Best Virtual Receptionist Services in 2026
Updated
In short: YouSquared is ranked #1 of 35 as of 5 October 2026, ahead of PATLive and Posh. The lowest first paid tier on this page is Moneypenny at £10/mo.
Virtual receptionist services handle business calls through capabilities such as routing callers, taking messages, and qualifying calls. Compare answering mode and included minutes with the volume and kinds of calls you need covered, then check appointment scheduling, call routing, and multilingual answering. YouSquared, PATLive, and Posh are among the available services. Free-plan availability and paid-from pricing offer cost context alongside the listed service details. Consider what callers need from their first interaction and which tasks your staff would like covered; the answering and scheduling capabilities can help you assess how each service fits those requirements.
35 virtual receptionist services ranked on what their makers publish — plans and prices, free tiers, platforms and the facts on their own pages.
35ranked
1free plans on this page
£10/molowest paid tier
5 Oct 2026last checked
Input list Virtual Receptionist Services 25 channels on this page · 143 of 200 spec lines stated by the makers
Ch Tool Free planPaid fromAnswering modeIncluded minutesCall qualificationMessage takingCall routingAppointment scheduling Spec sheet Score
01 YouSquared Free planYesPaid fromnot statedAnswering modeaiIncluded minutesnot statedCall qualificationYesMessage takingYesCall routingYesAppointment schedulingYes 6/8spec lines stated 8.2
02 PATLive Free planNoPaid from$49/moAnswering modehumanIncluded minutes0 minutes/moCall qualificationYesMessage takingYesCall routingYesAppointment schedulingYes 8/8spec lines stated 7.2
03 Posh Free planNoPaid fromnot statedAnswering modehybridIncluded minutes0 minutes/moCall qualificationYesMessage takingYesCall routingYesAppointment schedulingYes 7/8spec lines stated 7.2
04 Specialty Answering Service Free planNoPaid from$44/moAnswering modehumanIncluded minutesnot statedCall qualificationYesMessage takingYesCall routingYesAppointment schedulingYes 7/8spec lines stated 7.2
05 LEX Reception Free plannot statedPaid fromnot statedAnswering modehumanIncluded minutesnot statedCall qualificationYesMessage takingYesCall routingYesAppointment schedulingYes 5/8spec lines stated 7.1
06 Signius Communications Free planNoPaid fromnot statedAnswering modehumanIncluded minutes0 minutes/moCall qualificationYesMessage takingYesCall routingYesAppointment schedulingYes 7/8spec lines stated 7.1
07 VeraDial Free planNoPaid from$14.99/moAnswering modeaiIncluded minutes50 minutes/moCall qualificationYesMessage takingYesCall routingYesAppointment schedulingYes 8/8spec lines stated 7.1
08 Ruby Free planNoPaid fromnot statedAnswering modehumanIncluded minutes50 minutes/moCall qualificationYesMessage takingYesCall routingYesAppointment schedulingYes 7/8spec lines stated 6.9
09 AnswerConnect Free planNoPaid from$350/moAnswering modehumanIncluded minutes200 minutes/moCall qualificationYesMessage takingYesCall routingYesAppointment schedulingYes 8/8spec lines stated 6.7
10 Upfirst Free planNoPaid from$24.95/moAnswering modeaiIncluded minutesnot statedCall qualificationYesMessage takingYesCall routingYesAppointment schedulingYes 7/8spec lines stated 6.7
11 Dialzara Free planNoPaid from$29/moAnswering modenot statedIncluded minutesnot statedCall qualificationnot statedMessage takingnot statedCall routingnot statedAppointment schedulingnot stated 2/8spec lines stated 6.6
12 My AI Front Desk Free planYesPaid from$79/moAnswering modenot statedIncluded minutesnot statedCall qualificationnot statedMessage takingnot statedCall routingnot statedAppointment schedulingnot stated 2/8spec lines stated 6.5
13 Goodcall Free planNoPaid from$66/moAnswering modenot statedIncluded minutesnot statedCall qualificationnot statedMessage takingnot statedCall routingnot statedAppointment schedulingnot stated 2/8spec lines stated 6.3
14 A Virtual Receptionist Free plannot statedPaid fromnot statedAnswering modehumanIncluded minutesnot statedCall qualificationnot statedMessage takingYesCall routingnot statedAppointment schedulingYes 3/8spec lines stated 6.2
15 AnswerForce Free plannot statedPaid fromnot statedAnswering modehumanIncluded minutesnot statedCall qualificationYesMessage takingYesCall routingYesAppointment schedulingYes 5/8spec lines stated 6.2
