We built this review from Smith.ai's own pricing pages, help center, and product videos, plus our overall reading of public user feedback. Prices are vendor claims checked October 15, 2026. They change, so confirm with Smith.ai.
Disclosure: This listing includes a referral link, and we may earn a reward if you sign up through it. Nothing here is legal advice. Check your jurisdiction's ethics rules on supervising non-lawyer and AI intake.
What does Smith.ai actually do?#
It answers the calls you can't. On the human side, live agents answer around the clock, screen callers against criteria you set, ask up to five short intake questions at no extra charge, transfer hot calls, book consultations, take payments, run conflict checks, and push call details into your CRM (Clio, HubSpot, Salesforce, or Zapier, among others).
The AI side does a similar job with a voice agent. It qualifies, routes, and schedules, records and transcribes every call, writes a summary, and works in English and Spanish. When a caller asks something it can't handle, it can pass the call to a live agent, which is billed as an add-on. Smith.ai also gives you Quality Studio, a place to run simulated calls before you go live.
In Smith.ai's own demo, the AI takes a personal-injury inquiry: name, contact details, county, police report, treatment. It answers a contingency-fee question, then transfers to a human for scheduling when it runs out of answers.
Smith.ai by the published numbers
$0
AI Receptionist Free plan, 25 real calls a month, then $3 a call
Source: smith.ai/pricing/ai-receptionist
$300/mo
Live receptionist Starter, 30 calls included
Source: smith.ai/pricing/receptionists
10%
Discount on a 12-month live receptionist subscription
Source: smith.ai/pricing/receptionists
30 days
Notice needed to cancel the AI Receptionist
Source: smith.ai/pricing/ai-receptionist
What this means for you: You can try the AI on real callers for nothing, but the free plan still asks for a card, and the 30-day cancellation notice starts mattering the day you upgrade.
How much does Smith.ai cost?#
Everything below is Smith.ai's published pricing (vendor claims, checked October 15, 2026). Live-plan prices are per month; overage and add-ons are per call.
Live receptionists#
Smith.ai Virtual Receptionists plans
| Plan | Price per month | Calls included per month | Each extra call | Transfer destinations |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starter | $300 | 30 | $11.50 | 1 |
| Basic | $810 | 90 | $10.50 | 2 |
| Pro | $2,100 | 300 | $8.50 | 10 |
| Enterprise | Custom | Custom | Custom | Custom |
Lighter rows are the same for every product; the rest are where they differ.
There's no setup fee. Smith.ai says it doesn't bill spam calls on live plans, provided your forwarded lines pass caller ID. That condition is worth checking with whoever runs your phone system, because some forwarding setups strip it.
AI Receptionist#
Smith.ai AI Receptionist plans
| Plan | Price per month | Calls included per month | Effective cost per call | Each extra call |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | 25 | N/a | $3.00 |
| Pro | from $150 | 75 / 150 / 300 | $2.00 / $1.80 / $1.67 | $2.50 / $2.30 / $2.17 |
| Enterprise | from $500 | 300 / 500 / 1,000+ | $1.67 / $1.60 / custom | $2.17 / $2.10 / custom |
Pro adds dedicated onboarding and live support. Enterprise adds custom prompting, custom integrations, full-service setup, multiple locations, and a success manager. Smith.ai also mentions a six-month AI plan with rollover calls through sales; its terms aren't published, so ask the vendor.
On the AI plan, every answered call counts toward your quota by default. You can remove up to 10% of calls as spam each billing cycle.
The add-ons are the real bill#
On live plans, most extras are priced per call, and they charge on every call they apply to. Turn on conflict checks and you pay for a conflict check on each call, not only on new-client calls.
| Per-call add-on (live plans) | Price per call |
|---|---|
| Appointment booking | $1.50 |
| Complex routing | $1.50 |
| Extended intake (6 more questions) | $1.50 |
| Dedicated Spanish line | $1.00 |
| Accept payments | $1.00 |
| Third-party intake | $1.00 |
| Custom calendaring | $1.00 |
| Conflict check | $0.50 |
| Accept collect calls | $0.50 |
| Text or email follow-up | $0.50 |
| SMS, Slack, or Teams transfer notice | $0.50 |
| Additional CRM (first one free) | $0.50 |
| Recording and transcription | $0.25 |
Source: Smith.ai receptionist pricing, checked 2026-10-15. Monthly extras: outbound caller ID $10, extra transfer destination $15, tracking numbers $5 each.
