None	Per call; extra calls $8.50 to $11.50	Phone, answered by people; booking costs $1.50 more per call	Human answering service, managed. “Smith.ai provides a dedicated onboarding process to define exactly how your calls should be handled” source
Goodcall	$79, $129 or $299 a month	None	Per unique caller; extra callers $0.15 to $0.79	Phone AI agent with booking; you set it up yourself	Self-setup AI. “There's no code and nothing to configure. Tell Gabi what you want in plain words, by typing or talking, and Gabi does the work.” source
Ruby	$250/mo for 50 minutes	None	Per minute; extra minutes $4.00 to $5.40	Phone, answered by people; chat sold separately	Human answering service, managed. “There are no additional or hidden fees for activation, onboarding, setup, customization, or coverage during certain periods.” source
AnswerConnect third-party source	$350/mo for 200 minutes	$49.99 on some plans	Per minute; extra minutes $1.85 to $2.50, rounded up	Phone, answered by people; live chat on some plans	Human answering service, managed. “Once you've signed up, your AnswerConnect service is live straight away. … Onboarding calls typically last 60 minutes.” source
PG Trends Starter Team 3 agents	$197/mo	~~$497~~ $0 waived with a two-month commitment	One monthly price; 300 AI minutes included, then $0.25 a minute	Phone, missed-call texts, booking, inbox and follow-up	Done for you, in days
PG Trends Growth Team 6 agents	$397/mo	$997	One monthly price; 500 AI minutes included, then $0.25 a minute	Starter, plus nurture, reviews, a weekly report and social media	Done for you, in days
PG Trends Front Office (full team) 9 agents	$597/mo	$1,497	One monthly price; 750 AI minutes included, then $0.25 a minute	Growth, plus the Lead Team: lead capture, qualifying and routing	Done for you, in days
PG Trends Fully Built CRM build package	$197/mo	$997	One monthly price; no AI phone minutes. Normal texting and email for one business	A done-for-you CRM, built in HighLevel for your business.	Done for you
PG Trends Brand-New Automated Website build package	$147/mo	$997	One monthly price; up to 5 pages, hosting and small monthly updates. No AI phone minutes	A new website, built for you and wired to your AI team.	Done for you

AnswerConnect does not publish its prices. Its figures come from third-party reports of its own rate card. Setup words are copied word for word from each provider's own pages on November 2, 2026; Ruby's pages we checked don't state a setup time, so we show what they say about setup fees.

The math

150 Calls a Month, About 3 Minutes Each

That's 450 minutes a month. Here is the cheapest published plan for each service at that size.

Service	The math, using published rates	Per month	What it covers
Ruby (350-minute plan)	$1,210 + 100 extra minutes × $4.25	$1,635.00	Phone, answered by people; chat costs extra
Smith.ai live receptionists (Basic, 90 calls)	$810 + 60 extra calls × $10.50	$1,440.00	Phone, answered by people; booking costs extra
AnswerConnect (Standard, 400 minutes) †	$575 + 50 extra minutes × $1.85, plus $49.99 setup	$667.50	Phone and live chat, answered by people
Smith.ai AI Receptionist (Pro, 150 calls)	150 calls × $1.80	$270.00	Phone, answered by AI
Goodcall (Starter)	$79 + 50 extra unique callers × $0.79, if all 150 callers are different people	$118.50	Phone only; you set it up yourself
PG Trends Starter Team	$197 + 150 minutes over the 300 included × $0.25	$234.50	Phone, texts, booking, inbox and follow-up, set up for you
PG Trends Growth Team	$397; 450 minutes fits inside the 500 included	$397.00	6 agents, including reviews, a weekly report and social media

Assumptions: every call lasts exactly 3 minutes (services that round up would bill more), spam calls are left out, and add-ons are not counted. † Third-party source.

Goodcall costs less. It covers the phone only, and you set it up yourself. PG Trends includes texts, booking, your inbox and follow-up, set up for you.

What you get

Every Agent, and What It Does

Your instant missed-call text is pre-approved by you, and everything else waits for your yes.

Starter Team

$197/mo

Setup: ~~$497~~ $0, waived with a two-month commitment · 3 agents · 300 AI minutes included, then $0.25 per extra minute

Our gift to you: commit to two months and we waive the $497 setup. That's $497 back in your pocket, and your first two months come to $394 total.

