AI receptionist for contractors: best picks for your calls

Put the call route to work

Jobber’s help describes online-booking rules, requests, follow-up tasks and keyword-based transfers to your escalation contact (Receptionist help). HCP uses your existing services, hours and availability and logs the conversation in its call log and calendar (CSR AI overview). HighLevel books into configured calendars (booking help). Rosie separates Professional message-taking from Scale’s booking and team transfers (plan details); Smith.ai describes escalation to its own live receptionists (AI receptionist plans).

For a text-back route, use our HighLevel missed-call reply setup.

Working solo? Book straightforward work automatically and collect a callback request for jobs you need to scope. On Jobber, the $29/month add-on is the first shortlist; without a field-service app, Rosie Professional is $49/month for message-taking, while Scale is $149/month for calendar booking. A transfer to your own phone helps only when you can actually pick up.

Have an office? Let the receptionist cover overflow and after-hours calls while your dispatcher owns exceptions. Name the person who takes the transfer, set the bookable services and try the route when that person doesn’t answer. Smith.ai is the better shortlist when you need the vendor to supply the human, not just dial your dispatcher.

Already choosing between platforms? Read Jobber Receptionist vs Housecall Pro CSR AI for native job booking, or Jobber Receptionist vs HighLevel Voice AI for native scheduling versus a configurable marketing calendar. Use the missed-call calculator to put your own call load behind the decision.

Languages, routing and booking: compare the whole call

Your caller needs to get from “Can you help?” to a useful next step—in the right language, even when the office is closed. Start with the language, pick who takes the hard call, then choose where the booking lands. A contact appearing in a CRM is a different result from a job on the dispatch board.

Each cell carries official-source keys in parentheses. The checked date at the end of each row applies to every cell in that row; the linked source key is listed below. Use the “not published” cells as questions for your demo and quote.

Vendor	Spoken languages	After-hours / overflow	Transfer to a human	Recording / transcript	Booking destination	Published billing unit and rates	Checked (every cell)
Jobber Receptionist	Spoken-language list not published in reviewed Receptionist pages (J1, J2)	After-hours and busy-call coverage; configurable greetings (J1, J2)	Keyword-based transfer or text to your escalation contact (J1)	Summary, transcript and recording (J2)	Jobber visits via Online Booking rules; HCP/GHL booking not published (J1)	$29/mo includes 30 conversations, then $0.79/conversation; Plus includes unlimited. No per-minute tariff (J1)	2026-10-23
Housecall Pro CSR AI	Named live-language list not published; Spanish listed as forthcoming (H1)	After-hours settings; busy/unanswered carrier forwarding (H1, H3)	Your chosen number or HCP Assist for notes; full Assist booking needs its separate subscription (H1)	Recording disclosure and call summaries; transcript detail not published (H1, H2)	Native HCP jobs/estimates using permissions and availability; Jobber/GHL booking not published (H1)	Add-on and per-minute/per-call price not published; get quote (H4)	2026-10-23
Rosie	English and Spanish on every call (R1)	24/7; overflow answering advertised (R1, R2)	Scale: warm/live transfers to your team; Growth adds waterfall transfers (R1)	Recordings/transcripts; recordings deleted after 30 days (R1)	Scale+: Google Calendar/Calendly and other listed calendars. Jobber/HCP/GHL booking not published (R1)	$49/250 min; Scale $149/1,000; Growth $299/2,000 monthly. Excess minutes trigger plan upgrade; no per-minute overage tariff (R1)	2026-10-23
Smith.ai AI Receptionist	English and Spanish (S1)	24/7, after-hours and overflow (S1, S3)	Your team by warm transfer; vendor live receptionist network for human backup (S1)	Call recording, transcription and summaries (S1)	HCP via its online-booking link; Jobber/GHL AI booking not published in reviewed pages (S4)	Free: 25 calls, then $3/call. Pro starts $150/75 calls, then $2.50/extra call; larger tiers below (S2)	2026-10-23
Sameday	English/Spanish playbook; eligible plan not published there. Enterprise lists multilingual voices (D1, D4)	Office-closed and busy-call coverage (D2)	Rules by intent, keyword, job value or time route to a person with context (D2)	Full recording; bilingual playbook logs transcript in both languages (D1, D3)	Jobber and HCP integrations advertised; GHL booking not published (D5, D6)	Launch from $449/500 min; Scale from $789/1,000 min monthly. Extra-minute rate not published (D4)	2026-10-23
Avoca	Multilingual claimed; named language list not published (A1)	24/7, nights/weekends and holiday overflow (A1)	Transfers to your CSR with caller context (A1)	Logged calls and summaries; recording/transcript details not published in reviewed pages (A1, A2)	ServiceTitan documented; Jobber/HCP/GHL booking not published (A3)	Monthly and per-minute/per-call prices not published; demo/quote (A1)	2026-10-23
Goodcall	Spoken-language list not published in reviewed current pages (C1, C2)	Forward busy/unanswered calls, or all calls; round-the-clock answering (C1, C2)	Staff transfers with backup if unanswered (C1)	Every call recorded and transcribed (C1)	Jobber API booking described; setup steps and HCP/GHL booking not published in reviewed pages (C4)	Per unique phone number/month: $79/100 + $0.79 extra; $129/500 + $0.26; $299/2,000 + $0.15. No per-call/minute charge (C2)	2026-10-23
HighLevel Voice AI	Standard Multilingual mode: English/Spanish; other listed languages selectable individually (G1)	Working hours and backup/overflow routing configured on number/agent (G2, G3)	Configured call-transfer action (G2)	Call history, transcript, recording, summary and action results (G2)	HighLevel calendars. Jobber connection syncs contacts, not booked jobs; HCP booking not published (G4, G6)	Traditional engine $0.045 + OpenAI TTS $0.015/min = $0.06 before LLM/phone. S2S: Gemini 3.1 Flash Live Preview $0.10 or GPT Realtime 2/2.1 $0.20/min; phone charges separate (G5)	2026-10-23

