Smith.ai alternative: Daber AI vs Smith.ai
A US answering company that sells an AI receptionist backed by live agents, billed per call, alongside its live virtual receptionist service. Daber AI is an AI receptionist only, billed by the minute. Here is how the published prices compare as of October 2026, and when Smith.ai is the better choice.
Short answer
For most call lengths, yes. Smith.ai's AI Pro plan is $150 for 75 calls; Daber AI is $49 for 210 minutes (70 three-minute calls). Smith.ai is cheaper if you get 25 calls a month or fewer (its Free plan), or if your calls are very long, because it bills per call.
Smith.ai pricing (as of October 2026)
Smith.ai AI Receptionist
| Plan | Price / month | Included | Overage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | 25 calls | $3.00/call |
| Pro | $150 | 75 calls | Not published |
| Enterprise | $500 | 300 calls | Not published |
- Setup fee: None stated
- Free trial: Free plan, 25 calls/month
- Billed per call, so a long call costs the same as a short one.
- Up to 10% of calls can be removed from a bill as spam.
- Source (as of October 2026): smith.ai/pricing/ai-receptionist
Smith.ai Virtual Receptionists
| Plan | Price / month | Included | Overage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starter | $300 | 30 calls | $11.50/call |
| Basic | $810 | 90 calls | $10.50/call |
| Pro | $2,100 | 300 calls | $8.50/call |
- Setup fee: None
- Free trial: Not published
- No cancellation fee or long-term contract; 10% off with annual payment.
- Source (as of October 2026): smith.ai/pricing/receptionists
Daber AI vs Smith.ai at the same volume
Daber AI: $3 for the first 14 days (a real number and 30 call minutes), then the plans below. Every plan includes the phone number, WhatsApp and website chat; there is no setup fee. See the plans.
| Call minutes / month | Smith.ai AI Receptionist: cheapest published plan | Daber AI: plan that fits |
|---|---|---|
| 60 (20 calls) | $0.00 — Free | $49.00 — Starter |
| 150 (50 calls) | $75.00 — Free | $49.00 — Starter |
| 300 (100 calls) | $225.00 — Free | $70.00 — Starter |
| 600 (200 calls) | $500.00 — Enterprise | $140.00 — Starter |
How this is computed: for each plan, price + (usage beyond what it includes × its published overage); the cheapest result is shown. A plan whose overage isn't published only counts if it covers the volume outright. Daber AI overage is billed per second. Smith.ai AI Receptionist bills per call, so this example assumes 3-minute calls — with your own call length the numbers change; the cost calculator uses yours.
Where Daber AI costs less
- Smith.ai's AI Pro plan is $150 for 75 calls ($2.00 a call). Daber AI's $49 Starter covers 210 minutes — at a 3-minute average call (an example; use your own), that is 70 calls at about $0.70 each.
- Smith.ai's live receptionists start at $300 for 30 calls ($10.00 a call), with extra calls at $11.50.
- Going over costs $0.23 a minute on Daber AI, billed per second. On Smith.ai's Free plan an extra call is $3.00; overage on its paid AI plans isn't published.
Where Smith.ai is the better choice
- A free plan: 25 calls a month for $0. If that covers you, nothing paid costs less — Daber AI included.
- People when you need them: Smith.ai's AI receptionist is backed by live agents, and it sells fully human receptionists. Daber AI has no human agents; it transfers callers to your own staff.
- Per-call billing: a ten-minute call costs the same as a one-minute call. If your calls are long, compare at your real average length — above about 9 minutes per call, Smith.ai's Pro per-call price is lower than Daber AI's per-minute one.
Switching from Smith.ai in 3 steps
- Try it on your own website. Paste your website at daber.ai/try and, in about 20 seconds, talk in your browser to a receptionist drafted from it. Free, no sign-up.
- Sign up and copy your setup across. Building and testing your agent is free. Bring over what your Smith.ai setup already knows — greeting, common questions, transfer numbers, booking rules — and test it from your browser. You pay $3 when you put it on a real phone line.
- Forward (or port) your number. Keep your business number and set call forwarding with your carrier to your Daber AI number — forward only the calls you don't answer if you want your own phone to ring first — or take a new US or Canada number, ready right away. If Smith.ai gave you the number you use today, ask them how to forward or port it out before you cancel, and run both side by side for a week.
Hear it on your own business first
Paste your website and talk to the receptionist it drafts, free, in about 20 seconds. If you like it, building your own is free too — you pay $3 when it goes on a real phone line.
Questions
Is Daber AI cheaper than Smith.ai?
For most call lengths, yes. Smith.ai's AI Pro plan is $150 for 75 calls; Daber AI is $49 for 210 minutes (70 three-minute calls). Smith.ai is cheaper if you get 25 calls a month or fewer (its Free plan), or if your calls are very long, because it bills per call.
Does Daber AI have live receptionists like Smith.ai?
No. Daber AI is an AI receptionist; when a caller needs a person it transfers the call to your own phone, a teammate or the right desk. If you need a company's human receptionists to answer, Smith.ai, Ruby or Posh are that kind of service.
Prices checked 2026-10-02 on each vendor's own pages, linked above. If a price has changed, their page is right — tell us at hello@daber.ai. All services side by side: AI receptionist pricing compared · receptionist cost calculator.