THE METER
HERS ISN'T.
Forbes Advisor ranked ten answering services for 2026. All ten put a person on the line and bill you by the minute. Here is how VonaVoice stacks up against them.
A CALL IN PROGRESS
ANSWERCONNECT
A call in progress with AnswerConnect: four minutes at two dollars fifty a minute comes to ten dollars.
$2.50 per minute — the priciest of the ten.
MAP Communications
$1.37per minute
Specialty Answering
$1.54per minute
AnswerFirst
$1.55to $1.90 / min
Go Answer
$1.75per minute
AnswerForce
$2.00per minute
PATLive
$2.25to $2.60 / min
Moneypenny
$2.28per minute
Posh
$2.30per minute
HelloSells
$2.35per minute
AnswerConnect
$2.50per minute
VonaVoice
No meterask for a quote
A typical booking call runs four minutes. Across the ten that is $5.48 to $10.00 — every time the phone rings. Three of the ten start at $349 or more a month before a single extra minute. HelloSells rounds up to the nearest minute; AnswerFirst customers report being billed for junk calls.
HEAD TO HEAD
Answers 24/7
Yes, all ten.
Yes. First ring, every hour, every day.
Three callers at once
One agent handles one caller. Others wait on hold.
Answers all three at the same time. No hold music, no voicemail.
Billing
Every call billed by the minute, $1.37 to $2.60.
No per-minute meter. You know your cost before the month starts.
Spanish
Nine of the ten offer bilingual agents. PATLive charges extra for them.
Every call, both languages, switches mid-sentence. Included.
Booking the job
Most take a message or schedule from a form you set up.
Offers only open times and writes the appointment straight into your calendar.
Staying on script
Forbes notes inconsistent script adherence and operator training at some providers.
Says the same thing on the 500th call as the first. No new hire on the night shift.
After the call
Message by email or text.
Text to you the moment the call ends: who, what they need, what got booked. Every call in your dashboard.
Need a person
Agent is the person.
Transfers the caller to you or your team when needed, and always sends you the details.
Medical and dental
Eight of the ten are HIPAA compliant. HelloSells is not; PATLive by request.
HIPAA compliant available for medical and dental practices.
Your website
Web chat with a typed agent at some providers.
Visitors click one button and talk to Vona. She answers and books before they leave the page.
Try before you buy
Sales demo. AnswerConnect makes you hand over personal details to see pricing; Go Answer only shows its software in a demo.
Call the live line right now and hear Vona book a job.
WHERE THE TEN STILL HAVE AN EDGE
ONLY VONA
Takes the takeout order
Walks the caller through the order, confirms it back, and gets it to the kitchen. No hold, no "let me grab a pen."
Texts a payment link before they hang up
The caller pays on their phone while the order is being made. Fewer no-shows, no card numbers read over the phone.
Knows your whole menu or product line, with prices
Every item, every size, every price. Ask "how much is the large with two toppings" and she answers, without a script.
Tells the caller when something is 86'd
Out of stock, sold out, or off the menu tonight: Vona says so and offers what you do have. A human service reads yesterday's sheet.
Books into your real calendar
Offers only the open slots and writes the appointment in. Not a message that someone has to call back on.
Answers three callers at once, in English or Spanish
Friday dinner rush, three lines ringing, nobody on hold. Every call in both languages at no extra charge.
Answers on your website too
One button on your site and the visitor is talking to Vona, who can take the same order or book the same job.
Texts you the details the moment the call ends
Who called, what they ordered or booked, what they paid. Every call kept in your dashboard.
The Forbes ten will take an order for an online shop from a script you write. None of them know your live inventory, quote your full menu from memory, or send a payment link during the call.
THE TEN FORBES RATED
The full Forbes list: “10 Best Answering Services of 2026” by Tyler Webb, Forbes Advisor, published July 27, 2026. Read the full reviews at forbes.com/advisor/business/software/best-answering-services.
Go Answer
Forbes rating
Forbes “best for”Support and communication
Entry price / per minute$175 for 100 min · $1.75/min
Drawbacks Forbes notedNo mobile app; can only see the software in a sales demo
Specialty Answering Service
Forbes rating
Forbes “best for”Most cost-effective
Entry price / per minute$44 · $1.54/min
Drawbacks Forbes notedPoorly rated mobile app; billing complaints; voicemail billed per minute
AnswerForce
Forbes rating
Forbes “best for”After-hours answering
Entry price / per minute$349 for 200 min · $2.00/min · $75 setup
Drawbacks Forbes notedExpensive; inconsistent script adherence and operator training
AnswerConnect
Forbes rating
Forbes “best for”Voice and live chat
Entry price / per minute$350 for 200 min · $2.50/min
Drawbacks Forbes notedHigh price floor; must give personal details to see pricing; poor fit for low call volume
HelloSells
Forbes rating
Forbes “best for”Lead qualification
Entry price / per minute$359 for 200 min · $2.35/min
Drawbacks Forbes notedExpensive; rounds up to the nearest minute; no voicemail
MAP Communications
Forbes rating
Forbes “best for”Customer feedback and surveys
Entry price / per minute$49 · $1.37/min
Drawbacks Forbes notedConsumer score 5.5/10; no mobile app; few integrations; billing complaints
Moneypenny
Forbes rating
Forbes “best for”Analytics and data
Entry price / per minute$165 for 50 min · $2.28/min
Drawbacks Forbes notedHigher per-minute rate; lowest plan only 50 minutes; no outbound calls
AnswerFirst
Forbes rating
Forbes “best for”Call center answering
Entry price / per minute$30 base · $1.55–$1.90/min
Drawbacks Forbes notedCharged for junk calls; call-handling and communication complaints
Posh
Forbes rating
Forbes “best for”Easiest to manage
Entry price / per minute$65 + $2.30/min (no minutes included)
Drawbacks Forbes notedNo live chat; system bugs; billing issues
PATLive
Forbes rating
Forbes “best for”E-commerce integrations
Entry price / per minute$75 pay-as-you-go · $2.25–$2.60/min
Drawbacks Forbes notedOne of the most expensive; charges extra for bilingual; 75-minute floor
Prices, ratings and drawbacks are Forbes Advisor’s findings as of July 27, 2026, summarized here for comparison. Rates change; check each provider for current pricing.
HOW FORBES SCORED THEM
Forbes analyzed 12 providers on 31 data points. Weighting: general features 30%, pricing 28%, consumer sentiment 20%, service and support 10%, security certifications 8%, AI features 4%. Every provider on the list is a live human answering service, and Forbes weighted AI features at 4% of each score. VonaVoice was not part of the review.