PG Trends covers the one-time texting registration fee (the carrier fee is about $20 to $22.50).

Get started with the Starter Team →

You finish on Stripe's secure checkout page.

What you get

Giavanna, Your AI Front Desk: Answers calls, texts back missed calls in seconds, books appointments and sends reminders.
The Inbox Agent: Sorts your email, flags what's urgent and drafts replies for you to approve.
The Follow-Up Agent: Picks up website forms and texts, and follows up so leads don't go cold.

Growth Team

$397/mo

$997 one-time setup · 6 agents · 500 AI minutes included, then $0.25 per extra minute

PG Trends covers the one-time texting registration fee (the carrier fee is about $20 to $22.50).

Get started with the Growth Team →

You finish on Stripe's secure checkout page.

What you get: everything in Starter, plus

The Nurture Agent: Stays in touch with leads who aren't ready yet, with helpful check-ins over the weeks, so they think of you first.
The Reviews & Report Agent: Asks happy customers for a review after the job, and sends you a weekly report of calls, texts, bookings and reviews.
The Social Media Agent: Drafts and posts for your business on social media, replies to comments and messages, and connects with customers online.

The Social Media Agent's posts and public replies go out after your approval.

Front Office (full team)

$597/mo

$1,497 one-time setup · 9 agents · 750 AI minutes included, then $0.25 per extra minute

PG Trends covers the one-time texting registration fee (the carrier fee is about $20 to $22.50).

What you get: everything in Growth, plus the Lead Team

The Lead Capture Agent: Pulls in every new lead from your website, ads, social and calls into one list, within seconds.
The Qualifier Agent: Asks each new lead a few quick questions to see who's a good fit and ready to buy.
The Router Agent: Sends each qualified lead to the right person or calendar and alerts you right away.

One exception you set up once: Giavanna's instant missed-call text-back, which you approve in advance so callers hear back in seconds.

Build packages

A CRM and a Website, Built for You

Get either one on its own or with a team. Each one is set up for you and wired to your agents.

Fully Built CRM

$197/mo

$997 one-time setup · No AI phone minutes. Normal texting and email for one business

PG Trends covers the one-time texting registration fee (the carrier fee is about $20 to $22.50).

What you get

Your CRM account: Your own HighLevel account, set up by us inside PG Trends' account. You don't pay HighLevel on your own.
Contacts: We bring in your customer list and sort it with tags, so you can find anyone fast.
Sales pipeline: A board that shows every lead, from new to booked to paid, so nobody slips through the cracks.
Booking calendar: Customers pick a time online. It syncs with your Google or Outlook calendar and sends reminders.
Lead forms: Forms for your website and social pages. Every form goes straight into your CRM.
Missed-call text-back: If you miss a call, the caller gets a text in seconds. You approve the wording once, during setup.
Follow-up automations: Follow-up texts and emails for new leads, drafted and set to wait for your OK before they send.
Review requests: After a job, a review request is drafted for you to approve and send.
One inbox: Calls, texts, emails and social messages in one place, on your computer or the phone app.
Training: A short walkthrough so you and your staff know how to use it.
Monthly care: We keep it running, fix problems and make small changes for you each month.

Brand-New Automated Website

$147/mo

$997 one-time setup · Up to 5 pages, hosting and small monthly updates. No AI phone minutes

PG Trends covers the one-time texting registration fee (the carrier fee is about $20 to $22.50).

What you get

Your new website: Up to 5 pages, like Home, Services, About, Reviews and Contact. Easy to read on phones.
Words and photos: We write the page words with you and add your logo and photos.
Lead forms: Contact and request forms. Every one goes to your inbox, and to your AI team or CRM if you have one.
Online booking: A booking button, so customers can pick a time without calling.
Website chat: A chat box on your site. Messages land in your inbox right away for you or your team to answer.
Missed-call text-back: If someone calls the number on your site and you miss it, they get a text in seconds. You approve the wording once, during setup.
Hosting and security: We host your site and keep it on a secure (https) connection.
Your web address: We connect your domain. If you don't have one yet, we help you get one.
Google basics: Page titles, page descriptions and a link to your Google Business Profile, so people can find you.
Monthly care: Small word and photo updates each month, and we fix anything that breaks.