Official sources for the comparison table

• Jobber: J1 — Jobber setup and conversation billing; J2 — Jobber routing and call records.
• Housecall Pro: H1 — HCP CSR AI permissions, after-hours and escalation; H2 — HCP required recording disclosure; H3 — HCP busy/unavailable forwarding; H4 — HCP pricing and add-ons.
• Rosie: R1 — Rosie plans and expanded pricing FAQ; R2 — Rosie overflow coverage.
• Smith.ai: S1 — Smith.ai languages, records and human handoff; S2 — Smith.ai call quotas and extra calls; S3 — Smith.ai after-hours and overflow; S4 — Smith.ai AI-to-HCP booking.
• Sameday: D1 — Sameday bilingual answering; D2 — Sameday rules and human handoff; D3 — Sameday after-hours recording; D4 — Sameday minute bundles and plan scope; D5 — Sameday Jobber booking; D6 — Sameday HCP booking.
• Avoca: A1 — Avoca inbound coverage and escalation; A2 — Avoca call logs and summaries; A3 — Avoca ServiceTitan booking.
• Goodcall: C1 — Goodcall forwarding, transfers and records; C2 — Goodcall unique-customer billing; C4 — Goodcall Jobber API description.
• HighLevel: G1 — HighLevel language configuration; G2 — HighLevel transfer actions and call records; G3 — HighLevel inbound overflow routing; G4 — HighLevel calendar booking; G5 — HighLevel usage pricing; G6 — HighLevel Jobber contact-sync scope.

Try the complete handoff. Call in the language your customers use, ask for a bookable service, then ask for a person. Let the transfer ring unanswered once. Open the resulting call record and calendar entry so you can see what the next person in your office will actually receive.

Pick by the software you already run

Already choosing between the built-in options? Our Jobber Receptionist vs Housecall Pro CSR AI comparison separates conversation charges, booking permissions and the handoff to a person.

Start with where the booking must land, then choose the receptionist. Jobber Receptionist books visits using your online booking settings and creates a request or task when it cannot book (Jobber features). Housecall Pro CSR AI books from your services, hours and availability (CSR AI). HighLevel Voice AI books into configured HighLevel calendars (Voice AI booking).

