Lead Friendly vs Smith.ai
Smith.ai is a per-call answering service with a free 25-call AI plan, $150 and $500 AI plans, and live receptionists from $300 a month. Lead Friendly is a flat monthly AI phone agent from $49 that includes a CRM, texting and outbound lead calls.
Prices were read from each vendor's own pricing page on October 14, 2026. We list where Smith.ai is the better choice, not just where we are.
Bottom line
Choose Smith.ai if you want trained humans on the phone, you are a law firm or similar practice, or you take fewer than about 25 calls a month and want it free. Choose Lead Friendly if you take more than about 40 calls a month, want the CRM, texts and lead follow-up in the same subscription, and are comfortable with an AI-only front desk that transfers to your team. Lead Friendly plans start at $49 (Starter, 150 minutes) and $99 (Pro, 400 minutes).
Feature comparison
“Not described” means the vendor's pages do not mention it, not that it cannot do it. Verify on their site before you buy.
| Capability | Lead Friendly | Smith.ai |
|---|---|---|
AI answers the phone 24/7 | Yes | YesAI plans: Free, Pro, Enterprise |
Live human receptionists | NoAI only; calls transfer to your own team | YesHuman-first plans from $300/mo for 30 calls; live agent involvement is a per-call add-on on AI plans |
Transfer to a person on your team | Yes | YesWarm transfers to your team on every plan |
Appointment booking | YesGoogle Calendar sync; Outlook on Pro | YesAI Scheduling with Calendly and others; $1.50 per booking on human-first plans |
CRM | YesContacts, pipeline and automations included | PartialNot a CRM. Native Salesforce, HubSpot and Clio sync; extra CRMs cost $0.50 per call on human-first plans |
Texts back missed calls and follows up | YesText and email follow-up with quiet hours, STOP replies and DNC enforced | PartialText and email follow-up is a $0.50 per-call add-on on human-first plans |
Outbound calls to new leads | YesAI calls web leads back, with consent checks before dialing | PartialBusiness caller ID for outbound is a $10/mo add-on; AI lead-calling is not described on the pricing pages |
Languages | Yes17 languages for the agent | PartialEnglish and Spanish on every plan |
Free plan | Yes7 days or 30 AI voice minutes, whichever comes first; no credit card | Yes25 calls a month free, card required |
Contract | YesMonth to month | YesMonth to month on self-serve plans; 30-day guarantee for new human-first clients |
HIPAA | NoNot HIPAA-eligible and no BAA | Not described on the pricing pages |
What each costs at 100, 200 and 500 calls
Estimates from each vendor's published rates. Smith.ai: cheapest of the Free, Pro and Enterprise AI plans at the published per-call price. Lead Friendly: cheapest of Starter and Pro with overage minutes.
| Monthly volume | Lead Friendly | Smith.ai (AI plans) |
|---|---|---|
| 100 calls (about 300 minutes) | $72 | $200 |
| 200 calls (about 600 minutes) | $117 | $400 |
| 500 calls (about 1500 minutes) | $252 | $835 |
Calls are converted to minutes at an assumed 3 minutes per call. Your calls may run shorter or longer; use the missed-call calculator or our cost guide to test your own numbers. Phone numbers, taxes and add-ons are not included.
Choose Lead Friendly if…
- • You take more than about 40 calls a month and want a flat, predictable bill
- • You want the CRM, texting and web-lead callbacks in the same subscription
- • You want the agent to call new leads, with consent and quiet-hour checks
- • You need the agent in languages beyond English and Spanish
- • You are comfortable with AI answering and a transfer to your team
Choose Smith.ai if…
- • You want trained human receptionists on the call
- • You run a law firm and want Clio-based intake
- • You take fewer than 25 calls a month and want it free
- • You prefer paying per call instead of a monthly plan
- • You do not want to set anything up yourself
Frequently asked questions
Is Smith.ai cheaper than Lead Friendly?
At very low volume, yes: Smith.ai's AI plan is free for 25 calls a month, then $3 a call. Past roughly 40 calls a month (about 120 minutes at a 3-minute call) the estimates cross over, because Smith.ai bills per call and Lead Friendly bills a flat monthly plan with included minutes. The table above shows the estimate at 100, 200 and 500 calls.
Does Smith.ai put a live person on the call?
Smith.ai sells both: human-first plans staffed by live receptionists from $300 a month for 30 calls, and AI plans where live agent involvement is a per-call add-on. Its own pages are inconsistent about whether handoff is included on the AI plans, so confirm that with them before you buy. Lead Friendly does not provide live receptionists; the AI transfers the call to a person on your team.
Do I need a separate CRM with Smith.ai?
Probably. Smith.ai syncs to Salesforce, HubSpot, Clio and others, but it is an answering service, not a CRM. Lead Friendly includes the CRM, so call outcomes, texts and appointments land on the contact record without a second subscription.
Who should pick Smith.ai?
Law firms and other professional-services practices that want trained humans to handle intake, the option to start free, and no software to configure. Smith.ai is also stronger on Clio and legal-specific workflows.
Can I keep my existing phone number?
With Lead Friendly, yes: forward your current number to the agent, or have it answer only after hours or when you do not pick up. Check Smith.ai's setup pages for how it handles forwarding.
Sources
- Smith.ai AI receptionist pricing (read October 14, 2026)
- Smith.ai human receptionist pricing (read October 14, 2026)
Hear it answer as your business
Paste your website and hear the agent answer as your business. 7 days or 30 AI voice minutes, whichever comes first; no credit card.
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See the full comparison overview.