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Why law firms choose Smith.ai over Moneypenny
Moneypenny is a serious operation. They publish their US rates, they charge no setup fee, they include 24/7 on every plan, and they staff a US team. They also sell answering two different ways: people plans billed by the minute, or AI plans billed by the call. Which one you buy decides who picks up.
At Smith.ai there's no such fork. A trained North America-based receptionist answers every call, and the AI Receptionist is an add-on a firm can switch on for overflow or leave off forever. The deeper difference is who the service is built for. Moneypenny answers calls for law firms, dental practices, plumbers, dealerships, funeral homes and franchises, and the product reflects that breadth. Their legal offering is a trained-receptionist layer on a general answering service. Legal is the only industry Smith.ai builds for.
Then there's where the work stops. Moneypenny captures the lead, qualifies it, books the appointment and passes it to you. Smith.ai keeps going. The matter lands in Clio or Filevine or Lawmatics as a case file, payment can be collected, and the retainer goes out with e-signature. Most firms lose the client in the gap between a qualified lead and a signed one, and that gap is the part Moneypenny doesn't cover.
The bill is shaped differently too. Moneypenny meters people by the minute. Legal intake calls run long by nature, and a first conversation about a serious injury or a custody matter is not a three-minute call, so on a per-minute plan the conversations worth the most cost the most. Smith.ai bills per call at $7–$10 whatever the length.
Frequently asked questions
What does Moneypenny cost compared to Smith.ai?
Moneypenny's US people plans start at $165/month for 50 minutes and run to $985/month for 500, billed per minute, with a legal-specific plan advertised from $132/month. Their AI answering plans start at $69/month for 25 calls. Smith.ai is $300/month for 30 calls at $7–$10 per call. Which works out cheaper depends on how long your calls run, and legal intake calls run long.
Does Moneypenny include 24/7 coverage?
Yes — 24/7 service is listed on every people and AI plan, at no extra charge. So does Smith.ai.
Where are Moneypenny's receptionists based?
Their US team works from a single office in Atlanta, Georgia. Moneypenny also operates a UK business from Wrexham. Smith.ai's 500+ live agents are North America-based.
Who answers the call at each service?
At Smith.ai, a North America-based receptionist, every time. At Moneypenny it depends which plan family the firm bought: people plans are answered by their team, AI plans from $69/month are answered by their AI Receptionist with human escalation included. The Smith.ai AI Receptionist is an optional add-on rather than a separate plan to choose between.
Can Moneypenny send a retainer agreement?
No. Smith.ai can, as of July 2026 — retainer send with e-signature, so a qualified caller can be signed without leaving the intake workflow.
Is Moneypenny built for law firms?
They run a legal answering service with receptionists trained for legal calls, alongside services for healthcare, home services, real estate, finance, franchise, automotive, plumbing and funeral homes. Smith.ai builds for one of those industries.
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