AIPlayPark

Medical office AI rankings

Best AI Receptionists for Small Businesses in 2026 (Any Industry)

Emitrr ranks first with 9 of 12: a stated HIPAA compliance, a BAA, 24/7 coverage, appointment booking, 9 named EHR integrations and multilingual support (2 languages). Nextiva (6 of 12) and RingCentral (6 of 12) follow. Every point is answered from the vendor's own published pages, quoted under each entry with a source link and the date we read it.

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By the AIPlayPark editorial team, part of MedReception AI

How this list is ranked

This list is for a business outside medicine: a law firm, a home services company, a salon, a trade. It includes AI and hybrid receptionists whose pages describe serving many industries, or whose pages do not state a healthcare-only focus. Vendors built only for medical and dental practices, including the publisher's own MedReception AI, are excluded.

Each vendor is scored 0 to 12 on eight criteria, every one answered from the vendor's own published pages. A criterion the pages do not address scores 0 and is shown as not stated. Vendors are ordered by total score.

  • HIPAA compliance: stated by the vendor 1, verified by a third party 2
  • Business associate agreement stated: 2
  • 24/7 coverage stated: 1
  • Books appointments (not only messages): 2
  • Named EHR integrations: 1 to 4 named scores 1, 5 or more scores 2
  • Published pricing with a dollar figure: 1
  • Medical-only focus: 1
  • Multilingual: 1

Ties are broken in this order: a BAA stated on the vendor's pages; published pricing; more named EHR integrations; vendor name, A to Z. Full methodology, including who chose these criteria.

Scored criteria: HIPAA compliance, Business associate agreement, Coverage, Books appointments, Named EHR integrations, Published pricing, Healthcare focus, Languages. Not scored, shown for context: AI, live agents or hybrid; starting price.

The ranking (10 vendors)

1

Emitrr

AI

Score 9 of 12

Best for: Healthcare practices and other businesses wanting texting, VoIP phones and an AI receptionist in one platform

Communications platform with an AI voice and SMS agent. Usage-based pricing by custom quote with no published rates; states HIPAA compliance, SOC 2 Type II and a BAA available for healthcare customers (Nov 4, 2026).

  • HIPAA 1/2
  • BAA 2/2
  • 24/7 1/1
  • Books 2/2
  • EHRs 2/2
  • Pricing 0/1
  • Medical only 0/1
  • Languages 1/1

From the vendor's own pages

Emitrr's AI Agent page states HIPAA compliance and says a Business Associate Agreement (BAA) is available for healthcare customers.
From emitrr.com, as published on Nov 4, 2026
Emitrr's AI Agent page says the voice agent creates, reschedules or cancels appointments directly in connected EHRs where write-back is supported.
From emitrr.com, as published on Nov 4, 2026
Emitrr's AI Agent page says the agent can answer calls and texts 24/7 for after-hours coverage and handles two-way texting and follow-up sequences.
From emitrr.com, as published on Nov 4, 2026
Visit EmitrrProfile
2

Nextiva

AI

Score 6 of 12

Best for: Groups that want one vendor for phones, phone tree and basic call routing across many sites

Cloud phone system. NEXT Core $15 per user per month, Engage $25, Scale $75, billed annually, as published on Nov 2, 2026. Publishes that it implements a BAA and disables voicemail transcription and fax to email on HIPAA accounts. Also sells XBert, a separate AI employee that answers calls, texts and chats, $99 per month for 100 conversations and $1.50 per additional conversation, as published on Nov 2, 2026.

