# Smith.ai vs Upfirst: feature, pricing, and use-case comparison

> Canonical: https://dialzara.com/compare/smith-ai-vs-upfirst  
> Summary: Reference comparison of Smith.ai (ai receptionist and live virtual receptionists, billed per call) and Upfirst (ai answering service and virtual receptionist for small businesses) — pricing, features, strengths, and when each one fits.

## Summary

Smith.ai is ai receptionist and live virtual receptionists, billed per call. Upfirst is ai answering service and virtual receptionist for small businesses. This page lists the structured differences in pricing, features, and target fit between the two so a reader can decide which is the better match for their use case.

## At a glance

| | Smith.ai | Upfirst |
| --- | --- | --- |
| **Type** | hybrid | ai-first |
| **Starting price** | AI free for 25 calls; paid AI from $150/month (75 calls); live from $300/month (30 calls) | $24.95/month (Starter) |
| **Pricing model** | Per-call pricing; separate AI Receptionist and Virtual Receptionists plans | Per-call pricing with monthly tiers |
| **Public pricing** | Yes | Yes |
| **Target market** | Professional services firms that want AI answering with a live-agent option, or live answering billed per call | Small businesses, solopreneurs, and service professionals needing budget-friendly 24/7 call coverage |

## Feature comparison

| Feature | Smith.ai | Upfirst | Dialzara | Notes |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| AI Call Handling | Yes | Yes | Yes |  |
| Appointment Booking | Yes | Yes | Yes | Booking is $1.50 a call on Smith.ai live plans; Dialzara calendar sync starts on Business Pro / Both offer appointment booking; Upfirst integrates with Google Calendar, Outlook, and Clio |
| Lead Capture | Unknown | Yes | Yes |  |
| Call Recording | Yes | Yes | Yes | Included on Smith.ai AI plans; $0.25 a call on live plans; included on every Dialzara plan |
| Call Transfers | Yes | Yes | Yes | Dialzara: blind transfers on every plan, warm transfers on Business Pro and above |
| SMS Notifications | Unknown | Yes | Yes | Both send instant call summaries via SMS or email |
| Multilingual Support | Partial | Yes | Yes | Dialzara supports 10 languages on every plan; on Smith.ai live plans a dedicated Spanish line is $1.00 a call / Upfirst supports 35+ languages; Dialzara supports 10 languages on every plan |
| HIPAA Compliance | Unknown | No | Yes | Dialzara is HIPAA compliant / Dialzara is HIPAA compliant for healthcare businesses; Upfirst does not advertise HIPAA compliance |
| CRM Integration | Yes | Unknown | Yes | Smith.ai lists native integrations such as Clio and HubSpot; Dialzara connects through Zapier/Make |
| Zapier Integration | Unknown | Yes | Yes | Both include Zapier on all plans for CRM and app connections |
| Dedicated Phone Number | Unknown | Yes | Yes |  |
| Spam Filtering | Yes | Yes | Yes | On Dialzara, spam and wrong-number calls don't count against your plan minutes / Upfirst does not count spam calls toward your total; both filter unwanted calls |
| Quick Setup | Partial | Yes | Yes | Dialzara sets up in 2 minutes from your website URL / Dialzara trains from your website URL in 2 minutes; Upfirst setup takes about 10-30 minutes |

## About Smith.ai

Smith.ai sells two products. Its AI Receptionist answers calls with AI and can escalate callers to Smith.ai's live agent network; it is free for 25 calls a month, with paid plans from $150/month for 75 calls. Its Virtual Receptionists product is live answering from $300/month for 30 calls. Both are billed per call rather than per minute, and some features on the live plans are per-call add-ons.

- **Type:** hybrid
- **Target market:** Professional services firms that want AI answering with a live-agent option, or live answering billed per call
- **Website:** https://smith.ai
- **Best for:** Law firms, Professional services, Home services

### Smith.ai pricing

- **Model:** Per-call pricing; separate AI Receptionist and Virtual Receptionists plans
- **Starting price:** AI free for 25 calls; paid AI from $150/month (75 calls); live from $300/month (30 calls)
- **Per-minute rate:** Per call, not per minute: AI from $1.60 to $2.00 a call on paid plans; live plans include 30, 90 or 300 calls with overages from $8.50 to $11.50 a call
- **Public pricing:** Yes
- **Last verified:** 2026-11-03

| Tier | Price | Details |
| --- | --- | --- |
| AI Receptionist Free | $0/mo | 25 calls a month, then $3.00 a call |
| AI Receptionist Pro | From $150/mo | 75 calls a month ($2.00 a call); larger call bundles available |
| AI Receptionist Enterprise | From $500/mo | 300 calls a month; built and run for you |
| Virtual Receptionists Starter | $300/mo | 30 live-answered calls, $11.50 per extra call |
| Virtual Receptionists Basic | $810/mo | 90 calls, $10.50 per extra call |
| Virtual Receptionists Pro | $2,100/mo | 300 calls, $8.50 per extra call |

Both products are billed per call. On the Virtual Receptionists plans, some features are per-call add-ons, including appointment booking ($1.50), a dedicated Spanish line ($1.00), call recording and transcription ($0.25) and SMS/Slack notifications ($0.50). Smith.ai says the live plans have no setup fees, no charge for spam and a 30-day money-back guarantee.

