Alternatives · research-based · editorial opinion marked

Smith.ai alternatives

Smith.ai sells two different products: an AI-first receptionist billed per call, and fully live virtual receptionists billed per call at higher rates. The right alternative depends on which one you are replacing.

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If you're comparing against Smith.ai Virtual Receptionists (live)

Cheapest published plan at each monthly call volume, assuming 3-minute average calls. “n/c” = not computable from published pricing. * = another plan from this vendor would exceed its allowance and has no published overage rate, so it cannot be priced; it might be cheaper.
Vendor	50 calls/mo (150 min)	100 calls/mo (300 min)	200 calls/mo (600 min)	Source
Smith.ai Virtual Receptionists Live humans · Per call	$530 Starter	$915 Basic	$1,965 Basic	pricing page Oct 21, 2026
Posh Virtual Receptionists Live humans · Per minute	$322.50 100 minutes	$645^* 100 minutes	$1,290^* 100 minutes	pricing page Oct 21, 2026
Smith.ai AI Receptionist AI + live backup · Per call	$75 Free	$212.50 Pro 75	$385 Pro 150	pricing page Oct 21, 2026

Posh is another live service billed by receptionist minute. Ruby is a well-known live alternative, but its receptionist plan prices were not readable in its public page text, so we can't place it in the table. See Ruby. Smith.ai's own AI Receptionist, with live escalation, is a much cheaper option from the same company.

If you're comparing against Smith.ai AI Receptionist

Cheapest published plan at each monthly call volume, assuming 3-minute average calls. “n/c” = not computable from published pricing. * = another plan from this vendor would exceed its allowance and has no published overage rate, so it cannot be priced; it might be cheaper.
Vendor	50 calls/mo (150 min)	100 calls/mo (300 min)	200 calls/mo (600 min)	Source
Smith.ai AI Receptionist AI + live backup · Per call	$75 Free	$212.50 Pro 75	$385 Pro 150	pricing page Oct 21, 2026
Upfirst AI · Per call	$54.95 Starter	$69.95 Premium	$159.95 Pro	pricing page Oct 21, 2026
Goodcall AI · Per unique caller	$79 Starter	$79 Starter	$129 Growth	pricing page Oct 21, 2026
NextPhone AI · Flat (unlimited calls)	$199 Pro	$199 Pro	$199 Pro	pricing page Oct 21, 2026
Rosie AI · Per minute	$49 Professional	$149^* Scale	$149^* Scale	pricing page Oct 21, 2026

What you give up

Smith.ai's AI product can escalate calls to its live agent network; the AI-only alternatives listed transfer to your own team instead.
Smith.ai's live product offers per-call add-ons such as conflict checks and payment collection that matter to law firms. Source: smith.ai/pricing, checked Oct 21, 2026

Editorial opinion

If live-agent backup is the reason you chose Smith.ai, the closest substitute is another live service or keeping Smith.ai's AI tier. If you mostly need routine calls handled, the AI-only alternatives above cost substantially less at the same volume on published prices.

Last updated Oct 21, 2026. Found an error? Tell us and we will correct it.