Best Phone Automation

Ranked #6 of 8 in AI phone answering for business

Smith.ai review

An AI receptionist backed by 500+ North American live agents, billed per call, with a free plan of 25 calls a month.

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Verdict

7.1/10

Pick Smith.ai if you run a law firm or small service business that wants an AI receptionist with live human backup at any hour and per-call prices published before you sign up.

Best for AI with human backup

Skip it if your calls involve protected health information, which Smith.ai says it cannot handle, or you take hundreds of short calls a month and want per-minute rates; Smith.ai's published AI rates run $1.60 to $3.00 a call.

Visit Smith.ai (opens the Smith.ai website)

Smith.ai at a glance
CompanySmith.ai, Inc.1
Started2015, answering calls for law firms with live agents2
Ways to answerAI-first, Hybrid or Human-first, all billed per call3
Human backup500+ live agents across North America, staffed 24/72
LanguagesEnglish and Spanish on every plan, Free included4
ContractMonth to month; 30 days' notice to cancel the AI Receptionist5
HIPAANot HIPAA-compliant; no calls involving protected health information6
Recording retention90 days in the dashboard; download to keep longer7

How Smith.ai scores

Score breakdown for Smith.ai
Call quality 25%7.0No latency or interruption figures appear on the Smith.ai pages checked, and this site has not measured its call quality. Quality Studio scores every evaluated call on your own goal checks plus five fixed caller-experience checks, including smooth pacing8. When the AI cannot understand a caller, a live agent takes over at no extra charge9. The help center lists 10 voices with adjustable speed and no voice cloning10, while the product page says 12+ voices4. A public demo line, (380) 333-6907, lets anyone hear the AI answer as a sample law firm11. Score: no latency figure, backed by call testing and a live-agent fallback, gives 7.0.
Setup 20%8.0Smith.ai says a self-serve AI receptionist takes about 15 minutes to set up, including a simulated test call4. Quality Studio runs simulated calls and browser test calls before real callers reach the line, on every plan including Free12. For full law-firm intake, Smith.ai says most firms are running in a few days11. The help center puts Clio, HubSpot and Salesforce on paid plans because they need setup from Smith.ai's team13, while the pricing page lists Clio among the Free plan's native integrations5. Score: self-serve in about 15 minutes with a test call, and some integrations set up by Smith.ai's team, give 8.0.
Integrations 15%8.0The AI receptionist connects natively to Salesforce, HubSpot, Clio Grow and Clio Manage, and to 5,000+ apps natively or through Zapier and Make4. The AI books directly into Calendly on a paid Calendly plan14 and into Acuity on Acuity's Platinum plan15; other calendars go to a live agent at +$3 a call16. Transfers to your team run cold, or warm with a spoken summary to the person picking up17. Score: CRM connections and warm transfer, with booking limited to Calendly and Acuity on their paid plans, give 8.0.
Price 20%6.0Prices are public and billed per call: Free covers 25 calls a month, Pro is $150 for 75 calls and Enterprise is $500 for 300 calls5. Published AI call rates run $1.60 to $3.00 whatever the call's length, and Smith.ai's own pricing FAQ says its AI service costs more than competitors5. A live agent adds $3 to a call when the caller asks for one or your settings send the call to one, and nothing when the AI escalates on its own9. Live receptionist plans start at $300 for 30 calls18. Score: a free plan of 25 calls, then per-call rates that put 100 calls at $212.50 and 300 at $500, give 6.0.
Trust 10%5.5Smith.ai states it is not HIPAA-compliant and cannot handle calls that involve protected health information6. No SOC 2 report or trust center appears on the pages checked; the security page is a vulnerability disclosure program with no bug bounty19. The terms commit to encryption in transit and at rest, staff NDAs, breach notice within 48 hours and a reply to deletion requests within 3 business days1, and the privacy policy states EU-U.S. and Swiss-U.S. Data Privacy Framework certification20. Callers hear a recording disclosure7, and the AI never claims to be human when a caller asks directly11. Score: no SOC 2 report and no HIPAA compliance give 5.5.
Support 10%8.0Pro and Enterprise include live phone, email and chat support and a dedicated account manager, and Enterprise adds priority support; Free has none of these5. A help center covers setup, number forwarding and porting, call routing and transfers21. Callers get a human fallback through 500+ North America-based live agents, sold as a per-call add-on4 and staffed 24/79. Score: an account manager on paid plans and 24/7 live agents as a fallback give 8.0.

