The three pricing models
Legal answering services bill in three ways, and the model matters more than the sticker price. The same month of calls can cost $150 or $900 depending on which one you signed up for.
Per-minute
Ruby, Answering Legal, Veza
You buy a bundle of receptionist minutes. Every ring, greeting, and hold second counts. Long intake calls burn the bundle fast.
Per-call
Smith.ai live receptionists
You pay per answered call regardless of length, with per-item fees for things like booking and notifications.
Flat rate
firstcase, Smith.ai AI agent
One monthly price for a plan. AI receptionists make this possible because nobody is paid by the minute.
Published numbers, October 2026
These are public plan prices from each provider's own site. Add-on fees are where the real totals diverge — a live service quoting $300/mo can bill closer to $400 once bookings, recordings, and message delivery are counted.
| Provider | Model | Entry price | Watch for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smith.ai (live) | Per call | ~$300/mo for 30 calls | $8.50–$11.50 per extra call; ~$1.50 per booking; per-item recording and notification fees |
| Smith.ai (AI) | Flat, call cap | ~$150/mo for 75 calls | Call allowance, not unlimited minutes |
| Ruby | Per minute | ~$250/mo for ~50 minutes | ~$4–$5.40 per minute in overage |
| Answering Legal | Per minute | ~$360/mo for 100 minutes | ~$3.60/minute effective; longer intake calls cost more |
| Veza Reception | Per minute | ~$200/mo for 100 minutes | ~$2/minute effective |
| Superpractice | Flat (platform) | Voice agents from ~$250/mo | Platform bundles, not intake-only |
Prices checked on each provider's site in October 2026 and rounded where plans vary. Numbers change — verify on the provider's pricing page before you buy.
The math that actually matters
Per-minute and per-call pricing both punish the call you most want answered: the detailed 15-minute intake that turns into a retained case. Under per-minute billing, that single call can cost $30–$80. Under a flat plan it costs nothing beyond your plan's monthly minute or call tier — no per-minute meter and no per-call surcharge.
The other side of the math is the value side. For most practice areas, one retained case covers a year of any answering service on this page — which is why the real cost isn't the subscription, it's the calls that never get answered at all.
firstcase uses flat monthly and annual pricing with minutes-based tiers. We walk through the numbers on your demo rather than publishing them here — see how the plans compare.