Jobber AI Receptionist: Pricing, Review and Alternatives
Jobber’s Receptionist answers calls and texts on your Jobber number and can book a visit while the customer is still on the line. For a solo contractor whose calls go to voicemail all day, that’s a real upgrade.
The trouble starts when the calls get technical. Owners on Jobber’s own community forum say it asks form questions instead of finding out what’s wrong, and some switched it off after hearing how frustrated their callers were.
The quick answer: Jobber’s AI Receptionist is a $29 a month add-on that covers 30 conversations, then 79¢ for each one after that. Only the Plus plan includes it with unlimited use. It needs a Jobber dedicated number, books through your Online Booking form, and hands urgent calls to one contact. If you want a receptionist that asks your questions on every call, rings your crew first, calls new leads back within a minute and logs it all to Jobber, Carly does that. Copy one prompt into ChatGPT or Claude, grab a number, and you’re live.
Prices from Jobber’s pricing page and Receptionist help article, checked October 21, 2026.
Jobber Receptionist at a glance
| Jobber Receptionist | |
|---|---|
| What it is | AI receptionist inside Jobber for calls, texts and website chat |
| Price | $29/month add-on for 30 conversations, then $0.79 each; unlimited on Plus |
| Needs | A Jobber plan and a Jobber dedicated number (US, Canada and UK) |
| Booking | Through your Online Booking form |
| Urgent calls | Keyword escalation to one contact, by text alert or transfer |
| At the cap | Keeps going at 79¢ a conversation, or pauses and only takes messages |
| Outbound | Texts back callers who hang up during the greeting; no lead callbacks |
What it costs
| Price | |
|---|---|
| Jobber Core, one user | $29/month billed annually |
| Receptionist add-on | $29/month for 30 conversations |
| Each extra conversation | $0.79 |
| Plus plan | Receptionist included with unlimited use |
A call counts once Receptionist actually talks to the caller. A text conversation stays open for 24 hours. Spam doesn’t count. So a shop with 100 conversations a month pays $29 plus 70 × 79¢, about $84 for Receptionist alone, on top of its Jobber plan.
Where Jobber’s Receptionist falls short
These come from Jobber’s help center and from owners posting on Jobber’s community forum since late 2025. Jobber has updated the product since, so test it on your own calls.
- It follows the form, not the caller. Receptionist books through your Online Booking form and asks what that form asks. One owner wrote that the line of questioning “feels locked in” and the whole thing feels like “a form with a voice.”
- There are no must-ask questions. A plumber said callers who asked for an appointment gave their details but never said what was wrong: “I have a booking with no idea what it’s for.”
- Some callers give up. An electrician in the same thread shut it off after hearing “the frustrations in the customers voice.” Another owner said most calls still ended as a message and a task, “which is all an answering machine would do.”
- It misses repeat customers. One owner said it regularly failed to match incoming numbers to existing clients, and that older callers found it confusing.
- One person gets the emergencies. Words like “emergency” escalate to a single contact, and that contact’s number has to be different from the business line.
- The cap can switch it off. On the add-on you either pay 79¢ per extra conversation or let it pause. While paused it stops answering texts and only takes messages until your next billing cycle.
- It only answers. Nothing calls back the web lead who filled out your form at 9pm, and nothing chases an unanswered quote by phone.
Why Carly is the better receptionist for a Jobber shop
Carly answers your business line and follows your rules exactly, the same way on every call.
- It asks what you tell it to ask. “Always ask what’s wrong, whether water is leaking right now, and the service address.” No question gets skipped because a form didn’t have a field for it.
- Your crew gets the first ring. During business hours Carly rings the team and picks up only when nobody answers. After hours it answers right away. Known customers can ring their own account owner first.
- Emergencies reach a person. Build a phone menu with up to nine options and ring groups, so “press 1 for a burst pipe” rings whoever is on call.
- It speaks English and Spanish, and switches to the caller’s language on its own.
