Compare · Smith.ai
Smith.ai alternative that runs the whole discovery conversation
Smith.ai is a live virtual receptionist and lead intake service, with a separate AI Receptionist product alongside it. Real US based agents answer around the clock, screen and qualify callers against your criteria, run your intake questions, book appointments, take payments, and push the result into your CRM, with native Clio, HubSpot, Salesforce, and Zapier integrations. The pricing is refreshingly public: human plans run from Starter at $300 a month for 30 calls up to Pro at $2,100 for 300, the AI Receptionist starts free for 25 calls a month, there are no setup fees, and there is a 30 day money back guarantee (all checked July 2026). If what you need is a human being picking up the phone 24/7, they are very good at that and we are not going to pretend otherwise.
Where it gets expensive is depth. The base plan is a floor, not a ceiling, and real discovery is metered by the question: the included intake stops at 5 short answer questions, 6 more cost $1.50, and it is $0.25 per question after that. Booking the appointment is $1.50, taking payment $1.00, a conflict check $0.50, and entering data into your form $1.00 (published add-on rates, checked July 2026). Starter works out to $10 a call before any of that, with overages at $11.50. Consultations does not charge by the question. The AI asks as many as the matter needs, collects the documents, books the paid appointment, and hands the professional a prepped brief instead of a page of short answers. It handles intake, qualification, and scheduling only, never legal, medical, or financial advice.
Qualifies the lead · collects the docs · books and briefs you
Pick a profession, watch the brief fill itself
The AI runs the discovery consultation, qualifies the lead, collects details and documents, and books the paid appointment, then hands you a prepped brief.
Intake brief
↑ pick a profession to run the intake
Discovery consultation
liveIntake brief
Qualification
Scored against this firm's intake criteria, with the reasons on the brief.
Appointment
bookedat
Brief ready for
Brief readyLive and interactive · qualified, briefed, and booked
Every lead qualified, briefed, and booked · intake and scheduling, not advice · you own your data
Smith.ai genuinely wins on two things: real US based humans answering the phone 24/7 with judgment, and a published month to month rate card with no setup fee. Consultations wins on depth and on how depth is priced. Smith.ai includes 5 intake questions and charges for the sixth onward ($1.50 for six more, then $0.25 each, checked July 2026), plus $1.50 to book and $1.00 to take payment. Consultations runs the full discovery conversation, collects the documents, books the paid appointment, and hands over a prepped brief as one flow.
Side by side
Smith.ai vs Consultations, honestly
A fair look at what each does well. Both are capable tools. Here is where they differ.
| What matters | Consultations | Smith.ai |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Built around qualified, booked, and briefed consultations rather than call volume | Published month to month: Starter 30 calls $300, Basic 90 calls $810, Pro 300 calls $2,100 (checked July 2026) |
| What real discovery costs | The AI asks as many questions as the matter needs; depth is never billed by the question | Included intake stops at 5 short answer questions; 6 more cost $1.50, then $0.25 per question (checked July 2026) |
| Add-ons for the basics | Booking, payment, document collection, and the brief are part of the same intake flow | Per call add-ons: booking $1.50, payments $1.00, conflict check $0.50, third party intake $1.00 (checked July 2026) |
| Price transparency | No setup fee and no per question metering on the intake conversation | Sets the bar here: every rate published, month to month, no setup fee, 30 day money back guarantee |
| Live humans on the phone | An AI agent, not a person; it takes leads by form, link, phone, or chat but will not improvise like a receptionist | Real US based agents answer 24/7 and can use judgment on a difficult caller |
| What the professional receives | A prepped brief: the story, the criteria checked, the documents attached, ready to read | Structured answers and a call summary pushed into your CRM |
| Document collection | Asks for, collects, and chases the documents you need before the appointment | Third party intake can key data into your form at $1.00 per call; chasing documents is not the service |
| Scope and guardrails | Intake, qualification, scheduling, and admin only, never legal, medical, or financial advice | Receptionists screen, qualify, and schedule; they do not advise |
Comparison reflects general, publicly understood positioning. Capabilities change, so check each product for the latest.
Why pros pick Consultations
One AI conversation that qualifies, intakes, books, and briefs
An AI conversation, not a form
Instead of a static form or a calendar link, our AI talks with each lead in plain language, qualifies them against your criteria, and asks for exactly what you need to know.
The whole front door in one place
Qualify, intake, collect documents, book the paid appointment, and produce a prepped brief, all in a single conversation, so you stop stitching tools together.
You walk in prepared
Every booked meeting comes with a clean brief of who is coming and why, so you only take the right consultations and you are ready before the call starts.
Good questions
Smith.ai vs Consultations, answered
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Automate your client intake with Consultations
Let the AI run the first conversation: qualify the lead, collect the documents, book the paid appointment, and hand you a prepped brief. You only take the right meetings, fully prepared. Your client data stays private and yours.
Qualifies every lead · collects the docs · books the paid appointment · preps your brief