How much does an AI receptionist cost to run in the US, Canada, the UK and Australia?
On HighLevel's published rates, the voice and phone side of a GoHighLevel AI receptionist costs about $68.50 per 1,000 inbound minutes in the US and Canada, and $70 in the UK and Australia. That is before the language model's token cost and any monthly plan. The UAE has no phone number in HighLevel's list at all.
Voice and phone cost per 1,000 inbound minutes
We downloaded the country rate files that HighLevel attaches to its Phone System pricing and billing guide (modified October 12, 2026) and its AI product pricing article (modified October 20, 2026), and priced the same call in each country on October 21, 2026. The three parts of a Voice AI minute are the voice engine at $0.045, text-to-speech at $0.015 for OpenAI or Cartesia voices, and the phone leg that varies by country. The language model's tokens are billed separately and depend on the model and the length of the conversation, so they are not in the totals.
| Cost item | US and Canada | United Kingdom | Australia | UAE |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Local number, per month | $1.15 | $1.15 | $3.00 | No number in the list |
| Inbound voice, per minute (list) | $0.0085 | $0.0100 | $0.0100 | Not listed |
| Voice engine plus text-to-speech, per minute | $0.0600 | $0.0600 | $0.0600 | $0.0600 |
| Total per inbound minute, before tokens | $0.0685 | $0.0700 | $0.0700 | Not applicable |
| 1,000 inbound minutes, before tokens | $68.50 | $70.00 | $70.00 | Not applicable |
| What buying a number requires | Photo ID and selfie check | Regulatory bundle; UK address for local numbers | Business bundle with an Australian business address | Not applicable |
Sources: HighLevel numbers rate file (local number rows), Voice AI pricing for the $0.045 and $0.015 components. The US and Canada guide table shows a 10% discount on inbound that gives $0.00765, which would make the US figure $67.65; we used list rates in every column so the countries compare directly. An Australian mobile number is $6.50 a month. The number requirements come from HighLevel's identity and bundle articles (US and Canada ID check, September 3, 2026; UK KYC, October 7, 2026; Australia bundles, June 2, 2026), and the rate file flags an address as required for the UK and Australia.
Why does the UAE have no phone number in HighLevel's list?
HighLevel's numbers file has rows for the US, Canada, the UK and Australia but none for the UAE, although its voice file prices outbound calls to the UAE. A UAE business that wants a Voice AI receptionist therefore cannot buy a local number from HighLevel and has to bring one.
HighLevel's Voice AI overview says agents work only on LC Phone or Twilio numbers. Twilio's UAE voice guidelines say it sells UAE geographic numbers, used for inbound calls only, and toll-free numbers that need a signed letter of authorization. Twilio's page does not say whether a UAE company must hold the number, so check that with Twilio before you plan around it. We cover the UAE route in full on our AI receptionist for UAE businesses page.
What does it cost when the AI transfers a call to a person?
A transfer is an outbound call, and outbound rates differ far more than inbound ones. A minute to a US or Canadian number lists at $0.014; to a UK mobile $0.0305; to an Australian mobile $0.075; to a UAE mobile $0.2995. Transferring 100 minutes a month to a UAE number costs about $30 to $36 against $1.40 in the US.
Cost of 100 transferred minutes to a mobile
| Destination | Landline or city, per minute | Mobile, per minute | 100 minutes to a mobile |
|---|---|---|---|
| US and Canada | $0.0140 | $0.0140 | $1.40 |
| United Kingdom | $0.0158 | $0.0305 | $3.05 |
| Australia | $0.0252 | $0.0750 | $7.50 |
| United Arab Emirates | $0.3635 | $0.2995 | $29.95 |
Source: HighLevel voice rate file, "Programmable Outbound Minute" rows, read October 21, 2026. The file also lists special-service, premium and "other mobile" UK ranges at $0.0368 to $1.0479 a minute, which is why a transfer to a premium or special-rate number can cost far more than to a normal line. In the US and Canada, HighLevel's own guide shows a total of $0.0166 once the $0.004 client-minute charge is added, so the real US figure is a little above the list rate here.
Which pricing plan is cheaper for an AI receptionist?