  • HIPAA 1/2
  • BAA 2/2
  • 24/7 0/1
  • Books 2/2
  • EHRs 0/2
  • Pricing 1/1
  • Medical only 0/1
  • Languages 0/1

From the vendor's own pages

Nextiva publishes that it implements a BAA and disables voicemail transcription, fax to email and mobile voicemail playback on HIPAA accounts, as published on Nov 2, 2026.
From nextiva.com, as published on Nov 2, 2026
Nextiva's AI receptionist, XBert, advertises booking with real-time calendar integration, confirmation texts and reschedule handling, priced at $99 per month for 100 interactions and $1.50 per conversation after that, with a HIPAA Compliant badge in its footer, as published on the same date.
From nextiva.com, as published on Nov 2, 2026
Generic AI receptionist. Publishes real-time calendar booking, confirmation texts and reschedule handling. $99 per month for 100 interactions, then $1.50 per conversation, as published on Nov 2, 2026. HIPAA Compliant badge; no BAA or EHR described.
From nextiva.com, as published on Nov 2, 2026

Business associate agreement note: Nextiva publishes that it implements a BAA and disables voicemail transcription, fax to email and mobile voicemail playback on HIPAA accounts, as published on Nov 2, 2026. (nextiva.com, Nov 2, 2026)

Business associate agreement note: Generic AI receptionist. Publishes real-time calendar booking, confirmation texts and reschedule handling. $99 per month for 100 interactions, then $1.50 per conversation, as published on Nov 2, 2026. HIPAA Compliant badge; no BAA or EHR described. (nextiva.com, Nov 2, 2026)

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3

RingCentral

AI

Score 6 of 12

Best for: Practices already on RingEX that want an AI front door inside that phone system

Standalone 49 dollars a month with 100 minutes, then 50 cents a minute; 39 dollars a month when added to a RingEX Core plan at 30 dollars a month (as published on Nov 2, 2026). RingCentral's March 2026 HIPAA paper lists AI Receptionist among the services its BAA covers and says the BAA is available to its paying covered-entity customers.

  • HIPAA 1/2
  • BAA 2/2
  • 24/7 0/1
  • Books 2/2
  • EHRs 0/2
  • Pricing 1/1
  • Medical only 0/1
  • Languages 0/1

From the vendor's own pages

RingCentral publishes that it makes a BAA available to paying Covered Entity customers, covering RingEX and its AI Receptionist, in its RingCentral and HIPAA document dated March 2026.
From assets.ringcentral.com, as published on Nov 2, 2026
Core $20, Advanced $25 (lists connecting multiple sites), Ultra $35 per user per month billed annually, as published on Nov 2, 2026. Separate AI Receptionist add-on at $49 per month with 100 minutes included, listed as HIPAA compliant. RingCentral publishes that a BAA is available to paying Covered Entity customers and covers RingEX and the AI Receptionist (March 2026 document).
From ringcentral.com, as published on Nov 2, 2026
RingCentral's AI Receptionist page says it can book and reschedule appointments by connecting to your calendar system and names Google and Outlook calendars, and its pricing page lists it as an add-on starting at $39, as published on Nov 2, 2026.
From ringcentral.com, as published on Nov 2, 2026

HIPAA compliance note: Core $20, Advanced $25 (lists connecting multiple sites), Ultra $35 per user per month billed annually, as published on Nov 2, 2026. Separate AI Receptionist add-on at $49 per month with 100 minutes included, listed as HIPAA compliant. RingCentral publishes that a BAA is available to paying Covered Entity customers and covers RingEX and the AI Receptionist (March 2026 document). (ringcentral.com, Nov 2, 2026)

HIPAA compliance note: Generic AI receptionist. Publishes booking and rescheduling through Google and Outlook calendars and SMS follow-ups. Add-on starting at $39, as published on Nov 2, 2026. No HIPAA or EHR statement on the product page. (ringcentral.com, Nov 2, 2026)

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4

Dialzara

AI

Score 5 of 12

Best for: Small businesses in many industries that need 24/7 call answering, booking and after-hours coverage

General small business AI receptionist with published plans from $29/month as published on Nov 4, 2026. The pages reviewed do not state HIPAA compliance or mention a BAA, and healthcare practices are asked to contact sales first.