Side-by-side value

What You Get for the Money

Each service's plans and what its own pricing page lists, next to the PG Trends team at the same or a lower price. If we couldn't find something on their page, we say "Not listed on their pricing page", not "no".

Smith.ai AI Receptionist Answered by AI

Enterprise: $500/mo · 300 calls a month, then $2.17 a call

What their pricing page lists

24/7 AI call answering
Recording, transcription and summaries
Lead qualification and call routing
AI scheduling (Calendly and more)
Native integrations (Clio, Zapier and more)
Custom SMS branding
Full-service setup and ongoing optimization
Unlimited custom integrations and a dedicated success manager

Not listed on their pricing page

Email or inbox handling
Missed-call text-back
Website form follow-up
Review requests
Social media posting

Setup: Enterprise: built and run for you (“We build and run a custom solution for you”). No setup fee is listed. Their $150 Pro plan is “Set it up yourself with dedicated support.”

Their pricing page, checked November 2, 2026

PG Trends at the same or a lower price

Enterprise $500/mo Growth Team, $397/mo ($103 less a month)

What the Growth Team includes

Everything in Starter: Giavanna, missed-call text-back, booking, the Inbox Agent and form and text follow-up
The Nurture Agent: keeps in touch with leads who aren't ready yet
The Reviews & Report Agent: asks happy customers for reviews and sends a weekly report
The Social Media Agent: posts and replies for you, after your approval
Done-for-you setup ($997 one time)
500 AI minutes a month, then $0.25 a minute

Fair to know: 300 calls is more than Growth's 500 minutes if calls run 3 minutes (that's 900 minutes). At 900 minutes, Growth comes to $497 a month ($397 + 400 × $0.25), still under $500. Growth has a $997 setup fee; Smith.ai lists none.

Smith.ai live receptionists Answered by people

Starter: $300/mo · 30 calls
Basic: $810/mo · 90 calls
Pro: $2,100/mo · 300 calls

What their pricing page lists

Calls answered by live people, 24/7
Lead screening, qualification and intake
First CRM integration free
A dedicated phone number, or port yours free
Dashboard insights
No setup fees
30-day money-back guarantee

Paid extras on their page

Booking appointments: $1.50 a call
Text and email follow-up after the call: $0.50 a call
SMS or Slack alerts to you about transfers: $0.50 a call

Not listed on their pricing page

Email or inbox handling
Missed-call text-back
Review requests
Social media posting

Setup: Set up for you: they onboard you and their staff answer your calls. No setup fees.

Their pricing page, checked November 2, 2026

PG Trends at the same or a lower price

Starter $300/mo Starter Team, $197/mo ($103 less a month)
Basic $810/mo Growth Team, $397/mo ($413 less a month)
Basic $810/mo Front Office (full team), $597/mo ($213 less a month, 9 agents, 750 minutes)
Pro $2,100/mo Growth Team, $397/mo ($1,703 less a month)
Pro $2,100/mo Front Office (full team), $597/mo ($1,503 less a month, 9 agents, 750 minutes)

What the Growth Team includes

Everything in Starter: Giavanna, missed-call text-back, booking, the Inbox Agent and form and text follow-up
The Nurture Agent: keeps in touch with leads who aren't ready yet
The Reviews & Report Agent: asks happy customers for reviews and sends a weekly report
The Social Media Agent: posts and replies for you, after your approval
Done-for-you setup ($997 one time)
500 AI minutes a month, then $0.25 a minute

What the Front Office (full team) adds

Everything in Growth, plus the Lead Team: lead capture, qualifying and routing (9 agents)
Done-for-you setup ($1,497 one time)
750 AI minutes a month, then $0.25 a minute

Fair to know: Smith.ai's calls are answered by people. Giavanna is an AI. Booking and texts are included with PG Trends, not charged per call.

Close in price, more value

Smith.ai's $300 plan covers 30 calls answered by people, with booking and follow-up texts charged per call. For $197, the Starter Team gives you 300 AI minutes (about 100 three-minute calls), booking and missed-call texts included, plus the Inbox Agent and form and text follow-up, set up for you.

Goodcall Answered by AI

Starter: $79/mo · 100 unique customers
Growth: $129/mo · 500 unique customers
Scale: $299/mo · 2,000 unique customers

What their pricing page lists

An AI phone agent that answers 24/7
Books on your calendar and texts everyone the details
Sends you each lead by text and email
Transfers calls to you or your staff
A local phone number included
No per-minute charges
A free demo agent
No setup fee

Not listed on their pricing page

Email or inbox handling
Website form follow-up
Missed-call text-back (its AI answers every call)
Review requests
Social media posting

Setup: You set it up yourself with Goodcall's builder, Gabi: “There's no code and nothing to configure.”