Your workflow	Start with
Jobber jobs and visits	Jobber Receptionist
Housecall Pro jobs	CSR AI; compare Smith.ai
ServiceTitan board	Avoca; compare Sameday
Google Calendar/Calendly, transfers to your team	Rosie Scale
Vendor-staffed human backup	Smith.ai
Existing HighLevel marketing CRM	HighLevel Voice AI
Lots of repeat callers	Goodcall; price unique callers

Without field-service software, Rosie Scale offers calendar booking and transfers to your own team for $149/month (Rosie pricing). Smith.ai Free is worth testing at light volume before spending more. A transfer to your employee is different from hiring the answering vendor’s own live staff.

For ServiceTitan, Avoca describes sending booked jobs, customer details and notes to the board (Avoca integration). Sameday also describes ServiceTitan scheduling and lists Jobber, Housecall Pro, FieldRoutes and Service Fusion (scheduling; integrations). Smith.ai’s directory tags Housecall Pro for AI Receptionist. Its Jobber and ServiceTitan entries are listed without that tag; ask to see the exact booking handoff in a demo (directory). Our integrations guide goes deeper.

How we choose: match the booking destination, escalation recipient, billing unit and workflow to the shop. That fit decides the pick, regardless of commission.

Price it at your call volume, not the headline

Ask vendors to quote the same call load using our answering-service quote email. Calls, conversations, minutes and unique callers are different billing units.

Jobber’s add-on is $29/month with 30 conversations, then $0.79 each. Spam and no-conversation interactions do not count; Plus includes unlimited usage (Jobber help). Smith.ai Free includes 25 calls, then $3 each; Pro costs $150 for 75 calls, $270 for 150 or $500 for 300, with overages $2.50/$2.30/$2.17 respectively (Smith.ai pricing). Goodcall charges $79 for 100 unique customers, $129 for 500 or $299 for 2,000, with extras $0.79/$0.26/$0.15 (Goodcall pricing).

Rosie Professional is $49 for 250 minutes; Scale is $149 for 1,000 with calendar booking; Growth is $299 for 2,000. Its 7-day trial and two-month annual saving remain listed (Rosie pricing). Sameday starts at $449 for 500 minutes on Launch (three locations, unlimited users), or $789 for 1,000 on Scale (unlimited locations); request the overage quote (Sameday pricing).

HighLevel (GHL) Starter costs $97/month. AI Employee Growth adds $50/month per enabled sub-account and Unlimited adds $97 (HighLevel pricing). Growth includes 100 Voice AI minutes monthly; Unlimited covers supported Voice AI subject to fair use. Phone System charges remain separate, and pay-per-use AI is another option (AI billing). HCP lists CSR AI without a public add-on price (HCP pricing); Avoca’s reviewed site offers a demo and no public tariff (Avoca).

Option	30 calls	100 calls	250 calls
Jobber add-on	$29	$84.30	$202.80
HCP CSR AI	Quote	Quote	Quote
Rosie Scale	$149	$149	$149
Smith.ai	$15	$212.50	$500
Sameday	From $449	From $449	From $789
Avoca	Quote	Quote	Quote
Goodcall	$79	$79	$129
GHL	$147	$194	$194

Model assumptions: prices are monthly USD before tax and optional extras. Three minutes per counted call: 90, 300 and 750 minutes. Each call is one engaged Jobber conversation and comes from a distinct number for Goodcall; no extra text conversations or spam are included. Smith.ai and Goodcall rows choose the lowest published plan-plus-overage total. Rosie uses Scale for calendar booking, not its cheaper message/link plan. Sameday uses the lowest published starting package with enough included minutes; an overage quote could change the choice.

The HighLevel row budgets Starter plus Growth at 90 minutes, or Starter plus Unlimited at 300/750 minutes. It is not a claim that those subscriptions beat pay-per-use at every volume. Separate phone charges and any usage outside the selected coverage are excluded. Jobber and HCP rows are answering add-ons to an existing platform; include your platform subscription before comparing a full switch.

