Side by side
When Smith.ai might be the better choice
You get only a handful of calls
Their free plan covers 25 calls a month. If that’s all you get, it’s hard to beat free.
You may want real people later
Smith.ai also sells live receptionist plans, so you can move to people without changing companies.
Your calls run long
Per-call pricing doesn’t charge more for a long call.
When FrontDesk Talk might be the better choice
You get lots of short calls
At $2 or so per call, short calls about hours or directions add up. Per-minute pricing charges less for them.
You want texting included
Talk Back (missed-call text back) and two-way texting come with Real Talk and Big Talk.
You want to cancel without notice
Our plans are month to month with no notice period.
The math
Plans as listed on smith.ai/pricing/ai-receptionist, as of September 2026. Paid plans have a call volume selector, so check their site for the price at your volume.
- Smith.ai Free
- $0 for 25 calls a month, $3.00 each after
- Smith.ai Pro
- From $150 a month for 75 calls
- FrontDesk Talk, Small Talk plan
- $99 a month for 200 minutes
- FrontDesk Talk, Real Talk plan
- $199 a month for 450 minutes
If your average call is 2 minutes, 450 minutes covers about 225 calls. Use your own call length.
Questions
Can I switch from Smith.ai to FrontDesk Talk?
Yes. Set up FrontDesk Talk, then point your call forwarding at your new FrontDesk Talk number. Check their notice period before you cancel.
Are you affiliated with Smith.ai?
No. We use their name only to compare, based on what their own site said in September 2026.
How do you compare with Smith.ai’s live receptionists?
See our comparison with live answering services.
Source, checked September 2026: Smith.ai AI Receptionist pricing. Prices and features change, so check their sites for current details. Names are used only to compare; we aren't affiliated with them.
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