Short answer
As of October 2026, Smith.ai's AI Receptionist is free for 25 real calls a month, then $3.00 per call, with Pro from $150 a month for 75 calls. Human receptionists start at $300 a month for 30 calls. Everything is billed per call, not per minute, so your real monthly cost depends on call volume and add-ons.
How Smith.ai bills
Smith.ai sells two separate products with two price lists, and both charge per call rather than per minute. That is the single most useful thing to understand before you read a pricing page. A 30-second wrong number and a 15-minute intake call can cost the same.
The prices below come from Smith.ai's own pricing pages as checked in October 2026. They change, so confirm on smith.ai before you commit. Where the pages give no figure, this article says so rather than guessing.
AI Receptionist plans
| Plan | Monthly price | Included calls | Overage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | 25 real calls | $3.00 per call |
| Pro | From $150 | 75 calls (tiers of 150 and 300 also exist) | $2.17-$2.50 per call |
| Enterprise | From $500 | 300+ calls | Not stated in our sources |
Included features: 24/7 AI answering, call recording, transcription, lead qualification, routing and AI scheduling with tools such as Calendly, plus integrations. It is month-to-month with 30 days notice to cancel.
Human receptionist plans
| Plan | Monthly price | Included calls | Extra calls |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starter | $300 | 30 | $11.50 per extra call |
| Basic | $810 | 90 | Not stated in our sources |
| Pro | $2,100 | 300 | Not stated in our sources |
| Enterprise | Custom | Custom | Custom |
Humans are staffed 24/7 and spam calls are not charged. Add-ons include appointment booking at $1.50 per call and a Spanish line at $1.00 per call. Committing to a 12-month term takes 10% off, and there is a 30-day money-back guarantee.
What a working setup might cost
A headline price is rarely your bill. These are illustrations using the published rates above and assumed call volumes, not quotes.
- AI Pro, 100 calls a month. $150 covers 75 calls. The other 25 at $2.17 to $2.50 add roughly $54 to $63, for a total of about $204 to $213.
- Human Starter, 40 calls a month. $300 covers 30. Ten extra calls at $11.50 add $115, for $415. If every call also uses the appointment-booking add-on at $1.50, that adds $60 for about $475.
- Human Starter with a Spanish line. If all 30 included calls use the $1.00 Spanish add-on, that adds $30.
Notice what the math does not include: anything that happens after the call. Follow-up texts, CRM updates, quotes and invoices are outside what Smith.ai's pricing pages describe, so those still cost you staff time or other software.
How that compares with Oraculo
Oraculo prices by hours of work, not by call. Starter is $12 per hour with a 6-hour weekly minimum, which is about $312 a month. Business is $8 per hour at 43 hours a week, about $1,500 a month. Setup is $499 one time. Phone calls cost $0.19 per minute on top, and there is a 30-day money-back guarantee.
As an illustration, 100 calls averaging three minutes is 300 minutes, or about $57 in call charges, added to your Starter plan. On calls alone, Smith.ai's AI tiers are cheaper. The comparison turns on what else you would otherwise pay for: a receptionist's after-call work, a CRM follow-up tool, a social poster, a bookkeeper's invoicing. Oraculo's own estimate of a typical five-person business stack that it replaces is about $17,410 a month, which is an estimate, not a guarantee of savings.
Which pricing style suits you
| If your business is... | Pricing style that tends to fit |
|---|---|
| Under 25 calls a month, calls only | Smith.ai Free AI plan |
| Steady 75 to 300 calls, calls only | Smith.ai AI Pro tiers |
| Calls that need a human voice | Smith.ai human plans (or Ruby) |
| Calls plus follow-up, invoicing, social, team tracking | Oraculo's hourly model |
For a feature view, see Oraculo vs Smith.ai, and for how hourly billing works, AI employee pricing per hour.
Questions to ask before you sign
- What counts as a call? Ask whether transfers, voicemails and repeat callers each count.
- What is the overage for my tier? The pages give ranges for AI Pro and none for some human tiers.
- What do the add-ons cost at my volume? Booking and Spanish are per call.
- What do I have to wire up myself? Integrations and workflows after the call are on you.
- Is there a trial or guarantee? Human plans list 30 days money-back.
If after that you want a single managed employee for the whole front office, book a 20-minute demo and test it with your own call history.
Key takeaway
Smith.ai is priced per call, so cost tracks call volume and add-ons. It can be the cheaper way to answer calls; a managed AI employee earns its price only if you also want the work after the call.
Frequently asked questions
How much does Smith.ai cost?
As of October 2026, the AI Receptionist is free for 25 real calls a month, with Pro from $150 a month. Human virtual receptionists start at $300 a month for 30 calls. Billing is per call, not per minute.
Does Smith.ai charge per minute?
No. Its pricing pages describe billing per call, not per minute, and spam calls are not charged on the human plans. Oraculo, by contrast, charges $0.19 per minute for calls on top of hourly work.
What happens if I go over my included calls?
On the AI plan, the free tier charges $3.00 per call and Pro charges $2.17 to $2.50 per call over its limit. On Human Starter, extra calls cost $11.50 each.
Is there a contract with Smith.ai?
The AI plans are month-to-month with 30 days notice to cancel. Human plans offer 10% off with a 12-month term and a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Is Smith.ai cheaper than hiring a receptionist?
It can be, since the US median receptionist wage was $18.27 an hour in May 2025 before taxes and benefits, and a person covers only one shift. Compare your own call volume against the per-call plans.