- New leads get a call back within about a minute of filling out your form, then a text and an email if they miss it (AI outbound calling).
- Texting goes both ways from your business number, including a text back on every missed call.
- Every call lands in Jobber. In Carly, go to Integrations → Connect an API and connect Jobber there. Calls can become requests with the transcript attached, and since Carly connects to thousands of apps, the same call can update QuickBooks or your calendar too.
- You run it from ChatGPT or Claude. Add the Carly connector and you can build the agent, place calls, send texts and steer a live call from the chat (see how).
Carly business setup prompt
Paste this into ChatGPT, Claude or any AI. It walks you through the rest.
Help me connect Carly Teams so I can work with my organization's business texts, phone calls, voicemail and voice/text agents from this chat. I'll add it to you myself: tell me exactly what to click for the app you are, one step at a time, and wait for me to confirm before moving on. If a step doesn't match what I see, ask me what's on my screen. If you can do the setup yourself (Claude Code, Codex, Muse, Grok Bot), go ahead, and ask me for any key in your secure credential prompt, never in the chat. Don't tell me it's connected until list_phone_lines works, and if I have several teams, ask which to use. Before sending a text or making a call, confirm the team, recipient and message or task with me. The steps are below.
# Connect Carly Teams to an AI app
> Carly Teams works a team's business phone lines through the team's AI agents: business texts, phone calls, voicemail, the voice and text agents, and the team's CRM.
MCP server: https://carlyassistant.com/team/mcp (streamable HTTP, OAuth)
## Setup
Carly Teams isn't in any plugin or connector directory yet, so it's added as a custom connection by URL.
1. Add Carly Teams:
- ChatGPT: open https://chatgpt.com/plugins, click Add, and choose Create MCP App (not Create plugin or Upload plugin archive). If Create MCP App isn't on the menu, turn on Developer mode first in Settings > Security and login. Name it "Carly Teams" with the description "Work with my team's business texts, calls, voicemail and voice/text agents," paste https://carlyassistant.com/team/mcp as the server URL, choose OAuth, create it, and sign in. Then in the message box open the + menu, choose Developer mode, and pick Carly Teams. No plugin needs to be built, packaged or uploaded.
- Claude (claude.ai, Claude Desktop, or Cowork): Customize > Connectors > Add custom connector, name it Carly Teams, paste https://carlyassistant.com/team/mcp, and sign in.
- Claude Code: `claude mcp add --transport http --scope user carly-teams https://carlyassistant.com/team/mcp`, then /mcp, pick carly-teams, and authenticate.
- Codex: `codex mcp add carly-teams --url https://carlyassistant.com/team/mcp`, then `codex mcp login carly-teams`.
- Cursor: add {"mcpServers": {"carly-teams": {"url": "https://carlyassistant.com/team/mcp"}}} to ~/.cursor/mcp.json, then sign in to carly-teams from Customize.
- Muse: a custom connector to https://carlyassistant.com/team/mcp with a Carly API key as its bearer token. The key comes from carlyassistant.com/integrations (Advanced > API Keys > Create a new key, with Owner set to the team and all scopes selected) and goes in Muse's connector settings, not in a chat message.
- Grok: grok.com/connectors > New Connector > Custom, paste https://carlyassistant.com/team/mcp, and sign in.
- Grok Bot: a custom remote MCP server named carly-teams at https://carlyassistant.com/team/mcp. Approve it and sign in.
- Perplexity: Plugins in the sidebar (or Customize > Connectors), then Add custom > Connector > Add MCP connector. Choose Remote, name it Carly Teams, paste https://carlyassistant.com/team/mcp, pick OAuth, check the box and click Add, then click the Carly Teams card to sign in.
- Anything else: a remote MCP server (streamable HTTP) named carly-teams at https://carlyassistant.com/team/mcp. It signs in with OAuth.
Sign in with the Carly account that belongs to the organization.
2. Once it's added, the Carly Teams tools show up in the chat, including list_phone_lines. If they don't, turn Carly Teams on for the chat or start a new chat.