### Strengths

- A live agent network the AI can escalate callers to
- Free AI plan for up to 25 calls a month
- Live receptionists available as a separate product
- Native integrations with tools such as Clio, HubSpot and Salesforce
- Per-call billing suits businesses with long calls

### Weaknesses

- Per-call billing means short calls cost as much as long ones
- Live plans start at $300/month for 30 calls
- Several live-plan features are per-call add-ons
- Two products with different pricing to compare

### Common user complaints

- Per-call billing: a 30-second call and a 10-minute call cost the same
- On the live plans, booking, Spanish, recording and SMS alerts are per-call add-ons
- Live plans start at $300/month for 30 calls
- Two separate products with different pricing can be hard to compare

## About Upfirst

Upfirst is an AI-powered virtual receptionist that answers calls 24/7, captures leads, schedules appointments, and transfers calls. They use per-call pricing starting at $24.95/mo for 30 calls, with all features included on every plan. They support 35+ languages and offer Zapier integration. However, per-call pricing means you pay the same whether a call lasts 30 seconds or 10 minutes, and the Starter plan includes only 30 calls with $1.50 overage per additional call.

- **Type:** ai-first
- **Target market:** Small businesses, solopreneurs, and service professionals needing budget-friendly 24/7 call coverage
- **Website:** https://upfirst.ai

### Upfirst pricing

- **Model:** Per-call pricing with monthly tiers
- **Starting price:** $24.95/month (Starter)
- **Per-minute rate:** $1.50/call overage on Starter, $1.00 on Premium, $0.75 on Pro, $0.70 on Scale
- **Public pricing:** Yes

| Tier | Price | Details |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Starter | $24.95/mo | 30 calls included, $1.50 per additional call, all features included |
| Premium | $59.95/mo | 90 calls included, $1.00 per additional call, all features included |
| Pro | $159.95/mo | 300 calls included, $0.75 per additional call, all features included |
| Scale | $299/mo | 600 calls included, $0.70 per additional call, all features included |

Annual billing saves 20% (Starter: $20/mo, Premium: $48/mo, Pro: $128/mo, Scale: $240/mo). Per-call pricing — you pay the same whether a call is 30 seconds or 10 minutes. Spam calls, calls under 15 seconds, and pocket dials are not counted. 14-day free trial with no credit card required.

### Strengths

- Low starting price at $24.95/month — one of the cheapest AI answering services
- Most features included on every plan — minimal upselling or tier-gating
- 35+ language support on all plans
- Per-call pricing means longer calls don't cost more
- Spam calls, pocket dials, and calls under 15 seconds are not billed
- 14-day free trial with no credit card required
- Clean, simple interface designed for non-technical users
- Transparent pricing with no hidden fees

### Weaknesses

- Only 30 calls included on the $24.95/mo Starter plan — businesses with moderate call volume will quickly exceed this
- Per-call pricing can be expensive for short calls — a 30-second call costs the same as a 10-minute call
- Overage costs add up quickly at $1.50 per additional call on Starter
- No HIPAA compliance — not suitable for healthcare or regulated industries
- Basic integrations compared to more robust platforms
- Simple workflow capabilities — not ideal for complex multi-step call handling
- Limited voice customization compared to some competitors

## Frequently asked questions

### What is the main difference between Smith.ai and Upfirst?

Smith.ai is ai receptionist and live virtual receptionists, billed per call. Upfirst is ai answering service and virtual receptionist for small businesses. Smith.ai targets professional services firms that want ai answering with a live-agent option, or live answering billed per call, while Upfirst targets small businesses, solopreneurs, and service professionals needing budget-friendly 24/7 call coverage. Both offer AI-powered call handling, but they differ in pricing, features, and target audience.

### Which is cheaper, Smith.ai or Upfirst?

Smith.ai starts at AI free for 25 calls; paid AI from $150/month (75 calls); live from $300/month (30 calls), while Upfirst starts at $24.95/month (Starter). Per-call pricing; separate AI Receptionist and Virtual Receptionists plans. Per-call pricing with monthly tiers. The total cost depends on your call volume, team size, and which features you need.

### Does Smith.ai or Upfirst offer HIPAA compliance?

Neither Smith.ai nor Upfirst advertises HIPAA compliance. If you need HIPAA-compliant phone answering for healthcare or regulated businesses, you may need to look at other providers in the space.

### Which is better for small businesses, Smith.ai or Upfirst?

It depends on your specific needs. Smith.ai's strengths include: a live agent network the ai can escalate callers to, free ai plan for up to 25 calls a month. Upfirst's strengths include: low starting price at $24.95/month — one of the cheapest ai answering services, most features included on every plan — minimal upselling or tier-gating. Consider your call volume, budget, and which features matter most to your business when choosing between them.

### Is there a better alternative to both Smith.ai and Upfirst?

There are several AI phone answering services on the market beyond Smith.ai and Upfirst. Dialzara is one option worth considering — it's an AI receptionist starting at $29/month, with 10 languages, unlimited simultaneous calls and HIPAA compliance on every plan. Browse our comparison pages to evaluate all your options.