Cost guide

Reception Service Costs in Australia

In Australia, a simple AI receptionist commonly costs from around $99/month, a human virtual receptionist often from around $185/month and up, and in-house admin runs well over $55,000 a year once loaded. The cheapest option is not always the one that wins you the most jobs.

The cost that never shows up on an invoice

Before you compare plans, count what missing calls already costs you. One lost tradie job can be worth hundreds or thousands of dollars. If you miss even a few callable jobs a month because the phone rang out, that lost revenue dwarfs every plan on this page. The real question is not "what is cheapest." It is "what stops me losing jobs for the least money."

With that framing, here is what each option costs and where it fits.

Reception cost comparison

What affects the price

• Number of calls you receive.
• Whether you are billed per answered call or per minute.
• After-hours and weekend coverage.
• Setup fees, which can be zero or run into the thousands.
• Contract length and whether you are locked in.
• Integrations with calendars, CRMs or job-management platforms.
• Booking complexity beyond simple message capture.
• Human escalation, where calls get handed to a live person.

The hidden costs most owners miss

• Missed jobs: the biggest cost of all, and the one no plan lists.
• Slow response: a lead that waits hours has often already booked your competitor.
• Owner interruption: answering every call yourself has a real cost in lost focus and lost billable time.
• Hiring and admin overhead: a human hire brings super, leave, training and management on top of the wage.
• Paying for features you never use: a heavy platform you half-configure is money spent on capability you do not need.

When the cheapest option is not the best

Voicemail is free and loses you leads, so it is usually the most expensive choice of all once you count missed jobs. A bargain plan with poor caller experience can cost you the same way. Judge cost against captured jobs, not against the monthly figure alone.

When a simple AI receptionist is enough

If your main problem is missed and after-hours calls, and most enquiries are straightforward, a simple AI receptionist is usually the lowest-cost way to fix it. You get predictable monthly pricing, instant SMS summaries, and no need to hire before your call volume justifies it.

When a human virtual receptionist is worth paying more

If calls regularly need judgment, live transfers or complex handling, a human virtual receptionist earns the higher cost. The trade-off is that per-call or per-minute pricing climbs with volume, so check the numbers against your busiest month, not your quietest.

Our current best-value simple AI pick

For small businesses whose first problem is missed calls, Reception Pro's current best-value simple option is Deskie. Deskie answers missed and after-hours calls, keeps your existing number through call forwarding, captures caller details, and sends a job summary by SMS, with no setup fee and no lock-in contracts. Deskie advertises its standard Core plan at $149/month. Reception Pro understands that Deskie is currently offering $99/month for new businesses where that promotion is available. Check the current offer before choosing.

See how it stacks up against the other options on our best AI receptionists in Australia page, or read the AI receptionists explainer if you are still weighing AI against a human.

Frequently asked questions