  • HIPAA 0/2
  • BAA 0/2
  • 24/7 1/1
  • Books 2/2
  • EHRs 0/2
  • Pricing 1/1
  • Medical only 0/1
  • Languages 1/1

From the vendor's own pages

Dialzara's homepage says its AI receptionist books appointments directly to the business's calendar, sends call summaries by email and works with the existing phone number.
From dialzara.com, as published on Nov 4, 2026
Dialzara's homepage says every plan includes 24/7 answering, call recordings and summaries, and a 7-day free trial with no contract.
From dialzara.com, as published on Nov 4, 2026
Dialzara's pricing page, as published on Nov 4, 2026, lists Business Lite at $29 a month with 60 minutes then $0.48/min, Business Pro at $99 with 220 minutes then $0.45/min, Business Plus at $199 with 500 minutes then $0.40/min, and Business Elite at $349 with 1000 minutes then $0.35/min.
From dialzara.com, as published on Nov 4, 2026

HIPAA compliance note: Dialzara's FAQ page asks healthcare practices that handle patient health information to contact sales before going live to scope a regulated-use configuration and says it does not make blanket public certification claims, and the Dialzara pages reviewed do not state HIPAA compliance or mention a BAA. (dialzara.com, Nov 4, 2026)

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5

Retell AI

AI

Score 4 of 12

Best for: Groups with developers who want to build and own a custom voice agent

A developer platform, not a finished service. $0.07 to $0.31 per minute; states HIPAA compliance; BAA on its Enterprise plan (Nov 2, 2026). Your team writes the triage logic.

  • HIPAA 1/2
  • BAA 2/2
  • 24/7 0/1
  • Books 0/2
  • EHRs 0/2
  • Pricing 1/1
  • Medical only 0/1
  • Languages 0/1

From the vendor's own pages

Retell AI lists HIPAA and BAA and offers a custom BAA on enterprise plans.
From retellai.com, as published on Nov 2, 2026
Of the other vendors here, Freed and Retell state HIPAA compliance and Retell offers a BAA on its Enterprise plan, as published on Nov 2, 2026.
From retellai.com, as published on Nov 2, 2026
It describes itself as a way to build, deploy and manage AI voice agents through APIs, SDKs and a visual canvas, priced at $0.07 to $0.31 per minute pay-as-you-go as published on Nov 2, 2026.
From retellai.com, as published on Nov 2, 2026

Business associate agreement note: A developer platform, not a finished service. $0.07 to $0.31 per minute; states HIPAA compliance; BAA on its Enterprise plan (Nov 2, 2026). Your team writes the triage logic. (retellai.com, Nov 2, 2026)

Visit Retell AIProfile
6

Allo

AI

Score 3 of 12

Best for: Practices replacing their whole phone system and comfortable wiring an EHR through Zapier or an API

Phone system with an AI receptionist add-on at 32 dollars a month per agent, billed yearly (as published on Nov 2, 2026). Allo's blog, updated Sept 30, 2026, says its BAA adds 50 dollars a month per workspace and that EHRs connect only through Zapier, Make, webhooks or the API.

  • HIPAA 0/2
  • BAA 2/2
  • 24/7 0/1
  • Books 0/2
  • EHRs 0/2
  • Pricing 1/1
  • Medical only 0/1
  • Languages 0/1

From the vendor's own pages

Phone system with an AI receptionist add-on at 32 dollars a month per agent, billed yearly (as published on Nov 2, 2026). Allo's blog, updated Sept 30, 2026, says its BAA adds 50 dollars a month per workspace and that EHRs connect only through Zapier, Make, webhooks or the API.
From withallo.com, as published on Nov 2, 2026

Business associate agreement note: Phone system with an AI receptionist add-on at 32 dollars a month per agent, billed yearly (as published on Nov 2, 2026). Allo's blog, updated Sept 30, 2026, says its BAA adds 50 dollars a month per workspace and that EHRs connect only through Zapier, Make, webhooks or the API. (withallo.com, Nov 2, 2026)

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7

Abby Connect

AI plus live agents

Score 3 of 12

Best for: Practices that want a live U.S.-based human receptionist as the fallback for distressed callers

Human, AI or hybrid. For calls you flag (patients in distress) or when a caller asks for a person, the AI warm-transfers to a U.S.-based human receptionist or your team on the same call; 24/7 AI coverage is part of every plan; from $164 per month for 50 Abby Minutes (Nov 2, 2026). HIPAA compliance options listed for the human service only.

