Smith.ai Virtual Receptionists vs. AnswerFirst: In-Depth Comparison

Compare features and see how businesses like yours can better answer calls, capture leads, and serve clients 24/7 with Smith.ai Virtual Receptionists

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Smith.ai: The best alternative to AnswerFirst

AnswerFirst

COSTS
Pricing
Per call
Per minute
Cost
$6.50-$8.50/call
$1.15-$1.60/min
Starting cost
$255/month
$30/month + usage
Setup fee
NO
$100
Money-Back Guarantee
14 days
No
Spam & sales calls
Free
$1.15-$1.60/min, billed in 1 second increments
Post-call wrap-up
Included
No
Contract
No contracts
No
Wrong numbers
Free
$1.15-$1.60/min, billed in 1 second increments
Required deposit
NO
No
Overage Cost
$7.50-$9.50/call
No
CAPABILITIES
Calls answered 24/7
North America-based receptionists
Lead qualification
New lead intake
Appointment scheduling
Payment collection
Call screening, routing & prioritization
Outbound sales campaigns
Unlimited FAQ
Call recording & transcription
✘ Call recording only
Zip code lookup
Warm transfer
Call transfers via SMS & Slack
Instant call summaries by email & SMS
Daily call summaries
✔ Email, SMS, Slack
✔ Email, SMS, fax
Receptionists make calls for you
✔ Same per-call pricing. Comes from your #
Receptionists know caller history
✔ Same per-call pricing. Comes from your #.
Spanish-speaking receptionists
Send follow-up messages
INTEGRATED TECHNOLOGY
Call tracking dashboard
Call analytics
CSV upload for direct transfer / blocked numbers
CRM, intake & marketing software
✘ Some
Calendaring software
Scheduling
Invoices and payments
Zapier
SMS & Slack
Read our reviews
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Smith.ai offers sophisticated, seamless receptionist services at predictable flat fees. AnswerFirst offers less personalization and charges per minute for setup and post-call handling.

AnswerFirst’s virtual receptionist service charges per minute (plus $30/month on all plans) but they are vague on their process. You’re charged per minute for setup (averaging 60-90 minutes), all post-call wrap-up time, calls from salespeople, wrong numbers, and spam — the minutes could really add up. Smith.ai charges per call, which is easier to predict and can help you easily calculate ROI and overall value. Plus, we never charge for setup, cancellation, spam, sales calls, or wrong numbers.

Smith.ai’s receptionists are also backed by technology that allows them to personalize calls and give seamless service. AnswerFirst receptionists spend time looking up your business information (with the clock running), but Smith.ai’s receptionists are instantly fed your custom instructions — that way they can 100% focus on giving excellent service to your leads and clients. And while both AnswerFirst and Smith.ai offer call recording, only Smith.ai goes above and beyond to transcribe your calls. That way, you don't have to listen to hundreds of hours of conversations to get the information you need.

Both Smith.ai and AnswerFirst have APIs and offer integrations, but Smith.ai integrates with more popular CRMs and scheduling platforms regularly used by solopreneurs and businesses of all sizes — and your first CRM integration is free. AnswerFirst advertises that they can integrate with in-house solutions, which would likely be a very expensive setup and implementation — not ideal for smaller budgets and agile companies.

For predictable pricing, transparent processes, free handling of spam, sales, and wrong numbers, a free integration with popular platforms, and AI-assisted professional and friendly receptionists, businesses prefer Smith.ai to AnswerFirst.

THE BASICS!

Live receptionists on duty 24/7. Forward all incoming calls or overflow phone calls only.
Appointment setting & call-back scheduling, with calendar software integration
Lead qualification & client intake with CRM integration for complete workflows
Outbound calls: web-form follow-ups, work status updates & appointment reminders
Payment collection, with integration to your credit card processing software
Spam & sales call blocking, call screening & prioritization, plus VIP pass-throughs

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What our customers are saying

“I rely on Smith.ai to handle all of my firm's calls. Their intake process integrates with my practice management software, which saves me time. Plus, their professionalism means I pay a fraction of the cost of an in-house receptionist without sacrificing quality. I recommend Smith.ai to every attorney I see.”
REGINA EDWARDS
“Having someone professionally answer our phones is essential to operating a business. We engaged with Smith about 3 months ago and have been extremely pleased with the service they are providing us. They are very flexible and their integration with technology has functionally made a huge difference for us. I receive a SMS message and an email within seconds of a call with all pertinent information regarding the call. They ensure critical calls make it through to me and sales calls are screened. This makes my day much more productive and we get a professional service answering the phones.”
"Smith.ai has been a major hack into improving my business flow. Playing phone tag with potential clients and constantly getting interrupted with sales calls was so tiresome. Smith.ai has completely alleviated this problem. They screen all calls that come into my main office number so only critical calls get through to me, and they schedule appointments with potential clients after having carefully screened them through my intake process. I now save so much time and only have quality appointments booked. Less stress, more appointments. It's a total win!"
“Having real, live people answering the phone has made a huge difference in the volume of my practice, and I'm all about Smith.ai's technology-driven approach. I can focus on my clients without interruptions from sales calls and spammers, yet I remain in the loop when I'm in court or a meeting thanks to their text summaries. I love that Smith.ai manages my web chats now, too! They're one of the key reasons I was able to grow from a solopreneur to an 8 person team!
JUSTIE NICOL
“Smith.ai has been integral to my business at CMIT Solutions of Morristown. Their service was extremely easy to set up and they have been extremely professional with their customer care. Having a live-answer service handle all my incoming calls gives my business a level of professionalism that it was missing and allows me to easily prioritize all of my call-backs. I highly recommend Smith.ai to any business looking for a live-answer service.”
"As small business owners, it is very important to have a professional image with a quick response to our phone calls. We are at ease knowing that our clients are being greeted with a professional, friendly and upbeat voice when they call our office. The message taking is very clear, concise and effective, and allows our contact with our clients to be frictionless, effective and progressive. The service quality and superior communication skills of the Smith.ai team makes them a true extension of our office."
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Live receptionists available 24/7

Starter
$255
Per Month
30
Receptionist Calls
1
Transfer Destination
$9.50/Call after 30
Basic
$675
Per Month
90
Receptionist Calls
2
Transfer Destinations
$8.50/Call after 90
Pro
$1,170
Per Month
180
Receptionist
Calls
5
Transfer Destinations
$7.50/Call after 180
Custom pricing is available. Just let us know what you need!

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We integrate with your software

Contacts and call notes are logged in your systems, including CRM, intake, calendaring, and billing software

Small businesses trust Smith.ai for superior receptionist services