Comparison
Smith.ai alternatives: 7 options compared
Smith.ai's Trustpilot reviews are mostly good, and the complaints there are the AI misunderstanding callers, bills higher than expected, and trouble canceling. The other reasons to look are in its plans: per-call bills that climb in a busy month, and a setup that runs on the web, with no native app found. The right alternative depends on which of those matters to you.
At 75 two-minute calls a month, Smith.ai costs $150 (October 2026). Below, seven alternatives with what each would cost at that volume, who each suits, and the catch.
The alternatives at a glance
| Service | Best for | Entry price | At 75 calls | Books and puts calls through at that price? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Juney | Tradespeople who want to set up and run it from a phone | $49 a month for 150 minutes | $49 | Yes |
| Ruby | A real person on every call | $250 a month for 50 minutes | $720 | Yes |
| Upfirst | Per-call billing like Smith.ai, at a lower rate | $24.95 a month for 30 calls | $59.95 | Yes |
| AIRA | Many languages on a per-call plan | $24.95 a month for 30 calls | $59.95 | Transfers; booking through Zapier |
| Rosie | More minutes for $49, with a companion app | $49 a month for 250 minutes | $49 | Booking links by text; no booking or transfers |
| Goodcall | Lots of repeat callers, or long calls | $79 a month for 100 different callers | $79 | Yes |
| Beside | An app-first service in the US or Canada | $29 a month for 30 calls | $99 | Yes |
US dollars a month, from each service's own pricing page (checked October 22, 2026). 75 calls of 2 minutes, on the cheapest plan for that month, before tax and carrier charges.
Why do people look for a Smith.ai alternative?
Smith.ai's reviews are mostly good: 4.3 out of 5 from 375 reviews on Trustpilot (October 2026), with praise for professional staff and round-the-clock cover. The complaints that come up are the AI misunderstanding callers, bills higher than expected, and trouble canceling or getting refunds.
The billing explains much of it. Smith.ai charges per call, so a month with twice the calls costs about twice as much, however short the calls are: $150 at 75 calls and $270 at 150.
When to stay with Smith.ai: you need a live person on some calls, you get Spanish-speaking callers, you take fewer than 25 calls a month (its free plan), or your intake runs through Clio, Salesforce or HubSpot. Few alternatives cover all four.
The 7 alternatives
Juney: best for tradespeople who want to set up and run it from a phone
Where Smith.ai counts calls, Juney counts minutes: $49 a month for 150 minutes, then top-ups of 100 minutes for $20. A month of 75 two-minute calls is $49, against $150 on Smith.ai's Pro bundle. Setup, call notes and settings live in a phone app rather than a web studio. Bookings go into Google Calendar, urgent callers go through to a number you choose, and Ring me first rings you in the Juney app for about 15 seconds before she picks up. Customers keep calling your own number, forwarded to Juney, not a dedicated Smith.ai line.
The catch: no human backup, no CRM integrations, English only and Google Calendar only.
Ruby: best for a real person on every call
Ruby is the move if you liked Smith.ai's human plans more than its AI: a receptionist answers every call. It bills by the minute rather than by the call, in 60-second increments, starting at $250 a month for 50 minutes. Seventy-five two-minute calls need the 200-minute plan, $720, where Smith.ai's AI handles the same month for $150. Ruby also has a well-rated native app for calls, routing and settings, which Smith.ai doesn't offer.
The catch: it costs several times an AI plan, and long calls and hold time use up minutes fast.
Upfirst: best for per-call billing like Smith.ai, at a lower rate
Upfirst keeps Smith.ai's per-call model but starts lower, at $24.95 a month for 30 calls; a 75-call month comes to $59.95 against Smith.ai's $150. It leaves spam, silent calls and anything under 15 seconds off the bill, where Smith.ai screens out up to 10% of calls as spam each cycle. You also get 35+ languages to Smith.ai's two, booking into Google, Outlook, Calendly, Acuity, Square or Clio, an overflow mode for calls your carrier forwards when you don't answer, and a 14-day trial.
