Verdict
Smith.ai — From $300/month (30 calls). Best for: Per-call live receptionist plans, 24/7, with a Spanish line add-on.
Wrong choice if: Your calls are short and frequent, or you want one person who also does admin work.
Pricing as published
| Plan | Price | Extra calls | Effective rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30 calls | $300/month | $11.50/call | $10/call |
| 90 calls | $810/month | $10.50/call | $9/call |
| 300 calls | $2,100/month | $8.50/call | $7/call |
Source: https://smith.ai/pricing/receptionists, checked 11 November 2026.
What it costs at different volumes
| Monthly volume | Smith.ai | How it's priced | HireParalegals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 100 calls | $915 | 90-call plan + 10 extra calls | $1,040–$2,080 |
| 150 calls | $1,440 | 90-call plan + 60 extra calls | $1,040–$2,080 |
| 300 calls | $2,100 | 300-call plan | $1,040–$2,080 |
| 500 calls | $3,800 | 300-call plan + 200 extra calls | $1,040–$2,080 |
Phone scenarios assume 3-minute calls. Dedicated staff are priced at 30 hrs/week regardless of call volume.
What Smith.ai publishes
- 30 calls $300/month (overage $11.50/call), 90 calls $810 ($10.50), 300 calls $2,100 ($8.50).
- Live-staffed 24/7; calls at 2pm and 2am cost the same; no setup fees.
- Dedicated Spanish line add-on at $1.00 per call; call recording and add-ons priced per call.
Terms at a glance
| Model | Per call (shared) |
|---|---|
| Minimum | 30 calls/month |
| Contract | Monthly |
| Setup / fees | No setup fees |
| Team location | Mixed |
| Hours | 24/7 live |
| Spanish | Yes, at extra cost |
| Replacement | n/a |
| Time to start | Same-week setup |
| Roles | Receptionist, Intake specialist |
How we scored it
| Criterion | Score | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Legal specialisation | 5/10 | General provider; legal is one industry among many |
| Ownership of follow-up | 3/10 | A pooled team answers; follow-up stays with your staff |
| Cost at our reference scenario | 7/10 | $2,100/month at our reference scenario: 300 calls/month at 3 minutes (or 30 hrs/wk dedicated) |
| Spanish / bilingual | 7/10 | Spanish available at extra cost |
| After-hours coverage | 10/10 | Live answering 24/7/365 |
| Flexibility of commitment | 8/10 | Monthly plans from 30 calls, no setup fee |
| Total | 40/60 | Scoring method |
Our assessment, criterion by criterion
Legal specialisation: 5/10
General provider; legal is one industry among many. A generalist will follow your script, but legal judgement has to be written into it: which questions screen out a case, which callers go straight to an attorney, and what never to say.
What we measure: Whether the provider works only with law firms, or recruits specifically for legal roles. Highest on this criterion here: HireParalegals (9), Virtual Legal Assistants (9), Veza Reception (9).
Ownership of follow-up: 3/10
A pooled team answers; follow-up stays with your staff. The service takes the call and passes on a message. Name someone in your office who owns every message, with a same-day deadline, or leads go cold.
What we measure: Whether one named person owns the lead after the call: chasing documents, booking the consultation, sending the engagement letter. Highest on this criterion here: HireParalegals (9), Virtual Legal Assistants (9), Get Staffed Up (9).
Cost at our reference scenario: 7/10
$2,100/month at our reference scenario: 300 calls/month at 3 minutes (or 30 hrs/wk dedicated). More expensive than most options at our reference scenario; check whether its strengths justify the premium for you.
What we measure: What the provider would cost at the site's reference scenario, using only published prices. Highest on this criterion here: HireParalegals (10), Virtual Legal Assistants (10), Responsive Answering (10).
Spanish / bilingual: 7/10
Spanish available at extra cost. Spanish is either extra or not offered. Check the cost before you rely on it for PI, immigration or workers' comp callers.
