Smith.ai pricing in 2026: AI Receptionist and live receptionist plans explained
Updated October 24, 2026
Smith.ai has two price lists. Its AI Receptionist is free for 25 calls a month, then Pro plans at $150 for 75 calls, $270 for 150 and $500 for 300. Its live Virtual Front Desk (human receptionists) is $300 a month for 30 calls, $810 for 90 and $2,100 for 300. Both charge per call, not per minute, with no setup fee listed for the live plans. Figures are from smith.ai/pricing and smith.ai/pricing/ai-receptionist, checked October 24, 2026.
Only need missed callers to hear back fast? Ringback does not answer calls: it texts every caller you miss from your own business number within seconds, with a booking link. $17/month (or $170/year) flat, not per call, with no setup fee; 7-day free trial (no card to start; add PayPal only to keep it after the trial). Start your free trial
Smith.ai AI Receptionist plans
| Plan | Price a month | Calls included | Each extra call |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | 25 | $3.00 |
| Pro | $150 | 75 | $2.50 |
| Pro | $270 | 150 | $2.30 |
| Pro | $500 | 300 | $2.17 |
| Enterprise | From $500 | 300 at $1.67 a call, or 500 at $1.60 a call; 1,000+ custom | $2.17 / $2.10 |
The free plan includes 24/7 AI answering, recording and transcription, lead qualification and scheduling, but not custom AI prompting or live support. Pro adds onboarding and live support; Enterprise adds full-service setup and multi-location support. The AI Receptionist is month to month with 30 days' notice to cancel. Every answered call counts by default; known spam numbers are filtered first, and you can remove up to 10% of calls a cycle as spam.
Smith.ai live receptionist (Virtual Front Desk) plans
| Plan | Price a month | Calls included | Each extra call |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starter | $300 | 30 | $11.50 |
| Basic | $810 | 90 | $10.50 |
| Pro | $2,100 | 300 | $8.50 |
| Enterprise | Priced on request | ||
- No setup fees; month to month with no long-term contract; 10% off for a 12-month subscription.
- Spam and sales calls are free if your forwarded line passes caller ID; wrong numbers don't count.
- 30-day money-back guarantee on the plan and add-ons, excluding overage, capped at $1,000.
Calculator: AI receptionist per call vs flat text-back
| Option | Monthly cost |
|---|---|
| Ringback (texts back all 30 missed callers) | $17 flat, or $170/year (about $14.17/month) |
| Smith.ai AI Receptionist (answers 30 calls) | $15 on the Free plan |
| Quo's Sona AI agent (answers 30 calls) | $20 for Sona (Free (included)), plus the Quo plan itself at $19/user/month: $39 for one user |
Not like for like: AI receptionists answer the call and talk to the caller; Ringback does not answer, it texts the caller back from your own number.
How it works: for each AI service we take its cheapest published plan for that many answered calls (plan price plus extra calls at that plan's per-call rate). Smith.ai: Free has 25 calls a month then $3 a call; Pro is $150 for 75 calls ($2.50 per extra), $270 for 150 ($2.30) or $500 for 300 ($2.17). Quo Sona: 10 calls a month free on every plan ($1 per extra), or credit tiers at $25 for 40 calls ($0.75 per extra), $49 for 100 ($0.65), $99 for 250 ($0.55) and $199 for 600 ($0.45). Vendor prices checked October 24, 2026 on smith.ai and quo.com; Ringback's price is the live price. Nothing you type leaves this page.
Which Smith.ai plan, or none
- Callers need a person every time (emergencies, high-value jobs): the live Virtual Front Desk, priced per call.
- Callers need an answer, not necessarily a person: the AI Receptionist, starting free.
- Most missed callers want to book or know you got the call, and you can call back within the hour: a text from your own number is often enough, for a flat price.
Ringback is missed-call text-back and online booking, not a receptionist: it never answers or talks on a call. It runs on the Android phone your business line already rings on, so texts come from your own number with no forwarding, with separate business-hours and after-hours messages and one inbox for replies. It costs $17/month (or $170/year) with no setup fee. The 7-day free trial needs no card to start: add PayPal only if you want to keep it, and the first charge is on the day the trial ends; if you don't, texting simply pauses then. See Ringback vs Smith.ai side by side, Ruby Receptionist pricing, or what missed-call text-back costs.
Questions
How much does Smith.ai cost?
From smith.ai's pricing pages, checked October 24, 2026: the AI Receptionist is free for 25 calls a month ($3 per extra call), then Pro at $150 for 75 calls, $270 for 150 or $500 for 300. The live Virtual Front Desk is $300 a month for 30 calls ($11.50 per extra), $810 for 90 ($10.50) or $2,100 for 300 ($8.50), with Enterprise priced on request.
Does Smith.ai charge per call or per minute?
Per call. On the live plans, spam and unsolicited sales calls are not charged as long as your forwarded line passes caller ID, and wrong numbers do not count. On the AI Receptionist, every answered call counts by default; calls from known spammers are filtered before the AI answers, and you can remove up to 10% of calls per cycle as spam.
Does Smith.ai have a contract?
The live plans are month to month with no long-term contract; cancelling bills you to the end of the current cycle, and a 12-month subscription gets 10% off. The AI Receptionist is month to month with 30 days' notice to cancel. Both per smith.ai, checked October 24, 2026.
Does Smith.ai have a free trial?
The AI Receptionist has a free plan (25 real calls a month). The live plans list no free trial but a 30-day money-back guarantee on the plan and add-ons, excluding overage, capped at $1,000.
Is there a cheaper alternative to Smith.ai?
If callers need to talk to someone (a person or an AI) every time, compare per-call prices with the calculator on this page. If most missed callers just want to book or know you got the call, missed-call text-back is a flat monthly price. Ringback is one: it does not answer calls; it texts every missed caller from your own number within seconds.
Ringback works on an Android phone your business line rings on, or with an iPhone plus a Mac (Mac helper, beta) or a spare Android: see missed-call text-back on iPhone.
Rather not set it up yourself? Done-for-you setup: we write your messages, set your hours and build your booking page, by email, one-time $39.