You pay Google for the click, the customer rings your number at 7:40 p.m., and nobody picks up. That's the leak Smith.ai was built to close, and it's why "smith ai" gets thousands of searches a month. Smith.ai pricing in 2026 comes in two very different products: an AI Receptionist from US$0 for 25 calls up to US$800 for 500 calls, and human Virtual Receptionists from US$300 for 30 calls to US$2,100 for 300 (Smith.ai, 2026; Smith.ai, 2026). Both bill per call, not per minute. This guide lays out every plan, how spam and overage are counted, what 300 after-hours calls a month cost on Smith.ai against per-minute services, and which alternatives make sense if most of your leads arrive by chat rather than phone.
All prices are in US dollars and were checked on the vendors' own pages as of October 2026.
How much does Smith.ai cost in 2026?
Smith.ai costs US$0–800 a month for its AI Receptionist and US$300–2,100 a month for its human Virtual Receptionists, with custom pricing above that. Every plan includes a fixed number of calls, and each call over the limit has its own price.
AI Receptionist plans (Smith.ai, 2026):
| Plan | Monthly price | Calls included | Effective rate per call | Extra call |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | 25 | free | $3.00 |
| Pro (75) | $150 | 75 | $2.00 | $2.50 |
| Pro (150) | about $270 | 150 | $1.80 | $2.30 |
| Pro (300) | about $500 | 300 | $1.67 | $2.17 |
| Enterprise (300) | $500 | 300 | $1.67 | $2.17 |
| Enterprise (500) | about $800 | 500 | $1.60 | $2.10 |
| Enterprise (1,000+) | not public (contact sales) | 1,000+ | custom | custom |
Smith.ai lists Pro "from $150/mo" and Enterprise "from $500/mo" with a per-call rate for each tier. The 150-, 300- and 500-call prices above are those per-call rates multiplied out.
Human Virtual Receptionist plans (Smith.ai, 2026):
| Plan | Monthly price | Calls included | Effective rate per call | Extra call (reported) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starter | $300 | 30 | $10.00 | $11.50 |
| Basic | $810 | 90 | $9.00 | $10.50 |
| Pro | $2,100 | 300 | $7.00 | $8.50 |
| Enterprise | not public (contact sales) | custom | custom | custom |
The overage column is reported by third-party pricing guides; Smith.ai's own receptionist page doesn't list it, so confirm it before you sign.
The difference between the two products is about four to six times the price per call. A human answers with judgment, warm transfers and Spanish fluency; the AI answers in seconds and costs US$1.60–3.00 per call. Smith.ai also lets complex AI calls be "transferred to a live North America-based receptionist" (Smith.ai, 2026), so you can mix the two.
What counts as a call on Smith.ai, and do you pay for spam?
On the AI plans, every call the AI answers counts toward your quota unless it's from a known spam number or you remove it under a 10% allowance. On the human plans, Smith.ai says it doesn't charge for spam at all.
The wording matters, so here it is. On AI plans: "Every call answered by your AI Receptionist counts toward your call quota by default." Calls "from 20 million+ known spammers are automatically filtered out" before the AI picks up and don't count, and you can remove "up to 10% of their calls from their bill each billing cycle" (Smith.ai, 2026). Spam that gets past the filter and exceeds 10% is billed.
On human plans: "We don't charge for spam or blocked sales calls," with one exception: if your call-forwarding service strips the caller ID, those calls are billed (Smith.ai, 2026).
Billing is per call, not per minute. Smith.ai's line is that "a long new-client call costs the same as a short one." That's the core trade-off against answering services that bill by the minute, and the next sections run the numbers.
Two contract details are worth knowing. AI plans are month-to-month, but "if you ever cancel, we need 30 days' notice." Human plans come with a 30-day risk-free trial. Neither product has a published annual discount; the AI page mentions "a better rate" on a six-month plan, through sales.
Is per-call pricing cheaper than per-minute?
Per-call pricing beats per-minute pricing only when your calls are long. For short calls of two to three minutes, per-minute answering services cost less than Smith.ai's human plans, while Smith.ai's AI is cheaper than any human option.
Here's the simple break-even. Smith.ai's human Pro plan works out to US$7.00 per call. PATLive's 500-minute plan bills extra minutes at US$1.79 (PATLive, 2026). US$7.00 ÷ US$1.79 is about 3.9 minutes. If your average call is shorter than that, the per-minute service is cheaper; longer, and Smith.ai wins.
Most enquiry calls are short: a price, an opening time, a booking. Intake calls for a law firm or a medical practice run longer, which is why Smith.ai is popular with law firms. Its receptionist page lists direct connections to "Clio, MyCase, Lawmatics, Filevine, and 7,000+ other tools" (Smith.ai, 2026).
Per-minute services have their own fine print. PATLive bills only live time and says it doesn't charge for "after-call notes, message entry, or wrap-up," with no night, weekend or holiday fees (PATLive, 2026). Ruby rounds up to 60-second increments and counts after-call notes in the billed time (Ruby, 2026). On 300 calls of 2.5 minutes, rounding each one up to 3 minutes adds 150 billed minutes, or 20%.
