Comparison
AI Receptionist vs Hiring a Receptionist
A full-time receptionist covers roughly 40 hours a week, one call at a time, and stops when they go home, take leave or move on. An AI receptionist covers all 168 hours, answers unlimited calls at once, never needs retraining after turnover, and costs $499 a month for the base subscription plus AI usage — typically $100 to $200 a month for a small business, so around $599 to $699 all in.
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This is not an argument that people are replaceable. It is an argument about coverage maths. A single hire covers about a quarter of the week and exactly one call at a time, and the other three quarters of the week is when a large share of enquiries actually arrive.
Side by side
| MyFast.ai | Hiring In-House | |
|---|---|---|
| Coverage | 24/7/365, including holidays | Roughly 40 hours a week |
| Simultaneous calls | Unlimited | One at a time |
| Cost structure | $499/month base subscription plus AI usage that scales with call volume | Salary plus payroll taxes, benefits, equipment and space |
| Sick days and holidays | None | Requires cover |
| Turnover | None — knowledge stays | Retraining with each new hire |
| Ramp-up time | Days, done for you | Weeks to months to reach full effectiveness |
| Consistency | Identical on every call | Varies with workload and experience |
| Human judgement | Follows the rules you define, escalates the rest | Can improvise and read a room |
Which one is right for you
Choose MyFast.ai if
- Businesses with no front desk at all
- Teams whose staff are on site, on the road or with clients all day
- Anyone who needs evening, weekend and holiday coverage
- Practices that need overflow cover for an existing receptionist
The alternative is the better fit if
- Premises with walk-in traffic that needs greeting in person
- Roles combining reception with substantial in-person administration
The verdict
For most service businesses the honest answer is not either/or. An AI Voice Agent covers the hours and the overflow a single hire cannot, and a receptionist who is no longer buried in the phone can do higher-value work.
Other comparisons
See the full pricing, the industry breakdowns or the research we cite.
Common questions
Will an AI receptionist replace my current receptionist?
Most of our customers use it to cover what one person cannot: after hours, weekends, holidays, lunch breaks and the calls that arrive while the front desk is already on the phone.
What happens when a caller needs a human?
Your agent escalates according to the rules you define — transferring, taking a detailed message or paging an on-call person.
Stop letting calls go unanswered
$499 a month base subscription plus AI usage, with no contracts and no setup fees. We build and train your Smart AI Voice Agent for you and most businesses are live within days.