Smith.ai reviews and pricing: its AI and live plans compared with an AI alternative
Short answer
Smith.ai sells two different services under one name: an AI receptionist and live human receptionists. As of October 2026, the AI is free up to 25 calls a month and starts at $150 a month beyond that, while the live plans start at $300 a month for 30 calls, and reviews can be about either. AIReceptionistGo is a 100% AI receptionist billed per answered call, with every feature included on every plan.
Free setup · No contract · Cancel anytime
Smith.ai vs. AIReceptionistGo, side by side
A month of 50 calls, priced as of October 2026. All three bill by the call.
| Smith.ai AI | Smith.ai live | AIReceptionistGo | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who answers | AI, people as an add-on | People | AI; transfers to you |
| What you pay for | Calls | Calls | Calls |
| Hours | 24/7 | 24/7 | 24/7 |
| Lowest entry | $0 for 25 calls | $300 for 30 calls | No monthly fee; $0.99 per answered call |
| Each extra call | $3.00 (Free), $2.50 (Pro) | $11.50 (Starter) | $0.69 on the 50-Call Plan |
| A month of 50 calls | $75 (25 free + 25 × $3.00) | $530 (+ per-call add-ons) | $29 on the 50-Call Plan |
| Booking, Spanish, recording | Included | Paid per call | Included |
| Canceling | Month to month, 30 days’ notice | Month to month, billed to the end of the cycle | No contract, cancel anytime |
Facts checked on .
Sources
- smith.ai/pricing/ai-receptionist, checked October 16, 2026
- smith.ai/ai-receptionist, checked October 16, 2026
- smith.ai/pricing/receptionists, checked October 16, 2026
Example call
Hear how a call sounds
A comparison table only goes so far. This is an after-hours call to a plumbing shop, answered by the AI, and the summary the owner gets right after. Press play to hear it.
- It says it’s an AI up front, and again when the caller asks.
- It asks what matters, in order: what’s wrong, how urgent, who and where.
- It never promises what the owner hasn’t approved.
Example call: a leaking water heater after hours, answered by the AI.
Copperline Plumbing
Tuesday, 6:40 p.m. · after hours
Urgent
- AI
- Thanks for calling Copperline Plumbing. This is the shop’s AI assistant. How can I help?
- Caller
- Oh. Am I talking to a real person?
- AI
- No, I’m an AI assistant. I can take the details and get them to the on-call plumber. What’s going on?
- Caller
- My water heater is leaking. It’s not a flood, just a puddle that keeps growing.
- AI
- Okay. Is it still leaking right now?
- Caller
- Yes, it’s still dripping.
- AI
- Got it. I’m marking this urgent for the on-call plumber. Your name and address?
- Caller
- Megan Torres, 31 Willow Bend.
- AI
- Thanks, Megan. I’m sending this to the plumber now, and I’ll text you a confirmation.
Summary sent to you
- Urgent
- Water heater leaking, still dripping.
- Caller
- Megan Torres, 31 Willow Bend.
- Done
- Sent to the on-call plumber; confirmation text sent. No arrival time promised.
Smith.ai pricing: two services, two price lists
Checked on Smith.ai’s pricing and product pages on October 16, 2026.
Smith.ai AI Receptionist (pricing), billed by the call:
| Plan | Per month | Calls included | Each extra call |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | 25 | $3.00 |
| Pro | from $150 | 75 (150- and 300-call tiers at $1.80 and $1.67 per call) | $2.50 (75), $2.30 (150), $2.17 (300) |
| Enterprise | from $500 | 300 and up | $2.17 (300 calls) to $2.10 (500) |
Smith.ai live receptionists (pricing), people answering, billed by the call:
| Plan | Per month | Calls included | Each extra call |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starter | $300 | 30 | $11.50 |
| Basic | $810 | 90 | $10.50 |
| Pro | $2,100 | 300 | $8.50 |
The live plans add per-call fees for some tasks, including $1.50 to book an appointment, $1.00 for a dedicated Spanish line and $0.25 for recording and transcription.
What Smith.ai does well
- An AI plan at no cost. Up to 25 calls a month cost nothing. If you get fewer than 25 calls, that’s cheaper than our Pay As You Go, and we’d rather you know it.
- People when you want them. It has a network of live receptionists and can bring one into an AI call as a per-call add-on.
- English and Spanish on the AI. Its AI plans include both languages.
- A 30-day money-back guarantee for new clients on the live plans.
- Integrations with tools such as Clio, Salesforce and HubSpot.
Where AIReceptionistGo is different
Everything is in every plan. No add-on fees per call for booking, Spanish or recording. Booking in your calendar, transfers, urgent alerts, spam screening, English and Spanish, recordings, transcripts and summaries come with each plan.
The middle of the curve costs less. Past the free 25 calls, Smith.ai AI charges $3.00 per call, and its next plan starts at $150. A month of 50 calls comes to $75 on its no-cost plan with extra calls turned on. With us, 50 calls fit the 50-Call Plan at $29 a month.
We write the protocol for your trade. Our call protocols come from nearly two decades of running phone reception for small businesses. You tell us how you work, we write what the AI asks, when it transfers and what it never promises, and you approve it before the first call. See our method.
Who should pick which
Pick Smith.ai if you get up to 25 calls a month and want to pay nothing, or if you want the option of a live person stepping in on certain calls, or if a law practice tool like Clio is central to your intake.
Pick AIReceptionistGo as your Smith.ai alternative if you get a few dozen calls or more a month and want one predictable price with nothing added per call, and a protocol written around your trade. Compare all our plans on pricing, and if you’re weighing people against AI in general, read AI receptionist vs. answering service.
Moving from Smith.ai
Your business number stays with your carrier, so nothing changes for callers. Tell us how your calls go today, including the intake questions you use now, and we write your protocol from that. Once you’ve approved it, you point your call forwarding to us; the options are on call forwarding answering service, and the whole process is on how it works.
Free setup · No contract · Cancel anytime
Questions about Smith.ai
What do Smith.ai reviews say?
Because Smith.ai sells both live receptionists and AI, first check which service each reviewer used, then look at whether add-on fees surprised them, and how intake went for a business like yours. Reviews of the live service don’t tell you how the AI handles calls.
How much does Smith.ai cost?
As of October 2026, Smith.ai’s AI Receptionist is free for 25 calls a month ($3.00 per extra call), then from $150 a month for 75 calls. Its live receptionist plans start at $300 a month for 30 calls, with extra calls from $8.50 to $11.50 and per-call add-ons. Check smith.ai/pricing for current figures.
Does the Smith.ai AI plan really cost nothing?
Yes, up to 25 calls a month, according to Smith.ai. It asks for a card at signup, and calls beyond 25 cost $3.00 each once you turn overage on. For a very quiet line it’s hard to beat. Once you pass a few dozen calls a month, compare the total against a plan with calls included.
Does AIReceptionistGo offer live people as a backup?
No. Every call is answered by AI, and it says so. When a call needs a person, it’s transferred to you or your team by your rules, and if nobody picks up, the AI takes a full message and alerts you. If you want an outside live receptionist on some calls, Smith.ai offers that and we don’t.
Try it on your calls
If you’re past 25 calls a month and would rather not pay per task, click “Get started” and tell us how your phone works today. We’ll draft your protocol with booking, Spanish and recording already in, for you to approve. Other services, with the same 50-call math, are on compare AI receptionists.
Free setup · No contract · Cancel anytime