How much does a law firm answering service cost? About $130 to $750 a month, or Sharrk from $99
By Sharrk Team · October 22, 2026
A law firm answering service costs about $130 to $750 a month for a small firm's first 50 to 100 minutes or calls, based on the published plans of legal-focused providers checked October 22, 2026. Sharrk answers every call to your firm 24/7 with an AI voice agent starting at $99 a month on Sharrk Core, which includes 47,500 credits a month.
The spread comes from how each provider bills (per minute or per call), how many minutes are included, and what happens once you go over. Below are the real numbers, how to estimate your own monthly bill, and how that compares with a full-time receptionist.
How much do legal answering services charge per month?
These are the entry and mid-tier plans from each provider's own pricing page, checked October 22, 2026. Prices are monthly list prices.
| Provider | Plan | Monthly price | Included | Overage listed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sharrk | Core | $99 | 47,500 credits (AI call minutes, texts, emails, voicemail drops), 1 phone number | No contracts, no setup fees |
| Posh | Vogue / Elegant | $130 / $215 | 50 / 100 minutes | $2.20 / $2.15 per minute |
| Smith.ai | AI Receptionist Pro | $150 | 75 calls | $2.50 per call |
| Abby Connect | Starter / Essential | $164 / $329 | 50 / 100 Abby Minutes | Billed at the plan's minute rate |
| Ruby | 50 / 100 minute plans | $250 / $395 | 50 / 100 minutes | Not listed |
| Smith.ai | Virtual Receptionist Starter | $300 | 30 calls | $11.50 per call |
| AnswerConnect | Entry | $350 | 200 minutes | $2.50 per minute, $49.99 setup |
| Gabbyville | Solo / Boutique | $399 / $749 | 50 / 100 calls | $7.00 per call |
Two legal-specific providers, Answering Legal and LEX Reception, do not publish plan prices on their sites. Answering Legal describes "a flat rate for a package of minutes" and offers a price preview tool, and LEX Reception bills by the minute with overage rates shown at sign-up.
Larger plans climb quickly. Ruby's 200-minute plan is $720 and its 500-minute plan is $1,725. Smith.ai's 300-call virtual receptionist plan is $2,100. Gabbyville's 400-call plan is $1,999.
What does that work out to per call or per minute?
Dividing each plan price by what it includes gives a rough unit cost before overage:
- Posh Vogue: $130 for 50 minutes, about $2.60 a minute
- Abby Starter: $164 for 50 minutes, about $3.28 a minute
- Ruby: $250 for 50 minutes, $5.00 a minute
- AnswerConnect Entry: $350 for 200 minutes, $1.75 a minute
- Smith.ai Virtual Receptionist Starter: $300 for 30 calls, $10.00 a call
- Gabbyville Solo: $399 for 50 calls, about $7.98 a call
A legal intake call can run longer than a quick message, because the receptionist collects the caller's name, matter type, opposing party for a conflict check and urgency. On a per-minute plan, long calls use up your bundle faster. On a per-call plan, long calls cost the same as short ones, but every wrong number and sales call counts too.
How do I estimate my firm's monthly bill?
- Count your calls. Pull 30 days of inbound calls from your phone system, including after-hours and weekend calls.
- Find your average call length. Most phone systems show this. Multiply calls by average minutes to get monthly minutes.
- Decide what gets answered. Overflow only, after-hours only, or every call. After-hours-only coverage needs far fewer minutes.
- Pick the plan just above your number, then check the overage rate. A cheap plan with expensive overage can cost more than the next tier up.
- Read the billing rules. AnswerConnect and LEX Reception do not charge for the first 30 calls under 30 seconds each cycle, and Abby counts an AI minute as half an Abby Minute. Small rules like these change the real total.
For example, a solo practice with 120 calls a month at three minutes each needs about 360 minutes. That is past every 200-minute plan in the table, so the firm would either pay overage or move to a 500-minute tier such as Ruby's at $1,725.
Is an answering service cheaper than hiring a receptionist?