Pay-per-use is cheaper up to about 1,600 minutes a month. HighLevel's AI Employee Unlimited plan costs $97 a month with unlimited Voice AI under a fair-use policy, and at $0.06 a minute for engine and voice it breaks even at about 1,617 minutes. Growth costs $50 and includes only 100 voice minutes.
| Monthly inbound minutes | Pay-per-use voice (engine plus voice) | AI Employee Growth ($50, 100 minutes included) | AI Employee Unlimited ($97) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 300 | $18.00 | $62.00 | $97.00 |
| 1,000 | $60.00 | $104.00 | $97.00 |
| 2,000 | $120.00 | $164.00 | $97.00 |
Arithmetic on HighLevel's published plan prices; Growth overage is billed at pay-per-use rates, which we took as $0.06 a minute. Phone charges, token costs and the plans' conversation allowances are excluded, and Unlimited is subject to HighLevel's fair-use terms. A typical clinic front desk that answers a few hundred calls a month lands well below the break-even point, so pay-per-use wins. A busy multi-site business may not. Our AI voice agent pricing comparison puts the same HighLevel rates next to Retell, Vapi, Bland, ElevenLabs and Synthflow.
What does one month look like with real numbers?
For 800 inbound minutes and 60 minutes transferred to a mobile, the voice and phone cost comes to about $57 in the US and Canada, $59 in the UK and $64 in Australia, before tokens. Illustrative volumes, not a client result.
Country notes on numbers, privacy and recording rules: United Kingdom, Australia, Canada and UAE.
| Line | US and Canada | United Kingdom | Australia |
|---|---|---|---|
| 800 inbound minutes at the per-minute total | $54.80 | $56.00 | $56.00 |
| Local number | $1.15 | $1.15 | $3.00 |
| 60 minutes transferred to a mobile | $0.84 | $1.83 | $4.50 |
| Total before tokens | $56.79 | $58.98 | $63.50 |
The gap between countries is small at this size. The difference that moves the bill is the transfer destination, and the cost that moves it most is the build itself. For what a build costs, see how much an AI receptionist costs, and for how we set one up, how to build an AI receptionist.
What is not in these numbers?
Language model tokens, call recording and transcription, the HighLevel plan, taxes such as VAT or GST, and any carrier fees. Each can move the total, and HighLevel lists some of them separately.
- Tokens. Billed per million tokens by model; the AI pricing article lists GPT-5 at $1.25 input and $10.00 output, and smaller models for less.
- Recording and transcription. HighLevel's phone guide lists call recording at $0.0025 a minute, storage at $0.0005 a minute a month and transcription at $0.024 a minute. We did not add them because we could not confirm which apply to Voice AI calls.
- Tax. HighLevel prices phone usage in US dollars; whether VAT or GST is added depends on the billing profile.
- Languages. The voice options differ by language, and a premium voice such as ElevenLabs V3 at $0.17 a minute changes the picture. See GoHighLevel Voice AI setup.
Autoesta builds and tests these agents on HighLevel: see the AI receptionist service for inbound calls and the AI voice agent services for businesses page for outbound and qualification calls.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a GoHighLevel AI receptionist cost per minute?
The voice engine is $0.045 a minute and an OpenAI or Cartesia voice adds $0.015. The phone leg is $0.0085 inbound in the US and Canada and $0.01 in the UK and Australia on list rates. That is $0.0685 to $0.07 a minute before language model tokens.
Is an AI receptionist more expensive in the UK or Australia than in the US?
Slightly. Inbound minutes cost $0.01 against $0.0085, and an Australian number costs $3 a month against $1.15. The bigger difference is on transfers to mobiles, which list at $0.0305 in the UK and $0.075 in Australia against $0.014 in the US.
Can I get a UAE phone number in GoHighLevel for a voice agent?
Not in the number list we downloaded: it has no UAE rows. HighLevel says Voice AI works on LC Phone or Twilio numbers, and Twilio sells UAE geographic numbers for inbound calls. Confirm Twilio's local requirements before you commit.
When does the unlimited AI Employee plan pay off?
At about 1,617 voice minutes a month, where $97 equals the $0.06 a minute engine and voice cost. Below that, pay-per-use is cheaper. Above it, Unlimited is cheaper, subject to HighLevel's fair-use terms and before token costs.
Sources and method
Every rate was read from HighLevel's own files and articles on October 21, 2026, in US dollars, with no promotional discounts. Totals, break-even points and the monthly illustration are our arithmetic, shown above. Rates change without notice, so recheck before you quote a client.
- HighLevel help, Phone System pricing and billing guide with attached NumbersPricing and voice pricing files, modified October 12, 2026.
- HighLevel help, AI product pricing, modified October 20, 2026.
- HighLevel help, Overview of Voice AI agents, read October 21, 2026.
- Twilio, UAE voice guidelines, no date shown, read October 21, 2026.