What we measure: Whether Spanish-speaking staff are standard (9), available at a surcharge (7) or not offered (3). Highest on this criterion here: HireParalegals (9), Virtual Legal Assistants (9), Veza Reception (9).
After-hours coverage: 10/10
Live answering 24/7/365. Calls at 9pm, at weekends and on holidays reach a live person, which matters most for criminal defence, PI and family practices.
What we measure: Whether a live person answers outside business hours. Highest on this criterion here: Veza Reception (10), Responsive Answering (10), Posh (10).
Flexibility of commitment: 8/10
Monthly plans from 30 calls, no setup fee. Easy to start small and leave if it doesn't work, which keeps a trial cheap.
What we measure: How easy it is to start small and leave: part-time hours, no setup fees and no long contracts score highest. Highest on this criterion here: HireParalegals (9), Veza Reception (9), Posh (9).
What Smith.ai costs over a year
Twelve months at each volume, plus any published one-time setup fee.
| Volume | Monthly | One-time setup | First 12 months |
|---|---|---|---|
| 100 calls | $915 | — | $10,980 |
| 150 calls | $1,440 | — | $17,280 |
| 300 calls | $2,100 | — | $25,200 |
| 500 calls | $3,800 | — | $45,600 |
Where it gets cheaper or dearer than a dedicated hire
At 3-minute calls, Smith.ai costs less than a full-time dedicated person from HireParalegals ($1,040/month at 30 hrs/week) up to about 110 calls a month. Above that, the dedicated person is cheaper, and also does follow-up and admin between calls.
Pros
- Per-call billing, so long intake calls don't cost more
- 24/7 at one price
- Large add-on menu
Cons
- Add-ons per call add up
- Not a dedicated person
- $8.50–$11.50 per call overage
How Smith.ai compares on price
Every provider on Chambers Front Desk at our reference scenario (300 calls/month at 3 minutes (or 30 hrs/wk dedicated)), cheapest first. "On request" providers don't publish a price.
| # | Provider | Monthly | Basis |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Responsive Answering | $1,009 | 500-minute plan + 400 extra min |
| 2 | HireParalegals | $1,040–$2,080 | 30 hrs/wk × published rate |
| 3 | Virtual Legal Assistants | $1,040 | 30 hrs/wk × published rate |
| 4 | Veza Reception | $1,421 | 500-minute plan + 400 extra min |
| 5 | PATLive | $1,475 | 500-minute plan + 400 extra min |
| 6 | Posh | $1,755 | 500-minute plan + 400 extra min |
| 7 | Smith.ai | $2,100 | 300-call plan |
| 8 | Get Staffed Up | $2,145 | full-time price (no published part-time rate) |
| 9 | Abby Connect | $2,484 | 500-minute plan + 400 extra min |
| 10 | Answering Legal | On request | no public price |
| 11 | LEX Reception | On request | no public price |
| 12 | Ruby | $1,725+ | above the largest published plan (500 min) |
| 13 | Back Office Betties | $1,364+ | above the largest published plan (500 min) |
Questions to ask Smith.ai before you sign
- Is every call answered by a person, or does AI answer some calls first?
- Will you use our screening script word for word, and how quickly can we change it?
- How are minutes or calls counted: from pick-up, rounded up, and are spam or wrong-number calls billed?
- What happens to a lead who doesn't book on the call: do you follow up, or does the message come to us?
- Can you enter leads directly into our case-management system or CRM, and at what cost?
- Are Spanish calls handled by native speakers or an interpreter line, and is there a surcharge?
- How are call recordings and notes stored, who can access them, and for how long?
- What is the notice period, and do unused minutes roll over?
- Can you guarantee a Spanish-speaking candidate, and at what price?
Alternatives to consider
- HireParalegals — From $8/hour; Dedicated, mostly bilingual legal staff from Latin America on US hours, billed hourly.
- Virtual Legal Assistants — From $8/hour; A hiring service focused only on virtual legal assistants for US law firms.
- Veza Reception — From $200/month (100 minutes); Virtual receptionist service built only for law firms, no long-term contracts.