Best After Hours Answering Service Canada in 2026: Costs in CAD

Looking for the best after hours answering service in Canada? We compared 8 services on what after-hours phone answering costs in Canadian dollars, who picks up at 2am and how an urgent call reaches you.

Our pick for most small businesses is Jodie: it answers every call, nights, weekends and statutory holidays included, for a flat C$99 a month before tax with unlimited minutes.

If your callers need French, we show who answers in both languages. Here is the honest shortlist.

Key takeaways

What an after hours phone answering service actually is (and what it is not)

An after hours phone answering service answers your business phone when you are closed: in the evening, overnight, on weekends and on statutory holidays.

You may also see it called an after-hours answering service, after-hours call answering, or an answering service after hours.

It works in three steps:

1. You forward your number when you close. Call forwarding means your calls ring through to the service. You keep your own number.
2. It answers in your business name. It talks to the caller and captures their details, or books them in.
3. It tells you what came in. It also flags what is urgent, so you know which follow-up comes first.

There are four ways Canadian owners cover calls after 5pm:

• Voicemail. It is free, but many evening and weekend customers try the next business instead of leaving a message.
• Forward to your own cell. It costs nothing, but you are on call every night.
• A live answering service. A person answers. You pay per call or per minute, so check what nights cost.
• An AI receptionist. Software answers at once, at any hour. You pay a flat price, or by the minute or call.

Is an AI receptionist the same as a phone answering service? It is one kind: software picks up instead of a person.

Some services, such as Smith.ai, mix the two. You may also see the term virtual receptionist: a person or AI who answers your calls from somewhere else.

What an after-hours answering service is not:

• Not voicemail.
• Not a phone menu that reads out your hours.
• Not a call centre that makes sales calls for you.
• Not an emergency service. Anyone in danger should call 911.

For daytime and overflow cover, see our main answering service comparison.

How we ranked these after-hours answering services

We judged every service on six things:

• Cost of 100 night calls. What 100 calls a month, each 2 minutes long, cost on the cheapest plan each provider publishes, before tax where the provider says so. Setup fees are listed separately.
• Nights, weekends and statutory holidays. Whether a person or AI picks up at 2am, and in English or French. Also whether calls outside office hours cost more.
• How an urgent call reaches you. Whether the service puts a caller through to your phone or only passes on a message, and on which plan. Also whether the message comes by email, in an app or by SMS.
• How you are billed. Flat monthly, per call or per minute, what the plan includes, and whether you pay in Canadian or US dollars.
• Contract and notice. The minimum term, and how much notice you give to leave.
• Free trial. How long it lasts, and whether you need a card.

We read each provider's own pricing pages and terms on 15 October 2026. We did not call each service as a customer.

Where a provider does not publish a figure, we say "not published" rather than guess.

After Jodie, a service moves up for each of these it meets:

• It answers overnight at no extra charge.
• It publishes a price you can work out.
• You can leave within a month.
• It offers a free trial.

Ties go to the cheaper one at 100 calls.

The best after-hours answering services in 2026

We compared 8 after-hours answering service companies that take calls for Canadian businesses. Jodie comes first because every call costs the same flat price at any hour.

The rest are ranked on the four checks above. Every pick has a "best for", so read the one that sounds like you.

1. Jodie, best for owner-run businesses that want one flat price at any hour

Jodie is an AI receptionist. She answers in your business name, asks the questions you set and takes the caller's details.

What you get

• A summary straight after the call, by email and in the Jodie app, with the recording and transcript.
• Your own number. Forward it to Jodie when you close, or all day if you like. Turning forwarding off takes a minute.
• English only. If your callers need French, or you want bookings on the cheapest plan, Ask Benny is the better fit.

What it costs

• Basic: C$99 a month before tax, with unlimited minutes under fair use of up to 1,000 calls a month.
• The same price at 3am, on weekends and on statutory holidays. There is no setup fee and no contract.
• Professional: C$199. Adds bookings, call transfers and team members. Basic does not book jobs or put calls through.
• Premium: C$399. Adds Zapier integrations and priority support.

Watch out for: it is AI, not a person, and some callers would rather talk to a human.

2. Smith.ai, best for AI first with a live team billed in US dollars

Smith.ai sells two things: an AI receptionist and live receptionists. Both bill in US dollars, and there is no Canadian price card.

What you get

• A live team behind the AI. If the AI meets something complex, it can pass the call to a live receptionist based in North America, day or night.
• The same price at any hour. Its pricing page says calls at 2pm and 2am cost the same.
• Month-to-month plans. Live plans have no setup fee and a 30-day money-back guarantee.

What it costs

• AI: free for your first 25 calls a month, then US$3.00 a call.
• AI Pro plan: US$150 for 75 calls, then US$2.50 a call. So 100 AI calls cost US$212.50.
• Live receptionists: from US$300 for 30 calls, then US$11.50 a call. At 100 live calls, its Basic plan comes to US$915.

Watch out for: you pay per call, in US dollars, so a busy month costs more and your bill moves with the exchange rate.

