Digital MacaroniWho maintains an AI phone agent: hosted, managed or self-hosted?
Short answer
Every AI phone agent needs a phone line, call minutes and someone to keep it working. With hosted, we run it and you request changes as needed. With managed, we run it and make changes, tune it from real calls and report monthly. With self-hosted, we build it in your own accounts and your team runs it.
Why this matters
Building the agent is the start. Prices change, staff change, new services arrive and callers ask things nobody expected. In AssemblyAI’s 2026 survey of voice agent builders, 82.5% felt confident building voice agents, yet 75% struggled with reliability once agents were in production. Someone has to own that part.
The three options
| Self-hosted | Hosted | Managed | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly fee from us | None ($500 one-time setup) | $349 | $749 |
| Where it runs | Your own phone and AI accounts | Our infrastructure | Our infrastructure |
| Minutes and texts | You pay providers directly | 500 each included | 1,000 each included |
| Changes | Your team, or billed per change | Quoted when you need them | Included, on request |
| Tuning from real calls | Your team | On request | Included |
| Monthly report | No | No | Yes |
| Fixes | 30 days included | Included | Included |
| Term | One-time | Billed monthly in advance, 3-month minimum | Billed monthly in advance, 3-month minimum |
How to choose
- Managed suits owners who want it to just work, and businesses whose prices, services or hours change often.
- Hosted suits businesses whose details rarely change and who are happy to ask when they do.
- Self-hosted suits larger businesses with technical staff who want everything in their own accounts.
How self-hosting works
You choose self-hosted at the start, and we build the agent directly in your accounts from day one, so nothing has to be moved later. You open the phone and AI accounts in your business’s name, invite us in for the build, and testing during the build is billed to those accounts. At hand-over you get a short guide to running it, 30 days of fixes, and a license to use the agent. You can remove our access or keep it for paid changes.
Common questions
What is a managed AI phone agent?
One that the builder runs and maintains for you: hosting, call minutes, changes on request, tuning from real calls and a monthly report. At Digital Macaroni, managed plans are $749 a month.
Can I self-host an AI phone agent?
Yes. For a one-time $500 setup we build it in your own phone and AI accounts, you pay those providers directly, and you get 30 days of fixes.
Can I switch plans later?
Yes. You can move between hosted and managed at any time, and the 3-month minimum carries over. Moving to self-hosted later means setting the agent up in your accounts, so it's easiest to choose that at the start.
Sources
- New 2026 insights report: What actually makes a good voice agentAssemblyAI
Survey of voice agent builders: 82.5% feel confident building voice agents, 75% struggle with reliability in production; callers having to repeat themselves is the top frustration.
Checked against the original sources on October 11, 2026. Industry figures are estimates, not quotes.
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