Smith.ai pricing

Smith.ai pricing, checked 8 November 2026
PlanPriceNotes
AI Receptionist Free$0 a month525 calls a month included, then $3.00 a call. Includes Quality Studio testing, recording, transcription and call summaries.
AI Receptionist Pro$150 a month575 calls ($2.00 a call), extra calls $2.50. Also sold as 150 calls for $270 ($1.80 a call) and 300 calls for $500 ($1.67 a call). Adds dedicated onboarding, a dedicated account manager and live phone, email and chat support.
AI Receptionist Enterprise$500 a month5300 calls ($1.67 a call), extra calls $2.17; 500 calls for $800 ($1.60 a call); custom pricing at 1,000+ calls. Smith.ai's team builds the setup, prompts and integrations.
Live agent add-on (AI plans)+$3.00 a call9Flat fee per call when a Smith.ai live agent takes over: the caller asks for a person, a new caller's details need verifying, a booking needs a calendar without an integration, or the caller type is one you route to live agents. No fee when the AI escalates on its own, when live agents cover an AI outage, or for transfers to your own numbers.
Hybrid (AI plus live agents)From about $2.50 a call3Presets from $2.50, $3.10 and $3.70 a call. Smith.ai estimates $771 to $1,131 a month for 300 calls.
Virtual Receptionists Starter$300 a month1830 calls answered by live receptionists, then $11.50 a call. New clients get a 30-day money-back guarantee of up to $1,000 that excludes overage, and a 12-month subscription gets 10% off.
Virtual Receptionists Basic$810 a month1890 calls, then $10.50 a call.
Virtual Receptionists Pro$2,100 a month18300 calls, then $8.50 a call.
Virtual Receptionists EnterpriseCustom18High-volume plans priced on request.

Strengths and weak spots

Strengths

  • A free plan answers 25 real calls a month with no end date4, and Quality Studio tests the AI with simulated and browser calls before real callers reach it12.
  • With caller escalation turned on, a caller who asks for a person reaches a Smith.ai live agent at any hour for a flat +$3 a call; escalations the AI starts itself cost nothing9.
  • Billing is per call, so a long call costs the same as a short one11, and AI plans run month to month5.
  • Warm transfers: the AI holds the caller, briefs the person you named with a short summary, and takes a message if they decline17.
  • English and Spanish on every plan4; a Spanish call's summary carries the original transcript and an English translation22.

Weak spots

  • Smith.ai says it is not HIPAA-compliant and cannot handle calls that involve protected health information6, and no SOC 2 report appears on the pages checked.
  • Smith.ai's pricing FAQ says its AI service costs more than competitors, and its published AI call rates run $1.60 to $3.005.
  • On Free, extra calls, calendar booking and live agents each cost $3 a call from a prepaid wallet, capped at $6 for any one call, and every caller gets a follow-up text with a locked Smith.ai signature you cannot turn off23.
  • Recordings and transcripts leave the dashboard after 90 days unless you download them7.
  • Live receptionist plans start at $300 a month for 30 calls, with overage of $8.50 to $11.50 a call18.

Alternatives to Smith.ai

Smith.ai: common questions

How much does Smith.ai charge per call?

Smith.ai bills per call, so call length does not change the price11. The AI Receptionist Free plan includes 25 calls a month and charges $3.00 a call after that; Pro is $150 a month for 75 calls ($2.00 a call) and Enterprise is $500 a month for 300 calls ($1.67 a call)5. A live agent adds $3.00 when the caller asks for one or your settings send the call to one; an escalation the AI starts itself is free9. Hybrid starts at about $2.50 a call and Human-first at $7 a call3.