  • HIPAA 1/2
  • BAA 0/2
  • 24/7 1/1
  • Books 0/2
  • EHRs 0/2
  • Pricing 1/1
  • Medical only 0/1
  • Languages 0/1

From the vendor's own pages

Human, AI or hybrid. For calls you flag (patients in distress) or when a caller asks for a person, the AI warm-transfers to a U.S.-based human receptionist or your team on the same call; 24/7 AI coverage is part of every plan; from $164 per month for 50 Abby Minutes (Nov 2, 2026). HIPAA compliance options listed for the human service only.
From abby.com, as published on Nov 2, 2026
As published on Nov 2, 2026, Phreesia lists no VoiceAI pricing, Freed's Front Desk starts at $149 per month per block of 250 calls, Abby's AI receptionist starts at $164 per month for 50 Abby Minutes, and Retell lists $0.07 to $0.31 per minute with a BAA on its Enterprise plan.
From abby.com, as published on Nov 2, 2026

HIPAA compliance note: Human, AI or hybrid. For calls you flag (patients in distress) or when a caller asks for a person, the AI warm-transfers to a U.S.-based human receptionist or your team on the same call; 24/7 AI coverage is part of every plan; from $164 per month for 50 Abby Minutes (Nov 2, 2026). HIPAA compliance options listed for the human service only. (abby.com, Nov 2, 2026)

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8

Ambs Call Center

AI plus live agents

Score 3 of 12

Best for: Live agents, AI or hybrid from one vendor

Michigan and Florida agents, annual HIPAA audits, portal on-call calendar. Live plans $149 to $2,945 per month plus $85 setup; AI from $19 (Nov 2, 2026).

  • HIPAA 1/2
  • BAA 0/2
  • 24/7 1/1
  • Books 0/2
  • EHRs 0/2
  • Pricing 1/1
  • Medical only 0/1
  • Languages 0/1

From the vendor's own pages

MAP Communications and Ambs describe HIPAA-compliant operations and certifications; Ruby lists HIPAA-compliant service as an option.
From ambscallcenter.com, as published on Nov 2, 2026
Live operator services, where a person answers and relays messages to your on-call provider: MAP Communications, MedConnectUSA, PerfectServe and Ambs Call Center offer medical answering programs, and Ruby serves doctors and dentists as a general business receptionist.
From ambscallcenter.com, as published on Nov 2, 2026
MAP Communications and Ambs Call Center are general answering services with medical programs that publish monthly minute bundles and answer around the clock.
From ambscallcenter.com, as published on Nov 2, 2026
Visit Ambs Call CenterProfile
9

Smith.ai

AI plus live agents

Score 2 of 12

Best for: Practices that want human receptionists or a human and AI mix

Human plans from 300 dollars a month for 30 calls to 2,100 dollars for 300 calls; AI receptionist from a free 25-call tier to 500 dollars a month (as published on Nov 2, 2026). We found no HIPAA or BAA statement on its pricing, AI receptionist or industries pages.

  • HIPAA 0/2
  • BAA 0/2
  • 24/7 1/1
  • Books 0/2
  • EHRs 0/2
  • Pricing 1/1
  • Medical only 0/1
  • Languages 0/1

From the vendor's own pages

Smith.ai's virtual receptionist FAQ, as published on Nov 2, 2026, reads: 'Smith.ai is not HIPAA-compliant, so we cannot handle calls that involve protected health information (PHI).' The same answer says the company works with medical, dental and wellness practices only for non-PHI call handling such as answering FAQs, taking messages, qualifying new patient leads and transferring calls, and it recommends that practices needing HIPAA-compliant support discuss their requirements with Smith.ai before getting started.
From smith.ai, as published on Nov 2, 2026
On after-hours, Smith.ai publishes 24/7 live-staffed coverage on every virtual receptionist plan and 24/7 AI call answering on its AI receptionist plans.
From smith.ai, as published on Nov 2, 2026
AI receptionist: free tier of 25 calls, Pro $150 a month at $2.00 per call, Enterprise $500 a month at $1.67 per call. States it is not HIPAA-compliant and cannot handle PHI calls.
From smith.ai, as published on Nov 2, 2026

