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Pricing

Predictable pricing. No per-minute traps.

For many contractors, one booked emergency job can cover months of service. Start with a 14-day free trial.

$49/mo100 calls included$0.99 per extra call

Generic live answering services typically charge $200 to $500 per month with per-minute hold-time billing. OnCrew is built for contractors with simple, predictable pricing.

Start 14-day Free Trial

No charge today. Card kept on file. Cancel anytime.

After the 14-day trial, plans start at $49/mo.

Want guided setup instead?Compare all 3 plans side by side

Cost breakdown

How Much Does an AI Answering Service Cost?

An AI answering service for contractors costs $49 per month for the entry plan (100 included calls, $0.99 per-call overage), $149 per month for 400 included calls, and $349 per month for 1,000 included calls on OnCrew. Human-staffed live answering services like Smith.ai and Ruby commonly start near $300 per month with much smaller included-call and per-minute bundles. The AI option is 4 to 8 times cheaper at typical contractor call volume and runs 24/7 without per-minute billing or holiday surcharges.

Contractor Answering Service Pricing: The 3 Tiers

Most contractor answering services fall into three pricing tiers in 2026. Flat-rate AI services (OnCrew at $49 to $349 per month) charge per call with included quotas and a per-call overage, typically capped at $0.99 per extra call. Per-call human services (AnswerForce, PATLive) charge $1.25 to $2.50 per answered call with no flat base. Per-minute human services (Smith.ai, Ruby) charge a $200 to $500 monthly base plus $0.75 to $1.50 per minute of talk time, plus holiday surcharges. Flat-rate plans are predictable on storm or freeze weeks; per-minute plans punish the shop on its highest-call-volume night.

What every plan includes

Answers nights, weekends, and holidays in your brand voice
Trade-aware emergency triage for HVAC, plumbing, electrical, roofing
Callback request sent to your on-call team with the full transcript
No per-minute billing. Predictable $0.99/call overage.

What is not in the bill

No per-minute hold-time billing
No setup or onboarding fee
No long-term contract or annual commit
No surprise overage. Notification at 80% of plan.

The math

For many contractors, one booked emergency job can cover months of OnCrew service.

You only need to win back a single after-hours job to make Starter pencil out for the year. Every captured callback after that is upside.

  • Trade-aware triage so true emergencies get a fast callback.
  • Predictable $0.99 overage. No per-minute hold-time billing.
  • Full transcripts plus the callback request handed to your team.

Starter

$49/mo

100 calls/month included. $0.99 per additional call. Cancel anytime.

14-day free trialNo charge today, card required

Just trying it on? Start with Starter. We will help you upgrade later when call volume actually demands it.

Plans

Pick the plan that fits your call volume

All plans include emergency triage, transcripts, and team handoff. Move tiers anytime as you grow.

  1. Create account

    No charge today.

  2. Guided setup

    Hours, voice, forwarding.

  3. Secure Stripe checkout

    Card on file. 14-day trial starts.

Starter
$49/mo
Solo contractors · 100 calls/mo
$0.99/call after included calls

Best for solo contractors testing after-hours coverage.

14-day free trial
  • 1 AI phone number
  • Emergency triage & alerts
  • Call transcripts & recordings
  • SMS notifications
  • Basic analytics
Start Starter trial

No charge today. Card kept on file. Cancel anytime before the trial ends.

Want guided setup instead?
OnCrew Recommended
Pro
$149/mo
Growing contractor teams · 400 calls/mo
$0.99/call after included calls

Best for growing teams that need more handoff and coverage.

14-day free trial
  • Everything in Starter
  • 2 AI phone numbers
  • Workflow handoff setup for your current tools
  • Appointment request capture and team handoff
  • Priority support
Start Pro trial

No charge today. Card kept on file. Cancel anytime before the trial ends.

Want guided setup instead?
Multi-Truck
$349/mo
Multi-truck operations · 1,000 calls/mo
$0.99/call after included calls

Best for multi-crew and high-volume operations.

14-day free trial
  • Everything in Pro
  • 5 AI phone numbers
  • Custom AI voice training
  • Multi-location support
  • Dedicated account manager
  • Custom workflow planning
Start Multi-Truck trial

No charge today. Card kept on file. Cancel anytime before the trial ends.

Want guided setup instead?

All plans include emergency triage. No setup fees. $0.99 per additional call after included. Cancel anytime.

14-Day Free Trial

Try OnCrew free for 14 days. Review captured calls, emergency alerts, and transcripts before your subscription starts.

14-day free trial, no charge today

Create the account, complete guided setup, then add card details at secure Stripe checkout to start the trial. Monthly billing starts after the trial unless you cancel before conversion.

Questions before setup? Email hello@oncrew.ai. We do not turn on call forwarding until you finish setup.

90-second urgent handoff target

Urgent calls are tagged for fast configured handoff with transcript and caller details. Your team still owns callback, assignment, ETA, and field decisions.

Burst pipe, no heat, sparks: detected automatically· Powered by Retell AI’s voice model

Abe

Founder, OnCrew · Los Angeles, CA

“I built OnCrew after watching my brother’s plumbing crew miss two urgent jobs in one night because their answering service kept callers on hold. Every pilot launches with me on the call. I won’t hand you off to a sales rep, and I read every refund request myself.”

Read the full story
  • Retell AI voice modelContractor-trained, live integration
  • Google Calendar syncLive integration
  • Founder-led pilotAbe answers every onboarding call
  • 30-day money-backNo retention script
  • Cancel in 1 clickNo phone, no email

FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

What happens during the 14-day free trial?
We set up your AI phone agent with your business name, hours, services, and service area. You forward your after-hours calls to us and see real results: captured emergencies, appointment requests, and full transcripts before paying anything.
Can I cancel anytime?
Yes. Month-to-month. No contracts, no cancellation fees, no BS. Cancel with one click from your dashboard.
What if I go over my call limit?
Overage calls are $0.99 each, still under $1/call. You'll get a notification at 80% so there are no surprises.
Do callers know they're talking to AI?
We design every greeting to be honest. Your AI greets callers in a natural, on-brand voice and identifies itself as an AI assistant on request, and we can add a clear up-front disclosure if your state or county requires it. Try the live demo on our homepage to hear how it sounds.
How long does setup take?
Setup is guided by our team after signup. We handle the technical configuration for you.
How is this different from Smith.ai or Ruby?
Those are generic answering services for law firms, dentists, and everyone else. We're built exclusively for emergency home services. Our AI triages emergencies vs. routine calls, knows HVAC from plumbing, and costs a fraction of the price. Plus, no per-minute billing.
Does it work with my existing software?
OnCrew works standalone at launch. During setup, we help route call summaries and urgent alerts into the workflow your team already uses, no platform switch required.

Still have questions? Call (818) 578-4783

Want the workflow and trust basics first? See how OnCrew handles your calls

Related guides

Related guides and decision aids

Trade-specific intake walkthroughs, pricing models, and head-to-head comparisons to help you pick the right phone-coverage setup for your shop.

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