16 Davinci Virtual Free planNoPaid from$129/moAnswering modehumanIncluded minutes50 minutes/moCall qualificationYesMessage takingYesCall routingYesAppointment schedulingYes 8/8spec lines stated 6.2
17 Moneypenny Free planNoPaid fromnot statedAnswering modenot statedIncluded minutesnot statedCall qualificationnot statedMessage takingnot statedCall routingnot statedAppointment schedulingnot stated 1/8spec lines stated 6.2
18 Smith.ai Free planNoPaid from$300/moAnswering modehumanIncluded minutesnot statedCall qualificationYesMessage takingYesCall routingYesAppointment schedulingYes 7/8spec lines stated 6.2
19 Anserve Free plannot statedPaid from$25/moAnswering modehumanIncluded minutesnot statedCall qualificationYesMessage takingYesCall routingYesAppointment schedulingYes 6/8spec lines stated 6.0
20 Nexa Free plannot statedPaid fromnot statedAnswering modehybridIncluded minutes100 minutes/moCall qualificationYesMessage takingYesCall routingYesAppointment schedulingYes 6/8spec lines stated 6.0
21 Abby Free planNoPaid from$165/moAnswering modehybridIncluded minutes50 minutes/moCall qualificationYesMessage takingYesCall routingYesAppointment schedulingYes 8/8spec lines stated 5.9
22 Answering Advantage Free plannot statedPaid fromnot statedAnswering modehybridIncluded minutesnot statedCall qualificationnot statedMessage takingYesCall routingYesAppointment schedulingYes 4/8spec lines stated 5.9
23 MAP Communications Free planNoPaid fromnot statedAnswering modehumanIncluded minutes0 minutes/moCall qualificationYesMessage takingYesCall routingYesAppointment schedulingYes 7/8spec lines stated 5.9
24 Answer United Free planNoPaid fromnot statedAnswering modehybridIncluded minutesnot statedCall qualificationYesMessage takingYesCall routingYesAppointment schedulingYes 6/8spec lines stated 5.8
25 AnsweringService.com Free planNoPaid fromnot statedAnswering modehybridIncluded minutesnot statedCall qualificationYesMessage takingYesCall routingYesAppointment schedulingYes 6/8spec lines stated 5.8
Compare all 25 in a table
| # | Tool | Score | Free plan | From | Free plan | Paid from | Answering mode | Included minutes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | YouSquared | 8.2 | Free plan | $29.99/mo | Yes | — | ai | — |
| 2 | PATLive | 7.2 | No | $19/mo | No | 49 /mo | human | 0 minutes/mo |
| 3 | Posh | 7.2 | No | $65/mo | No | — | hybrid | 0 minutes/mo |
| 4 | Specialty Answering Service | 7.2 | No | $44/mo | No | 44 /mo | human | — |
| 5 | LEX Reception | 7.1 | No | — | — | — | human | — |
| 6 | Signius Communications | 7.1 | No | $45/mo | No | — | human | 0 minutes/mo |
| 7 | VeraDial | 7.1 | No | $12.50/mo | No | 14.99 /mo | ai | 50 minutes/mo |
| 8 | Ruby | 6.9 | No | $115/mo | No | — | human | 50 minutes/mo |
| 9 | AnswerConnect | 6.7 | No | $350/mo | No | 350 /mo | human | 200 minutes/mo |
| 10 | Upfirst | 6.7 | No | $24.95/mo | No | 24.95 /mo | ai | — |
| 11 | Dialzara | 6.6 | No | $29/mo | No | 29 /mo | — | — |
| 12 | My AI Front Desk | 6.5 | No | $99/mo | Yes | 79 /mo | — | — |
| 13 | Goodcall | 6.3 | No | $79/mo | No | 66 /mo | — | — |
| 14 | A Virtual Receptionist | 6.2 | No | — | — | — | human | — |
| 15 | AnswerForce | 6.2 | No | — | — | — | human | — |
| 16 | Davinci Virtual | 6.2 | No | — | No | 129 /mo | human | 50 minutes/mo |
| 17 | Moneypenny | 6.2 | No | £10/mo | No | — | — | — |
| 18 | Smith.ai | 6.2 | No | $300/mo | No | 300 /mo | human | — |
| 19 | Anserve | 6.0 | No | — | — | 25 /mo | human | — |
| 20 | Nexa | 6.0 | No | — | — | — | hybrid | 100 minutes/mo |
| 21 | Abby | 5.9 | No | — | No | 165 /mo | hybrid | 50 minutes/mo |
| 22 | Answering Advantage | 5.9 | No | — | — | — | hybrid | — |
| 23 | MAP Communications | 5.9 | No | — | No | — | human | 0 minutes/mo |
| 24 | Answer United | 5.8 | No | $25/mo | No | — | hybrid | — |
| 25 | AnsweringService.com | 5.8 | No | — | No | — | hybrid | — |
Is your tool on this list?
Numbered spots on this list can be sponsored, and a sponsored row is labelled as paid.
Questions about this list
Which virtual receptionist service is ranked first on Specifiction?
YouSquared is ranked #1 of 35 with a score of 8.2. PATLive is second and Posh third.
How many of these have a free plan?
1 of the 25 on this page publish a free plan on their own pricing pages.
Which is the cheapest paid option?
On this page, Moneypenny has the lowest first paid tier we found: £10/mo.
How is this list ranked?
Ranked on what each maker publishes, the fullest spec sheet first: how deeply the product is documented, the platforms it runs on, a free tier or trial to test it, and its standing.