How much does an AI drive-thru cost? What vendors print and what to budget (2026)

Almost no AI drive-thru vendor prints a price. The one number we found is Audivi AI's $475 a month, from its own April 2026 press release, and the release does not say whether that is per lane or per store. Maple's drive-thru unit is priced per unit with no public price. The rest of the lane (headsets, speaker posts, timers, order screens, labor) has printed ranges, and they can add thousands of dollars before the AI fee.

This guide lists what each vendor shows about price, the printed cost of the lane parts an AI order-taker may need, a worked example, and a sheet for comparing quotes line by line.

How much does an AI drive-thru cost?

There is no standard price. A vendor quote is one line. The full bill is the vendor's fee, any lane parts you have to replace, installation labor and any new POS charges. A store whose AI vendor brings its own audio and screen may pay only a site survey on top of the fee. A store that has to replace its headsets, timer and order screen can pay five figures before the first order.

What do AI drive-thru vendors publish about price?

Vendor	Price on its site	What the site asks you to do
Audivi AI	$475 a month, in an April 2026 press release. The release does not say per lane or per store.	Ask what the $475 covers, for how many lanes and for what term
Presto	None	Contact its team
Hi Auto	None	Book a consult
SoundHound	None	Book a demo or talk to an expert
ConverseNow	None	Book a consultation
Omilia	None	Book a demo
Incept AI	None	Book a demo
Maple	None; priced per unit	Talk to sales to join the early-access waitlist

Toast's April 2026 Toast Drive-Thru release, which bundles its POS, kitchen screens, menu boards, Delphi hardware and AI voice partners such as Incept AI, gives no price either. It is aimed at enterprise quick-service brands. For each vendor's hardware and partners, see the AI drive-thru vendor comparison.

What does Audivi's $475 a month actually cover?

Audivi's release says the $475 a month model removes hardware, capital and technical barriers, and that menus are up and running in less than one day. It claims more than 98 percent accuracy in high-noise lanes, which is the vendor's own figure. It does not print the number of lanes the fee covers, a contract term, an install fee, or what happens when you leave. One trade write-up of the release calls it per lane; the release does not.

Treat $475 as the start of a quote. Ask in writing whether it is per lane or per store, who owns the hardware, what the term is and what a second lane costs. For a made-up $18 an hour crew wage, $475 a month equals about 26 crew hours a month, or about six hours a week. Then ask whether the speaker saves that much work at your peak.

What else in the lane has a printed price?

The Howard Company, a drive-thru fixture maker and installer, prints the ranges below on its drive-thru cost page (last updated November 6, 2026) and its installation pricing page (August 2026). Other suppliers will quote differently.

Item	Howard's printed figure	When an AI project may need it
Technology survey (headset, timer, order confirmation and loop connections)	$340 to $500, labor	Before any lane change, to find what your site needs
Speaker and microphone post	$400 to $700 for the enclosure	Your post is worn or the AI vendor needs a new one
Headset package	$3,700 to $8,700 for a single lane; up to about $9,800 for two lanes	The AI connects through the headset system and yours will not support it
Headset system installation	About $1,100 for one lane; $1,400 to $1,800 for two	Any new headset system
Order confirmation system	$400 to $500 per lane per year on the menu screen, or $3,000 to $6,000 for a standalone 22-inch unit. POS integration is priced separately.	The AI does not bring its own screen and you want guests to see the order
Timer system installation	$900 to $1,100, labor	You want to measure the trial with a timer
Timing loop, and cutting it into the lane	Loop up to $500; saw cut $900 to $985, labor	Your lane has no working car sensor

Howard's installation figures are labor only. Its installation page says equipment, foundation work and the final electrical hookup are quoted separately, and that a site that is not ready when the crew arrives turns one trip into two.

Which rows you need depends on how the AI reaches the guest. Presto says its system installs in a few hours and connects with your existing POS, confirmation board and drive-thru speaker. Maple's unit stands beside the speaker post with its own microphone and speaker, and its page says there is no rewiring and no new headsets. Our guide to how an AI drive-thru order reaches the POS covers both the audio and the order paths.

What can change on the POS bill?

Ask your POS company whether it charges for the AI connection. Some lane changes also add screens. Square, for example, prints the Square KDS app at $20 to $30 a month per device depending on the plan. A new kitchen screen for lane tickets adds that monthly line.

What might one lane cost before the AI fee?