Their pricing page, checked November 2, 2026

PG Trends at the same or a lower price

Starter $79/mo and Growth $129/mo Goodcall costs less than any PG Trends team
Scale $299/mo Starter Team, $197/mo ($102 less a month)

What the Starter Team includes

Giavanna answers calls 24/7 and books appointments with reminders (she always says she's an AI)
Missed-call text-back in seconds, included
The Inbox Agent: sorts your email, flags what's urgent and drafts replies
The Follow-Up Agent: follows up website forms and texts
Done-for-you setup, and the $497 setup fee is waived with a two-month commitment
300 AI minutes a month, then $0.25 a minute

Fair to know: Goodcall costs less, and its Scale plan covers far more callers (2,000 a month) than Starter's 300 minutes. PG Trends adds your inbox, form and text follow-up and done-for-you setup.

Close in price, more value

Goodcall Scale is $299 for a phone agent you set up yourself. For $197, the Starter Team answers and books too, and adds missed-call text-back, the Inbox Agent and form and text follow-up, all set up for you.

Ruby Answered by people

50 minutes: $250/mo
100 minutes: $395/mo
200 minutes: $720/mo
500 minutes: $1,725/mo

What their pricing page lists

Calls answered by live people, 24/7
Call and text from your business number
Scheduling, lead capture and intake
Outbound call help
24/7 Spanish and bilingual answering available
Notifications by app and email
No fees for activation, onboarding or setup

Paid extras on their page

Website live chat: separate chat plans, 20% off when added to a receptionist plan

Not listed on their pricing page

Email or inbox handling
Automatic missed-call text-back
Website form follow-up
Review requests
Social media posting

Setup: Set up for you: Ruby's receptionists answer your calls. No setup fees.

Their pricing page, checked November 2, 2026

PG Trends at the same or a lower price

50 minutes, $250/mo Starter Team, $197/mo ($53 less a month)
100 minutes, $395/mo Growth Team, $397/mo (about the same price)
200 minutes, $720/mo Growth Team, $397/mo ($323 less a month)
200 minutes, $720/mo Front Office (full team), $597/mo ($123 less a month, 750 minutes, 9 agents)
500 minutes, $1,725/mo Growth Team, $397/mo ($1,328 less a month, same 500 minutes)
500 minutes, $1,725/mo Front Office (full team), $597/mo ($1,128 less a month, 750 minutes, 9 agents)

What the Growth Team includes

Everything in Starter: Giavanna, missed-call text-back, booking, the Inbox Agent and form and text follow-up
The Nurture Agent: keeps in touch with leads who aren't ready yet
The Reviews & Report Agent: asks happy customers for reviews and sends a weekly report
The Social Media Agent: posts and replies for you, after your approval
Done-for-you setup ($997 one time)
500 AI minutes a month, then $0.25 a minute

What the Front Office (full team) adds

Everything in Growth, plus the Lead Team: lead capture, qualifying and routing (9 agents)
Done-for-you setup ($1,497 one time)
750 AI minutes a month, then $0.25 a minute

Fair to know: Ruby's calls are answered by people, and Ruby has bilingual answering. Giavanna is an AI. Ruby charges no setup fee; Growth's setup is $997.

Same price, more value

Ruby's $395 plan is 100 minutes answered by people. For $397, the Growth Team gives you 500 AI minutes and 6 agents: Giavanna answers, books and texts back missed calls, plus the Inbox Agent, form and text follow-up, the Nurture Agent, review requests with a weekly report, and the Social Media Agent, set up for you.

AnswerConnect Answered by people

Entry: $350/mo · 200 minutes, + $49.99 setup
Growth: $395/mo · 300 minutes, no setup fee
Standard: $575/mo · 400 minutes, + $49.99 setup

What their pricing page lists

Calls answered by real people, 24/7
Lead management: capture, qualify and send you leads
Appointment scheduling
CRM integration
Notifications by app, email and SMS
Up to three phone numbers and call recordings
Live chat on the Growth and Standard plans

Paid extras on their page

Outbound follow-up calls: $20 a month
Spanish answering: $30 a month
Call transcriptions: $30 a month

Not listed on their pricing page

Email or inbox handling
Missed-call text-back
Text follow-up to leads
Review requests
Social media posting

Setup: Set up for you: they build your call flow with you, then their receptionists answer. $49.99 one-time setup on most plans; the same price sheet also says all plans include it.

