Upfirst AI: Pricing, Review, and Alternatives (2026)
Upfirst is an AI answering service that bills by the call, not the minute, and puts booking, transfers and 35+ languages on every plan, even the cheapest.
For a solo business with light call volume, that’s a strong deal. Busy lines and teams hit its limits faster.
The quick answer: Upfirst is an AI receptionist for small businesses: $24.95 a month for 30 calls, $59.95 for 90, $159.95 for 300 and $299 for 600, 20% less on annual billing, with a 14-day free trial. It answers 24/7, books into Google, Outlook, Calendly and more, transfers calls and blocks spam you’re never billed for. If you also want new leads called within a minute, two-way texting from your number and every call in a shared team inbox, Carly does all of it on one business line. Copy one prompt into ChatGPT or Claude, grab a number, and you’re live.
Prices from Upfirst’s pricing page, checked October 19, 2026.
Upfirst at a glance
| Upfirst | |
|---|---|
| What it is | AI receptionist and answering service |
| Billing | Per call; spam, calls under 15 seconds and silent calls aren’t billed |
| Booking | Google Calendar, Outlook, Calendly, Acuity, Square and Clio Manage |
| Languages | 35+, switching automatically, with transcripts translated to yours |
| Setup | Enter your website, or have ChatGPT or Claude set it up through Upfirst’s connector |
| Integrations | Zapier, plus Custom Actions to any app with an API |
| Price | $24.95 to $299 a month; custom above 600 calls |
| Free trial | 14 days, no credit card |
Upfirst pricing
| Plan | Monthly | Annual (per month) | Calls | Extra calls |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starter | $24.95 | $20 | 30 | $1.50 each |
| Premium | $59.95 | $48 | 90 | $1.00 each |
| Pro | $159.95 | $128 | 300 | $0.75 each |
| Scale | $299 | $240 | 600 | $0.70 each |
| Custom | Quoted | Quoted | 600+ | Volume pricing, BAAs for HIPAA |
Every plan includes 24/7 answering, call summaries, recordings and transcripts, warm transfers, booking, in-call texting of links, spam blocking, Zapier, 35+ languages and caller memory. Pro and Scale add white-glove onboarding and custom integration help. Extra agents for other locations are $9.95 a month each.
What Upfirst does well
- Booking on the cheapest plan. Many AI receptionists save calendar booking for a higher tier. Upfirst doesn’t.
- Fair billing. Spam, pocket dials and calls under 15 seconds don’t count.
- Remembers returning callers and their past calls.
- Set up from a chat. Upfirst ships a ChatGPT plugin and a Claude connector that configure your receptionist in plain English.
- Keep your number. Forward all calls, only missed ones, or only after-hours.
The catches
- Per-call pricing scales with volume. At 600 calls a month you’re at $299; past that, it’s a custom quote.
- Its plans cover answering. Calling new web leads back isn’t on the feature list.
- Texts are links sent during a call, like a booking page or directions.
- Human support is weekdays, 9 to 6 Eastern, with AI support on weekends.
Upfirst alternatives
| Alternative | Best for | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Carly | Answering plus outbound lead calls, two-way texts and a team inbox on one line | Free Zapier-style workflows; AI agents from $35/mo |
| Dialzara | Minute bundles, with outbound sold separately | $29/mo for 60 minutes |
| Smith.ai | AI with a live receptionist option | Free for 25 calls; Pro $150 for 75 |
| Rosie | Flat minute bundles for home services | $49/mo for 250 minutes |
| Goodcall | Billing by unique caller | $79/mo for 100 callers |
1. Carly
Carly is built for teams whose phone is a sales channel, not just a line to cover. It follows your rules exactly, the same way on every call.
- Answers 24/7, or only when your team doesn’t pick up, in English or Spanish.
- Calls new leads within about a minute of a form fill, with their answers in hand, then texts and emails if they miss it (AI outbound calling).
- Two-way texting from your business number, plus reminders, group texts and a text back on every missed call.
- Books across the team, round robin on everyone’s Google and Outlook calendars.
- Hands callers to a person through ring groups or a phone menu.
- One team inbox and CRM for calls, transcripts, texts and email, written back to HubSpot, Salesforce, Dynamics 365 or Carly’s own CRM.
- Runs from ChatGPT or Claude with the Carly connector: build agents, place calls, send texts and steer a live call from a chat (see how).
Carly connects to thousands of apps, and call outcomes trigger free Zapier-style workflows.
Carly business setup prompt
Paste this into ChatGPT, Claude or any AI. It walks you through the rest.
Help me connect Carly Teams to this chat: read https://carlyassistant.com/team/mcp.txt and follow it. If you can't open links, tell me how to add https://carlyassistant.com/team/mcp to you as a custom MCP connector, then I'll sign in.
- Best for: teams that want inbound, outbound and texting on one number.
- Setup: copy one prompt into ChatGPT or Claude, grab a number, and you’re live.
- Pricing: Free Zapier-style workflows; AI agents from $35/month. Get started.
2. Dialzara
Dialzara bills by talk time and sells outbound, SMS and chat agents as separate products.
- Pricing: $29 a month for 60 minutes up to $349 for 1,000.
- Limitations: booking and warm transfers start at $99. See Dialzara.
3. Smith.ai
Smith.ai sells an AI receptionist plus live receptionists.
- Pricing: free for 25 calls; Pro $150 for 75 calls.
- Limitations: $2.50 per extra call on Pro. See Smith.ai alternatives.
4. Rosie
Rosie sells flat minute bundles aimed at home service businesses.
- Pricing: $49 a month for 250 minutes; $149 for 1,000 with calendar booking.
- Limitations: the entry plan texts a booking link. See Rosie AI alternatives.
5. Goodcall
Goodcall bills by unique caller, so repeat callers don’t cost extra.
- Pricing: $79 a month for 100 unique callers.
- Limitations: inbound only. See Goodcall.
More in best AI receptionist and virtual receptionist.
FAQ
How much does Upfirst cost?
$24.95 a month for 30 calls, $59.95 for 90, $159.95 for 300 and $299 for 600, or 20% less billed annually. Extra calls cost 70¢ to $1.50.
Is Upfirst worth it?
For a solo business or small office with modest call volume, yes: booking and transfers on the cheapest plan is good value. If your phone also has to call leads back and text customers, Carly covers both.
Does Upfirst work with ChatGPT and Claude?
Yes, for setting up and updating your receptionist. Carly’s connector goes further: ChatGPT or Claude can place calls and send texts on your team line and build the voice agent (how it works).
Can I keep my business number with Upfirst?
Yes, you forward your existing number to your Upfirst number. With Carly, you grab a number right in the chat: copy one prompt into ChatGPT or Claude and you’re live in minutes.
What is the best Upfirst alternative?
Carly for teams that want answering, lead calls and texting together. Dialzara if you prefer minute bundles.
Ready to automate your busywork?
Carly schedules, researches, and briefs you—so you can focus on what matters.
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."
