Comparison
Smith.ai review
Direct answer
Our Smith.ai review in short: it's a well-reviewed answering service that picks up your business calls with live North American receptionists, an AI receptionist, or a mix of both. If your main problem is unanswered calls, it's a strong choice. The human plans are priced per call and get expensive at volume, and some reviewers mention slow support and strict refund terms. TeamShift makes a competing product: our AI answers business calls too, but it has no live receptionists and doesn't transfer calls. If you want a person on the line for important callers, Smith.ai is the better pick, and this review explains how to choose a plan.
What Smith.ai does
As of October 2026, Smith.ai sells three kinds of call handling, per its homepage:
- Virtual receptionists (human-first). Live agents answer 24/7, screen and qualify callers, book appointments on your calendar, collect payments, make outbound calls to return messages or confirm appointments, and work in English and Spanish. On the human plans, appointment booking ($1.50), payment collection ($1.00), and a dedicated Spanish line ($1.00) are per-call add-ons, per the pricing page.
- AI receptionist (AI-first). An automated agent that answers immediately, screens spam, qualifies callers, books appointments, and warm-transfers with context. Human escalation is available as a per-call add-on, per the AI receptionist page.
- Hybrid. AI handles routine calls and humans take the complex ones.
Smith.ai also offers web chat. It integrates with CRMs and calendars, with native links to tools such as Clio, Salesforce, HubSpot, and Calendly, and more through Zapier and Make. Much of the site is written for legal intake, though it also markets to home services companies, agencies, and other small businesses.
Smith.ai pricing (as of October 2026)
Human-first receptionist plans, from Smith.ai's pricing page:
| Plan | Monthly price | Calls included | Overage per call |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starter | $300 | 30 | $11.50 |
| Basic | $810 | 90 | $10.50 |
| Pro | $2,100 | 300 | $8.50 |
| Enterprise | Custom | Custom | Custom |
Plans are month to month with no setup fee, there is a 10% discount for paying 12 months up front, and new clients get a money-back guarantee (check its terms for the window). Spam and unsolicited sales calls are not charged as long as your forwarded lines pass Caller ID.
AI receptionist tiers, from the AI receptionist page:
| Tier | Monthly price | Calls |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | 25 calls, then $3.00/call |
| Pro | $150 | About $2.00/call (~2-3 calls a day) |
| Enterprise | $500 | About $1.67/call (~10 calls a day) |
Before add-ons, a human-answered call costs roughly $7 to $11.50 and an AI-answered call roughly $1.67 to $3. Booking, payment, and Spanish-line add-ons raise the human per-call figure. If most of your calls are routine (hours, booking, directions), the AI tier is far cheaper. If calls are high-value and emotional, like a legal intake or an emergency repair, many owners still prefer a person.
What users say
On Trustpilot, Smith.ai has a 4.4 TrustScore from about 370 reviews as of October 2026, with roughly 89% five-star and 7% one-star.
What people praise: 24/7 coverage so leads stop going to voicemail, professional and friendly receptionists, straightforward setup, and calendar and CRM connections that work.
What people complain about: slow responses from Smith.ai's own customer support, an AI receptionist some clients found adequate but less natural than the humans, occasional back-office disorganization, and frustration with refund terms for unused service.
For an answering service, that's a good reputation.
Strengths and weaknesses
Strengths
- Real people answering your phone around the clock, with an AI option for lower cost.
- Bilingual English and Spanish answering (a dedicated Spanish line is a per-call add-on on human plans).
- Can book appointments, take payments, and make outbound calls. Booking and payments are per-call add-ons on human plans.
- Month-to-month plans, no setup fee, and a money-back guarantee for new clients.
- Strong public ratings.
Weaknesses
- Per-call pricing adds up. A business taking 10 calls a day on a human plan is well past the Starter allowance.
- The work stops at the call. Smith.ai captures the message, books the slot, and pushes data to your CRM, but the follow-up after that (quotes, reminders, invoices, email) is still yours.
- Its legal focus means some scripts and integrations matter more to a law firm than to, say, a landscaper.
