AI Tools · AI Receptionists & Call Answering
Smith.ai Review
AI receptionist with a free plan, plus human-first live receptionists answering 24/7
Quick verdict
Who Smith.ai fits: Small businesses, including trade shops, that want an AI receptionist they can start free and the option of live North America-based receptionists for calls that need a person. Pricing: AI Receptionist: Free (25 calls/mo, then $3.00/call), Pro $150/mo ($2.00/call), Enterprise $500/mo ($1.67/call). Human-first receptionists: $300/mo for 30 calls, $810/mo for 90, $2,100/mo for 300 (overage $8.50-$11.50/call). No setup fees, month-to-month; 30-day money-back guarantee on receptionist plans. Drawbacks: Per-call billing adds up at high call volume; live human coverage starts at $300/mo for 30 calls; general service whose website leads with law firms rather than trades.
About Smith.ai
Smith.ai sells two phone-answering services: a self-serve AI Receptionist and a Human-first Virtual Receptionist service in which live, North America-based receptionists answer every call with AI guidance in the background. Co-founders Aaron Lee (a former CTO of The Home Depot) and Justin Maxwell started the company in 2015, and it says it has handled more than 25 million calls. Its website leads with law firms, with home services listed among its other industries.
The AI Receptionist answers 24/7 in English or Spanish, qualifies leads, routes calls, books appointments through Calendly and other schedulers, and records, transcribes and summarizes each call. The Free plan covers 25 calls a month and then charges $3.00 per call, Pro is $150/mo at $2.00 per call, and Enterprise is $500/mo at $1.67 per call with full-service setup and multi-location support. You can add live receptionists from Smith.ai's network for calls that need a person, billed per call.
The Human-first plans cost $300/mo for 30 calls, $810/mo for 90 calls and $2,100/mo for 300 calls, with overage of $11.50, $10.50 or $8.50 per call. Spam calls are not charged, there are no setup fees, service is month-to-month, and a 12-month commitment takes 10% off. New clients get a 30-day money-back guarantee on the plan and add-ons, up to $1,000, excluding overage.
The trade-off: Smith.ai bills per call rather than per minute, so a busy shop needs to model its monthly call count, and live human coverage costs far more than the AI plans. It is also a general business service whose website leads with law firms, rather than a trades-specific tool.
How it works
For the AI Receptionist, you sign up online (a card is required even for the free plan, with no charge until you authorize one), test the agent in Smith.ai's Quality Studio, then forward your calls to the dedicated number it gives you. The AI answers 24/7 in English or Spanish, qualifies leads, answers questions from your FAQs, routes calls and books appointments through Calendly or other connected schedulers, and sends you recordings, transcripts and summaries. It connects to CRMs such as Salesforce and HubSpot natively, or to other apps through Zapier and Make. For the Human-first service, you pick a plan by monthly call count and Smith.ai's live receptionists answer every call around the clock, screening leads, booking appointments and taking payments by your instructions. Both services bill per call, not per minute.
Pros & cons
What works
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Free AI plan to start
The AI Receptionist has a free plan with 25 calls a month, so you can test it on real calls before paying; after 25 calls it charges $3.00 per call.
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Live receptionists when you want them
You can use the Human-first service, where North America-based receptionists answer every call 24/7, or add live agents to the AI plans per call.
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Long operating history
Smith.ai was founded in 2015 and says it has handled more than 25 million calls over that time.
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Per-call billing and no spam charges
You pay per call rather than per minute, and Smith.ai says it does not charge for spam or unsolicited sales calls when your lines pass caller ID.
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Money-back guarantee on receptionist plans
New clients can get a full refund of the plan and add-ons within 30 days, up to $1,000 (overage excluded).
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English and Spanish
Every AI plan includes English and Spanish, and the human service offers bilingual receptionists.
What doesn't
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Human coverage: $300/mo for 30 calls
Human-first plans start at $300/mo for just 30 calls, and overage runs $8.50-$11.50 per call, which adds up quickly for a busy shop.
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Per-call costs scale with volume
Even the AI plans charge per call ($1.67-$3.00), so a shop with heavy call volume should compare the monthly total with receptionists that include unlimited minutes.
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Legal focus
Smith.ai's website and integrations (such as Clio) lean toward law firms; home services is one of several secondary markets, so expect to give it trade-specific instructions.
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Add-ons cost extra on the human plans
On the Human-first plans, features like appointment booking ($1.50), a dedicated Spanish line ($1.00) and payments ($1.00) are priced as add-ons.
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Card required for the free plan
The free AI plan still asks for a card at signup, although Smith.ai says it does not charge until you authorize it.
Pricing
AI Receptionist: Free (25 calls/mo, then $3.00/call), Pro $150/mo ($2.00/call), Enterprise $500/mo ($1.67/call). Human-first receptionists: $300/mo for 30 calls, $810/mo for 90, $2,100/mo for 300 (overage $8.50-$11.50/call). No setup fees, month-to-month; 30-day money-back guarantee on receptionist plans.
Starting at $0/mo
Affiliate disclosure: The link to Smith.ai on this page goes to its own site and is not an affiliate link.
Integrations & key features
Integrations
Key features
Frequently asked
What makes Smith.ai different from AI-only receptionists?
Smith.ai offers both an AI Receptionist and a Human-first service where live, North America-based receptionists answer every call. You can also add live agents to the AI plans for calls that need a person. The company has operated since 2015.
How much does Smith.ai cost?
The AI Receptionist has a Free plan (25 calls a month, then $3.00 per call), Pro at $150/mo ($2.00 per call) and Enterprise at $500/mo ($1.67 per call). Human-first receptionist plans are $300/mo for 30 calls, $810/mo for 90 calls and $2,100/mo for 300 calls, with overage of $8.50-$11.50 per call. There are no setup fees.
Is Smith.ai good for contractors?
It can work, but Smith.ai's website leads with law firms and lists home services as one of several other industries. A contractor gets 24/7 answering, lead screening and booking, but should give it clear instructions about services and service area.
Does Smith.ai charge per minute or per call?
Per call. Smith.ai does not charge for spam or unsolicited sales calls when your lines pass caller ID, but every real call counts toward your plan or is billed as overage.
Can I try Smith.ai risk-free?
The AI Receptionist has a free plan with 25 calls a month (a card is required at signup). For the receptionist plans, new clients get a 30-day money-back guarantee covering the plan and add-ons up to $1,000, excluding overage.
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