PATLive publishes its pricing, which deserves credit in a market where several competitors gate rates behind sales calls. When rechecked 2026-06-10, the published plans ran from $75 per month (pay-as-you-go, $2.60 per minute) to $1,170 per month for 600 included minutes ($2.00 per minute over), with a 14-day free trial and no long-term contract. This guide covers what each plan includes, the line items to check, the per-minute math at contractor call volume, and the flat-rate alternatives to compare.
Last reviewed June 10, 2026.
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PATLive pricing in 2026, from the live pricing page rechecked 2026-06-10: Basic $75/month with no included minutes ($2.60 per minute), Starter $250/month for 75 minutes ($2.35 over), Standard $460/month for 200 minutes ($2.20 over), Premium $720/month for 350 minutes ($2.10 over), and Pro $1,170/month for 600 minutes ($2.00 over). 14-day free trial, no contract. Contractor-AI alternatives (OnCrew is the contractor-specific example we publish) start at $49/month for 100 included calls with $0.99 per-call overage.
PATLive pricing tiers (2026)
| Plan | Monthly | Included minutes | Per-minute overage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic | $75 | 0 (pay as you go) | $2.60 |
| Starter | $250 | 75 | $2.35 |
| Standard | $460 | 200 | $2.20 |
| Premium | $720 | 350 | $2.10 |
| Pro | $1,170 | 600 | $2.00 |
PATLive also sells a concierge-grade "Signature" tier ($1,225 for 350 minutes up to $3,190 for 1,000 minutes with $3.50 to $3.85 per-minute overage), web chat plans from $100 to $700 per month, and outbound calling at $460 per month with a $250 one-time setup fee.
Sources: live PATLive pricing page, rechecked 2026-06-10. Vendor pricing pages can change; verify before committing.
What PATLive's base price does NOT include
PATLive's billing is cleaner than most per-minute services, but check these:
- Per-minute metering on every plan. All inbound answering bills by talk time. To PATLive's credit, hold and transfer time is not billed and billing is per second of live talk time, not rounded up to whole minutes.
- Bilingual answering: +$20 per month.
- Additional scripts: +$20 per month each. A contractor running separate intake flows for emergencies and estimates may need more than one.
- Taxes and fees: not included in listed prices.
- Spam-call policy: not stated on the pricing page. Reviewers have complained about being charged for hang-ups and very short calls; ask how sub-30-second calls bill before you sign.
Real monthly math for a contractor shop
Worked example: a 4-truck plumbing shop fielding 130 calls a month at an average 3.5 minutes per call, which is 455 minutes, priced on the plans rechecked 2026-06-10.
- Standard ($460 for 200 minutes): 255 overage minutes at $2.20 = $561. Total roughly $1,021 per month.
- Premium ($720 for 350 minutes): 105 overage minutes at $2.10 = $220.50. Total roughly $940 per month.
- Pro ($1,170 for 600 minutes): no overage at this volume. Total $1,170 per month.
The pattern for contractors is the standard per-minute squeeze: emergency intake calls run long (a burst-pipe call that captures shutoff status, address, and access detail can run 4 to 6 minutes), and long calls are exactly what per-minute billing charges most for.
How much does PATLive cost per month?
PATLive cost per month for a typical contractor shop: at 80 to 150 calls per month with realistic contractor call lengths, expect roughly $900 to $1,200 per month on the published plans rechecked 2026-06-10. Very low-volume shops can use the $75 pay-as-you-go plan, where 50 short calls (2 minutes each) run about $260 plus the base. The published per-minute rates of $2.00 to $2.60 are the whole story of the bill: total minutes times rate, plus the plan base.
Contractor-AI alternatives at published pricing
| Vendor | Plan | Included calls | Overage | Total monthly at 130 calls |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OnCrew | Starter | 100 | $0.99 per call | $49 + ($0.99 x 30) = $79 |
| OnCrew | Pro | 400 | $0.99 per call | $149 (no overage at this volume) |
| OnCrew | Multi-Truck | 1,000 | $0.99 per call | $349 (no overage at this volume) |
OnCrew bills per call with included-call tiers and a visible $0.99 per-call overage, so a 6-minute emergency intake costs the same as a 90-second routine call. It answers 24/7 in your business name, runs configured contractor intake for HVAC, plumbing, electrical, and roofing, and sends your on-call team a handoff with the full transcript. 14-day free trial.
When PATLive is still the right choice
An honest read of where PATLive wins:
- Businesses that want a published-price, no-contract human answering service: PATLive's transparency and 14-day trial are genuinely better than most live-operator competitors.
- Mixed-channel needs: phone plus web chat plus outbound from one vendor.
- Industries where a warm human voice is the brand promise, like real estate and legal, and call volume is modest.
If your call mix is contractor intake with after-hours emergencies, per-minute billing works against you, and the math above is the comparison to run.
Frequently asked questions
Is PATLive cheaper than Ruby Receptionists?
At comparable minute volumes the two price similarly: PATLive's $250/75-minute and $460/200-minute plans bracket Ruby's $250/50-minute and $395/100-minute plans (each as last rechecked). PATLive's per-second billing and unbilled hold time can make its effective rate slightly better. See the Ruby Receptionist pricing breakdown for the same math on Ruby.
Does PATLive bill per minute?
Yes. Every plan meters talk time: $2.00 to $2.60 per minute depending on tier on the plans rechecked 2026-06-10. PATLive bills per second of live talk time and does not bill hold or transfer time, which is cleaner than whole-minute rounding.
Does PATLive have a free trial?
Yes: 14 days, on the standard answering plans. That plus no contract makes it one of the lower-risk human services to test.
Does PATLive charge for spam calls?
The pricing page does not publish a spam-call policy, and reviewers have complained about charges for hang-ups and very short calls. Ask specifically how calls under 30 seconds and obvious robocalls bill.
What is the cheapest PATLive alternative for contractors?
For contractor-typical 80 to 150 calls per month, flat-rate contractor AI is the cheapest category: OnCrew runs $49 to $349 per month with $0.99 per-call overage. The PATLive alternatives guide for contractors compares the options.
How is OnCrew different from PATLive for contractors?
OnCrew is contractor-specific AI rather than generalist human operators: trade-aware intake, configured urgent-call handoffs with full transcripts, 24/7 coverage with no per-minute meter, and flat tiers at $49/$149/$349 per month with $0.99 per-call overage. PATLive is a polished human service billed by the minute.
Where to start
If you are evaluating PATLive pricing for a contractor shop:
- Pull your last 90 days of call records: call count, timing, average length, percent after-hours.
- Multiply your real monthly minutes by the published PATLive rate for the plan you would pick; use the live pricing page for current rates.
- Apply a per-call alternative to the same mix. For OnCrew that is $49/$149/$349 per month with $0.99 per-call overage.
- Run both trials. PATLive offers 14 days and OnCrew offers 14 days, so you can A/B the same week of real calls.
For OnCrew specifically: start at oncrew.ai/lp/vs/patlive, or call the live AI demo line at (818) 578-4783 and run your hardest emergency scenario on it.
Related reading
- OnCrew vs PATLive for contractors
- PATLive alternatives for contractors
- Ruby Receptionist pricing 2026
- How much does an answering service cost in 2026?
- Answering service for contractors: the trade-by-trade intake walkthrough for HVAC, plumbing, electrical, and roofing shops.