Smith.ai vs Moneypenny

Smith.ai and Moneypenny both put AI on your phone with people behind it, but they package it differently. Smith.ai sells one AI receptionist, billed per answered call, with live North America-based receptionists taking the calls that need a human. Moneypenny's US site sells two separate services: AI answering by the call, from $69 a month for 25 calls, and people answering by the minute, from $165 a month for 50 minutes.

On price, Smith.ai has the cheaper way in and Moneypenny has smaller paid steps. Smith.ai's free plan covers 25 calls, then $3.00 a call, and Pro starts at $150. Moneypenny's AI plans run $69, $99, $199 and $435 for 25, 50, 100 and 250 calls, with extra calls from $2.49 down to $1.89.

Smith.ai suits a business that wants the AI and the human fallback on one bill, with room to grow past 1,000 calls on Enterprise. Moneypenny suits a business that wants to choose between a staffed line and an AI line, with every feature included on every plan. Both pages were read in September 2026.

Published pricing, side by side

What each vendor prints on its own site. The billing unit decides more of the final bill than the headline price does.

	Smith.ai	Moneypenny
Billing unit	Per call	Per call (AI Answering) or per minute (People Answering)
Entry plan	Free tier at $0 for 25 calls, then $3.00 a call	AI Answering $69/mo for 25 calls; People Answering $165/mo for 50 minutes
Higher tiers	Pro $150/mo covers 75 to 300 calls at $2.00–$2.17 each; Enterprise $500/mo covers 300 to 1,000+ at $1.60–$1.67	AI Answering $99 (50 calls), $199 (100 calls), $435 (250 calls); People Answering $265 (100 minutes), $422 (200 minutes), $985 (500 minutes)
Overage rate	Published, and the per-call rate falls as the tier rises	Published: $2.49 down to $1.89 per extra AI call; $2.28 down to $1.67 per extra people-answered minute

Read on each vendor's own website in September 2026. Prices move, so check before you buy.

What decides it

The dimensions that change the bill or the service, each as a fact read on the vendor's own site.

	Smith.ai	Moneypenny
What you buy	An AI receptionist with live-receptionist backup	AI answering or people answering, sold as separate plans
Pricing unit	Per answered call	Per call (AI) or per minute (people)
Entry price	Free plan: 25 calls, then $3.00 a call	AI: $69 for 25 calls. People: $165 for 50 minutes
Larger plans	Pro from $150; Enterprise from $500 for 300 to 1,000 or more calls	AI: $99, $199, $435 for 50 to 250 calls. People: $265, $422, $985 for 100 to 500 minutes
Past the plan	Printed per tier, down to $1.60 to $1.67 a call on Enterprise	AI: $2.49 down to $1.89 a call. People: $2.28 down to $1.67 a minute
What changes between tiers	Support level, setup help, custom prompting, multi-location support	Only the call or minute count; features are the same on every plan
Contract	Month to month, 30 days' notice	No contract, 30 days' notice from the next billing date

Smith.ai: smith.ai/pricing/ai-receptionist. Moneypenny: moneypenny.com/us/pricing. Both read September 2026.

Smith.ai: one AI line with people behind it

Every Smith.ai AI receptionist plan includes 24/7 answering, recordings, transcripts and summaries, lead qualification, call routing and scheduling through Calendly and others. Native integrations include Clio and Zapier, and you can run test calls in its Quality Studio before you go live.

When a call needs judgment the AI shouldn't make alone, it transfers to a live receptionist based in North America, at any hour. That backup is part of the plan rather than a second service you buy.

Tiers change the help you get, not the answering. Pro adds dedicated onboarding and live support. Enterprise, from $500 a month, adds full-service setup, custom AI prompting and a dedicated success manager.

Moneypenny: pick the AI line or the staffed one

Moneypenny's pricing page offers two tabs. People Answering is billed in minute bundles of 50, 100, 200 and 500, from $165 to $985 a month. AI Answering is billed in call bundles of 25, 50, 100 and 250, from $69 to $435.

Both come with 24/7 service and no contract. The people plans list bilingual answering, CRM integrations and a mobile app. The AI plans list a reporting dashboard and human escalation.

Moneypenny says there are no feature tiers and no upsells. You get warm call transfer, caller recognition, lead qualification and a free forwarding number from the first day, whichever plan you're on.

A 100-call month, three ways

Say your office takes 100 calls a month, averaging four minutes each. On Moneypenny's AI answering, that's the $199 plan for 100 calls, and each call past 100 bills at the rate printed beside that plan.

On Moneypenny's people answering, the same month is 400 minutes. That's more than the 200-minute plan at $422 holds, so you'd weigh its overage against the $985 plan for 500 minutes.

On Smith.ai, 100 calls sit inside the Pro plan, which starts at $150, and the four-minute average never enters the bill. If your calls run long, a per-call price is the one to model first.

Leaving either one

Both ask for 30 days' notice. Smith.ai's AI receptionist is month to month, and Moneypenny's notice takes effect from your next billing date.

Both answer a number you forward to them, so switching is a forwarding change at your carrier. You can send overflow to the new service while the notice runs, then move the main line once the transcripts look right.

Where GreetKeeper fits

Disclosure: GreetKeeper is our product, and it's mentioned in this section only. It's an AI receptionist billed per answered call, with larger bundles: $49 a month for 200 calls, $149 for 750 and $349 for 2,000. Past the allowance, a call costs $0.45, $0.35 or $0.25.

It books into Google Calendar or Outlook on every plan and reads the name, number and time back before it books. When a caller wants a person, it transfers to your team, and it tries a second number you nominate if nobody picks up.

Robocalls and spam calls are screened out before the greeting and don't count toward your plan. Each plan includes a dedicated local number and a 14-day free trial with every feature on, with no card and no setup fee.

Plan	Monthly	Calls included	After that
StarterFor a single location taking calls one line at a time.	$49	200	$0.45 per call
ProfessionalBooking, routing and transfers included, not an add-on.	$149	750	$0.35 per call
ScaleFor busy phones and longer opening hours.	$349	2,000	$0.25 per call

Questions people ask about this comparison

Is Smith.ai or Moneypenny cheaper for AI answering?

For 25 calls or fewer, Smith.ai's free plan costs nothing, against $69 at Moneypenny. Above that, Moneypenny's AI plans are $99 for 50 calls and $199 for 100, while Smith.ai's Pro starts at $150 (September 2026). At 250 calls, Moneypenny charges $435.

Does Moneypenny use real receptionists or AI?

Both, sold as separate plans. People Answering uses staffed receptionists billed by the minute, from $165 for 50 minutes. AI Answering is billed by the call, from $69 for 25 calls, and includes human escalation (September 2026).

Can Smith.ai's AI hand a call to a person?

Yes. Smith.ai's AI receptionist can transfer a complex call to a live receptionist based in North America, any time of day. That backup comes with the AI plans rather than as a separate service.

Do Smith.ai and Moneypenny require a contract?

Neither requires a long-term contract. Smith.ai is month to month with 30 days' notice to cancel. Moneypenny also asks for 30 days' notice, effective from your next billing date (September 2026).

750 calls for $149

GreetKeeper counts answered calls, never minutes, and books on every plan. Hear it answer for your business.

See it answer a call See pricing