- Some reviewers report slow account support.
Where TeamShift fits, and where it does not
TeamShift's AI answers calls, but there are no human receptionists. Its Support worker picks up on your business line, says it's an AI assistant, answers from a brief you write, and takes the caller's details. Anything that would book, quote, refund, or change an order comes to you to approve, and the caller is told someone will confirm. If you want a person on the phone, warm transfers to your staff, Spanish-language answering, or appointments booked during the call, Smith.ai is the better fit. A person also handles emotional calls and complex intake better than any AI.
TeamShift also handles the work after the call. A business gets a hosted team of nine AI workers. Support sorts Gmail or Outlook, drafts replies, and returns missed calls and texts by text message. Sales drafts fast first replies to inbound leads and follow-ups on quotes and estimates. Customer success drafts reminders and no-show follow-ups. Finance chases invoices and cleans up QuickBooks. Anything that sends to a customer, moves money, publishes, deletes, or commits your calendar waits for your OK, and every step is recorded.
Some owners use both: a human answering service for high-stakes intake, and an AI team for routine calls, the inbox, missed-call text-back, and the follow-up that each call starts. Our AI receptionist vs answering service comparison goes deeper on the phone side.
| Smith.ai | TeamShift | |
|---|---|---|
| Answers live calls | Yes (human, AI, or hybrid) | Yes (AI only, changes wait for your approval) |
| Live human receptionists | Yes | No |
| Missed-call text-back | Not its focus | Yes, with your approval |
| Email inbox triage and drafts | No | Yes |
| Quote, invoice, and no-show follow-up | Outbound calls on request | Yes, across days, with approvals |
| Pricing | Per call, monthly plans | Free workspace; usage billed at 3x compute cost, quoted with a maximum before work starts, spend caps |
| Public ratings | 4.4 on Trustpilot | None published |
Who Smith.ai is best for
- Law firms and professional services where every intake call can be worth thousands.
- Home service and local businesses losing jobs to voicemail during busy hours or after hours.
- Owners who want a live person, not just an AI voice, for important callers.
- Businesses that need Spanish-language answering.
Alternatives to Smith.ai
- Other live answering services: Ruby is a well-known US receptionist service. Compare per-minute and per-call pricing against your typical call length.
- AI-only phone agents: cheaper per call if your calls are routine. Test with real callers before switching.
- Your phone system's voicemail-to-text: free or cheap, but someone still has to call back.
- An AI team that answers and follows through: TeamShift answers routine calls with an AI voice and handles the inbox, missed-call text-back, quote and invoice follow-up, and back-office work, with changes waiting for your OK. See pricing.
FAQ
Is Smith.ai worth it?
For businesses where a missed call means a lost customer, usually yes. Its public ratings are strong and plans are month to month. If your calls are mostly routine, start with the AI receptionist tiers, which cost far less per call than the human plans.
How much does Smith.ai cost?
As of October 2026, human-first plans start at $300/month for 30 calls ($11.50 per extra call), before per-call add-ons for booking, payments, or a Spanish line. AI receptionist tiers range from a free plan with 25 calls to $500/month. Spam calls are not charged when your lines pass Caller ID.
Does Smith.ai use real people?
Yes. Its virtual receptionist plans use live North American agents. It also sells an AI receptionist and a hybrid option where AI takes routine calls and people take the rest.
Does Smith.ai have a contract?
No long-term contract is required. Plans are month to month. New clients get a money-back guarantee (check its terms for the window).
Can TeamShift replace Smith.ai?
For routine calls, it can. TeamShift's AI answers your line, takes messages and job details, and sends bookings and changes to you to approve. It has no human receptionists, call transfer, or booking during the call, so if those matter, keep Smith.ai or use both. TeamShift also returns missed calls by text and handles email, follow-up, and back-office work.
What happens after Smith.ai takes a message?
Smith.ai can book the appointment, collect a payment, and send the details to your CRM. The quote, the reminders, and the invoice afterward are usually still on you or your team, which is the part an AI team like TeamShift is built to handle.