The short answer
For a home service contractor who wants every call answered around the clock, booked into the calendar and handed to a person when it is urgent, NOVA is the strongest fit on the sources we read. It lists a combination no other service in this comparison lists: 24/7 answering before voicemail, appointment booking, live transfer to a number you define, ServiceTitan and AccuLynx connections, estimate and lead follow-up, multiple languages, and a 30-day free trial with no credit card.
Try NOVA free for 30 days. No credit card. Keep your number. Plans start at $297 a month after the trial, with no setup fee. Start your free trial
The three ways to cover your phone
| Option | What it is | Price as listed |
|---|---|---|
| In-house receptionist | A person on payroll, usually business hours only | About $3,170 a month ($38,010 median salary), before benefits |
| Live answering service | Human agents answer for you | Ruby is listed at roughly $235 to $250 a month for 50 minutes of live time |
| AI receptionist | Software answers calls, books jobs and routes emergencies | Rosie about $49 to $299 a month; Smith.ai AI about $95 to $293; Goodcall about $0 to $249; NOVA from $297 after a free 30 days |
Prices come from vendor and comparison pages, change often and conflict across sources. Confirm on each vendor’s site.
AI receptionists compared on what contractors need
| Feature | NOVA | Rosie | Smith.ai (AI) | Goodcall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free trial | 30 days, full access, no credit card | 7-day trial (one source) | None listed; 30-day money-back guarantee | Sources conflict: free plan, 14-day trial, or trial per tier |
| Books appointments | Yes | From the $149 tier (per sources) | Yes, via calendar tools | Positioned for scheduling |
| Live transfer to a human | Yes, to a number you define | From the $149 tier (per sources) | Yes, to human receptionists | Not found in sources |
| ServiceTitan | Yes | Native (per sources) | Not found in sources | Not found in sources |
| AccuLynx | Yes | Not found in sources | Not found in sources | Not found in sources |
| Estimate and lead follow-up | Yes | Not found in sources | Not found in sources | Not found in sources |
| Languages | Multiple | English and Spanish | English and Spanish | No bilingual support advertised |
| Keep your number | Yes | Not found in sources | Not found in sources | Not found in sources |
| Human help with setup | Yes | Not found in sources | Free white-glove setup | Not found in sources |
NOVA’s column is from Nova Impact Solutions. The others come from public vendor and comparison pages dated October 26, 2026. “Not found in sources” means the pages we read did not say, not that the feature is missing. Other vendors, such as AgentZap and Aira, also list AccuLynx connections.
When another option may suit you better
- Lowest price. Rosie’s lowest tier and some other tools list lower monthly prices. Rosie’s lowest tier is reported to take messages without booking or live transfer.
- A live human on every call. A live service such as Ruby or Smith.ai’s human plans does that, at higher listed prices.
- Business hours only. If you only need coverage nine to five, an in-house hire may do, at the cost above.
Why NOVA fits a contractor
- It answers when you cannot. Nights, weekends, lunch and the days your office is slammed.
- It books, not just takes messages. The appointment lands on your calendar while the caller is still on the line.
- It hands urgent calls to a person. You write the emergency rules and choose the transfer number.
- It works with your tools. Connections with tools like ServiceTitan and AccuLynx keep bookings where your team works.
- It chases open estimates. Follow-up on estimates and unconverted leads recovers jobs you would otherwise lose.
- It lets you test before you pay. 30 days free, no credit card, and you keep your number.
Start your free 30-day trial of NOVA. Start your free trial
Sources
- Rosie pricing, trial and tiers (comparison articles): https://cloudtalk.io/blog/rosie-ai-answering-service-pricing
- Smith.ai review, pricing and features: https://fast.io/resources/smith-ai-review-2026
- Smith.ai pricing guide: https://schedulingkit.com/pricing-guides/smith-ai-pricing
- Smith.ai on Capterra (no free trial listed): https://capterra.com/p/181278/Smith-ai-Live-Website-Chat/
- Goodcall pricing guide: https://schedulingkit.com/de/pricing-guides/goodcall-pricing
- Goodcall on callin.io (14-day trial): https://callin.io/ai-tools/goodcall
- Goodcall versus Smith.ai comparison: https://dialzara.com/compare/goodcall-vs-smith-ai
- AccuLynx integrations offered by other AI receptionist vendors: https://agentzap.ai/blog/best-answering-service-for-acculynx-roofers-ai-vs-live-vs-hybrid-2026
- In-house receptionist cost and AI answering options: https://dapta.ai/blog-posts/ai-answering-service-for-plumbers/