How much does an
AI assistant cost each month?
More and more companies are considering a smart AI assistant for their customer service or call center. The advantage of an assistant that’s always available is that it can answer repetitive questions, allowing you to continue working, and the ability to be reached outside of business hours is, after all, a significant benefit.
However, one of the first questions we almost always hear is: “But how much does that cost?”
How much does an AI assistant cost per month?
On this page, we explain that clearly. No vague promises, just concrete price estimates, what influences the costs, and how this compares to a real employee or a traditional answering service.
What is a smart assistant?
In this context, by “smart assistant,” we mean an AI-powered phone-based customer service system that automatically answers incoming calls, responds to questions, and performs actions such as:
- Answering and filtering calls
- Scheduling appointments and reservations
- Answering customer questions
- Qualifying leads
- Summarizing and transferring calls
Fred’s smart assistant can also make outbound calls—for example, to (cold) leads—and respond to messages via WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger.
How much does an AI assistant cost?
The cost of a smart AI assistant depends on several factors. How many calls does the assistant need to handle per day? How many calls simultaneously? Does the assistant also need to integrate with external services for scheduling appointments and managing reservations?
You can start using a smart assistant for as little as $49 per month, and with our handy calculator, you can immediately get an idea of your savings.
It’s good to know that
👉 you don’t pay per employee, but per system
👉 the assistant can handle multiple calls at the same time
👉 it’s available 24/7
👉 you can try Fred for free!
Want to know what Fred can do for you?
Leave your name and email and we’ll show you.
What factors determine the price of an AI assistant?
Number of calls
The more incoming calls there are, the greater the usage. This is often the most important factor affecting the price.
Number of assistants
How many calls would you like to handle simultaneously, and does the assistant also need to be able to make outgoing calls?
Languages and Channels
Multilingual support or integration with WhatsApp and email may impact the price.
Integrations
Integrations with calendars, CRM systems, or other tools enhance the solution's power, but they also add a layer of complexity.
Platforms
Does your assistant only need to answer phone calls, or do you also want them to respond to WhatsApp messages?
Reporting and Follow-Up
Would you like to receive a summary, notification, or lead score after each call? That would require additional processing.
In the table below, we compare a smart AI assistant with a real employee. What stands out is that, in many cases, a smart assistant is significantly more cost-effective.
Since you can fully train a smart assistant and have it use a natural voice or your own voice, it is objectively the best choice.
| AI assistent | Medewerker klantenservice | Traditionele antwoordservice | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kosten | Vast maandbedrag | Bruto jaarkosten €30.000–€45.000 | Kosten per gesprek of minuut |
| Bereikbaarheid | 24/7 bereikbaar | Alleen tijdens werktijden | Afhankelijk van service |
| Gesprekken tegelijk | Meerdere tegelijk | Één tegelijk | Beperkt |
| Personeelszaken | Geen ziekte of verlof | Ziekte, verlof en verloop | Niet van toepassing |
| Schaalbaarheid | Schaalbaar zonder extra kosten per persoon | Extra personeel nodig | Beperkt schaalbaar |
| Slimme opvolging | Ja, automatisch | Handmatig | Nee |
Start free.
Scale per minute.
No setup fees, no long contracts.
You only pay for the calling minutes you use.
The smart solution for freelancers and SMBs.
- 250 call minutes included
- €0.40 / min extra call minutes
- 1 concurrent call
- 500 automation tasks
- Prompt templates
- No-code builder
- Call recording
The best choice for growing businesses.
- 500 call minutes included
- €0.30 / min extra call minutes
- 10 concurrent calls
- 5,000 automation tasks
- Prompt templates
- No-code builder
- Call recording
For large teams with specific needs.
- 1,000 call minutes included
- €0.20 / min extra call minutes
- 100 concurrent calls
- 50,000 automation tasks
- Prompt templates
- No-code builder
- Call recording
Get in touch for personalized AI solutions.
- Call minutes included
- €0.09 / min extra call minutes
- Concurrent calls
- Automation tasks
- Prompt templates
- No-code builder
- Call recording
Can I manage without a smart assistant?
Yes. Anyone can get by without a smart assistant, but the question is: Do I want to work without a smart AI assistant?
- You’ll be distracted more often.
- You run the risk of missing calls.
- You’re not reachable outside of business hours.
- You have to make outbound calls yourself, for both cold and warm leads.
- You’ll have to handle all inquiries yourself via phone and WhatsApp.
An AI assistant systematically handles all of this at a fraction of the cost of staff.
They already let Fred pick up.
I'm cutting hair all day. Fred now books all my appointments and I never miss a client. It feels like having an extra colleague.
Customers call in Polish, Turkish, English… Fred just switches. Our front-desk workload was cut in half.
We run outbound campaigns in five countries at once. It used to take five call centers, now it's one dashboard.
Frequently asked questions
Yes. Fred is available in over 100 languages and with a variety of voices and accents. You can even record your own voice to make Fred sound even more natural. You can listen to our samples to get an idea of what Fred sounds like, or try Fred for free for 7 days.
Yes. That’s partly down to the time you normally spend on calls, but also to the time it takes to wrap up your work and get back to it. You can easily save dozens of hours a month! Check out our calculator to see how much money you can save.
Paying with us is safe and easy. We accept the most common payment methods, such as credit cards (Visa, Mastercard, American Express, etc.), direct debit (SEPA Direct Debit) and iDEAL. All payments are processed via a secure connection and handled by Stripe.
Absolutely! You can try any subscription for 7 days free of charge with no obligation. We don’t ask for your credit card details, so you’re under no obligation. Sign up for your free trial now.
Absolutely. You can change your plan at any time via your account settings. Upgrades take effect immediately, whilst downgrades come into effect at the start of the next billing cycle.
Yes, you can cancel your subscription at any time. If you have a monthly subscription, it will end at the end of the current billing period. If you have an annual subscription, it will continue until the end of the annual term.