The catch: no live people behind the AI, and setup is on the web.
AIRA: best for many languages on a per-call plan
AIRA is another per-call service, on the same price ladder as Upfirst: $24.95 a month for 30 calls, and $59.95 for 75 calls. Against Smith.ai it trades the human backup for range: 31 languages instead of English and Spanish, transfers on every plan, a built-in CRM in place of Smith.ai's Clio, Salesforce and HubSpot links, and either forwarding or a free AIRA number. There's no long-term contract, and you cancel from its dashboard.
The catch: calendars connect only through Zapier, and setup happens in a web dashboard.
Rosie: best for more minutes for $49, with a companion app
Rosie swaps Smith.ai's call count for minutes, and plenty of them: $49 a month for 250 minutes, so 75 two-minute calls cost $49 against Smith.ai's $150. Unlike Smith.ai, it has a native iPhone and Android app beside its web dashboard, and it answers in English and Spanish too. To answer first, you set no-answer forwarding with your carrier, which controls the wait.
The catch: that plan sends a booking link instead of booking; calendar booking and transfers start at $149, and going over moves you up a plan.
Goodcall: best for lots of repeat callers, or long calls
Goodcall counts people, where Smith.ai counts every call: $79 a month for 100 different callers, with no minute meter at all. A customer who rings three times in a month is one caller, so 75 calls from about 60 people stay at $79, against $150 on Smith.ai. Bookings go into Google Calendar, transfers try up to three people in turn, and it can answer missed calls through your carrier's no-answer forwarding.
The catch: English only, no live people, and a free demo agent rather than a timed trial.
Beside: best for an app-first service in the US or Canada
Beside runs from a phone app, where Smith.ai runs from a web studio, and it answers texts as well as calls. Flat plans replace the per-call meter: $29 covers 30 AI-answered calls and $99 removes the cap, so 75 calls cost $99 against $150. It keeps CRM links (HubSpot, Salesforce, Zoho CRM, Follow Up Boss), offers voices in up to five languages, and rings you in its app before the AI picks up.
The catch: lines in the US and Canada only, no people to hand a call to, and no trial on the $29 plan.
Which Smith.ai alternative should you pick?
- You want people, not AI: Ruby.
- You want Smith.ai's per-call model for less: Upfirst, or AIRA for more languages.
- You take 50 to 150 short calls a month: a per-minute plan such as Juney or Rosie, but check which plan books and transfers.
- Many of your calls are the same people ringing back: Goodcall.
- You'll run it from your phone: Juney, or Beside in the US and Canada.
What's the Best AI Answering Service for a Small Business in 2026? weighs these and others on seven checks, and AI vs Human Answering Service Cost prices human plans call by call.
How do you switch from Smith.ai?
- Write down your last month's calls and how long they ran, then price each option at that volume.
- Start the new service's trial while Smith.ai is still answering.
- Set it up and test it with calls of your own: a booking, a price question, an urgent job.
- Move your call forwarding to the new service. Your number stays the same.
- Watch the first week's call notes and fix anything it got wrong.
- Give Smith.ai notice: 30 days on its AI and Hybrid plans.
Frequently asked questions
What's the cheapest alternative to Smith.ai?
It depends on your calls. Under about 25 calls a month, Smith.ai's own free plan is hard to beat. At 75 two-minute calls (October 2026), Juney and Rosie cost $49 against Smith.ai's $150, though Rosie's $49 plan doesn't book or transfer.
Which Smith.ai alternative has live receptionists?
Ruby, whose human receptionists answer every call. Juney, Upfirst, AIRA, Rosie, Goodcall and Beside are AI only.
Is there a free alternative to Smith.ai?
Not a free plan, but most have a free trial: 14 days at Upfirst, 7 days with 50 minutes at Juney, 7 days at Rosie and on Beside's $99 plan, and a free demo agent at Goodcall (October 2026).
Can I keep my business number if I leave Smith.ai?
Yes, with Juney: calls are forwarded from your number and nothing is ported. Most alternatives also work by call forwarding, so customers keep ringing the number they know.
