AI receptionists
AI Receptionist vs Answering Service vs Hiring a Receptionist: Real Costs in Canada (2026)
Short answer
Hiring a full-time receptionist in Canada costs about $3,922 a month at the $21 median wage once you add employer CPP and EI, and it covers business hours only. Live answering services cost roughly CAD 130 to 975 a month for 50 to 500 minutes, with overages around $2.10 to $2.95 a minute. AI receptionists cost about $50 to $500 a month and answer 24/7. For trades that want calls booked, not just messages taken, an AI receptionist is the best value in Canada. GLO’s starts at $297 a month in CAD and includes a new website built free.
Key takeaways
- A full-time receptionist costs about $47,067 a year ($3,922 a month) at Canada’s median wage, before vacation pay, benefits and WSIB, and covers about 40 hours a week.
- Live answering services bill by the minute, and trades calls blow through small plans fast: overages run about $2.10 to $2.95 a minute in CAD.
- AI receptionists answer 24/7 for about $50 to $500 a month, and the better ones book the visit instead of taking a message.
- At 300 call-minutes a month, GLO’s Front Desk comes to about $349.5, with a new website included.
- The cheapest option isn’t always the best value. What matters is how many calls turn into booked jobs.
What are the three ways to answer your business phone?
You can hire someone, pay an answering service, or use an AI receptionist. Most trades businesses start with a fourth option, the owner’s cell phone and voicemail, which is free until you count the jobs it loses. Call-tracking company Invoca reports that 27% of calls to home-services businesses go unanswered, and fewer than 3% of callers who reach voicemail leave a message.
| Hire a receptionist | Live answering service | AI receptionist | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Typical monthly cost | About $3,922 (median wage + CPP + EI) | About CAD 130–975 for 50–500 min | About $50–$500 |
| Hours covered | About 40 hours a week | Often 24/7; some plans business hours only | 24/7 |
| Books the job? | Yes, if trained and at the desk | Usually takes a message; booking costs extra or isn’t offered | The good ones book into your calendar |
| Busy-season surge | One call at a time | Overage charges per minute | Answers many calls at once |
| Setup | Hiring and training | Script setup | From self-serve to done-for-you |
How much does it cost to hire a receptionist in Canada?
About $47,067 a year, or $3,922 a month, for one full-time receptionist at the national median wage. Government of Canada Job Bank data puts the median wage for receptionists at $21.00 an hour nationally and $20.50 in Ontario. Add the employer’s share of CPP and EI for 2026 and here’s the math:
| Item | How it’s calculated | Per year |
|---|---|---|
| Wages | $21.00 × 2,080 hours (40 h × 52 weeks) | $43,680 |
| Employer CPP | 5.95% × ($43,680 − $3,500 basic exemption) | $2,390.71 |
| Employer EI | 2.282% × $43,680 | $996.78 |
| Total | Before vacation pay, benefits, WSIB, hiring and training | $47,067 (about $3,922/mo) |
And that buys one person for about 40 business hours a week. On one Ottawa paving company’s line, 28% of calls came in outside Monday–Friday 9 to 5. Covering every hour of the week with staff would take roughly four full-time people.
How much does a live answering service cost in Canada?
Most live answering services charge a monthly plan with a set number of minutes, then $2 to $3 for every extra minute. Trades calls run long and cluster in busy season, which is where the overages bite. Current published prices:
| Service | Plans | Overage | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Posh (Canada) | CAD 130 for 50 min, CAD 215 for 100 min, CAD 420 for 200 min, up to CAD 1,900 | CAD 2.10–2.30/min | Effective Jan 1, 2026; month-to-month |
| AnswerConnect (Canada) | CAD 325 for 100 min (+$75 setup), CAD 425 for 300 min | CAD 2.75–2.95/min | From its 2024 Canadian price list; the site now quotes on request |
| Ruby | US$250 for 50 min, US$395 for 100 min, US$720 for 200 min | Not published | Serves Canada; bills in US dollars; minutes rounded up |
| AnswerCanada | $36 to $200 prepaid call packs | $1.37–$1.80 per call | Message-taking only |
| AstraQom | CA$49 for 150 min, CA$127 for 400 min | CAD 0.35/min | Prices cover 8-hour weekday shifts, not 24/7 |
How much does an AI receptionist cost in Canada?
About $50 to $500 a month, and some charge a flat fee for unlimited calls. Canadian-priced options include Clara (from $49.99 CAD, unlimited calls), Polaris Voice ($99 CAD for 150 minutes), Hey Jodie (C$99, unlimited minutes) and Mihron ($299 CAD). The differences that matter to a contractor are whether it books into your real calendar, whether it can put real jobs through to you live, and whether anyone sets it up for you. We compare ten of them in the best AI receptionist for Canadian contractors.
Get a receptionist that books the job, set up for you, with a new website built free.
Get your free siteWhat does 300 minutes of calls a month actually cost?
