Both Handle Calls — One Costs 3x More
Welco is an AI receptionist that answers calls, books appointments, and sends follow-up texts. Sound familiar? It should — SkipCalls does the same thing. The difference is in the pricing: Welco starts at $39/month ($468/year), while SkipCalls costs $199/year total.
Same core job. More than double the price.
Head-to-Head Pricing
| Feature | SkipCalls | Welco (Starter) | Welco (Pro) | Advantage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly Cost | $16.58/mo (annual) | $39/month | $99/month | SkipCalls (58% cheaper) |
| Annual Cost | $199/year | $468/year | $1,188/year | SkipCalls ($269-989 savings) |
| Included Minutes | Unlimited | 60 min/month | More minutes | SkipCalls |
| Call Duration | No limits | Plan-dependent | Plan-dependent | SkipCalls |
| Overage Charges | None | Yes | Yes | SkipCalls |
| Bilingual (EN/ES) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Tie |
| CRM Integration | Yes | Yes | Yes | Tie |
60 Minutes Per Month Is Not Enough
Welco's $39/month starter plan includes just 60 minutes of call time per month. For context:
- Average business call length: 3-5 minutes
- 60 minutes = roughly 12-20 calls per month
- That's less than 1 call per business day
For a plumber getting 5+ calls daily, you'd blow through Welco's starter limit in the first week and get hit with overage charges. With SkipCalls, there are no minute limits — period.
Where Welco Competes
Welco has some genuine strengths:
- Multi-language support beyond just English and Spanish
- Calendar integrations with Google Calendar, Calendly, and Square
- Zapier integration for custom workflows
- Call transcripts and summaries
- SMS follow-ups to callers
SkipCalls offers most of these same features (appointment booking, transcripts, spam blocking, bilingual support) — just at a lower price point.
The Minute Math
Let's say you average 100 inbound calls per month at 3 minutes each (300 minutes):
| Service | Monthly Cost | Included | Overage | Total Annual |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SkipCalls | $16.58 | Unlimited | $0 | $199 |
| Welco Starter | $39 | 60 min (240 min over) | Varies | $468+ overages |
| Welco Pro | $99 | More minutes | Varies | $1,188+ |
The savings are immediate and compounding. Over 3 years, SkipCalls saves you $800-$3,000+ compared to Welco.
The Bottom Line
Welco is a capable AI receptionist with solid integrations. If you need advanced multi-language support or specific CRM connections that SkipCalls doesn't offer, it's worth considering. But for most US small businesses that need reliable AI call answering:
- $199/year vs $468-$1,188/year with Welco
- Unlimited minutes vs 60-minute starter cap
- No overage charges ever
- Same core features at a fraction of the price
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