What do 300 after-hours calls a month cost on Smith.ai vs the alternatives?
For 300 calls a month averaging 2.5 minutes (750 minutes), Smith.ai's AI costs about US$500, per-minute human services cost roughly US$1,200–1,725 plus overage, and Smith.ai's human Pro plan costs US$2,100. The arithmetic below uses each vendor's own price page, as of October 2026.
| Option | How it bills | Arithmetic | Monthly cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smith.ai AI Receptionist | Per call | Pro or Enterprise, 300 calls | about $500 |
| PATLive (human only) | Per minute, live time | 500-min plan $759 + 250 × $1.79 | $1,206.50 |
| PATLive, if calls round to 3 min | Per minute | $759 + 400 × $1.79 | $1,475 |
| Abby Connect (AI minutes) | Per "Abby Minute", AI = half | 750 AI min = 375 Abby Minutes: 500-minute plan, or the 200-minute plan ($599) plus overage at the plan rate | up to $1,380 |
| Ruby (human) | Per minute, 60-sec rounding | 500-min plan $1,725 + 250+ minutes at an unpublished overage rate | $1,725 + overage |
| Smith.ai Virtual Receptionist | Per call | Pro, 300 calls | $2,100 |
Sources: Smith.ai AI pricing, Smith.ai receptionists, PATLive pricing, Abby Connect, Ruby plans, all 2026.
A few notes on the table. PATLive says plainly that it "does not use AI to answer calls"; every call reaches a person. Abby counts "1 Abby Minute = 2 minutes" for AI time, so an all-AI month costs half the human rate (Abby Connect, 2026). Ruby's page says there are "no additional or hidden fees for activation, onboarding, setup, customization, or coverage during certain periods" (Ruby, 2026), but it doesn't publish the overage rate.
If you only need cover after hours, Smith.ai's pricing "stays the same per call no matter when we answer," and PATLive includes 24/7 coverage in every plan. You set the forwarding schedule; the per-call or per-minute price doesn't change. We go deeper on that choice in after-hours answering service vs AI, and answering service cost 2026 covers the full market's hidden fees.
What hidden costs should you check before signing with Smith.ai?
Smith.ai's headline prices are clear, but five details can change the bill. Check each one against your own call pattern before you pick a tier.
- Overage on human plans. Extra calls on the Virtual Receptionist plans are reported at US$11.50, US$10.50 and US$8.50 per call (Starter, Basic, Pro), above the in-plan rate. A Starter customer who takes 45 calls instead of 30 would pay about US$472.50, not US$300. Ask Smith.ai to confirm the current overage rate in writing.
- The 10% spam allowance on AI plans. Known spam numbers are filtered for free, but anything else you want removed is capped at 10% of calls per billing cycle (Smith.ai, 2026). If your number gets a lot of robocalls, budget for some of them.
- Caller ID on forwarded calls. On human plans, spam is free only while caller ID reaches Smith.ai. If your forwarding service strips it, those calls are billed (Smith.ai, 2026). Test your forwarding setup in the first week.
- The 30-day notice period. AI plans are month-to-month, but cancelling takes 30 days' notice. If you're trialling it against another service, put the cancel date in your calendar on day one.
- Anything above the published tiers. Enterprise human plans, AI volumes above 1,000 calls and the six-month AI rate are all quoted through sales. If you expect to grow into those, ask for the quote before you build your workflows around the product.
None of these are unusual for the category. Per-minute services have their own versions: rounding, after-call work, and taxes and fees on top (PATLive's prices are "plus government taxes and fees"). The point is to price your heaviest month with the fine print included, not your average month at list price.
Is Smith.ai worth it?
Smith.ai is worth it if phone calls are where your leads arrive and each one is worth far more than US$2–10. For a law firm, a home-services company or a clinic where one booked job pays for a month of answering, the maths is easy.
The strengths are real. Smith.ai says it has "500+ North American live agents," has handled "25M+ calls" over 10+ years and books "13K+ appointments" every month (Smith.ai, 2026). Its human receptionists offer "full English and Spanish fluency." Customers rate it 4.3 out of 5 on Trustpilot from 375 reviews (Trustpilot, 2026), well above most tools in this space, though Trustpilot notes the company hasn't invited reviews recently. One reviewer wrote that "the cost is completely reasonable" (August 2026).
The complaints are narrower. Some customers say the AI isn't as good as the humans: "the AI isn't the favorite of our clients," wrote one 4-star reviewer (December 2025). Others hit the spam rule, where only up to 10% of calls can be removed from an AI bill. And per-call billing means the cost rises one-for-one with call volume: a month with twice the calls is a month with twice the bill, once you pass your plan.
That last point is the one to plan around if you buy ads. The months you spend most on Google or Meta are the months your phone rings most. On a per-call plan, your answering bill follows your ad spend up.
What if your leads come by chat, not by phone?
If most of your enquiries arrive on your website or WhatsApp, a phone receptionist doesn't touch that leak. Phone and chat are two different leaks, and the right tool depends on which one you have.