Here’s the same workload priced every way. Three hundred minutes is about 188 real conversations at the 1.6-minute average we saw on one Ottawa paving company’s line, a normal month for a busy crew.
| Option | How it adds up | Monthly cost | Books into your calendar? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Full-time receptionist | Median wage + CPP + EI; business hours only | About $3,922 | Yes, during office hours |
| Posh (live) | CAD 420 for 200 min + 100 min × CAD 2.10 | About CAD 630 | Messages and scheduling per plan |
| AnswerConnect Canada (live) | 300-minute plan (2024 price list) | About CAD 425 | Messages and scheduling per plan |
| Ruby (live) | US$720 for 200 min + overage (rate not published) | US$720 + overage | Per plan |
| Polaris Voice (AI) | 500-minute Professional plan | CAD 199 | See plan details |
| Clara Pro (AI) | Unlimited calls, live transfers | CAD 89.99 | Answers and transfers |
| GLO Front Desk (AI) | $297 with 150 min + 150 min × $0.35 | $349.5 CAD | Yes, plus a new website built free |
| GLO Operating System (AI) | $797 with 500 min included | $797 CAD | Yes, plus website and office software |
Some AI receptionists are cheaper than GLO for answering alone, and we’ll say so. If all you need is a bot to pick up and take details, Clara or Polaris will cost less. GLO’s price includes the things a trades business usually pays for separately: a new website, booking into your real calendar, live transfers with a summary, and a team that sets it all up and keeps it running.
Which option is best for a trades business?
| If you… | Best option |
|---|---|
| Have steady office work beyond the phone (dispatch, invoicing, walk-ins) | Hire, and add an AI receptionist for evenings and weekends |
| Want a human voice on every call and don’t mind per-minute billing | Live answering service |
| Mostly need calls answered and details taken, on a tight budget | A low-cost AI receptionist |
| Want calls booked, real jobs put through, and the website handled for you | GLO |
What if my customers want to talk to a real person?
They still can, when it matters. A good AI receptionist handles routine calls and books visits, then puts real jobs, existing customers and emergencies through to you, with a summary before you pick up. On that Ottawa line, 224 calls were put straight through to the owner over one season, while the receptionist booked 58 estimate visits on its own.
Why GLO is the best value in Canada for trades that want calls booked
- It books, it doesn’t just answer: estimate visits go straight into your real calendar.
- It hands off the right calls: real jobs and existing customers reach your cell, with a summary first.
- It costs a fraction of a hire: $297 a month versus about $3,922 for one business-hours receptionist.
- It includes a new website, built free, so you’re not paying a web designer on top.
- It’s done for you: trained on your services, prices and area, approved by you before it goes live.
Not the right fit if…
you already have a full-time receptionist covering evenings and weekends, you want a human voice on every single call, or you only need the cheapest bot to take messages.
| Plan | Monthly | Setup | Voice minutes | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Front Desk | $297/mo | $0 setup · first month paid at signing | 150/mo | For crews whose website and phone are losing them calls. |
| Operating SystemRecommended | $797/mo | $1,497 setup · 50% now, 50% at go-live | 500/mo | For owner-operators who quote, invoice and chase deposits themselves. It's what the company in our case study runs. |
| Growth | $1,497/mo | $1,997 setup · 50% now, 50% at go-live | 1,000/mo | For operators who want more jobs coming in, not just fewer missed. |
FAQ: answering the phone for a trades business
How much does it cost to hire a receptionist in Canada?
About $47,067 a year, or $3,922 a month, at the national median wage of $21.00 an hour, once you add the employer’s 2026 CPP and EI. That’s before vacation pay, benefits and WSIB, and it covers about 40 hours a week.
How much does an answering service cost in Canada?
Live answering services typically charge about CAD 130 to 975 a month for 50 to 500 minutes, with overages around CAD 2.10 to 2.95 per minute. Some sell prepaid call packs for message-taking only.
Is an AI receptionist cheaper than an answering service?
Usually, yes. AI receptionists cost about $50 to $500 a month and answer 24/7 without per-minute charges at that scale. The better ones also book the visit instead of taking a message.
Can an AI receptionist replace a human receptionist?
For answering and booking, yes. For in-office work like dispatch, walk-ins and paperwork, many businesses keep a person and use an AI receptionist for evenings, weekends and overflow.
What happens if I go over my minutes with GLO?
Extra minutes are $0.35 each on any plan. There are no per-call fees.
Do AI receptionists work in busy season?
Yes, and that’s where they shine. An AI receptionist can answer many calls at the same time, so a storm morning or the first warm week of spring doesn’t turn into a wall of voicemails.
Sources
- Job Bank: Receptionists (NOC 14101) wages, Canada (updated Nov 19, 2025)
- Canada Revenue Agency: CPP contribution rates, maximums and exemptions
- Canada Revenue Agency: EI premium rates and maximums
- Posh pricing (Canada), effective Jan 1, 2026
- AnswerConnect Canada pricing (PDF)
- Ruby plans and pricing
- AnswerCanada
- AstraQom virtual receptionist (Canada)
- Clara pricing (Canada)
- Polaris Voice pricing
- Invoca: how much missed sales calls cost home services businesses
See what a receptionist that books jobs would do for your business. Start with your new website, built free.
Get your free siteKeep reading
- The Best AI Receptionist for Canadian Contractors (2026): Compared With Real Prices
- What Missed Calls Really Cost a Trades Business: Data From 1,051 Real Calls (2026)
- How to Forward Your Business Line to an AI Receptionist in Canada (Bell, Rogers, Telus, Fido, Koodo, Freedom and More)
- How Much Does a Contractor Website Cost in Canada? (2026 Price Guide)
Written by
Founder, GLO
Tiago Jahchan is the founder of GLO, a Canadian company that builds websites, 24/7 AI receptionists and back-office software for trade and home-service businesses across Canada. He builds and runs the systems his clients use every day, and writes about what actually works when a trades business puts AI to work.
- Founder of GLO, serving trade and home-service businesses across Canada
- Builds and runs the AI receptionists and websites GLO clients use
- Proven on a real Ottawa contractor’s phone line