Raka AI vs a traditional receptionist
A receptionist is a person you trust with your customers. An AI receptionist does the repeatable part — answering, booking, reminding — around the clock, and passes the rest to a person.
Raka AIRaka AI is an AI receptionist and AI manager for small businesses and online stores. It answers customers in Instagram, Facebook, WhatsApp, Telegram, SMS and website chat, answers phone calls, books, moves and cancels appointments, hands a conversation to a person when needed, and runs Shopify store tasks and social media content when the owner asks.
| Raka AI | Receptionist | |
|---|---|---|
| Hours | 24/7 | Working hours |
| Channels | Phone, Instagram, Facebook, WhatsApp, Telegram, SMS, website chat | Mostly phone and front desk |
| Languages | Replies in the customer’s language | The languages the person speaks |
| Cost | Pay per use: $0.15 per chat customer a month, calls from $0.09/min | US median $18.27 an hour, $38,010 a year (May 2025) |
| Calls at the same moment | One per account, the next goes to voicemail | One |
| Empathy, complaints, unusual cases | Transfers to a person | Yes |
An example month
For example, 300 calls of 3 minutes on a UK number (900 minutes × $0.10 = $90) and 200 chat customers ($30) cost about $120 a month. Your own numbers depend on your country and traffic.
The best of both
Many businesses keep their receptionist and let the AI take nights, weekends, the busy hour and every chat — the person handles the cases that need a person.
What it costs
- Free to start: $3 on the Reception balance, no card needed. The first phone number is free.
- AI chat: $0.15 per customer per month on each channel — the customer can write as much as they want.
- Phone calls: from $0.09 per minute (Czechia and the UK $0.10, the US and Canada $0.15). WhatsApp calls $0.10 per minute.
- SMS: priced by country (Czechia $0.07 per message).
- Content and Raka AI manager plans: Basic $4.99, Starter $19.99, Growth $39.99, Pro $79.99, Studio $149.99 a month.
Questions business owners ask
Will an AI receptionist replace my staff?
It takes the repeatable questions and bookings. Complaints, unusual requests and anything the caller wants a person for are transferred to your team.
Where does the $18.27 figure come from?
From the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook, median pay of receptionists, May 2025.
Facts checked on 2026-10-03. Sources: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Receptionists