10 Best Answering Services Of 2025

Specialty Answering Service (SAS) is simple to use, well-rounded and offers the best pricing of any answering service I’ve tried. I’m a fan of its web-based portal, which acts as a hub for data reports, call history, usage tracking and everything customizable. You can leave notes on calls to follow up with SAS’s receptionists, provide virtual receptionists with FAQs and check any appointments your customers have booked through the service. SAS also offers excellent virtual receptionist scripting tools, such as a drag-and-drop script design tool that you can use to visualize and test conversation paths.

The mobile app lets you send updates to your call center and check on missed calls, and the service forwards all messages you receive via email or SMS.

While most other answering services only offer voice and live chat, Specialty Answering Service can also serve your customers via social media and email. If you’re seeking a full contact center service, SAS is a cost-effective option considering its low price. Since there’s no setup fee and the per-minute rates are so low, I’d recommend it as a cost-effective option overall for any small business.

Specialty Answering Service’s script-building tool visualizes and maps out conversation paths you’d like virtual receptionists to use with customers.

While most providers separate voice answering services and voice chat into distinct packages, AnswerConnect bundles the channels into its service. This provides your business with 24/7 availability on both channels, with agents who can capture leads, gather caller information from forms and resolve customer queries based on FAQs you provide. The solution connects to CRM systems like Salesforce and Zendesk, so this information automatically updates your customer profiles and contact history.

I was especially impressed by AnswerConnect’s appointment scheduling and integrations. Your customers can schedule appointments through live chat or voice, and since AnswerConnect syncs with many calendar apps, these appointments automatically populate your schedule at no extra charge.

If you anticipate high inbound call or chat volumes, AnswerConnect is a good option. However, if you don’t expect to meet 200 minutes of answering service usage, you’re better off with a cheaper option like Specialty Answering Service.

AnswerConnect’s desktop app dashboard and notes make it easy to gather contact information and details from all calls and messages the agents take.

HelloSells combines inbound and outbound answering services and live chat, emphasizing lead capturing and sales. I like the customized approach that it allows you to design. When setting up your account, you have a consultation where HelloSells helps you create a script and webform. You choose how you’d like agents to handle calls, what they should say and the information they collect.

The service can embed a live chat widget into your website with diverse capabilities. Agents call leads back when they submit a web form via live chat. They can screen leads, schedule appointments and even accept payments through the Square integration.

The mobile app is easy to use and lets you set your availability with the click of a button, choosing when you’d like to handle calls and when you want to forward them. You can access your call and chat history, and the app notifies you of each note agents leave about interactions that took place while you were unavailable.

I’d recommend HelloSells for teams anticipating high call and chat volumes, especially those focused on capturing leads and booking appointments.

The HelloSells mobile app makes it easy to set your availability, toggling the answering services on and off as needed.

Posh’s answering service centers around voice calling and SMS, but not live chat. Starting at $65 and $2.25 per additional minute, it offers middle-of-the-road pricing but provides flexibility for companies anticipating low call volumes.

My favorite thing about Posh is the simplicity and comprehensiveness of its mobile app. Similar to HelloSells, Posh’s mobile app makes it easy to turn answering services on and off as needed with a button. You can provide quick instructions for your receptionist, such as what to tell callers. It’s easy to catch up on what you missed when you log into the app, as each call’s record is thorough, with caller details and the notes that your receptionist leaves.

You can also text customers, make outbound calls and set up a voicemail for your business number through the Posh app—and you can access these features even when you’re not actively using the answering service. The desktop app is feature-rich too, with visual analytics displaying your call activity by day and time.

Given its user-friendly mobile app and low starting cost, I’d recommend Posh for teams focused on simplicity and having an answering service that’s easy to toggle on and off.

Posh’s mobile app lets you easily turn answering services on and off, with the option to leave detailed instructions for virtual receptionists.

Go Answer’s answering services allow you to choose between voice-only virtual receptionists and web chat, but they don’t offer mixed-channel plans. The virtual receptionist service centers around a web app with a solid variety of features. You can create custom scripts to guide virtual receptionists, who record details about each caller and email or text you when you’ve received a call.

Go Answer agents are HIPAA-certified, meaning they securely handle sensitive information in healthcare industries. I also like that Go Answer offers bilingual customer support at no extra cost, since many alternatives charge you extra for services from bilingual receptionists.

Another thing I appreciate about Go Answer is that each account gets a dedicated virtual receptionist. This person is a central point of contact for you to follow up with receptionists and get feedback about your customer service strategy.