3. Ask Benny, best for English and French callers on a small budget

Ask Benny is a Canadian AI receptionist with prices in CAD. It is the closest match to Jodie on price, and it wins if your callers speak French, or you want bookings on the cheapest plan.

What you get

• 24/7 answering in English and French on the Starter plan.
• Bookings, call forwarding to staff, and email and SMS notifications, also on Starter.
• A 7-day free trial.

What it costs

• Starter: C$99 a month for 300 minutes, then C$0.45 a minute. 300 minutes covers about 150 calls of 2 minutes.
• Bigger plans: Business PRO at C$149 for 700 minutes, and Enterprise at C$399 for 2,500 minutes.
• No setup fee and no long-term contract.
• A busy month: at 200 two-minute calls, Starter costs C$144.

Watch out for: the minutes run out in a busy month, so price the plan for your busiest month, not your average one.

4. Dialbox, best for a Canadian AI that books and transfers on its entry plan

Dialbox is a Canadian AI receptionist. It counts calls, not minutes, so a 5-minute call uses up the same share as a 1-minute call.

What you get

• 24/7 answering on the Core plan.
• A business phone line and texting, also on Core.
• Appointment booking and call transfers to as many numbers as you like, so night leads can book straight into your calendar.
• A 7-day free trial, but a credit card is needed to start it.

What it costs

• Core: C$129 a month for 100 AI-handled calls.
• No per-minute fees and no automatic overage charges. When you near your limit, you get alerts and a small grace buffer, then usually an upgrade.
• Pro: C$299 for 300 calls.
• Month to month, and you can cancel any time. A setup fee is not published.

Watch out for: past 100 calls you move up a plan, which in a busy month can mean C$299 instead of C$129.

5. Posh, best for live receptionists priced in Canadian dollars

Posh is a live receptionist service with a Canadian price card in CAD. A person answers your calls 24/7.

What you get

• A mobile app and online portal, so you can follow along.
• A free trial, and plans run month to month.

What it costs

• Chic: C$65 a month plus C$2.30 a minute, with no minutes included.
• Luxurious: C$420 for 200 minutes. That covers 100 calls of 2 minutes.
• Whole minutes, rounded up. A call of 1 minute and 10 seconds counts as 2 minutes.
• Setup fee: not published.

Watch out for: you pay by the minute, so at 100 calls, C$420 is more than four times Jodie's C$99, and long calls at 3am add up.

6. Ruby, best for a premium live team if you can pay in US dollars

Ruby is a US team of live receptionists. It takes Canadian customers but bills in US dollars, with no Canadian price card.

What you get

• Answers 24/7, including after hours, weekends and holidays.
• Messages reach you in its app and by email.
• A person on every call. It suits firms such as law offices, where every caller should hear a person.
• A 21-day money-back guarantee instead of a free trial.

What it costs

• From US$250 a month for 50 minutes.
• US$720 for 200 minutes, enough for 100 calls of 2 minutes. Its overage rate is not on its pricing page.
• The same price at night. It says there are no extra fees for "coverage during certain periods", so a night minute costs the same as a day one.
• No activation, onboarding or setup fees, and plans run month to month.

Watch out for: the price, as US$720 at 100 calls is one of the highest bills here, and it moves with the exchange rate.

7. AstraQom, best for bilingual live answering from a Canadian team

AstraQom is a Canadian service with live receptionists who answer in English and French. All its prices are in CAD.

What you get

• Message taking on Lite, with a summary by email and SMS. AstraQom pitches Lite at light, after-hours volume.
• Appointment scheduling and CRM updates on Business.
• 24/7 coverage on Business, which is the plan that lists it.

What it costs

• Lite: C$99 a month for 50 minutes. That is about 25 calls of 2 minutes.
• Business: C$249 for 200 minutes, enough for 100 calls of 2 minutes. That is the lowest live price we could work out at 100 calls.
• No setup fees, and month-to-month plans are available.
• Not published: its overage rate and any free trial. You ask for a quote to start.

Watch out for: Lite does not list 24/7 coverage, so check the hours in writing before you pick the cheaper plan.

8. AnswerConnect, best for Canadian live receptionists on minute bundles

AnswerConnect is a live receptionist service with a Canadian price card in CAD.

What you get

• Receptionists who work from home across Canada, answering 24/7.
• Month-to-month plans.
• A demo call instead of a free trial.

What it costs

• Entry: C$325 a month for 100 minutes, then C$2.95 a minute.
• Best Value: C$425 for 300 minutes, then C$2.75 a minute. That covers 100 calls of 2 minutes with room to spare.
• Setup: Entry and Standard add a C$75 setup fee. Best Value has none.
• A note on these prices: its Canadian pricing page would not load when we checked, so they come from its earlier Canadian price card.

Watch out for: you pay by the minute, so a 4-minute call costs twice as much as a 2-minute one, and long calls at 3am add up.

After-hours answering services compared side by side

How to read the table:

• Cost at 100 calls: 100 calls of 2 minutes each, on the cheapest published plan, checked 15 October 2026.
• Tax: Jodie's and Posh's prices are before tax; the others do not say.
• US dollars: Smith.ai and Ruby bill in US dollars, shown as US$ and not converted.
• Setup fees are not included (AnswerConnect charges C$75 on some plans).
• "Not published" means the provider does not say on its own pages.