Here's the arithmetic most buyers skip. Booking ($1.50), recording ($0.25), a follow-up text ($0.50), and a conflict check ($0.50) add $2.75 to every applicable call. On Basic, where overage runs $10.50 a call, that puts an extra call at about $13.25.
What this means for you: Price your plan on the per-call cost you'll really pay, add-ons included, not on the headline rate.
How do cancellation, refunds, and plan changes work?#
The two product lines run on different rules.
- Live receptionists bill through the end of the current monthly cycle when you cancel.
- The AI Receptionist needs 30 days' notice to cancel. Put the date on a calendar before you need it.
- The 12-month live plan (10% off) and the six-month AI plan are commitments. Their cancellation terms aren't published, so get the term in writing.
- Plan changes take effect the next month on both lines. Upgrade before a known busy month, not in the middle of it.
- Money-back guarantee: Smith.ai's help center describes a guarantee that runs 30 days from the start of your subscription, is capped at $1,000, and excludes overage. You request it by email to support. The pricing page FAQ describes a shorter window, so confirm the current terms with Smith.ai before you count on it.
We couldn't read Smith.ai's master terms of service on its public site when we checked. Ask the vendor for the current version before you sign anything longer than a month.
Contract numbers to calendar
30 days
AI Receptionist cancellation notice
Source: smith.ai/pricing/ai-receptionist
30 days
Money-back window per Smith.ai's help center (confirm with vendor)
Source: docs.smith.ai/article/aspvxzxrep-smith-ai-money-back-guarantee-faq
$1,000
Money-back cap; overage excluded
Source: docs.smith.ai/article/aspvxzxrep-smith-ai-money-back-guarantee-faq
next month
When plan changes take effect
Source: smith.ai/pricing/receptionists
What this means for you: The guarantee covers a real trial, not a free one: overage you run up while testing stays on your bill.
How do conflict checks work?#
A conflict check screens a new caller against your existing clients and adverse parties before anyone talks substance. Smith.ai's receptionists can run one natively against Clio, Lawmatics, or a shared Google Sheet. The search runs on a person's name or a business name, not both at once. If your client list lives in another system, you'll need to get it into one of those three first. Smith.ai says enabling the feature through support takes about a day.
It's a useful first filter. It doesn't replace your firm's own conflict process, and the receptionist won't evaluate whether a match is actually a conflict.
How hard is Smith.ai to set up?#
Smith.ai says the AI Receptionist's self-serve setup takes about 15 minutes. That's the clicking. The real work is writing intake criteria, FAQs, and routing rules, then running test calls in Quality Studio. Budget an afternoon for your office manager or intake lead.
On live plans, Smith.ai runs onboarding. You supply the script, qualification rules, transfer destinations, and calendar and CRM connections.
On the way out, Smith.ai doesn't publish data export terms. If you've paid for recordings and transcripts, download the ones you want before you cancel.
What do users say about Smith.ai?#
What users like. Reliability comes first: firms that have used Smith.ai for years say calls get answered, every time. Users like that spam isn't billed on live plans, and many see it as cheaper than comparable live answering services. CRM and calendar sync and the per-call rating emails make quality checks practical.
What frustrates them. Script adherence is the big one. On branching or niche intake rules, agents sometimes go off script, and a few users report callers being told the firm doesn't handle a matter it does. You get whoever is available, so it's a different agent on each call. The spam filter occasionally blocks real callers and needs watching. Some users feel the service drifts toward taking messages rather than doing true intake, and some compare its price unfavorably with AI-only rivals.