At Jobber Core’s $49 monthly subscription, the add-on examples total $78.00, $133.30 and $251.80. For a five-user Grow team ($299/month), Plus ($499/month) has a $200 gap: the add-on is $199.64 at 246 conversations and $200.43 at 247. From 247 counted conversations, compare upgrading to Plus against keeping Grow plus the add-on (Jobber platform prices). These illustrative calculations use the stated plans and call volumes. For a human service at the same load, see answering-service costs.

Decide who takes the hard calls

Name the person who receives an urgent call before routing customers to AI. A message, an attempted transfer and a person answering are different outcomes.

For the person receiving transfers, compare contractor headsets by calling environment.

Smith.ai describes transfers to its own live North America-based receptionists, any time of day; confirm the charges and escalation rules in the quote (Smith.ai). Rosie Scale transfers to your team, while Growth adds waterfall transfers across multiple numbers (Rosie). Jobber can transfer or text you when it hears keywords you choose (Jobber).

Example: a four-person shop on Jobber Connect’s five-user bundle ($199/month) sends 100 counted after-hours conversations to Receptionist. The add-on is $84.30, giving $283.30 before other charges (Jobber pricing). Set urgent keywords, name an on-call recipient and test an unanswered transfer as well as a successful one. Existing Jobber shops can compare Jobber Receptionist with a human answering service.

Where the money and the leads leak

Get the number, billing and record handoff right before switching. Jobber requires a dedicated Jobber number even if you keep your existing number; its help page lists the US, Canada and UK (Jobber help). Rosie Professional texts a booking link; direct Google Calendar/Calendly booking starts on Scale. Its pricing FAQ says exceeding the minute allowance automatically moves you to the next plan at that plan’s standard price; it stays there until you adjust it. Growth customers above 2,000 minutes are directed to a custom-volume plan (Rosie pricing). Smith.ai requires 30 days’ cancellation notice (Smith.ai terms).

HighLevel’s Jobber integration synchronizes clients/contacts, not a demonstrated booked-job handoff. It supports one active HighLevel sub-account per Jobber account; notes, custom fields and attachments do not sync (integration help). Ask to see the job record you actually need, rather than accepting a contact appearing in both tools as proof of a complete booking.

Goodcall counts one phone number once per month, so repeated callers can make it attractive. Starter keeps 30 days of call history. Its current external-tool terms cover API, MCP and code tools; the Zapier link explicitly serves existing agents (Goodcall pricing). Its Jobber directory page describes an API connection; get a demo of the exact booking action before relying on it (Goodcall Jobber page).

We use tracked recommendations for Jobber and HighLevel; Housecall Pro and the other vendors have plain links. Our disclosure explains those relationships. HighLevel’s affiliate-program page describes its program; it does not make Voice AI the right purchase for a shop that only needs an answered phone.

Choosing between Jobber’s own receptionist and a marketing platform? Read Jobber Receptionist vs HighLevel Voice AI for the setup, booking and usage-cost decision.

Your pre-demo checklist

1. Write what each call must create: a message, calendar event, work request or booked job. Give both vendors the same business brief.
2. Count missed/after-hours calls, minutes and distinct callers. Find your volume in the table and add platform subscriptions or quoted extras.
3. Ask to see a booking land in your actual job/calendar system, including rescheduling and cancellation.
4. Try Jobber’s public demo before paying: its feature page lists 737-388-0043 in the US. Demo appointments do not take place and live-team transfer is unavailable there (demo details).
5. Run the ten calls in our demo checklist, including urgent calls, interruptions and a failed transfer. Inspect the record after each.
6. Get overages, live-agent/transfer fees and cancellation terms in writing.
7. Start after-hours and use our 30-day pilot plan, with the old forwarding route written down so you can switch back.

Get written prices for HCP CSR AI and Avoca, plus Rosie/Sameday overages and Smith.ai live-transfer charges. Use the call-answering hub to compare AI with human answering when your calls need more judgment.

Kit for the crew

Once the call is booked, equip the people who take it from there. Start with our tablet and truck mount, portable invoice printers and dispatch-desk setup.