How much does an AI receptionist cost?
Last updated · Mars Network Services, Tampa Bay and Palm Coast, FL
Mara costs $199 to $349 a month to answer your business phone, with 150 to 300 minutes included, a one-time $299 setup, and no contract. With a lobby kiosk that greets walk-ins, plans run $449 to $899 a month with a $999 setup and a 24-month term, kiosk included.
Across the market, AI phone answering usually runs about $100 to $350 a month. Agency-built systems can cost around $1,000 a month, with your phone and calling costs billed on top. The price depends mostly on how many minutes are included, what the receptionist can do, and who supports it.
Mara's plans
| Plan | Monthly | Included minutes | What it adds |
|---|---|---|---|
| Phone only: $299 setup, month to month | |||
| Phone Basic | $199 | 150 | Answers every call, takes messages, transfers live, texts your team |
| Phone Plus | $299 | 200 | Adds booking into your calendar and text confirmations |
| Phone Pro | $349 | 300 | Adds Spanish on every call and a quarterly review |
| With a lobby kiosk: $999 setup, 24-month term, kiosk included | |||
| Lobby | $449 | None | Kiosk greets walk-ins, checks them in, texts your team |
| Lobby + Phone | $599 | 300 | Adds phone answering and live transfer |
| Front Office | $799 | 750 | Adds booking, text confirmations, quarterly review |
| Everywhere | $899 | 750 | Adds chat on your website, same brain |
Per location, ACH autopay. Prepay a year and get a month free. Run over your minutes? We call you first.
How that compares
| Option | Typical monthly cost | Hours covered |
|---|---|---|
| Part-time receptionist, 20 hours a week | About $1,570 in wages alone1 | 20 of 168 |
| Live answering service | About $250 for 50 minutes to $395 for 100 minutes2 | 24/7, billed by the minute |
| AI phone answering software | About $100 to $350 | 24/7 |
| Mara on your phone | $199 to $349, minutes included | 24/7 |
| Mara with a lobby kiosk | $449 to $899, kiosk included | 24/7, phone and front door |
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025: receptionists in the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater area earn a mean $18.15 an hour. At 20 hours a week that is about $1,570 a month before payroll taxes.
- Published plans from national live answering services, checked in 2026.
What changes the price
- Minutes. Some plans include a pool of minutes, some bill every minute or every call. Ask what a busy month costs, not a quiet one.
- Phone and calling costs. Some providers bill your phone line and calling usage separately, on top of the monthly fee. Mara includes them for your plan's minutes.
- What it can do. Answering and taking messages is the base. Booking into your calendar, text confirmations, Spanish and live transfer cost more with most providers.
- Setup and contract. A one-time setup fee is normal. Watch the term: month to month, or locked in for a year or more.
- The front door. Phone-only services never see the person standing in your lobby. A kiosk adds hardware, install and a longer term.
- Support. A help-desk ticket and a local person you can call are not the same service.
Questions to ask any AI receptionist provider
- How many minutes are included, and what happens when I go over?
- Is my phone line and calling usage in the price or billed separately?
- Can it book straight into my calendar, or only take requests?
- Does it tell callers it's an AI?
- Can it transfer a caller to a person live?
- Do I keep my phone number if I leave?
- What is the contract term and the setup fee?
- Who do I call when something breaks, and how fast do they answer?
Questions
Is there a setup fee?
Yes. $299 for phone-only Mara and $999 with a lobby kiosk. Setup covers your approved facts, the phone line, forwarding and testing. If you start on the phone and add a kiosk later, the $299 carries over.
Are minutes included?
Yes. Phone plans include 150 to 300 minutes a month, and kiosk plans with the phone include 300 or 750. There is no per-minute meter on your bill.
What if I go over my minutes?
We call you first. You won't get a surprise per-minute charge. If you keep running over, we help you move to the plan that fits.
Is the phone line part of the price?
Yes. Mara's line and the calling for your included minutes are in the monthly price. You keep your existing business number and forward it to Mara.
Is there a contract?
Phone-only plans are month to month. Lobby plans run 24 months because the kiosk, install and hardware replacement are included.
Is there a discount for paying yearly?
Prepay a year and get a month free.