Pros and cons#
Pros
- Published, per-call pricing for both AI and live receptionists. [Smith.ai pricing pages]
- AI with a human fallback from one vendor. [AI Receptionist pricing page]
- Free AI tier for testing on real callers. [AI Receptionist pricing page]
- Native conflict checks against Clio, Lawmatics, or Google Sheets. [Smith.ai help center]
- Phone payments and a Spanish line as add-ons. [Receptionist pricing page]
Cons
- Per-call add-ons stack on every applicable call. [Receptionist pricing page]
- 30 days' notice to cancel the AI plan. [AI Receptionist pricing page]
- Commitment plans with unpublished terms. [Smith.ai pricing pages]
- Script drift on complex intake, per users. [User feedback]
How does Smith.ai compare with Ruby and Answering Legal?#
Ruby bills by the minute, and minutes round up, including hold and after-call work. If your calls are short, Ruby's math can win; if they're long, Smith.ai's per-call model usually does. Answering Legal serves law firms only, which some firms prefer for intake that sounds like it knows the territory. Smith.ai's edge is choice: AI, human, or a mix, all on a published rate card.
If what you actually need is follow-up after the call (drip emails, fee agreements, a pipeline), pair an answering service with an intake CRM such as Lawmatics rather than asking receptionists to do that job.
Who should use Smith.ai?#
FAQ#
How much does Smith.ai cost?#
The AI Receptionist starts free (25 calls a month, then $3 a call), with Pro from $150 a month and Enterprise from $500. Live receptionists start at $300 a month for 30 calls, with Basic at $810 for 90 and Pro at $2,100 for 300. Add-ons charge per call. These are vendor claims checked October 15, 2026.
Does Smith.ai charge by the minute?#
No. Both product lines charge per call, regardless of length.
How do I cancel Smith.ai?#
Live plans bill through the end of the current monthly cycle. The AI Receptionist needs 30 days' notice. Commitment plans (12-month live, six-month AI) have unpublished terms, so get them in writing.
Does Smith.ai have a money-back guarantee?#
Smith.ai's help center describes one: 30 days from the start of the subscription, capped at $1,000, overage excluded, requested by email to support. The pricing page words the window differently, so confirm the current terms with Smith.ai.
Can Smith.ai run conflict checks?#
Yes, on live plans for $0.50 a call, against Clio, Lawmatics, or a shared Google Sheet, searching by person or business name.
Is any of this sponsored?#
This review isn't sponsored. This listing carries a referral link, and we may earn a reward if you sign up through it.
Sources (all accessed 2026-10-15)#
- Smith.ai Virtual Receptionists pricing: https://smith.ai/pricing/receptionists
- Smith.ai AI Receptionist pricing: https://smith.ai/pricing/ai-receptionist ; product page: https://smith.ai/ai-receptionist
- Smith.ai help center, money-back guarantee FAQ: https://docs.smith.ai/article/aspvxzxrep-smith-ai-money-back-guarantee-faq
- Smith.ai help center, conflict checks: https://docs.smith.ai/article/lpq1rtr0m3-how-to-have-smith-ai-receptionists-check-for-conflicts
- Smith.ai official product demo video (AI intake with human handoff)
- User sentiment: our overall reading of public user feedback on Smith.ai, October 2026
AI Tools For Law is not a law firm and doesn't provide legal advice. Using this site doesn't create an attorney-client relationship.
Alternatives to Smith.ai#
Intake & Client Communication
Ruby
Live virtual receptionist and managed website chat for small businesses, including law firms, with 24/7 coverage, phone hosting, and bilingual support.
Best forSolo and small firms that want live humans on overflow, nights, and weekends, with short, predictable calls.
Intake & Client Communication
Answering Legal
24/7 live answering service built only for law firms, with custom legal intake scripts and CRM integrations.
Best forSolos and small firms that want legal-trained receptionists with custom intake on month-to-month terms.
Intake & Client Communication
Lawmatics
Legal CRM, client intake and marketing automation, with a usage-priced Merlin AI add-on for lead qualification and outreach.
Best forFirms with steady inbound leads that want automated intake follow-up and marketing source tracking, paired with a practice management system.
How we reviewed
Researched from vendor documentation, pricing pages and user sentiment. Prices and details were last checked on . Sources are cited inline next to each claim and listed in the Sources section above.
How we review · Editorial independence and disclosure · Corrections: hello@aitoolsforlaw.ai