At $1.75 per minute, it’s also one of the cheaper answering services we tested. I’d recommend Go Answer for companies that prioritize having a reliable direct contact who oversees their answering service strategy.

PATLive offers virtual receptionist answering services for voice only or live chat, but not mixed plans. You can access the service through mobile or web apps. You can use your preexisting business number as the virtual receptionist number or PATLive can provide a business number based anywhere in the U.S and a voicemail inbox, which is a less common feature.

The thing that I appreciate most about PATLive is the breadth of capabilities its agents provide for people who call your number. PATLive receptionists can collect leads, record new clients, take messages, make sales and facilitate payments, schedule meetings and register event attendees. It’s a good choice if you’re temporarily using an answering service for an upcoming event or if you want to connect an e-commerce platform to enable your answering service to make sales. The service integrates with several popular e-commerce platforms that alternatives don’t have, such as Squarespace, Etsy, Wix and Shopify.

The main drawback to PATLive is that it’s much more expensive than most alternatives.

PATLive’s desktop app provides a simple overview of your calls and chat messages, with details about each interaction.

Ruby’s answering service centers around a user-friendly and modern mobile app. The interface feels clean, pleasant and easy to use. You can set your status by clicking a button and instantly have your calls answered, with the option to leave additional instructions as needed for receptionists. Ruby lets you choose a local or toll-free business number or use your own, and you can make calls directly from either one using the mobile app. The receptionists can handle a wide breadth of services, like scheduling, new client additions and accepting payments.

What stands out to me most about Ruby is that the receptionists and managers give you feedback on how to improve your inbound call-handling strategy. The feedback is based on their impression of how the calls go and what customers say.

The main drawback, however, is that Ruby is expensive. It’s only worth the cost for companies prioritizing collaborative feedback from receptionists and the convenience of a user-friendly mobile app.

Ruby’s mobile app lets you set your availability status, quickly view activity and make calls from your business number.

MAP Communications is a well-priced answering service with above-average security features. While the service doesn’t offer a mobile app, the web portal offers well-rounded functionality: you can track call activity, contact details and check the notes left by virtual receptionists. The team works closely with you when setting up your account to learn about your business and determine how you plan to serve your customers: form completion, lead qualification, multilingual service or appointment scheduling.

While many alternatives only offer HIPAA compliance to protect your customers’ sensitive health data, MAP Communications adds HITRUST certification, which protects sensitive data across industries including legal, education and health services. I was also impressed by MAP’s outbound calling services. Agents follow up with leads, schedule meetings and administer surveys over the phone, helping you gather customer feedback from users in any time zone.

Best of all, MAP Communications is among the most cost-effective answering services on our list. It’s a good option for teams that want to take advantage of outbound phone surveys as part of their answering service plan.

Smith.ai’s answering service offers real-human or AI-based receptionists, letting you choose how personalized you’d like your service to be. The AI-based offering is unlike any other option on our list and offers unique functionality like call transcription and summaries for all inbound calls. These transcripts and summaries enable more in-depth oversight and reviews, helping you understand why customers call your business. The AI can also handle basic capabilities like lead screening, gathering basic customer info and appointment scheduling.

Unlike other providers, Smith.ai charges by the call, which can be inefficient for short calls but may save you money if the inbound calls take more than a couple of minutes. I think Smith’s AI service could be a feasible option for companies looking to extract basic customer information and handle simple tasks like appointment scheduling.

However, the provider’s real-human virtual receptionists are way too expensive, costing a ridiculous $10 per call, so if you want personalized interactions, you’re better off with an alternative.

Smith.ai’s call recording and summaries let you review each interaction in more detail.

Moneypenny’s answering services offer voice-based virtual receptionists with a lot of choice about how advanced you want your features to be. The Essential plans include basic features like bilingual answering, custom FAQ answers for the receptionists and no limit to the amount of customer information that your receptionists record.

The costlier Personalized plans add advanced features like CRM integrations and higher-level services like appointment scheduling, custom forms, order processing and payment acceptance. These are valuable features, but I’m disappointed that Moneypenny charges extra for them, as many alternatives include these capabilities in the normal feature set.

I was impressed with Moneypenny’s desktop app. It includes the regular features like checking call details and notes, but the analytics are especially impressive. The dashboard has several visual displays that chart things like which agents customers request, the average call duration and the most frequent reasons for customer calls. If you’re looking for insights about your callers’ activity and behaviors, Moneypenny is a smart choice.

Moneypenny’s desktop apps have several visual displays providing insights about your callers, their behaviors and the reasons they call.