Can Smith.ai's AI receptionist transfer a caller to a real person?

Yes. It transfers to numbers you set, either cold or warm with a spoken summary to the person picking up17. It can also hand the call to Smith.ai's 24/7 live agents: a caller asking for a person adds $3.00, and an escalation the AI starts because it cannot understand the caller costs nothing9.

Is Smith.ai HIPAA compliant?

No. Smith.ai states it is not HIPAA-compliant and cannot handle calls that involve protected health information6. It still answers non-PHI calls for medical, dental and wellness practices, such as FAQs, messages and new patient leads6.

Sources

  1. Smith.ai, Inc.. Smith.ai | Terms of Service. Checked 8 Nov 2026.
  2. Smith.ai, Inc.. About Smith.ai & AI-Driven Customer Engagement. Checked 8 Nov 2026.
  3. Smith.ai, Inc.. Smith.ai Plans & Pricing for Hybrid AI + Human Receptionist. Checked 8 Nov 2026.
  4. Smith.ai, Inc.. Smith.ai: 24/7 AI Receptionist Backed by Live Agents. Checked 9 Nov 2026.
  5. Smith.ai, Inc.. Smith.ai Plans & Pricing for AI Receptionist. Checked 9 Nov 2026.
  6. Smith.ai, Inc.. 24/7 Legal Answering Service for Law Firms & Attorneys. Checked 8 Nov 2026.
  7. Smith.ai, Inc.. Call Recording and Transcription with Smith.ai Dashboard. Checked 8 Nov 2026.
  8. Smith.ai, Inc. (AI Receptionist help center). Understanding Your AQI Score. Checked 8 Nov 2026.
  9. Smith.ai, Inc. (AI Receptionist help center). Live Agent Add-on Billing Overview. Checked 9 Nov 2026.
  10. Smith.ai, Inc. (AI Receptionist help center). How to Customize How Your AI Receptionist Sounds. Checked 8 Nov 2026.
  11. Smith.ai, Inc.. Smith.ai 24/7 AI Receptionists & Live Human Agents. Checked 9 Nov 2026.
  12. Smith.ai, Inc. (AI Receptionist help center). Getting Started with Quality Studio. Checked 8 Nov 2026.
  13. Smith.ai, Inc. (AI Receptionist help center). Integrations Available on the Free Plan. Checked 8 Nov 2026.
  14. Smith.ai, Inc. (AI Receptionist help center). Setting Up Instant AI Scheduling with Calendly. Checked 9 Nov 2026.
  15. Smith.ai, Inc. (AI Receptionist help center). How to Connect your Acuity Scheduling Account to AI Receptionist. Checked 8 Nov 2026.
  16. Smith.ai, Inc. (AI Receptionist help center). Intro to AI Receptionist +Live Agents. Checked 8 Nov 2026.
  17. Smith.ai, Inc. (AI Receptionist help center). Configuring Transfer Connection Method. Checked 9 Nov 2026.
  18. Smith.ai, Inc.. Smith.ai Plans & Pricing for 24/7 Sales & Support. Checked 8 Nov 2026.
  19. Smith.ai, Inc.. Smith.ai Responsible Disclosure Program. Checked 8 Nov 2026.
  20. Smith.ai, Inc.. Smith.ai | Privacy Policy. Checked 8 Nov 2026.
  21. Smith.ai, Inc. (AI Receptionist help center). Knowledge base : Smith.ai AI Receptionist. Checked 8 Nov 2026.
  22. Smith.ai, Inc. (AI Receptionist help center). How to Have AI Receptionist Handle Your Calls in Spanish. Checked 8 Nov 2026.
  23. Smith.ai, Inc. (AI Receptionist help center). Your Free Plan: How It Works. Checked 8 Nov 2026.