Smith.ai: an AI receptionist with human receptionists behind it

Contents

1. What Smith.ai does
2. Published evidence
3. Strengths and limits
4. Pricing
5. Questions to ask Smith.ai
6. Sources

Type	AI and human receptionists
Pricing	Published
Website	smith.ai

Smith.ai sells two things: an AI receptionist and a human receptionist service. Its distinguishing feature is that the first can hand calls to the second⁠12AI ReceptionistSmith.aiVirtual receptionist pricingSmith.ai.

Best for: Companies that want an AI receptionist with the option to route difficult calls to trained human receptionists, and native CRM integrations.

Not the right fit for: Companies that need the call’s work done after it ends, beyond a CRM entry and a follow-up message.

What Smith.ai does

The AI receptionist answers calls 24/7, records, transcribes and summarizes them, qualifies leads and routes callers, and schedules through Calendly and similar tools. It integrates natively with Salesforce, HubSpot, Clio Grow and Clio Manage, and with thousands of apps through Zapier. A testing tool lets companies check the receptionist before it goes live⁠1AI ReceptionistSmith.ai.

When a call needs a person, more than 500 North America-based receptionists are available through Smith.ai's Live Agent Network as a per-call add-on, and a hybrid service lets companies choose which calls go to people⁠1AI ReceptionistSmith.ai. The human plans add per-call features such as appointment booking, follow-up messages, Spanish-language lines, payments and intake on third-party forms⁠2Virtual receptionist pricingSmith.ai.

Smith.ai says call recordings and transcripts are stored encrypted⁠1AI ReceptionistSmith.ai.

Published evidence

The pages we read describe features and pricing rather than named customer results.

Strengths and limits

Strengths

• The only service reviewed with both an AI receptionist and a large human receptionist team behind it.
• Native integrations with Salesforce, HubSpot and Clio, and thousands more through Zapier.
• A testing tool to check the AI before it goes live.
• Detailed published pricing for both AI and human plans.

Limits

• Per-call pricing makes busy months expensive, especially on human plans.
• Many human-plan features are per-call add-ons.
• Work after the call depends on what the connected CRM or Zapier flow does.

Choose another option if: Most calls are routine and high in volume, where per-call pricing adds up, or the call needs to create work inside an operations system.

Pricing

Published. AI: Free (25 calls, then $3 a call), Pro from $150 a month ($2 a call) and Enterprise from $500 a month ($1.67 a call). Human: $300 for 30 calls, $810 for 90 and $2,100 for 300 a month, with overage from $8.50 to $11.50 a call.

Questions to ask Smith.ai

• What share of calls like ours does the AI resolve without a person?
• What does an escalation to a human receptionist cost on our plan?
• What exactly is written to our CRM after each call?
• How are busy months billed if calls exceed the plan?

See how Smith.ai compares with the other options in the main guide.

Sources

1. AI Receptionist. Smith.ai. Accessed 8 Nov 2026.
2. Virtual receptionist pricing. Smith.ai. Accessed 8 Nov 2026.

Further reading

• Buyer's guide · Updated quarterlyThe best AI phone receptionists in 2026An analysis of nine ways to answer a company's phones with AI, from ready-made receptionists to human services and voice-agent platforms, judged on what happens to the call after it ends.
• Guide · CostAI vs human receptionist: what each really costs in 2026Pricing units in this market (salaries, minutes, calls, unique callers, platforms) make options hard to compare. This guide puts them on the same footing.
• Guide · Receptionist and CRMHow to connect an AI receptionist to your CRM and calendarAn AI receptionist that answers well but leaves the CRM untouched has moved the typing from the phone to the inbox. This is how the integrations differ, and how to test them.