The quick answer: a small business pays $0 to about $349 a month for AI call answering, which works out to roughly $1.20 to $1.60 per answered call. A human answering service charges $2.50 to $4.00 per call on top of a retainer. Here is the full breakdown.
| Option | Typical monthly cost | What to know |
|---|---|---|
| Voicemail | $0 | Free, but roughly 4 out of 5 callers hang up instead of leaving a message and many ring a competitor next |
| NZ-based AI receptionist (KiwiAgent) | $0 free tier; $49 to $349 + GST | Minutes, NZ number, AI, transcripts and integrations included; extra minutes a flat $0.49/min; set up for you |
| US-priced AI receptionist tools | ≈ NZ$38 to $169 + FX fees | US$22 to $99 tiers are common; overage around US$0.40/min (≈ NZ$0.68); billed in USD without GST invoices |
| Developer voice platforms (e.g. Vapi) | ≈ NZ$60 to $100 at 300 min | Cheap raw usage, but you build and maintain the agent yourself across several provider accounts |
| Human answering service | $300 to $500+ retainer | Plus roughly $2.50 to $4.00 per call, staffed hours only |
| Part-time receptionist | $3,500+ | Business hours only, one call at a time, leave and sick days |
USD conversions at ~1.71 NZD per USD, July 2026. Third-party figures are typical published ranges; check providers for current pricing.
2.5 min
Length of an average answered business call
≈ $1.24
Per answered call on KiwiAgent Pro ($149/mo, 300 minutes ≈ 120 calls)
$2.50 to $4.00
Per call at a typical human answering service, plus the retainer
The real comparison is not cost against cost, it is cost against a missed job. If an average job is worth $300, one recovered call a month pays for the Pro plan twice over.
Minutes, not features
Most plans differ mainly by included minutes. Estimate calls per week, multiply by average call length (about 2.5 minutes), and size the plan to that.
What the rate includes
The number, call carriage, speech recognition, the AI model, and the voice all cost money. Some tools bundle everything into one rate; others quote a low platform fee and bill each piece separately.
Overage rates
Busy months happen. A flat, published overage rate (ours is $0.49/min) beats discovering a punitive one on your invoice.
Currency and GST
USD billing adds foreign-currency card fees and moves with the exchange rate, and you will not get an NZ GST invoice. NZD billing keeps the price you saw as the price you pay.
Concurrency
If two customers ring at once, can both be answered? Some entry plans take one call at a time, which quietly recreates the busy signal you were trying to fix.
Setup effort
Developer platforms are cheapest on paper and dearest in hours. Done-for-you services cost more per month and nothing per weekend.
The hidden cost of USD-billed tools
A US$55/month plan is about NZ$94 at July 2026 rates, before your bank adds a foreign-currency fee (commonly around 2 to 3 percent), and the NZD amount changes every month with the exchange rate. Overage at US$0.40/min is about NZ$0.68/min. None of it comes with a GST invoice. Price in the currency you earn in.
Entry plans start around $49/month for roughly 40 answered calls, mid plans around $149/month for roughly 120 calls, and high-volume plans around $349/month for roughly 320 calls, all in NZD excluding GST. Free tiers with a small monthly allowance exist too. Per answered call, that works out to roughly $1.20 to $1.60.
NZ answering services typically charge a monthly retainer from about $300 to $500 plus a per-call fee of roughly $2.50 to $4.00, during staffed hours. A part-time human receptionist costs $3,500 or more per month. AI answers every call at once, around the clock, for a fraction of that.
Three things: the exchange rate (a US$55 plan is about NZ$94 before fees), foreign-currency card fees that most NZ banks add on USD billing, and what the per-minute rate excludes. Many tools quote a platform rate and then bill the phone number, telephony, speech, and AI models separately. Also check overage rates: US$0.40/min is about NZ$0.68/min.
Most AI receptionists meter by the minute. An average answered business call runs about 2.5 minutes, so a 300-minute plan is roughly 120 calls. Good providers meter by the second and round up per call, and only count conversation time.
If the provider is NZ-based, prices are typically quoted excluding GST and 15% GST appears on a compliant GST invoice, which your accountant will thank you for. Overseas tools billing in USD often leave you to sort out GST treatment yourself.
Plans from $49/month with a live demo you can talk to, or start a free pilot with 30 minutes a month, set up for you.