This example is hypothetical. It uses Howard's printed figures, counts the timing loop at its stated cap of $500 on both ends, and leaves out the AI vendor's own fee, timer hardware, electrical work, permits and tax.

1. Technology survey: $340 to $500
2. Headset package, single lane: $3,700 to $8,700
3. Headset installation for one lane: about $1,100
4. Standalone order confirmation unit: $3,000 to $6,000
5. Timer installation: $900 to $1,100
6. Timing loop: up to $500
7. Loop saw cut: $900 to $985

If the lane needs all seven, the total runs from $10,440 to $18,885 before the AI fee.

At the other end, a store whose AI vendor brings its own audio and screen, and whose headsets and timer stay in place, might need only the survey: $340 to $500. Ask each vendor which rows its setup needs at your store.

For the monthly fee, turn the quote into crew hours. Divide the monthly fee by your hourly cost of a crew member, wages plus payroll taxes. A made-up fee of $1,000 a month at a made-up $18 an hour equals about 55.6 hours a month, or 12.8 hours a week. Then ask whether the speaker takes that much of a person's time at your peak.

How do you compare quotes line by line?

Copy this sheet and fill one column per vendor.

Line	Vendor A	Vendor B
Pricing unit: per lane, per store, per order or per minute
Monthly fee for one lane
Hardware: bought, leased or included, and who owns it at the end
Installation fee, and who installs
Lane parts you must add, from the table above
Menu setup and POS connection fees
Charges for remote agents, if the vendor uses them
Trial length, and what it costs to stop
Contract term, renewal and exit fee
Three-year total: one-time costs plus 36 months of fees

What should you ask before you sign?

1. How long does installation take, and does the lane close? Presto says its system installs in a few hours; Audivi says menus are live in under a day. Ask for the time at a store like yours, in writing.
2. Does my headset system stay as it is? If not, which parts must I replace, and at whose cost?
3. Does the price change with order volume, extra lanes, languages or added stores?
4. Who pays for menu changes, new items and limited-time offers after launch?
5. Does a human step in when the AI is unsure (Hi Auto says it uses a human-in-the-loop fallback), and is that included in the fee or billed on top?
6. What happens to the price if the trial misses the numbers we agreed?
7. If I leave, who removes the equipment, and what happens to recordings and order data?

Agree how you will judge the trial before you sign. The one-lane pilot checklist sets the baseline to record. The headset guide, speaker post guide and timer guide cover each lane part in more depth.

Frequently asked questions

Does any AI drive-thru vendor publish a price?

Audivi AI is the one we found: $475 a month in an April 2026 press release, with no stated lane count, term or install fee. Presto, Hi Auto, SoundHound, ConverseNow, Omilia, Incept AI and Maple print no price. Check each vendor's page before you rely on this, because prices change.

Is the AI fee the main cost of a drive-thru project?

Not always. On Howard's printed figures, a lane that needs a new headset system, order screen, timer and loop adds $10,440 to $18,885 before the AI fee. A lane where the vendor brings its own audio and screen may add only a $340 to $500 survey.

Do I have to replace my headsets for an AI drive-thru?

It depends on the vendor. Presto says it connects with your existing drive-thru speaker and POS. Maple's unit stands beside your post, so headsets keep working. Ask each vendor to list, in writing, the parts it needs you to replace.

What does an AI drive-thru cost an independent restaurant?

Most vendors sell to chains and quote after a call. A single store should get one all-in quote: the monthly fee, hardware, installation and exit terms on the same sheet. Our guide to AI drive-thru for independent restaurants lists what a single store can ask and test first.

How do I know if the monthly fee is worth it?

Convert the fee to crew hours at your loaded hourly wage, then compare it with the order-taking time the speaker actually frees at your peak. The pilot checklist above shows what to record on one lane first.

Maple's drive-thru unit is in early access with a small number of restaurants. Its page says nothing is rewired and headsets keep working, and it writes orders into the POS. It is priced per unit, with no public price. If phone orders are the bigger cost, Maple's phone plans are printed on the pricing page.

Published by Maple, which sells phone ordering and an early-access drive-thru unit. This AI-assisted guide combines vendors' own pages, The Howard Company's printed price ranges and Square's pricing page with an original worksheet. The worked example is hypothetical. It does not estimate any vendor's AI fee beyond what Audivi's release states, or report a Maple customer's costs.