HIPAA compliance note: Smith.ai's virtual receptionist FAQ, as published on Nov 2, 2026, reads: 'Smith.ai is not HIPAA-compliant, so we cannot handle calls that involve protected health information (PHI).' The same answer says the company works with medical, dental and wellness practices only for non-PHI call handling such as answering FAQs, taking messages, qualifying new patient leads and transferring calls, and it recommends that practices needing HIPAA-compliant support discuss their requirements with Smith.ai before getting started. (smith.ai, Nov 2, 2026)

Visit Smith.aiProfile
10

Goodcall

AI

Score 1 of 12

Best for: Very small offices that book on Google Calendar or a general-purpose CRM

AI only. Starter 79 dollars a month for about 150 calls, Growth 129, Scale 299 (as published on Nov 2, 2026). Its site says HIPAA compliant; we found no BAA statement. Integrations named: Google Calendar, HighLevel and Zapier, no EHR.

  • HIPAA 0/2
  • BAA 0/2
  • 24/7 0/1
  • Books 0/2
  • EHRs 0/2
  • Pricing 1/1
  • Medical only 0/1
  • Languages 0/1

From the vendor's own pages

Goodcall lists $79, $129 and $299 a month.
From goodcall.com, as published on Nov 2, 2026

HIPAA compliance note: AI only. Starter 79 dollars a month for about 150 calls, Growth 129, Scale 299 (as published on Nov 2, 2026). Its site says HIPAA compliant; we found no BAA statement. Integrations named: Google Calendar, HighLevel and Zapier, no EHR. (goodcall.com, Nov 2, 2026)

HIPAA compliance note: $79, $129 and $299 a month for 100, 500 and 2,000 unique customers. No HIPAA or BAA statement on the pricing page. (goodcall.com, Nov 2, 2026)

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Compare every vendor on this list

Each cell is what the vendor's own pages state. “Not stated” means the pages we read did not address it. Where a vendor claims an integration count without naming systems, that claim is quoted in the cell.

