Pricing
AI phone answering pricing
ThryvHQ AI phone answering costs $297 per month plus a one-time setup fee from $1,497. Month to month, no contract. The setup covers the analysis, build, integration work, and testing that a generic tool leaves to you.
How does this compare to hiring an AI consultant?
A typical small-business AI implementation project runs $5,000 to $15,000 over about six weeks, and the most common complaint is paying for it and receiving a roadmap rather than a working system. ThryvHQ starts at $1,497 with a free assessment first, and what you get at the end is the thing running.
| Typical SMB AI project | ThryvHQ | |
|---|---|---|
| Discovery and analysis | Included, 2 weeks | Included, free |
| Working system at the end | Often not | Yes |
| Time to live | About 6 weeks | About 2 weeks |
| Cost to start | $5,000–15,000 | $1,497 |
| Ongoing | $2,000–8,000/mo retainer | $297/mo |
| Who does the work | Account manager plus juniors | One person, start to finish |
The setup fee covers analysis and a build, which is the same scope a consulting engagement covers. The difference is the price and the timeline, and that comes from how we work: the build itself is AI-assisted, so the cost is not a function of billable hours the way a consultancy's is. You get the same two things — someone figuring out what should change, and someone making it happen — without the six-week engagement or the five-figure invoice.
What does the phone build include?
The phone build answers calls in your business's voice, books into your calendar, captures messages, and sends a summary after the call. It includes 500 minutes, around 160 calls, then 25¢ a minute. Service is month to month. Cancellation takes effect at the end of the paid billing period.
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Monthly price | $297 per month |
| Setup fee | From $1,497, one time |
| What setup covers | Workflow mapping, call writing, calendar or CRM connection, scenario testing, and two weeks of tuning after launch |
| Contract length | Month to month; no contract |
| Cancellation | Cancel any time; service continues through the end of the current billing period |
| Included call volume | 500 minutes, around 160 calls |
| Overage handling | 25¢ per minute after the included minutes |
| Integrations | Your calendar and standard CRM connections are scoped during the setup call; unusual or multi-step systems may change the setup quote |
What's not included
The phone build does not include unlimited minutes, a custom application, a promise that every workflow belongs on the phone, or a substitute for a person making judgment calls. Regulated or unusually complex workflows may require a separate scope. The setup call is where we identify those boundaries and give you a fixed number.
Why there's a setup fee
The setup fee covers a person building the thing. We map how calls reach you now, write what the assistant says, connect it to your calendar and CRM, test it against real call scenarios, and stay on it until it behaves. That work happens once, at the start, and it is the difference between an assistant that works on your calls and a generic one you have to babysit. Self-serve tools skip this step, which is why they cost less and why they ask you to do the configuration yourself.
What if I need more than the phone?
The phone is where most people start because it is concrete, it lands in about two weeks, and you can hear whether it works. It is not the whole offer. Once something is running, the same method applies to intake, follow-up, quoting and dispatch, priced per project rather than per hour. Most clients do the phone first and decide from there.
When a cheaper option is the better choice
If your call volume is low, your calls are simple, and you are comfortable writing the prompt and connecting the integrations yourself, a self-serve AI receptionist at $25 to $99 a month will serve you well. We would rather say that here than sell you a build you did not need. Come to us when the call flow has real branching, when it has to write into systems you already use, or when you do not want to own the configuration.
Where do most people start?
Most people start with a free assessment because one role is easier to understand than an entire business. We take the role apart into tasks, name what stays human and what AI should handle, then choose a sensible first build. There is no prescribed package and no obligation to continue.
- Hear it workCall (703) 423-0203. Tell it what kind of business to answer the phone for, then call in as your own customer. It's the live assistant, not a recording, and there's no signup.Free
- Workflow assessment30 minutes. We take one role apart into its tasks and end with a clear go / no-go.Free
- Phone buildThe assistant answers every call, books into your calendar, and texts you a summary.$1,497 setup, $297/mo
- Workflow buildIntake, follow-up, quoting, dispatch — whatever the assessment says is worth doing next.Project-priced
- OngoingWe keep it running and keep changing it as the business changes.From $297/mo
Hear it before you talk to anyone
Call (703) 423-0203. It is a live assistant, not a recording, and there is no form first. Tell it what kind of business to answer the phone for, then call in as your own customer.
The demo is a role-play, so any times it offers during the role-play are invented. If you want a real conversation at the end of it, it will book that properly.