Upfirst alternatives
Upfirst sizes its plans in small steps. The $24.95 Starter holds 30 calls, and call 31 costs $1.50 (checked September 2026). Below are per-call and per-minute receptionists on the same criteria, with GreetKeeper's $49 plan for 200 answered calls first.
| Service | Bills by | Entry price | Overage published? |
|---|---|---|---|
| GreetKeeper | Answered call | $49 for 200 calls | Yes, $0.45 a call |
| Smith.ai | Per call | Free tier at $0 for 25 calls, then $3.00 a call | Yes |
| Ruby | Per minute | $250/mo for 50 minutes | No |
| Rosie | Per minute | Professional $49/mo for 250 minutes | No |
| Goodcall | Per unique caller | Starter $79/mo ($66 annual) for 100 unique customers | Yes |
| Upfirst | Per call | Starter $24.95/mo for 30 calls ($20/mo billed annually) | Yes |
Read from each vendor's own pricing page in September 2026, except vendors who gate pricing behind a form. Check before you buy.
What GreetKeeper does differently from Upfirst
Every line below is on our pricing page or in the product today.
Why teams switch to GreetKeeper
- GreetKeeper's $49 Starter holds 200 answered calls, and Professional holds 750 for $149.
- Every extra GreetKeeper call costs $0.45, $0.35 or $0.25 by plan, printed on the pricing page.
- Scale covers 2,000 answered calls for $349, and the Multi-location plan runs from $299 per location.
- A transfer that isn't picked up tries a second number you nominate.
- Closure dates make GreetKeeper answer as closed on holidays, and each number keeps its own hours, greeting and calendar.
- A signed webhook with the caller's details, intake answers and summary fires the moment a call ends.
- Your 14-day free trial has every feature on and needs no card.
Why people leave Upfirst
Not a general complaint about the category. The specific wall this vendor puts in front of you.
Upfirst's ladder has four rungs: 30 calls, 90, 300 and 600. A busy trade shop climbs it fast, and each step up reprices the whole month. The overage rate moves with the plan too, from $1.50 a call on Starter to $0.70 on Scale. Above 600 calls a month, Upfirst switches you to custom volume pricing, so your next number comes from a sales conversation.
What the bill does as you grow
The entry price is the cheapest month you will ever have. This is the shape of the rest.
Take a shop answering 450 calls a month. On Upfirst, that's past Pro's 300, so you pay Pro plus $0.75 for each of 150 extra calls, or move up to Scale at $299 for 600 (checked September 2026). On GreetKeeper, 450 calls sit inside Professional's 750 for $149. At 900 calls, you're past Upfirst's largest published plan, while GreetKeeper's $349 Scale plan still has room for 1,100 more.
What moving off Upfirst actually involves
Forwarding takes five minutes. Here is the part that takes an afternoon.
Upfirst answers forwarded calls, and so does GreetKeeper, so the move happens at your carrier or phone system. Forward to GreetKeeper's dedicated local number in the mode you use today: every call, busy, no-answer or unreachable. The ring count is set where the forwarding is set, and GreetKeeper answers the moment the call arrives. Copy your Upfirst greeting and FAQ answers across, then give each transfer a second fallback number.
Common questions
Which Upfirst alternatives suit a high call volume?
Plans with a large call allowance. GreetKeeper holds 750 answered calls for $149 and 2,000 for $349, with $0.35 and $0.25 per extra call. Smith.ai's Enterprise plan is $500 a month for 300 to 1,000+ calls (checked September 2026).
Does Upfirst charge by the call?
Yes. Every Upfirst plan includes a set number of calls, from 30 to 600, and charges for each additional call past it (checked September 2026). GreetKeeper also bills per answered call, with 200 included on its $49 Starter.
What carries over from Upfirst to GreetKeeper?
Your phone number stays yours, because both services answer forwarded calls. Your greeting, FAQ answers and transfer numbers copy across by hand. Point GreetKeeper at your website, and it drafts your hours, services and FAQs for you to correct.
Forward your busy-hour calls
Point your no-answer forwarding at GreetKeeper for 14 days, every feature on.