Look at where your last 50 leads came from: calls, website chat, form fills or WhatsApp messages. Count the ones that arrived outside office hours, when people browsing on their phones often type rather than call. Our lead response time statistics show how quickly those enquiries go cold, phone or not.
Smith.ai does sell a chat product. Its live website chat is "Live-staffed web chats — powered by AI," with plans from US$140 for 20 chats (US$7 per extra chat) to US$600 for 120 chats (US$5 per extra) (Smith.ai, 2026). PATLive and Ruby sell chat too, also per chat:
| Chat option | Smallest plan | 150 chats a month | How it bills |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smith.ai live chat | $140 for 20 chats | $600 + 30 × $5 = $750 | Per chat, human + AI |
| PATLive live chat | $149 for 25 chats | $499 + 50 × $7.95 = $896.50 | Per chat, human |
| Ruby live chat | $143 for 10 chats | $520 for 50 + unpublished overage | Per chat, human |
| Flat-price AI sales agent | — | $49–99 | Flat monthly, no per-chat fee |
Sources: Smith.ai chat pricing, PATLive pricing, Ruby plans, 2026; flat-price row from our pricing page.
That bottom row is where Omago sits: an AI sales agent that learns your website and answers, qualifies and books on your site, WhatsApp and Telegram, for a flat US$49–99 a month with no per-chat or per-resolution fees. To be plain about it: Omago does not answer phone calls. If your leak is the phone, Smith.ai, PATLive, Ruby or Abby is the right category, and the table above helps you choose among them. If your leak is the chat window and WhatsApp at 11 p.m., per-chat human pricing gets expensive fast. A quick first step is a click-to-chat link next to your phone number, which our free WhatsApp link generator makes in a minute.
Some businesses need both: a phone answering service for callers, and an AI agent on the website and WhatsApp for everyone who'd rather type. Our guide to the AI receptionist vs an AI chat agent walks through how to tell which leak is bigger, and voice AI agents for customer service covers what phone AI can and can't do yet.
How do you choose between Smith.ai and its alternatives?
Choose by channel first, call length second and volume third. Four questions settle it:
- Where do your leads arrive? Phone: a receptionist service. Website chat and WhatsApp: an AI chat agent. Both: one of each.
- How long is a typical call? Under about four minutes, per-minute services like PATLive are cheaper than Smith.ai's human plans. Over that, Smith.ai's per-call pricing wins.
- Do you need a human voice? Intake calls, distressed callers and Spanish-speaking customers favour Smith.ai's humans or PATLive. Routine questions and bookings suit AI at US$1.60–3.00 a call.
- How spiky is your volume? Every option above except a flat-price tool rises with volume. Price your busiest ad month, not your average one.
Try before you commit. Smith.ai's Free AI plan covers 25 real calls, PATLive offers a 14-day free trial, and Smith.ai's human plans have a 30-day risk-free period. For the chat side, paste your website URL into Omago and ask it the question your customers ask at 11 p.m.
Frequently asked questions
How much does Smith.ai cost per call?
Smith.ai's AI Receptionist works out to US$1.60–2.00 per included call on paid plans, with extra calls at US$2.10–3.00 (Smith.ai, 2026). Its human Virtual Receptionists cost US$7.00–10.00 per included call, from US$300 for 30 calls to US$2,100 for 300 (Smith.ai, 2026). Billing is per call regardless of length.
Does Smith.ai charge for spam calls?
On the human plans, no: "We don't charge for spam or blocked sales calls," unless your forwarding service strips caller ID. On the AI plans, known spam numbers are filtered out before the AI answers, and you can remove up to 10% of calls from each bill. Spam beyond that counts.
Is there a free Smith.ai plan?
Yes. The AI Receptionist Free plan includes 25 real calls a month, plus test and simulated calls, with extra calls at US$3.00 each. Human plans don't have a free tier but come with a 30-day risk-free trial.
Is Smith.ai cheaper than Ruby or PATLive?
It depends on call length. For short calls, PATLive's per-minute plans cost less than Smith.ai's human per-call plans; for calls longer than about four minutes, Smith.ai is cheaper. Smith.ai's AI Receptionist is cheaper than any human option, at about US$500 for 300 calls.
What's a Smith.ai alternative for website chat and WhatsApp?
If your leads come by chat, compare per-chat services (Smith.ai chat from US$140 for 20 chats, PATLive from US$149 for 25) with a flat-price AI agent. A flat-price AI sales agent covering website, WhatsApp and Telegram costs US$49–99 a month on our pricing page, though it doesn't answer phone calls.
Sources: Smith.ai AI Receptionist pricing (2026), Smith.ai Virtual Receptionists (2026), Smith.ai live chat pricing (2026), PATLive pricing (2026), Ruby plans and pricing (2026), Ruby virtual receptionist pricing guide (2026), Abby Connect (2026), Trustpilot (2026); Smith.ai human-plan overage rates as reported by third-party pricing guides (2026). Prices checked October 2026.