Smith.ai: AI Receptionist Pricing, Reviews and Alternatives
Smith.ai is one of the best-known answering services for law firms and small businesses. Since 2015 it has answered calls with live receptionists, and it now sells an AI receptionist alongside them, or a mix of both.
The two products are priced very differently, and most of the confusion about Smith.ai is which one you are looking at.
The quick answer: Smith.ai answers your business calls 24/7, qualifies callers, books appointments and logs everything to your CRM. Its AI Receptionist is free for 25 calls a month, then $150 a month for 75 calls on Pro. Its human receptionists start at $300 a month for 30 calls, with per-call add-ons for booking, follow-up texts and a Spanish line. If you want calls, texts and email answered from one team inbox, booked on every calendar your team uses, with the setup done for you, Carly is the better fit.
Smith.ai at a glance
Checked against Smith.ai’s website and both pricing pages on October 8, 2026. US dollars.
| Smith.ai | |
|---|---|
| What it is | A 24/7 answering service with AI agents, live receptionists, or both |
| Staff | 500+ trained live receptionists based in North America, per Smith.ai |
| Languages | English and Spanish |
| Integrations | Clio, HubSpot, Salesforce, Calendly, Zapier and others |
| AI price | Free for 25 calls a month. Pro from $150 a month for 75 calls. Enterprise from $500 |
| Human price | $300 a month for 30 calls, up to $2,100 for 300, plus add-ons |
| Ratings it cites | G2 4.9, Capterra 4.8, Clutch 4.8, Trustpilot 4.3 |
| Best for | Law firms and professional services that want intake handled by phone |
What Smith.ai does
Smith.ai answers in your business name, screens the caller against your criteria, books qualified callers on your calendar, transfers the ones who should reach a person, and sends a summary and transcript to your CRM.
It offers three ways to staff that intake: 100% AI, 100% human, or a hybrid where the AI handles routine calls and live receptionists step in. Its pages are written for law firms first, with intake scripts for personal injury, estate planning, immigration and employment law, and conflict checks on new callers. Immigration callers are answered in English or Spanish by default.
The AI Receptionist comes with what Smith.ai calls Quality Studio: you test the agent on simulated calls before it goes live, and each plan includes a set number of test calls.
Smith.ai pricing (October 2026)
AI Receptionist
| Plan | Price | Calls included | Extra calls |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | 25 a month | $3.00 each |
| Pro | $150 / $270 / $500 a month | 75 / 150 / 300 | $2.50 to $2.17 each |
| Enterprise | From $500 a month | 300 and up | $2.17 down to custom |
Pro adds dedicated onboarding, live support and custom text branding. Enterprise adds full-service setup, custom AI prompting by Smith.ai’s team and custom integrations.
Human receptionists
| Plan | Price | Calls included | Extra calls |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starter | $300 a month | 30 | $11.50 each |
| Basic | $810 a month | 90 | $10.50 each |
| Pro | $2,100 a month | 300 | $8.50 each |
Then add-ons, per call: $1.50 to book an appointment, $0.50 for a text or email follow-up, $0.50 for a Slack or text alert, $0.25 for recording and transcription, and $1.00 for a dedicated Spanish line. The service is month to month, with a 30-day money-back guarantee up to $1,000 and 10% off for a 12-month commitment.
Take Michael Bennett’s two-attorney practice: 90 calls a month, half of them booked. Basic is $810, the 45 bookings add $67.50, and recordings add $22.50. That is $900 a month before any overage.
Who Smith.ai fits
Smith.ai is strongest where the call is intake: a law firm, an accounting practice or a clinic where every caller needs screening and a booked consultation, and where a human voice still matters. The hybrid option is the reason to choose it over a pure AI tool.
It is a weaker fit if your team also needs to text customers back, work email in the same place, or have the assistant act on the call afterwards: update the deal, send the quote, follow up when the customer goes quiet. Per-call pricing also climbs quickly for a busy line.
