Independent pricing guide · facts checked 2026-09-03
Smith.ai pricing,
both tracks explained.
Smith.ai sells two different receptionist services: an AI-first product and a human-first live service. Their quotas, extras, and entry prices are not interchangeable, so this guide keeps them separate.
Smith.ai has two price lists. Its AI Receptionist starts free with 25 calls a month; paid Pro starts at $150 for 75 calls. Its human-staffed Virtual Receptionist starts at $300 for 30 calls. Figures checked September 3, 2026 against https://smith.ai/pricing/ai-receptionist and https://smith.ai/pricing/receptionists.
THE FULL PRICE LIST
Smith.ai plans, broken down.
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| AI Receptionist — Free | $0/mo | 25 real calls; $3/call after the allowance; scheduling, recording, transcripts, and summaries |
| AI Receptionist — Pro | $150/mo | 75 real calls; $2 effective rate per included call; $2.50 per extra call |
| AI Receptionist — Enterprise | $500/mo | 300 real calls; $1.67 effective rate per included call; $2.17 per extra call |
| Live Receptionist — Starter | $300/mo | 30 calls; $11.50/call overage; 1 free transfer destination |
| Live Receptionist — Basic | $810/mo | 90 calls; $10.50/call overage; 2 free transfer destinations |
| Live Receptionist — Pro | $2,100/mo | 300 calls; $8.50/call overage; 10 free transfer destinations |
Checked September 3, 2026 on Smith.ai’s official AI-first and human-first pricing pages. Smith.ai also shows higher-volume selections and custom plans; confirm the live checkout before buying.
Add-ons, overage, and the fine print
- AI Free overage: $3 per real call after 25; Pro 75-call overage: $2.50 per call; Enterprise 300-call overage: $2.17 per call
- Live-service overage: $11.50/call on Starter, $10.50/call on Basic, $8.50/call on Pro
- Live-service appointment booking: $1.50 per call; AI plans list AI scheduling among core features
- Live-service SMS or Slack transfer notifications: $0.50 per notification
WHAT THE PRICE COVERS
Included — and not.
What’s included
- AI track: 24/7 AI answering, recording, transcription, summaries, lead qualification, routing, and AI scheduling
- Human track: 24/7 North America-based live answering, lead qualification, intake, and a dedicated number
- Both tracks publish call allowances rather than promising unlimited use
- Smith.ai filters known spam; its AI plan says every answered call counts by default, with a limited billing-review allowance for selected spam
What’s extra or missing
- One universal Smith.ai price — the AI and human services have separate rate cards
- Unlimited answered calls — each published plan has a call allowance or custom volume
- Appointment booking in the human Starter base price — Smith.ai lists it as a $1.50/call add-on
READ BEFORE YOU BUY
The gotchas in
the Smith.ai math.
First choose AI or human
The $0 AI plan and the $300 live plan do not buy the same labor. Compare how you want calls handled before comparing the numbers. A simple after-hours FAQ and a sensitive intake call may need different answers.
Included rate is not overage rate
Smith.ai displays an effective per-call figure inside its paid AI plans, then a different extra-call rate in the feature table. For the 75-call Pro selection, that is $2 per included call and $2.50 for an extra call.
Human scheduling is billed separately
The human-first page lists appointment booking at $1.50 per call. The AI-first page lists AI scheduling as a core feature, another reason not to blend the two price lists.
WHEN SMITH.AI IS WORTH IT
My view: pick the handling model before the vendor. Smith.ai’s human service makes sense when live judgment is worth paying for. Its AI service is the more relevant comparison when calls are repetitive and volume matters. A price table that mixes the two hides the decision you actually need to make.
THE COMPARISON
Smith.ai vs PhoneMachine.
| Smith.ai | PhoneMachine | |
|---|---|---|
| Billing unit | Per call on both AI and human tracks | Starter $49/month: 75 calls; Business $99/month: 200 calls; Pro quoted |
| AI entry price | $0/mo for 25 calls | Starter $49/month: 75 calls; Business $99/month: 200 calls; Pro quoted |
| Human entry price | $300/mo for 30 live-receptionist calls | AI receptionist; no human-answering plan |
| Usage after allowance | Track and plan-specific per-call charge | $0.50/additional answered call; $0.03/additional SMS segment |
| Scheduling | AI scheduling included; human booking is $1.50/call | Confirm the current workflow on PhoneMachine’s pricing and demo pages |
| Pricing published | Public AI and human rate cards | Public rate card |
| Trial / guarantee | AI Free plan; human plan has a 30-day money-back guarantee | Sign up online in minutes |
PhoneMachine — the flat-rate side of the table
- Starter: $49/month — 75 answered calls, 100 SMS segments, 2 team members, 1 number
- Business: $99/month — 200 answered calls, 300 SMS segments, 5 team members, 2 numbers
- Business Pro: contact us for power dialing, outbound campaigns and larger allowances
- Additional answered calls: $0.50 each; additional SMS segments: $0.03 each
- Additional standard numbers: $5/month; carrier registration and campaign fees separate at cost
- Sign up online in minutes. Existing subscriptions retain their terms.
Want the deeper head-to-head?
This page covers what Smith.ai costs. The full feature-by-feature comparison — who answers, texting, booking, transfers, and switching steps — lives on the alternative page.
Smith.ai vs PhoneMachine →FAIR QUESTIONS
Smith.ai pricing, asked plainly.
How much does Smith.ai cost per month?
It depends on the service. On September 3, 2026, Smith.ai listed AI Receptionist at $0 for 25 calls, Pro at $150 for 75 calls, and Enterprise at $500 for 300 calls. Its human Virtual Receptionist started at $300 for 30 calls, then $810 for 90 and $2,100 for 300.
Does Smith.ai charge per call or per minute?
Per call. Both published tracks use call allowances. The charge after the allowance depends on the plan, from $3 per call on AI Free to $11.50 per call on human Starter as checked September 3, 2026.
Does Smith.ai have a free plan?
Yes, for its AI Receptionist. The official AI pricing page listed $0 per month with 25 real calls and $3 per additional call on September 3, 2026. The human-staffed receptionist service does not use that free plan.
What’s the minute-based alternative to Smith.ai?
PhoneMachine Starter is $49/month for 75 answered calls, 100 SMS segments, 2 team members and 1 number. Business is $99/month for 200 calls, 300 SMS segments, 5 team members and 2 numbers. Additional calls are $0.50 and SMS segments are $0.03. Business Pro, including power dialing and outbound campaigns, is quoted. Carrier registration and campaign fees are separate at cost.
THE ONLY DEMO THAT MATTERS
Hear the flat-rate alternative answer.
7-day free trial · cancel anytime · keep your number