Alamak, another booking lost over the weekend because nobody could pick up. So you're weighing it up: hire a receptionist, or get an AI one? Fair question. And the first thing every operator wants to know is the same: how much?
No "contact sales" runaround. Here's the honest number.
The short answer
A Trelinx AI Receptionist starts at S$788/month for the first outlet. The current launch offer includes 1,000 voice minutes, 1,000 WhatsApp messages and Command Centre. It is built to handle routine front-desk work across Voice and WhatsApp and hand exceptions to your team with context.
For comparison, the illustrative full-time receptionist model below comes to about S$41,432 a year once salary, an assumed one-month AWS and employer CPF are included. That is not a like-for-like product comparison; staffed coverage and software capacity have different strengths, limits and cost structures.
At the current S$788 monthly launch price, the annualised software base is S$9,456 before any overage or custom integration work. Use the comparison below as a budgeting illustration, then model your real call volume, staffing pattern and service requirements.
What you'd pay to hire one human instead
Salary is only one part of a staffed-role budget. Employer contributions and any contractual or customary wage components belong in the same model.
A full-time receptionist in Singapore earns a median S$2,724/month (MOM Occupational Wages, 2024). Run the real maths an employer pays:
- 12 months' salary + ~1 month AWS = 13 months → S$35,412
- Employer CPF at 17% on top → +S$6,020
- Fully loaded: ~S$41,432/year
A part-time model can be cheaper and may be exactly right for some operators. The practical question is whether the roster gives you the hours, outlets, language coverage and handover quality you need. If you compare staffed options, include leave coverage, onboarding and management time in your own assumptions rather than treating the illustration here as universal.
Compare the operating model, not only the annual number
A staffed front desk can provide excellent coverage when the roster and processes are designed for it. A software front desk solves the same problem differently: it can stay available across configured channels and locations without requiring a person to be present for every routine request.
An AI Receptionist can extend front-desk coverage across every outlet, around the clock and keep routine work consistent when the human team is busy or offline. For a multi-outlet operator, the useful comparison is not “AI versus one person”; it is how much routine customer load can be handled automatically while people keep ownership of judgement, exceptions and higher-value conversations.
See the full head-to-head, Trelinx vs hiring a Singapore receptionist →
What the AI Receptionist actually costs
No hidden tiers. The One Outlet AI Receptionist is S$788/month on the launch promo, all-in for one outlet:
- Voice Frontdesk — 1,000 minutes/month
- Messaging Frontdesk (WhatsApp) — 1,000 messages/month
- Trelinx App Command Centre — every call and message in one owned history, any device
The setup fee is S$2,888 once, currently waived on the launch offer. Trelinx is currently offered without a long-term lock-in; final commercial terms are set out in the order form. Voice above the included allowance is S$0.30/minute. WhatsApp overage follows the applicable bundle/rate card. Add another outlet from S$88/month. Custom integration work starts from S$888 once, depending on scope.
See the full rate card and run your own numbers →
Comparing packages instead of line items? Here's what's actually in an AI receptionist package, and what a complete one should cost.
Weighing an overseas team instead of a local hire? That's a different trade-off. See offshore call agents vs an AI receptionist.
So, is an AI receptionist cheaper than hiring?
For many Singapore multi-outlet operators, the software base can be materially lower than the fully loaded cost of an additional staffed seat. But the right answer depends on the work. Trelinx is designed for routine inbound requests, approved actions and consistent handoff; people remain the right owners for judgement, empathy, exceptions and relationship-sensitive conversations.
The useful catch: price alone does not tell you whether the operating model fits. Test the real scenarios you receive, then compare cost, coverage, action completion and the quality of the human handoff. See what missed calls can cost a multi-outlet operation before you run the comparison.
FAQ
How much does an AI receptionist cost in Singapore?
The current launch offer is S$788/month for the first outlet, including 1,000 voice minutes, 1,000 WhatsApp messages and Command Centre. Setup is S$2,888 once and is currently waived on the launch offer. Additional outlets start at S$88/month each; voice above the included allowance is S$0.30/minute, while WhatsApp overage follows the applicable bundle/rate card.
Is an AI receptionist cheaper than hiring a human one?
Using the assumptions in this article, the illustrative full-time receptionist model is roughly S$41,432/year. The Trelinx annualised base at S$788/month is S$9,456 before overage or custom work. They are different operating models, so compare the work each one is expected to handle, not only the headline ratio.
How do employment costs compare with software pricing?
Software pricing does not carry salary, employer CPF or leave costs. That makes the cost structure different from adding another staffed seat, but the operating model should still keep people responsible for judgement and exception handling.
Sources
- Full-time salary: MOM Occupational Wages 2024, "Receptionist (general)" SSOC 42241, median gross S$2,724/mo → ×13 (12mo + ~1mo AWS) × 1.17 employer CPF.
- Employer CPF 17% (age 55 and below, wage above S$750/mo): CPF Board.
- Part-time rate S$11–16/hr: Indeed SG, above MOM's Local Qualifying Salary floor (S$10.50/hr).
- Trelinx figures: current public pricing on /pricing/ as of 13 Sep 2026. AWS is customary (~1 month), not statutory.