We also checked two services that answer overnight but publish no price, so we could not cost them:

• On Call Centre is a Canadian bureau with bilingual live answering, 24/7.
• Extend Communications runs a North American call centre that answers 24/7, 365 days a year.

PATLive, MAP Communications and Specialty Answering Service show no Canadian service on their own pages. Moneypenny sells in the UK and US only.

Do you need 24/7, or just evenings and weekends?

Look at two normal weeks of your call log. Count the calls that come in outside office hours: after 6pm, on weekends and on any statutory holiday.

• If they stop by 8pm and you are closed Sundays, longer daytime hours may be enough.
• If any come overnight or on a statutory holiday, choose a 24 hour answering service.

You do not have to use it all day. You can forward your phone only when you close.

Jodie picks up day or night, weekends and statutory holidays included, whenever your calls are forwarded to her.

Statutory holidays differ by province, so check your own list. Christmas and the long weekends are where cover most often slips, so ask for them to be included in writing.

How an urgent call reaches you at 2am

First, decide what counts as urgent for you:

• A furnace out in January.
• A frozen pipe that has burst.
• A tenant locked out.
• A flooded basement.

Everything else can wait for the morning.

An answering service is not an emergency service: anyone in danger should call 911.

A service can do three things with a night call:

1. Put it through to your phone now.
2. Send you the details straight away, so you can call back.
3. Log it for the morning.

A good service lets you set the rule, so a quote request does not wake you up.

If you have an on-call tech, ask if urgent calls can go to whoever is on call that night.

Here is how Jodie does it:

• On every plan, the caller's details reach you by email and in the Jodie app straight after the call, with the recording and transcript.
• On Professional (C$199) and Premium, you can set rules that put certain callers straight through to you or a coworker.
• Basic does not transfer calls.

Most other providers do not publish how night calls are passed on. Dialbox includes call transfers on its C$129 Core plan, and Ask Benny Starter lists call forwarding to staff.

For the rest, use the questions below.

To book night callers straight into your calendar, you need Jodie Professional, or a plan with booking such as Dialbox or Ask Benny. Jodie Basic takes the details for you to book.

Which after-hours answering service fits your business?

The best after hours answering service for small business owners, from service businesses to real estate offices, depends on your night calls:

• How many you get.
• Whether you want a person or AI.
• Whether your callers need French.

Find your row:

For more on your trade, see our pages for plumbers, electricians, HVAC companies, locksmiths, property managers and lawyers.

We also have guides to after-hours emergency calls for plumbers and after-hours calls for property managers.

What results look like

Say you run a two-truck furnace and plumbing company:

• In a quiet month, you get about 20 calls after 6pm and on weekends.
• In a cold snap, that can climb to 60 or 100, each around 2 minutes.

Here is what that costs on each plan we could price. Jodie's prices are before tax.

What the table shows:

• Ask Benny costs the same as Jodie Basic at these volumes, and it adds French and bookings.
• Past about 150 calls you pay Ask Benny by the minute: at 200 calls, Ask Benny is C$144 and Jodie is still C$99.
• Under 25 calls, Smith.ai's free AI plan costs nothing.
• AnswerConnect's Entry plan, used at 20 and 60 calls, also has a C$75 setup fee.

A cold snap that doubles your calls does not change Jodie's price, because fair use runs up to 1,000 calls a month. It stays C$99 on every statutory holiday too.

If you need a person rather than AI, AstraQom's C$249 for 200 minutes is the lowest live price we could work out at 100 calls.

Here is what Jodie customers say:

Questions to ask before you sign

Put these to the providers on your shortlist before you sign up, and get the answers in writing.

• Hours: Do nights, weekends and statutory holidays cost more, or need a bigger plan?
• Night staff: Who answers at 2am, where are they based, and can they answer in French?
• Urgent calls: How does an urgent call reach me, and on which plan?
• Billing: How are calls billed: per call or per minute, rounded up? Do wrong numbers and spam calls count? What happens when the minutes run out?
• Currency: Is the price in Canadian or US dollars, and is tax extra?
• Contract: What is the minimum term, and how much notice do I give?
• Your number: Can I keep my number and forward it only when I close?
• Your data: Where are recordings, transcripts and caller data kept?
  • Jodie's answer: our privacy policy has a section for Canadian residents covering PIPEDA and Quebec's Law 25. Recordings and transcripts are processed in Ireland and the United States, and you can switch either off.
• Trial: Can I test it on my own number during a free trial? Forward your line one evening and call it from another phone.

Try Jodie free for 7 days

1. Forward your number to Jodie when you close.
2. She answers in your business name and asks your questions.
3. She sends you a summary by email and in the Jodie app, with the recording and transcript.

Call your own number at 10pm to hear it for yourself.

• 7 days free, with no credit card and no setup fee.
• Then C$99 a month before tax, with no contract.

Start your free trial and see who called while you were closed.