Pick Upfirst if price per call matters most: plans start at $24.95 a month for 30 calls, every plan books appointments and transfers calls, and it speaks 35+ languages. Pick Smith.ai if you want a free plan to test with, CRM integrations such as Salesforce, HubSpot and Clio, and the option to pull in a live North America based receptionist when the AI is not enough.
Which should you pick?
- Best price per callUpfirst
Upfirst's 90 call plan is $59.95 a month and its 300 call plan $159.95 Upfirst pricing ↗. Smith.ai's Pro plan is $150 for 75 calls, or $2 a call Smith.ai pricing ↗.
- Best free optionSmith.ai
Smith.ai has a free plan with 25 real calls a month Smith.ai pricing ↗. Upfirst has a 14 day trial with no credit card but no free plan Upfirst pricing ↗.
- Best human backupSmith.ai
Smith.ai can bring in its network of 500+ North America based live receptionists as a per call add on Smith.ai features ↗. Upfirst transfers calls to you or your team Upfirst features ↗.
- Best CRM integrationsSmith.ai
Smith.ai names native integrations with Salesforce, HubSpot, Clio, Calendly, Zapier and Make Smith.ai features ↗. Upfirst Capterra reviewers asked for CRM integrations it lacks Capterra ↗.
- Best for booking on common calendarsUpfirst
Upfirst books into Google Calendar, Outlook, Calendly, Acuity, Square and Clio on all plans Upfirst pricing ↗. Smith.ai lists AI scheduling through Calendly and others Smith.ai pricing ↗.
- Best language supportUpfirst
Upfirst speaks 35+ languages Upfirst pricing ↗ Upfirst features ↗. Smith.ai's AI handles English and Spanish Smith.ai features ↗.
Side by side
| Feature | Smith.ai | Upfirst |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes, 25 calls/month Smith.ai pricing ↗ | No; 14 day trial, no card Upfirst pricing ↗ |
| Starting paid price | $150/month for 75 calls Smith.ai pricing ↗ | $24.95/month for 30 calls Upfirst pricing ↗ |
| Price per included call | $2.00 to $1.60 Smith.ai pricing ↗ | About $0.83 to $0.50 Upfirst pricing ↗ |
| Overage per call | $3.00 (Free) to $2.10 Smith.ai pricing ↗ | $1.50 to $0.70 Upfirst pricing ↗ |
| Spam calls | 20M+ known spam numbers filtered; remove up to 10% of calls Smith.ai pricing ↗ | Spam and calls under 15 seconds not billed Upfirst pricing ↗ |
| Live human backup | 500+ live agents, per call add on Smith.ai features ↗ | Transfers to your team Upfirst features ↗ |
| Languages | English and Spanish Smith.ai features ↗ | 35+ Upfirst pricing ↗ |
| Named integrations | Salesforce, HubSpot, Clio, Calendly, Zapier, Make Smith.ai features ↗ | Google Calendar, Outlook, Calendly, Acuity, Square, Clio, Zapier Upfirst pricing ↗ |
| HIPAA | Not stated | BAAs on Custom plans Upfirst pricing ↗ |
| Contract | Month to month, 30 days' notice Smith.ai pricing ↗ | None; change or cancel anytime Upfirst pricing ↗ |
| Customers | 5,000+ businesses Smith.ai features ↗ | 1,000+ businesses Upfirst features ↗ |
From each vendor’s own pages, checked Oct 9, 2026. Prices change often.
How each one works
Smith.ai's AI receptionist answers 24/7, screens spam, records and transcribes calls, qualifies leads, routes calls and books appointments Smith.ai pricing ↗ Smith.ai features ↗. Its standout is the human layer: Smith.ai runs a network of more than 500 North America based live receptionists, and a live agent can step in as a per call add on on any plan Smith.ai features ↗. Transfers the AI starts itself carry no extra fee Smith.ai features ↗. Smith.ai says it has handled more than 25 million calls over more than 10 years and serves more than 5,000 businesses Smith.ai features ↗. Setup takes about 15 minutes, and its Quality Studio lets you run simulated calls before going live Smith.ai features ↗.
