Guides · Alternatives · For small businesses comparing ai receptionists
Smith.ai alternatives: what each costs at 100, 200 and 500 calls (2026)
By the Lead Friendly team · Published October 8, 2026 · Updated October 8, 2026
Prefer Lead Friendly in Google and these guides show up more often in your Search, Discover, and AI results.
Short answer: Smith.ai's AI receptionist bills per call, and it can put live human agents behind the AI. Most alternatives bill per minute, so the cheaper option depends on your call count and how long your calls run. We costed Smith.ai, Dialzara and Rosie at 100, 200 and 500 calls a month from their published prices. Smith.ai is still the better buy when you want human backup on hard calls; per-minute AI receptionists usually cost less when calls are short and you only need answering and booking.
How the scenarios were costed
Each figure is the cheapest published plan, plus published overage, that covers the call count, using prices read from each vendor's pricing page on the date in the sources. Per-minute plans assume an average call of 2.5 minutes; if your calls run longer, per-minute plans cost proportionally more and per-call pricing looks better. Taxes, phone numbers and add-ons are excluded. Where a vendor does not publish overage, we used the next plan up.
These are list-price calculations, not quotes. Check each vendor's site before buying.
Try Lead Friendly free
AI voice agents + CRM + TCPA-gated compliance. Free trial: 7 days or 30 AI voice minutes, whichever comes first. No card required.
What Smith.ai charges, as of October 2026
| Plan | Included calls | Per included call | Each extra call |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | 25 | Free | $3.00 |
| Pro | 75 | $2.00 | $2.50 |
| Pro | 150 | $1.80 | $2.30 |
| Pro | 300 | $1.67 | $2.17 |
| Enterprise | 300 | $1.67 | $2.17 |
As of October 2026, Smith.ai's page lists the Pro base as $150/month for 75 calls; higher tiers are shown per included call, so a 150-call month works out to 150 × $1.80.
Monthly cost at 100, 200 and 500 calls
| Option | 100 calls | 200 calls | 500 calls |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smith.ai AI receptionist, as of October 2026 | $212.50 | $385.00 | $934.00 |
| Dialzara | $112.50 | $199.00 | $436.50 |
| Rosie | $49.00 | $149.00 | $299.00 |
| Lead Friendly | See /pricing | See /pricing | See /pricing |
How each figure was reached
- Smith.ai, as of October 2026: 100 calls = Pro 75-call plan ($150) + 25 extra calls at $2.50. 200 calls = Pro 150-call tier (150 calls at $1.80 = $270) + 50 extra calls at $2.30. 500 calls = Enterprise ($500, 300 calls) + 200 extra calls at $2.17.
- Dialzara: 100 calls (250 min) = Business Pro ($99, 220 min) + 30 min at $0.45. 200 calls (500 min) = Business Plus ($199). 500 calls (1,250 min) = Business Elite ($349, 1,000 min) + 250 min at $0.35.
- Rosie: 100 calls (250 min) = Professional ($49). 200 calls (500 min) = Scale ($149, 1,000 min). 500 calls (1,250 min) = Growth ($299, 2,000 min); Rosie does not publish an overage rate.
- Lead Friendly bills included AI voice minutes plus per-minute overage from a prepaid wallet; current plan prices are on the pricing page.
When Smith.ai is the better buy
- You want trained human agents to take over calls the AI cannot handle
- Your calls run long, so per-call pricing beats per-minute pricing
- You want an outsourced team to own call handling, not software you configure yourself
When an alternative is the better buy
- Short, routine calls (hours, booking, quotes), where per-minute pricing is cheaper
- You want missed calls texted back and followed up until they book
- You want the calls, texts and pipeline in one CRM instead of a receptionist plus a separate CRM (Lead Friendly)
- You only need answering and message-taking on a tight budget (Rosie, Dialzara)
How to switch without losing calls
- 1
Forward only missed calls first
Keep your current service and send just the unanswered calls to the new line for a week.
- 2
Compare recordings
Listen to the same kinds of calls on both and check bookings, transfers and messages.
- 3
Move the rest
Forward all calls once the new setup handles your real calls well.
Frequently asked questions
Is Smith.ai AI-only?
Its AI receptionist plans can be backed by live agents, according to its pricing page as of the date in the sources. That human backup is the main reason to choose it over AI-only tools.
Why do per-call and per-minute prices give such different totals?
Per-call pricing charges the same for a 30-second call and a 6-minute call. Per-minute pricing tracks how long calls run. Short calls favor per-minute plans; long calls favor per-call plans.
Does Lead Friendly have human receptionists?
No. Lead Friendly is AI-first. It transfers live to your own team when they are available and takes a message otherwise. If you need outsourced human agents, Smith.ai or Ruby fit better.
Can I keep my phone number?
Yes. You forward calls to the new service; your number does not change.
See it on your own calls
Pick your industry, paste your website, and hear your AI agent take a call. Free for 7 days or 30 AI voice minutes, whichever comes first; no credit card.
Start free trialSources
- Lead Friendly pricing page · accessed 2026-10-08Our own published prices.
- Smith.ai AI Receptionist pricing · accessed 2026-10-08Vendor-published pricing.
- Dialzara pricing · accessed 2026-10-08Vendor-published pricing.
- Rosie pricing · accessed 2026-10-08Vendor-published pricing.