How we checked this
We opened smith.ai/pricing (human-first plans), smith.ai/ai-receptionist, and smith.ai/pricing/ai-receptionist on October 6, 2026. Plan cards and overage lines below match those pages. We did not place test calls for this refresh. The verdict is for owners comparing AI receptionists and answering services, with law still the company’s deepest stack.
What does Smith.ai cost per month?
Smith.ai charges per answered call. AI Pro is $150 a month for 75 calls. The free AI plan is $0 for 25 calls. Human Starter is $300 for 30 calls, and call 31 costs $11.50. Plans are month to month. Overages and live-agent transfers cost extra, so budget above the included calls. Checked on smith.ai/pricing on October 6, 2026.
Smith.ai: Solid pick
It is 2 a.m. A caller with an emergency, or a caller with a case, hits your business line. Voicemail means they dial the next number. Smith.ai is the product that picks up, screens, tries to book, and can hand to a North America human when the bot sticks or you set a rule.
We score it 7.5/10, Solid pick for law firms and high-ticket trades that will buy above real traffic and cap transfer rules. It is the wrong default when you mainly needed Google reviews or a dirt-cheap night bot.
What does Smith.ai actually do?
Smith.ai answers your business phone. That is the whole product. AI, a North America live receptionist, or both. They screen the caller, run intake, try to book the appointment, and log it into your CRM. Website chat is a separate product with the same live-agent idea.
It is not missed-call text-back. They pick up so the call is not missed. You can get a post-call SMS, a ping when a transfer fails, or a live callback. That is not Podium texting the person who just hit voicemail.
Three modes: 100% AI, hybrid, 100% human. About a quarter of AI-first calls still involve a person (caller asked, you set a rule, or the bot got stuck). Live agents work from home offices in North America, not an overseas floor. Spanish is included on the AI plans. On human plans a dedicated Spanish line is $1 per call.
They do not manage Google reviews or listings. A review-request link in a follow-up text is not a reviews product. Booking on AI uses Calendly and similar. ServiceTitan and Housecall Pro are native for the AI receptionist. Jobber is mostly Zapier. No Dentrix, Open Dental, or Eaglesoft on their integrations list. Law is the deep stack: Clio, Filevine, MyCase, conflict checks, retainers.
Who should buy Smith.ai?
Buy it if a missed call is a missed case or a missed emergency job, and you will pay per answered call to keep a human behind the bot. Law firms are still the company (their FAQ has long said most customers). HVAC and plumbing are the second-best fit if tickets are high and after-hours is the leak. Dentists and salons can use it, but it is not a dental PMS front desk.
Skip it
Do not buy it if you wanted Google reviews and two-way text. That is a different category. Do not buy it if most of your after-hours volume is routine quotes and a cheaper AI-only bot would do. Do not buy the human Starter if a busy week will blow 30 calls. Add-ons (booking $1.50, SMS, payments) stack on top. The 30-day money-back refunds the first plan payment up to their published cap. Overages are excluded.
The catch
The reason not to buy is the meter, not the greeting. Trustpilot threads in 2026 describe AI that transferred to live agents and raised the bill, and numbers that arrived already on spam lists. Cancel is email to support@smith.ai with 30 days’ notice. Capterra’s thin trades sample still skews lawyers. I would not put a solo owner on this as the default.
Is Smith.ai worth it?
When it works, the phone gets answered at 2 a.m. and someone qualified gets on the calendar. Public review mixes (G2, Capterra, Trustpilot) still look strong on stars and weaker where billing and cancel stories live. Lawyers who skip the AI and buy humans often like it.
Pricing is public. Ignore older “$97.50/mo” tables. They are stale. Current official as of October 6, 2026: AI Free $0 for 25 calls ($3 extra when overages are on); AI Pro $150 for 75; AI Enterprise from $500; human Starter $300 for 30, Basic $810 for 90, Pro $2,100 for 300. Hybrid is custom. Month-to-month is the default. Annual discounts exist; unused monthly calls do not roll over on the self-serve plans we checked.
Solid for a law firm or a high-ticket trade that will cap transfer rules and buy a tier above real traffic. Not the default for a business that mainly needed reviews or a cheap night bot.
If overages, live-agent transfers, or the law-firm lean make Smith.ai the wrong fit, read Smith.ai alternatives first. That page keeps the live AI receptionist aisle cash next to when Smith.ai is still the buy.
If you want the phone answered without becoming the person who babysits transfer rules, book a 30-min fit call. We set up the path the caller actually takes, then leave you with something the office can run.