Upfirst is an AI only service built for low cost. It answers 24/7, books appointments during the call, sends texts such as booking links or directions, transfers calls and blocks spam on every plan Upfirst pricing ↗. Warm transfers tell you who is calling and why before you pick up Upfirst features ↗. You can forward all calls, only missed calls or only after hours calls and keep your current number Upfirst features ↗. Upfirst says more than 1,000 businesses use it Upfirst features ↗.
Pricing compared
Smith.ai Free costs nothing for 25 calls a month, plus 25 test calls and 50 simulated calls, then $3 a call Smith.ai pricing ↗. Pro is $150 a month for 75 calls, with 150 and 300 call bundles at $1.80 and $1.67 a call; overage runs $2.50 down to $2.17 Smith.ai pricing ↗. Enterprise starts at $500 for 300 calls and adds custom prompting, unlimited custom integrations, multi location support and full service setup Smith.ai pricing ↗. Calls from more than 20 million known spam numbers never reach your quota, and you can remove up to 10 percent of calls a month as spam Smith.ai pricing ↗.
Upfirst Starter is $24.95 a month for 30 calls, Premium $59.95 for 90, Pro $159.95 for 300 and Scale $299 for 600 Upfirst pricing ↗. Overage is $1.50 a call on Starter and falls to $0.70 on Scale, and yearly billing saves 20 percent Upfirst pricing ↗. Spam, robocalls, calls under 15 seconds and silent calls are not billed Upfirst pricing ↗. Extra agents cost $9.95 a month each Upfirst pricing ↗.
At 75 calls a month, Smith.ai Pro costs $150 Smith.ai pricing ↗ and Upfirst Premium costs $59.95 Upfirst pricing ↗. At 300 calls, Smith.ai Pro is about $500 at $1.67 a call Smith.ai pricing ↗ and Upfirst Pro is $159.95 Upfirst pricing ↗. If you only get about 25 calls a month, Smith.ai Free costs nothing Smith.ai pricing ↗. That is the honest price picture: Smith.ai is free at very low volume and two to three times the price above it.
Features that matter
Integrations. Smith.ai names native integrations with Salesforce, HubSpot, Clio Grow, Clio Manage, Calendly, Zapier and Make, and says it reaches more than 5,000 apps Smith.ai features ↗. That makes it a better fit for law firms and sales teams that live in a CRM. Upfirst connects to Google Calendar, Outlook, Calendly, Acuity, Square and Clio for booking, plus Zapier and custom API actions Upfirst pricing ↗ Upfirst features ↗. Some Upfirst reviewers on Capterra want CRM integrations such as GoHighLevel Capterra ↗.
Languages. Smith.ai's AI speaks English and Spanish Smith.ai features ↗. Upfirst speaks more than 35 languages, switches when the caller does and translates transcripts Upfirst pricing ↗ Upfirst features ↗.
Support and setup. Smith.ai's Pro plan adds dedicated onboarding, a dedicated account manager and live phone, email and chat support Smith.ai pricing ↗. Upfirst offers live chat and a free 30 minute onboarding call, human support weekdays 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Eastern, and white glove onboarding from the Pro plan Upfirst pricing ↗ Upfirst features ↗.
Healthcare. Upfirst offers business associate agreements on Custom plans Upfirst pricing ↗. Smith.ai's AI receptionist page does not make a HIPAA claim Smith.ai features ↗.
What users report
Smith.ai has a 4.3 TrustScore from 375 Trustpilot reviews, and 89 percent of reviews are five stars Trustpilot ↗. Reviewers praise professional staff, 24/7 coverage and lead screening Trustpilot ↗. Most one star reviews are about cancellation and refund disputes, and some say the AI misunderstands callers Trustpilot ↗. Most of these reviews cover Smith.ai's long running human service, not only its newer AI plans.