Their pricing page, checked November 2, 2026

PG Trends at the same or a lower price

Entry $350/mo Starter Team, $197/mo ($153 less a month)
Growth $395/mo Growth Team, $397/mo (about the same price)
Standard $575/mo Growth Team, $397/mo ($178 less a month)

What the Growth Team includes

Everything in Starter: Giavanna, missed-call text-back, booking, the Inbox Agent and form and text follow-up
The Nurture Agent: keeps in touch with leads who aren't ready yet
The Reviews & Report Agent: asks happy customers for reviews and sends a weekly report
The Social Media Agent: posts and replies for you, after your approval
Done-for-you setup ($997 one time)
500 AI minutes a month, then $0.25 a minute

Fair to know: AnswerConnect's calls are answered by people, and every call is rounded up to the next whole minute. Giavanna is an AI. Growth's setup is $997.

Same price, more value

AnswerConnect's $395 plan is 300 minutes answered by people, with live chat. For $397, the Growth Team gives you 500 AI minutes and 6 agents: missed-call text-back, booking, the Inbox Agent, form and text follow-up, nurture, review requests with a weekly report, and social media, set up for you.

The Lead Team

Need help with leads rather than answering? The Lead Team is $247 a month plus $497 setup: the Lead Capture Agent, the Qualifier Agent and the Router Agent capture, qualify and route every new lead, done for you. It's built for lead handling, not front-desk answering, so we don't match it against the answering services above.

PG Trends covers the one-time texting registration fee (the carrier fee is about $20 to $22.50).

Get started with the Lead Team →

You finish on Stripe's secure checkout page.

Competitor details were checked on November 2, 2026 on each company's own pages and may change. AnswerConnect's come from its own price sheet (a PDF on its site). "Answered by people" means their staff answer your calls; Giavanna is an AI and always says so.

Why PG Trends

Why Us

One monthly price. Included minutes cover most businesses, and you only pay 25 cents a minute if you go over.
A whole team, not just a phone line. Calls, missed-call texts, booking, your inbox and follow-up work together.
Set up for you. Goodcall and Smith.ai's AI receptionist are tools you set up yourself; by their own words that takes minutes. With PG Trends, your whole team is set up for you in days, so you don't have to learn the tool or set it up yourself.
More than the phone. Goodcall costs less, but it covers the phone only. Our teams also handle texts, your inbox and follow-up.
You approve first. Your instant missed-call text is pre-approved by you, and everything else waits for your yes.
Giavanna is honest. She always tells people she's an AI.

Two paths

Do It Yourself or Have It Done for You

PG Trends offers both. We recommend done for you.

Recommended

Done for you

The Starter Team, the Growth Team, the Lead Team or the full Front Office, set up by us on your details, in your voice, by your rules, and looked after every month.

See the AI teams →

Do it yourself

12 ready-to-use AI agent templates you set up on your own, with a step-by-step setup guide for each one.

See the DIY setup steps →

Most others offer one path. Goodcall and Smith.ai's AI receptionist are tools you set up yourself (Smith.ai's paid plans add onboarding help). Ruby, Smith.ai's live receptionists and AnswerConnect are managed human answering services: their staff answer your calls after onboarding. See their own words in the table above.

One team that answers, books, follows up and keeps your inbox in order, at one monthly price. Want AI agents for your business? Reach out at pgtrends.com

Find Your AI Setup → Reach out

About these numbers: competitor prices were checked on November 2, 2026 from each provider's public pricing pages and may change. AnswerConnect's come from third-party sources because it doesn't publish prices. Ruby's 350-minute plan and its overage rates come from Ruby's help center. PG Trends prices shown are current. Sources: Smith.ai AI Receptionist pricing · Smith.ai receptionist pricing · Goodcall pricing · Ruby plans and pricing · Ruby billing plans (help center) · AnswerConnect rate card, as reported by PhoneAgent.ai (third party) · AnswerConnect rate card, as reported by OnCrew (third party)