PATLive's published pricing, rechecked on patlive.com on 2026-09-22, starts at $49 a month for the pay-as-you-go plan, and that $49 includes zero minutes. Every minute of live talk time on pay as you go is $2.99. From there the bundles are $99 for 50 minutes, $189 for 100, $349 for 200, $479 for 300, $759 for 500, and $1,499 for 1,000, with each additional minute at $2.29, $2.09, $1.99, $1.89, $1.79 and $1.69 as you climb, and larger plans run up to 5,000 minutes. There is a 14-day free trial and no contract.
For a contractor that translates directly. A 4-minute emergency intake that captures the address, the problem, the shutoff status and a callback number costs $11.96 on pay as you go and $9.16 once you are past the 50-minute bundle. Sixty of those calls in a freeze week is a $550 to $720 surprise, and you find out afterward.
Credit where PATLive earns it: they publish the whole ladder while several competitors hide behind a sales call, bilingual English and Spanish receptionists are included at no extra charge, and their FAQ says they bill only for the time a receptionist is on the phone with your caller. The catch in that same FAQ is the increment: the first minute bills in full, then each tenth of a minute after it, so a 20-second call costs a whole minute.
If you want to compare a per-minute meter to a flat per-call plan on the same call mix, you can hear one first. Call the OnCrew demo line at (818) 578-4783 and give it a real intake, or start the 14-day free trial with no credit card. The rest of this guide is the full table, the add-on line items, and the math at contractor volume.
Last reviewed July 29, 2026; PATLive's figures rechecked September 22, 2026.
The short answer
PATLive pricing in 2026, from the live pricing page rechecked 2026-09-22: pay as you go $49/month with no included minutes ($2.99 per minute), then minute bundles at $99 for 50 minutes ($2.29 per additional minute), $189 for 100 ($2.09), $349 for 200 ($1.99), $479 for 300 ($1.89), $759 for 500 ($1.79) and $1,499 for 1,000 ($1.69), with larger plans up to 5,000 minutes. 14-day free trial, no contract, cancel or change plan anytime. Bilingual receptionists and multiple call scripts are included at no extra charge, and listed prices exclude taxes and fees. If you priced PATLive earlier in 2026 you may have seen its retired ladder (a $75 plan at $2.60 a minute, $250 for 75 minutes, $1,170 for 600); the live page no longer lists those plans. 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 additional minute |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pay as you go | $49 | 0 | $2.99 |
| 50 minutes | $99 | 50 | $2.29 |
| 100 minutes | $189 | 100 | $2.09 |
| 200 minutes (most popular) | $349 | 200 | $1.99 |
| 300 minutes | $479 | 300 | $1.89 |
| 500 minutes | $759 | 500 | $1.79 |
| 1,000 minutes | $1,499 | 1,000 | $1.69 |
| 2,000 minutes | $2,899 | 2,000 | $1.64 |
| 3,000 minutes | $4,299 | 3,000 | $1.59 |
| 4,000 minutes | $5,599 | 4,000 | $1.54 |
| 5,000 minutes | $6,899 | 5,000 | $1.49 |
PATLive also sells live web chat (pay as you go at $19 a month plus $9.95 a chat, or bundles from $149 for 25 chats) and outbound calling (pay as you go at $19 a month plus $8.95 an outreach, or bundles from $199 for 25 outreaches). The concierge "Signature" tier older comparisons mention is not on the current pricing page.
At a 4-minute average trade intake, the inbound table reads: about 12 calls inside the 50-minute bundle, 25 inside 100 minutes, 50 inside 200, 75 inside 300, 125 inside 500 and 250 inside 1,000. PATLive's own plan cards assume shorter calls (it labels 50 minutes as about 20 calls). Past those counts you are on the meter.
Sources: patlive.com/pricing and patlive.com/faqs, rechecked 2026-09-22. Vendor pricing pages can change; verify before committing.
What PATLive's base price does NOT include
Every PATLive plan includes 24/7 coverage and all of its listed capabilities at the plan price, per its own pages. Check these line items anyway:
- Per-minute metering on every plan. All inbound answering bills by talk time. PATLive's FAQ says it bills only the time a receptionist is on the phone with your caller, but each call's first minute bills in full and the rest in 6-second increments, so short calls cost more than their length.
- Bilingual answering: included at no extra charge; it was a $20 monthly add-on on the older ladder.
- Multiple scripts: listed among the extras at no extra charge, so separate emergency and estimate flows no longer add a monthly fee.
- Rollover: bundle minutes do not roll over from month to month.
- Taxes and fees: not included in listed prices.
- Phone system extras: the included business phone system covers one number and 100 texts; extra numbers are $5 a month, texts and automated minutes past the allowance are $0.02 each, and business texting has a one-time $50 registration fee.
- Spam and short calls: the pricing page states no spam policy, and with the first minute billed in full, every robocall or hang-up a receptionist answers costs at least a minute. Ask how spam calls are handled 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 2026-09-22.
- 200 minutes ($349): 255 additional minutes at $1.99 = $507.45. Total roughly $856 per month.
- 300 minutes ($479): 155 additional minutes at $1.89 = $292.95. Total roughly $772 per month.
- 500 minutes ($759): no overage at this volume. Total $759 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 (3 to 4 minutes), expect roughly $430 to $940 per month on the published plans rechecked 2026-09-22. Very low-volume shops can use the $49 pay-as-you-go plan, where 50 short calls (2 minutes each, 100 minutes) come to $348, or $189 on the 100-minute plan. The published per-minute rates of $1.49 to $2.99 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 PATLive is cheaper on its published prices: $99 for 50 minutes and $189 for 100 minutes against Ruby's $250 for 50 minutes and $395 for 100 minutes (both pages read 2026-09-22). PATLive also publishes the rate for minutes past a bundle, which Ruby's pricing page does not. See the Ruby Receptionist pricing breakdown for the same math on Ruby.
Does PATLive bill per minute?
Yes. Every plan meters talk time: $2.99 per minute on pay as you go and $1.49 to $2.29 per additional minute on the bundles, rechecked 2026-09-22. PATLive's FAQ says it bills only the time a receptionist is on the phone with your caller, the first minute in full and then in 6-second increments.
Does PATLive have a free trial?
Yes: its pricing page offers any plan free for 14 days. 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 PATLive's FAQ says each answered call bills a full first minute. Ask specifically how obvious robocalls and calls under 30 seconds are handled.
What is the cheapest PATLive alternative for contractors?
For contractor-typical 80 to 150 calls per month, per-call 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 published 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
- AI Answering Service for Roofers: after-hours active-leak and storm-damage intake, alerts to the on-call roofer.
- HVAC Answering Service: after-hours no-heat, AC-failure and gas-smell intake for HVAC shops, alerts to the on-call tech.
- Plumber Answering Service: after-hours burst pipe and sewage backup intake for plumbers, alerts to the on-call plumber.
- Electrician Answering Service: after-hours outage, panel and sparking-outlet intake for electricians, alerts to the on-call electrician.
- PATLive alternatives 2026: 7 options compared
- 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.