3. To check it worked, call list_phone_lines: it returns the teams and phone lines the account can reach. A team with no phone line yet can get one with find_numbers (optionally by area code) and get_number, which may return a checkout link to finish.
4. Something to try first: "Review our missed calls and voicemail and help me reply to customers." Carly Teams also reads and answers business texts, has the team's agent make calls, and edits the voice and text agents. Texts and calls go out at once from the agent's number and can't be taken back. Team permissions apply.
## Email, calendars and workflows
Email, calendars, files, booking pages and workflows are the regular Carly connector, added separately. It's listed in ChatGPT's plugin directory (https://chatgpt.com/plugins/plugin_asdk_app_6a67a26316b88191860222f918d4ec54) and Claude's connector directory (https://claude.ai/directory/carly), and connects anywhere else at https://carlyassistant.com/mcp/. Its setup is https://carlyassistant.com/mcp.txt.Free Zapier-style workflows; AI agents from $35/month. Get started.
Jobber Receptionist vs Carly
| Jobber Receptionist | Carly | |
|---|---|---|
| Who picks up first | Receptionist, whenever it’s switched on | Your team, then Carly if nobody answers |
| Questions asked | Whatever your booking form asks | Whatever you tell it, on every call |
| Phone menu | Book, estimate, message, speak with someone | Up to nine options you define |
| Urgent calls | One escalation contact | Ring groups and on-call routing |
| Calls new leads back | No | Within about a minute of a form fill |
| Texting | Replies on your Jobber number | Two-way texts and missed-call text back |
| Works with | Jobber | Jobber plus thousands of apps |
| Set up from ChatGPT or Claude | No | Yes |
| Price | $29/mo for 30 conversations, then $0.79 each | Free Zapier-style workflows; AI agents from $35/month |
Other Jobber receptionist options
- Carly: the pick when the phone is how you win jobs.
- Housecall Pro’s AI receptionist: only if you’re switching to Housecall Pro. See Housecall Pro AI receptionist.
- Upfirst: per-call billing for light call volume. See Upfirst AI.
- Rosie: minute bundles aimed at home services. See Rosie AI alternatives.
- Smith.ai: AI with live receptionists behind it. See Smith.ai alternatives.
Trade-specific picks are in HVAC answering service, answering service for plumbers and contractor answering service.
FAQ
How much does Jobber’s AI Receptionist cost?
$29 a month on top of your Jobber plan, which covers 30 conversations. Each one after that is 79¢, billed on your next renewal. The Plus plan includes Receptionist with unlimited use.
Is Jobber’s AI Receptionist worth it?
For a solo pro who would otherwise send every call to voicemail, it’s cheap insurance. If your calls are technical or your phone is how you win work, Carly asks the questions you choose, rings your team first and calls new leads back.
Can I keep my business number?
With Jobber you forward your existing number to a Jobber dedicated number. With Carly you grab a number right in the chat, or forward just the calls you miss.
What happens when Jobber’s Receptionist hits 30 conversations?
You choose in advance. It either keeps going at 79¢ per conversation, or pauses, stops answering texts and only takes messages until the next billing cycle.
Does Carly work with Jobber?
Yes. Connect Jobber in Carly under Integrations → Connect an API, and Carly can turn calls into requests, look up clients and text appointment reminders from your business number.
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"Before Carly, I relied on a Calendly link, but the whole process felt impersonal and not very professional. Carly changed that by handling all the back-and-forth, so I'm no longer stuck in endless email threads trying to line up schedules.
Now Carly reaches out to candidates, shares my real-time availability, lets them pick a slot, then sends a Zoom link and drops it straight into my calendar. She sends reminders to both of us before each call, which has significantly reduced no-shows and last-minute confusion.
On top of scheduling, Carly acts like a full executive assistant, sending me my schedule the night before so I can prepare for each call. It reminds me of the old x.ai assistant, but Carly is noticeably smarter, faster, and better suited to my healthcare recruitment business."
