The best Smith.ai alternatives in 2026
Smith.ai is a ai receptionist: Answering service offering an AI receptionist and live human receptionists. Here are 8 alternatives, what each costs, and who each one suits.
1. Full Circle
AI agent builder · From $39/monthA self-serve AI agent builder where small businesses hire AI agents that learn the business and send every piece of work for approval.
Best for: Small-business owners who want ready-to-work AI employees for content, social, leads and reviews without building workflows.
+ Chat-first: you brief an agent like a new hire, no workflow canvas − No free plan
Full Circle vs Smith.ai →2. Intercom Fin
AI receptionist · From $49.5/monthAn AI customer service agent that resolves support conversations, usable with Intercom or another helpdesk.
Best for: Businesses with real support volume wanting AI resolution on top of their helpdesk.
+ Pay per resolved outcome − Per-outcome costs scale with volume
Intercom Fin alternatives →3. Tidio (Lyro)
AI receptionist · Free plan; paid from $24.17/monthA live chat and customer service platform with the Lyro AI agent.
Best for: Small online stores and businesses wanting chat plus an AI agent.
+ Free plan − Lyro conversations billed separately
Tidio (Lyro) alternatives →4. Dialzara
AI receptionist · From $29/monthAn AI phone receptionist for small businesses.
Best for: Small businesses wanting an affordable AI phone answering service.
+ Low entry price − Minute caps with per-minute overage ($0.40-$0.48)
Dialzara alternatives →5. Synthflow
AI receptionist · See vendor pricingAn enterprise conversational AI platform for voice agents that handle customer calls.
Best for: Mid-market and enterprise teams deploying AI voice agents for customer service and appointment calls.
+ Native telephony, SIP trunking or approved enterprise telephony − No self-serve plan, free plan or trial
Synthflow alternatives →6. Bland AI
AI receptionist · Free plan; paid from $0/monthA voice AI platform for building and running AI phone agents.
Best for: Developers and technical teams building inbound or outbound phone agents.
+ Free Start tier with an inbound number − Developer-oriented; building agents needs technical setup
Bland AI alternatives →7. Retell AI
AI receptionist · From $0/monthA platform for building voice and chat AI agents for phone calls and messaging.
Best for: Developers and agencies building phone agents who want to choose their own LLM and voice.
+ Choice of LLMs from OpenAI, Anthropic and Google, or a custom LLM − Per-minute cost varies with chosen LLM and voice
Retell AI alternatives →8. Goodcall
AI receptionist · From $79/monthAn AI phone agent that answers calls for small and local businesses.
Best for: Local service businesses that want calls answered and booked without hiring.
+ Free demo agent to build and test before paying − Starter limited to 1 team member and 30-day call history
Goodcall alternatives →
At a glance
| Feature | Smith.ai | Full Circle | Intercom Fin | Tidio (Lyro) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| What it is | Answering service offering an AI receptionist and live human receptionists. | A self-serve AI agent builder where small businesses hire AI agents that learn the business and send every piece of work for approval. | An AI customer service agent that resolves support conversations, usable with Intercom or another helpdesk. | A live chat and customer service platform with the Lyro AI agent. |
| Type | AI receptionist | AI agent builder | AI receptionist | AI receptionist |
| Price | Free plan; paid from $150/month | From $39/month | From $49.5/month | Free plan; paid from $24.17/month |
| Free plan | Yes | No | No | Yes |
| Pricing notes | AI Receptionist: Free $0 (25 calls, then $3/call); Pro $150/mo (75 calls); Enterprise $500/mo (300 calls). Human receptionists: Starter $300/mo (30 calls). | Starter $39/mo (1 agent, 800 credits), Pro $99/mo (3 agents, 2,200 credits), Business $249/mo (10 agents, 6,000 credits); hard monthly limits; extra credits $15; 2 months free yearly | $0.99 per outcome with a 50-outcome monthly minimum when used with another helpdesk; with Intercom helpdesk from $0.99/outcome + $19/seat/mo. Copilot add-on $35/user/mo. | Free $0. Starter $24.17/mo (annual, 100 billable conversations, 50 one-off Lyro conversations). Growth from $49.17/mo; Plus from $300/mo. Lyro standalone from $32.50/mo (50 Lyro conversations). 7-day trials. |
| Best for | Service businesses and law firms needing calls answered 24/7. | Small-business owners who want ready-to-work AI employees for content, social, leads and reviews without building workflows. | Businesses with real support volume wanting AI resolution on top of their helpdesk. | Small online stores and businesses wanting chat plus an AI agent. |
| Technical skill needed | None | None | Low | Low |
| AI model | Not stated | Anthropic Claude | Not stated | Not stated |
Frequently asked questions
What is the best alternative to Smith.ai?
It depends on the job. Full Circle suits small-business owners who want ready-to-work AI employees for content, social, leads and reviews without building workflows; Intercom Fin suits businesses with real support volume wanting AI resolution on top of their helpdesk; Tidio (Lyro) suits small online stores and businesses wanting chat plus an AI agent.
Is there a free alternative to Smith.ai?
Tidio (Lyro), Bland AI have a free plan.
How much does Smith.ai cost?
Free plan; paid from $150/month. AI Receptionist: Free $0 (25 calls, then $3/call); Pro $150/mo (75 calls); Enterprise $500/mo (300 calls). Human receptionists: Starter $300/mo (30 calls).
Sources
Facts were checked against each vendor's own pages on 2026-11-01. Pricing changes often; confirm on the vendor's site before you buy.
- Smith.ai: https://smith.ai/pricing/ai-receptionist
- Smith.ai: https://smith.ai/pricing/receptionists
- Intercom Fin: https://fin.ai/pricing
- Tidio (Lyro): https://www.tidio.com/pricing/
- Dialzara: https://dialzara.com/pricing
- Synthflow: https://synthflow.ai/pricing
- Bland AI: https://www.bland.ai/pricing
- Retell AI: https://www.retellai.com/pricing
- Goodcall: https://www.goodcall.com/pricing