CallsIn vs Smith.ai
AI receptionist with live North America-based agents as backup. Priced per call. Here's an honest side-by-side, including where Smith.ai is the better pick.
| Feature | CallsIn | Smith.ai |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Missed-call text-back, AI texting and an AI receptionist, built for local service businesses | AI receptionist with optional live human agents |
| Starting price | $49/mo (Lite: text-back, you reply) | Free plan (25 calls). Pro $150/mo for 75 to 300 calls. Enterprise $500/mo. |
| AI answers your calls | Yes, 24/7 from Growth: $99/mo with 250 minutes, Pro $199/mo with 600. Extra minutes $0.25. | Yes, 24/7 on every plan |
| Instant text to callers you miss | Yes, on every plan, within seconds | Not listed on their pricing page |
| Two-way texting with customers | Yes. You reply from the dashboard on Lite. The AI replies from Starter ($79/mo) up. | Custom SMS branding on Pro |
| Books appointments | Yes, by text from Starter and on calls from Growth. Syncs with Google Calendar. | Yes (Calendly and more) |
| Live human receptionists | No. The AI hands urgent calls to you. | Yes, callers can be transferred to a live receptionist any time |
| Free trial | 14 days on Lite, no card needed | Free plan to test with |
| Contract | No. Monthly, cancel anytime. | No. Month-to-month. |
| Best for | Owner-run trades and local shops that lose jobs when they can't pick up | Businesses that want a human fallback and integrations like Clio or Zapier |
Smith.ai details come from their public pricing page, checked September 28, 2026. Prices change, so check their site before you decide.
Where Smith.ai wins
- Real people. Any call can be handed to a live North America-based receptionist, day or night.
- More integrations out of the box, including Clio, Zapier and Calendly.
- A free plan with 25 calls a month to try it with.
- A bigger, older company with managed setup on higher plans.
Where CallsIn wins
- Built around the calls you miss. Every missed caller gets a text within seconds, on every plan.
- Cheaper for most shops. Growth is $99/mo with 250 AI minutes. Smith.ai Pro is $150/mo for 75 to 300 calls, and extra calls on Pro cost $2.17 to $2.50 each.
- Texting, bookings, calendar, review requests and spam blocking all live in one dashboard.
- Made for trades and local shops, with a website included on Pro.
Which one should you pick?
Pick Smith.ai if you need a live person as backup or lots of software integrations. Pick CallsIn if your problem is missed calls turning into lost jobs, and you want a low monthly price by the minute instead of paying per call.
Switching questions
Can I switch from Smith.ai to CallsIn and keep my number?
Yes. You keep your business number and forward the calls you can't pick up to your CallsIn number. Setup takes a few minutes, and you can try it free for 14 days before you cancel anything.
Does CallsIn use real people?
No. CallsIn texts back missed callers, replies by text with AI and answers calls with an AI receptionist on Growth and Pro. Urgent calls get transferred to you.
How much does CallsIn cost?
Lite is $49/mo, Starter $79/mo, Growth $99/mo and Pro $199/mo. No contracts, cancel anytime. See what each plan includes.
Not sure what missed calls cost you?
Put your own numbers into our missed call calculator and see what walks out the door each month.
See CallsIn on your own calls.
Free for 14 days on Lite, no card needed. Keep your number and forward the calls you miss.
Smith.ai is a trademark of its owner. CallsIn isn't affiliated with or endorsed by Smith.ai.