Ironline vs PATLive
75 minutes for $235/month. That's about 25 calls. Your phone rings more than that on a Monday.
PATLive's Minute Problem
PATLive has been around since 1990. They know answering services. Their agents are professional and their platform is battle-tested. But their pricing hasn't evolved past the per-minute model.
75 minutes sounds reasonable until you do the math. At 3 minutes per call, that's 25 calls. Most home service businesses get 40-80 calls per month. You'll blow through your minutes in two weeks.
Their next tier is $415/month for 200 minutes. The one after that is $600/month for 300 minutes. It scales fast — and it scales against you.
The Real Comparison
Typical month with PATLive
50 calls/month × 3 min avg = 150 min → 75 included + 75 overage × $2.19 = $235 + $164 = $399/month
Same volume with Ironline
50 calls/month × any duration = $99/month. Every time.
Feature Comparison
| Ironline | PATLive | |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost | $99/mo (unlimited) | $235/mo (75 min) |
| Per-minute overage | None — flat rate | $2.19/min over limit |
| Available hours | 24/7/365 | 24/7 (all plans) |
| Hold time | 0 seconds — instant pickup | Avg 3-4 rings (shared agents) |
| Spanish support | Native-level, no extra cost | Limited bilingual agents |
| Industry knowledge | Trained for home services | General call scripts |
| Appointment booking | Automatic, syncs to your calendar | Appointment scheduling (add-on) |
| Setup time | 15 minutes | Custom setup process |
Speed Matters More Than Warmth
PATLive's agents are friendly. But they're handling calls for dozens of different businesses — law firms, medical offices, IT companies, contractors. When your customer calls about a gas leak, the agent is context-switching from a dental appointment booking.
Ironline picks up in under a second. It already knows your services, your service area, your pricing ranges, and your availability. No hold time, no context-switching, no "let me check on that for you." The customer gets answers immediately.
When PATLive Makes Sense
If you get fewer than 25 calls a month and want a human touch, PATLive's entry plan works. But most growing home service businesses blow past that in week two. Once you're paying overage, the value proposition disappears fast.
Stop watching the minute counter
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