Upfirst has a 5.0 rating from 13 Capterra reviews Capterra ↗. Users like the quick setup, support and price, and some mention an artificial sounding voice, pauses and pronunciation fixes Capterra ↗. The sample is small.
Hands on testing of both services is in progress; we'll update this page with results.
Who should pick which
Choose Upfirst if you are a small service business, salon or contractor that wants booking and transfers on a tight budget, or if your callers speak many languages Upfirst pricing ↗ Upfirst features ↗.
Choose Smith.ai if each call is worth a lot, such as legal intake or high ticket sales, you need CRM sync, and you want a live person available when the AI gets stuck Smith.ai features ↗. Start on the free plan to test it on real calls Smith.ai pricing ↗.
- Lowest cost per call: Upfirst
- Test free on real calls: Smith.ai Free
- Salesforce or HubSpot user: Smith.ai
- Live human backup: Smith.ai
- Many languages: Upfirst
- Healthcare with a BAA: Upfirst Custom
Before you sign up
Count real calls, not rings. Both services bill per call, but both also exclude spam: Upfirst skips spam and calls under 15 seconds, and Smith.ai filters known spam numbers and lets you remove up to 10 percent of calls Smith.ai pricing ↗ Upfirst pricing ↗. Look at a month of call logs, subtract obvious spam and pick the bundle that fits with a little room to spare.
Test before you forward everything. Smith.ai's Quality Studio lets you run simulated calls before going live, and its free plan includes 50 simulated calls a month Smith.ai pricing ↗ Smith.ai features ↗. Upfirst's 14 day trial needs no credit card Upfirst pricing ↗. Start by forwarding only missed or after hours calls, read the summaries for a week, then widen it.
Ask about cancellation. Smith.ai needs 30 days' notice Smith.ai pricing ↗, and its Trustpilot one star reviews center on cancellation and refund disputes Trustpilot ↗. Upfirst says you can cancel anytime Upfirst pricing ↗. Get the terms in writing either way.
How we compared them
We used Smith.ai's AI receptionist pricing and product pages, Upfirst's pricing and home pages, Trustpilot and Capterra, all checked October 9, 2026 Smith.ai pricing ↗ Smith.ai features ↗ Trustpilot ↗ Upfirst pricing ↗ Upfirst features ↗ Capterra ↗. Prices change, so confirm the current plans before you sign up.
Try them
Smith.ai
AI receptionist backed by live North America based receptionists who can take over calls.
Upfirst
AI answering service that answers calls, books appointments and warm transfers urgent callers.
We may earn a commission when you sign up through links on this page. It never changes our picks. How we pick
Questions people ask
Is Upfirst cheaper than Smith.ai?
Yes on paid plans. Upfirst charges about $0.50 to $0.83 per included call Upfirst pricing ↗; Smith.ai charges $1.60 to $2 Smith.ai pricing ↗. Smith.ai is free up to 25 calls a month Smith.ai pricing ↗.
Can Smith.ai transfer callers to a real person?
Yes. The AI can warm transfer to your team, and Smith.ai's 500+ live receptionists can step in as a per call add on Smith.ai features ↗.
Does Upfirst work with Google Calendar?
Yes. Upfirst books into Google Calendar, Outlook, Calendly, Acuity, Square and Clio on every plan Upfirst pricing ↗.
Does either one charge for spam calls?
Upfirst does not bill spam or calls under 15 seconds Upfirst pricing ↗. Smith.ai filters known spam numbers before answering and lets you remove up to 10 percent of calls a month Smith.ai pricing ↗.
Is there a contract?
Smith.ai is month to month with 30 days' notice Smith.ai pricing ↗. Upfirst has no contract and lets you cancel anytime Upfirst pricing ↗.
Where this comes from
Checked Oct 9, 2026. Vendor pages describe their own products; independent sources add outside views. We have not tested these tools hands on yet.
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