Yes, for most small firms. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports a median receptionist wage of $18.27 an hour, or $38,010 a year, as of May 2025. That is roughly $3,170 a month in wages alone, before payroll taxes, benefits, paid time off and someone to cover lunch breaks, evenings and weekends.
Even a 500-minute live plan costs less than half of that, and an AI receptionist costs a fraction of it. We break down the full in-house cost in the cost of hiring a receptionist.
If you are still deciding between a human answering service and an AI agent for intake, see legal answering service vs live receptionist. This post sticks to price.
What should be included in the price?
Before you compare totals, make sure each quote covers what a firm actually needs:
- 24/7 coverage, so the 9 p.m. car-accident call gets answered
- Intake questions that capture matter type, contact details and urgency on every call
- Transfer to an attorney when a caller needs a person right now
- Booking consultations directly onto your calendar
- Instant summaries to the attorney by text or email after each call
- Month-to-month terms and no setup fees
Fast follow-up matters as much as answering. The target is a reply within five minutes, which we cover in law firm lead response time.
How does Sharrk handle law firm calls?
Sharrk answers every call 24/7 with an AI voice agent, asks your intake questions and saves the answers as post-call fields, such as practice area, incident date and callback number. It live-transfers to an attorney when a caller needs a person, books consultations onto Sharrk's calendar, Calendly or Cal.com, and sends you a text or email alert after each call. New web-form leads get a reply in under 30 seconds, and Strikes follow up by AI text, text, email, AI call and voicemail drop within the sending windows and stop rules you set.
Mako, the AI assistant inside Sharrk, builds the agent for you. Type a sentence like "Answer calls for my personal injury firm, ask about the accident date and injuries, and book a free consultation," and Mako sets up the agent, the questions and the follow-up Strike. You review and apply each change.
Pricing is simple. Sharrk Free is $0 with 2,500 one-time credits to build and test agents with no card. Sharrk Core is $99 a month or $990 a year with 47,500 credits a month and one phone number. Sharrk Complete is $449 a month with 185,000 credits and a done-for-you build every month. There are no contracts, no setup fees and a 30-day money-back guarantee on your first payment, minus usage. See the full Sharrk pricing.
Start free and build your intake agent today, or book a demo to see it answer a call.
Related on Sharrk: AI receptionist for law firms · AI receptionist · Sharrk vs Smith.ai
Sources
- Posh pricing (checked October 22, 2026)
- Smith.ai AI Receptionist pricing (checked October 22, 2026)
- Smith.ai Virtual Receptionist pricing (checked October 22, 2026)
- Abby Connect pricing (checked October 22, 2026)
- Ruby plans and pricing (checked October 22, 2026)
- AnswerConnect plans (checked October 22, 2026)
- Gabbyville pricing (checked October 22, 2026)
- Answering Legal flat rate answering service (checked October 22, 2026)
- LEX Reception FAQs (checked October 22, 2026)
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Receptionists, Occupational Outlook Handbook (checked October 22, 2026)
Frequently asked questions
How much does a law firm answering service cost per month?
About $130 to $750 a month for a small firm's first 50 to 100 minutes or calls, based on published plans from Posh, Abby Connect, Ruby, Smith.ai, AnswerConnect and Gabbyville checked October 22, 2026. Sharrk Core is $99 a month with 47,500 credits.
Do legal answering services charge per minute or per call?
Both models exist. Posh, Abby Connect, Ruby, AnswerConnect and LEX Reception bill by the minute, while Smith.ai and Gabbyville bill by the call.
What happens if my firm goes over its plan?
You pay overage at the provider's listed rate, for example $2.20 a minute on Posh Vogue, $7.00 a call on Gabbyville and $11.50 a call on Smith.ai's Virtual Receptionist Starter plan.
Is an answering service cheaper than an in-house receptionist?
Yes, for most small firms. The BLS median receptionist wage is $38,010 a year, about $3,170 a month in wages alone, while most answering plans for 50 to 200 minutes cost under $750 a month.
How much does Sharrk cost for a law firm?
Sharrk Core costs $99 a month or $990 a year and includes 47,500 credits a month and one phone number, with no contracts or setup fees. Sharrk Free lets you build and test agents with 2,500 one-time credits and no card.