Smith.ai alternatives
US list prices from each vendor’s pricing page, checked October 8, 2026.
| Alternative | Kind | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Carly | Calls, texts and email in one team inbox, with an AI receptionist | Phone line priced on a short call. Free Zapier-style workflows; AI agents from $35/month |
| Goodcall | AI answering, priced per unique caller | $79 to $299 a month |
| Rosie | AI answering for small businesses | $49 to $299 a month |
| My AI Front Desk | AI receptionist with its own CRM | $99 a month for 200 minutes |
| Ruby | Live human receptionists | $250 a month for 50 minutes, up to $1,725 for 500 |
1. Carly
Carly answers your business calls and does the work that comes after them.
- One inbox for calls, texts and email. Every conversation with a customer lands in one place your whole team can work.
- Answers when nobody can. Around the clock or only after hours. Carly qualifies the caller, books them on the right calendar and hands off to a teammate when a person should take it.
- Spanish without a menu. Carly detects a Spanish-speaking caller and answers in Spanish. No “press 2.”
- Texts back every missed call and calls new web leads from your business number the moment they come in.
- Acts afterwards. The follow-up goes out when the call ends, the deal moves in HubSpot or Salesforce, and the call summary and transcript land on the customer’s record.
- Works from ChatGPT or Claude. Add the Carly connector and you can ask ChatGPT or Claude to call or text a customer from your team line. Here is how.
The Carly team sets up your line with you, on your own Twilio line or a new number, and prices it on a short call. Everything else: free Zapier-style workflows; AI agents from $35/month.
2. Goodcall
Goodcall bills by unique caller instead of by minute or call: $79 a month for 100 customers, $129 for 500, $299 for 2,000. Repeat calls from the same number in a month count once.
3. Rosie
Rosie is a self-serve AI answering service for small businesses, from $49 a month for 250 minutes to $299 for 2,000, with a seven-day trial.
4. My AI Front Desk
My AI Front Desk, now called Frontdesk AI, bundles an AI receptionist with texting, chat and its own CRM for $99 a month.
5. Ruby
Ruby is a long-running live receptionist service that bills by the minute: $250 a month for 50 minutes, $720 for 200 and $1,725 for 500. If you want only humans on the phone, it is the closest match to Smith.ai’s human plans. For more options, see best AI receptionists and AI answering services.
FAQ
How much does Smith.ai cost?
The AI Receptionist is free for 25 calls a month, then $150 a month for 75 calls on Pro, $270 for 150 and $500 for 300. Human receptionists cost $300 a month for 30 calls, $810 for 90 and $2,100 for 300, plus per-call add-ons.
Is Smith.ai AI or real people?
Both. You choose 100% AI, 100% live receptionists, or a hybrid. Smith.ai says it has more than 500 receptionists based in North America.
Does Smith.ai answer in Spanish?
Yes. The AI handles English and Spanish, and the human plans offer a dedicated Spanish line for $1 a call. Carly detects the caller’s language and answers in Spanish automatically. See bilingual answering services.
What is the best Smith.ai alternative?
For a team that wants calls, texts and email handled together, Carly. It answers, books, follows up and updates your CRM, and the Carly team sets it up with you. Book a call to scope your line.
Ready to automate your busywork?
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See what people say
"Before Carly, I relied on a Calendly link, but the whole process felt impersonal and not very professional. Carly changed that by handling all the back-and-forth, so I'm no longer stuck in endless email threads trying to line up schedules.
Now Carly reaches out to candidates, shares my real-time availability, lets them pick a slot, then sends a Zoom link and drops it straight into my calendar. She sends reminders to both of us before each call, which has significantly reduced no-shows and last-minute confusion.
On top of scheduling, Carly acts like a full executive assistant, sending me my schedule the night before so I can prepare for each call. It reminds me of the old x.ai assistant, but Carly is noticeably smarter, faster, and better suited to my healthcare recruitment business."
