Comparison
AI Receptionist vs a Human Answering Service (Smith.ai) for Small Contractors
Prices last checked on vendor sites: October 14, 2026
Should a real person answer your overflow calls, or an AI? Smith.ai is a well-known live answering service, so it makes a good benchmark. Prices were checked on each vendor's pricing page on October 14, 2026.
Smith.ai's human receptionist plans
| Plan | Price | Calls included | Overage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starter | $300/mo | 30 calls | $11.50 per call |
| Basic | $810/mo | 90 calls | $10.50 per call |
| Pro | $2,100/mo | 300 calls | $8.50 per call |
What's included:
- Live agents 24/7
- Lead screening and intake
- No setup fees
- No charge for spam calls (when caller ID is passed)
- A 30-day money-back guarantee
- Month-to-month service, with 10% off for a 12-month commitment
Some features cost extra per call, such as booking appointments ($1.50) and a dedicated Spanish line ($1.00). Smith.ai also offers an "AI-first" option on its pricing page.
AI receptionists at the same budget
| Service | Price | Included |
|---|---|---|
| OnCrew Starter | $49/mo | 100 calls, then $0.99 per call |
| Rosie Professional | $49/mo | 250 minutes |
| Rosie Scale | $149/mo | 1,000 minutes, calendar booking, live transfers |
| My AI Front Desk | $99/mo | 200 voice minutes plus SMS and chat |
On published prices, 30 calls a month costs $300 with a person on Smith.ai Starter. On OnCrew Starter, $49 covers up to 100 calls.
When a human still makes sense
- Your callers have complicated, high-dollar questions that need judgment, such as commercial bids or insurance claims.
- You need extended intake that an AI might handle badly for your work.
- Your customers expect a person and will hang up on an AI.
When AI is the better deal
- Most calls are "Can you come look at this?" plus a name, number, and address.
- Your volume swings with the weather, and overage per call matters.
- You mainly need after-hours and overflow coverage.
A middle path
Many AI services transfer calls. Rosie offers live and warm transfers on Scale, OnCrew has live transfer destinations on every plan, and Jobber Receptionist transfers on your keywords. Let the AI take routine calls and pass the important ones to you.
See also: Best AI receptionist for contractors
Check current pricing
Smith.ai pricing OnCrew pricing Rosie pricing My AI Front Desk pricing