Best AI Receptionists for Small Businesses in 2026 (Any Industry)
RankVendorTypeHIPAA complianceBusiness associate agreementCoverageBooks appointmentsNamed EHR integrationsPublished pricingHealthcare focusLanguagesScore
1EmitrrAIStated by the vendorYes, states it provides a BAA24/7Books appointmentsathenahealth, eClinicalWorks, DrChrono, Spry, Tebra, Dentrix, Eaglesoft, Kareo, OrthotracQuote onlyMulti-industryMultilingual (2 languages)9 of 12
2NextivaAIStated by the vendorYes, states it provides a BAAnotenot stated on the pages we read (as of 2026-11-02)Books appointmentsNone named on the pages we read (as of 2026-11-02)Published, from $99 per monthMulti-industrynot stated on the pages we read (as of 2026-11-02)6 of 12
3RingCentralAIStated by the vendornoteYes, states it provides a BAAnotenot stated on the pages we read (as of 2026-11-02)Books appointmentsNone named on the pages we read (as of 2026-11-02)Published, from $49 per monthnoteMulti-industrynot stated on the pages we read (as of 2026-11-02)6 of 12
4DialzaraAInot stated on the pages we read (as of 2026-11-04)notenot stated on the pages we read (as of 2026-11-04)note24/7Books appointmentsNone named on the pages we read (as of 2026-11-04)Published, from $29 per monthMulti-industryMultilingual (10 languages)5 of 12
5Retell AIAIStated by the vendorYes, states it provides a BAAnotenot stated on the pages we read (as of 2026-11-02)not stated on the pages we read (as of 2026-11-02)None named on the pages we read (as of 2026-11-02)Publishednot stated on the pages we read (as of 2026-11-02)not stated on the pages we read (as of 2026-11-02)4 of 12
6AlloAInot stated on the pages we read (as of 2026-11-02)Yes, states it provides a BAAnotenot stated on the pages we read (as of 2026-11-02)not stated on the pages we read (as of 2026-11-02)None named on the pages we read (as of 2026-11-02)Published, from $32 per monthnot stated on the pages we read (as of 2026-11-02)not stated on the pages we read (as of 2026-11-02)3 of 12
7Abby ConnectAI plus live agentsStated by the vendornotenot stated on the pages we read (as of 2026-11-02)24/7not stated on the pages we read (as of 2026-11-02)None named on the pages we read (as of 2026-11-02)Published, from $164 per monthnot stated on the pages we read (as of 2026-11-02)not stated on the pages we read (as of 2026-11-02)3 of 12
8Ambs Call CenterAI plus live agentsStated by the vendornot stated on the pages we read (as of 2026-11-02)24/7Takes messagesNone named on the pages we read (as of 2026-11-02)Published, from $19 per monthMulti-industrynot stated on the pages we read (as of 2026-11-02)3 of 12
9Smith.aiAI plus live agentsStates it is not HIPAA compliant and cannot handle PHI callsNo. States it is not HIPAA compliant and cannot handle PHI calls24/7Takes messagesNone named on the pages we read (as of 2026-11-02)Published, from $150 per monthnot stated on the pages we read (as of 2026-11-02)not stated on the pages we read (as of 2026-11-02)2 of 12
10GoodcallAInot stated on the pages we read (as of 2026-11-02)notenot stated on the pages we read (as of 2026-11-02)notenot stated on the pages we read (as of 2026-11-02)not stated on the pages we read (as of 2026-11-02)None named on the pages we read (as of 2026-11-02)Published, from $79 per monthnot stated on the pages we read (as of 2026-11-02)not stated on the pages we read (as of 2026-11-02)1 of 12

Questions practices ask

What is the best AI receptionist for a small business?

Emitrr ranks first with 9 of 12: a stated HIPAA compliance, a BAA, 24/7 coverage, appointment booking, 9 named EHR integrations and multilingual support (2 languages). Nextiva (6 of 12) and RingCentral (6 of 12) follow. Every point is answered from the vendor's own published pages, quoted under each entry with a source link and the date we read it.

How is this list ranked?

Each vendor is scored 0 to 12 on eight criteria answered from its own published pages: HIPAA compliance (stated by the vendor scores 1, verified by a third party scores 2), a business associate agreement (2), 24/7 coverage (1), appointment booking rather than message taking (2), named EHR integrations (1 to 4 named scores 1, 5 or more scores 2), published pricing (1), a medical-only focus (1) and multilingual support (1). Ties are broken by BAA, then published pricing, then the number of named EHR integrations, then vendor name. A criterion the vendor's pages do not address scores 0 and is shown as not stated. The full rubric is on the methodology page.

Which vendors on this list state they sign a BAA?

Emitrr, Nextiva, RingCentral, Retell AI and Allo state on their own pages that they provide a BAA. Smith.ai states it is not HIPAA compliant and cannot handle PHI calls. The other 4 vendors do not state a BAA on the pages we read; ask for one in writing before signing.

Which vendors on this list publish a price?

Nextiva (from $99 per month), RingCentral (from $49 per month), Dialzara (from $29 per month), Retell AI, Allo (from $32 per month), Abby Connect (from $164 per month), Ambs Call Center (from $19 per month), Smith.ai (from $150 per month) and Goodcall (from $79 per month) publish a price on their own pages. The other 1 vendor quotes by request or does not publish a price on the pages we read.

Does this list include receptionists built only for medical practices?

No. Every vendor here serves more than one industry, or does not state a medical-only focus on the pages we read. Emitrr ranks first with 9 of 12. Its own pages, as we read them: "Emitrr's homepage lists healthcare, home services, education, hospitality, recruitment and real estate as the industries it serves."

More medical office AI rankings

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By the AIPlayPark editorial team, part of MedReception AI

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