Forge Voice vs Smith.ai. Priced from their page, not our guess.
Smith.ai is an answering service with an AI receptionist and with receptionists who are people, billed per call. Smith.ai bills per call and we bill per minute, so the answer depends on how long your calls run. For the month below, our Starter range comes in under its AI plan, and both come in well under its plans answered by people.
You will talk with an AI assistant. We record and transcribe the conversation.
7 day free trial. No contract. That number is Forge's own line, answered by our AI agent.
300 calls and 1,000 talk minutes.
Our rows show a range because we round each call up to the next full minute. Theirs use only what their own page says.
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Forge Voice Starter
$422 to $496.75
$297 a month with 500 minutes, then $0.25 a minute. Rounded up call by call, 1,000 talk minutes bill as 1,000 to 1,299 minutes.
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Forge Voice Pro
$497 to $571.75
$497 a month with 1,000 minutes, then $0.25 a minute. Rounded up call by call, 1,000 talk minutes bill as 1,000 to 1,299 minutes.
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Smith.ai AI Receptionist
$500
$500 on its 300-call tier. It bills per call, so minutes do not change the price. Source: Smith.ai pricing page, checked September 26, 2026.
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Smith.ai receptionists (people)
$2,100
$2,100 on its 300-call plan answered by people. Source: Smith.ai pricing page, checked September 26, 2026.
Competitor prices come from each company's public pricing page on September 26, 2026. Each row links to its source. Every row uses the same month: 300 calls and 1,000 talk minutes. Our row rounds each call up to the next full minute, the way we bill. Prices change, so check theirs before you decide.
How Smith.ai and Forge Voice work, in their words and ours.
| Topic | Smith.ai | Forge Voice |
|---|---|---|
| Price | AI Receptionist plans: $0 a month for 25 calls, then $3.00 a call; Pro from $150 a month for 75 calls; Enterprise from $500 a month for 300 calls. Source: Smith.ai pricing page, checked September 26, 2026. | Starter is $297 a month with 500 minutes; Pro is $497 a month with 1,000 minutes; Scale is $897 a month with 2,500 minutes. |
| How it bills | Bills by the call, not by the minute. Source: Smith.ai pricing page, checked September 26, 2026. | By the minute, on a plan with minutes included. Each call counts as at least 1 minute. We round each call up to the next full minute. |
| What counts | Every answered AI call counts toward the plan. You can remove up to 10% of calls a billing cycle as spam, and calls from known spammers are filtered before they count. Source: Smith.ai pricing page, checked September 26, 2026. | We count the time your agent is on each call. Each call counts as at least 1 minute. We round each call up to the next full minute. Unused minutes do not carry over. |
| Who answers | Plans answered by people: $300 a month for 30 calls, $810 for 90 calls, $2,100 for 300 calls. Source: Smith.ai pricing page, checked September 26, 2026. | An AI agent. It tells every caller it is an AI assistant on a recorded line. |
| Contract and canceling | The AI Receptionist is month to month with 30 days' notice to cancel. A separate 6-month plan offers rollover calls at a lower per-call rate; the listed prices above do not require it. Source: Smith.ai pricing page, checked September 26, 2026. | Yes. There is no contract. Cancel online in your account, or email billing@forgedev.studio. Cancel during the free trial and you pay nothing. After that, your plan runs to the end of the month you paid for. |
Call ours. Then call theirs.
A price table cannot tell you how an agent sounds when a caller interrupts it. Ours answers Forge's own line, so ask it anything you would ask Smith.ai.
More comparisons, all priced the same way: every company on one scale.
This is the agent that answers Forge's own line. Ask what it costs, how setup works for your trade, or leave a message for our team.
Tap to callTalk to it in your browser
Same voice and instructions as the agent on our own line. It uses your microphone, or you can type. There is no form to fill in first.
You will talk with an AI assistant. We record and transcribe the conversation.
When you finish, you can start a free trial, ask for a call with our team, or have us email you the conversation.
What Smith.ai's page does not say. Ask them.
We only print what a company's own page states. These are the gaps we found, so you can ask for the same month in writing.
- How long a single call can run before it counts as more than one call.
- Whether a call your team takes over by transfer counts toward the plan.
Pick Smith.ai if that is what you need. Here is when we fit better.
Smith.ai may fit better if
- You want the option of a person answering, not only AI.
- You would rather pay per call than per minute, and your calls run long.
Forge Voice may fit better if
- Your calls are short and many, so a per-minute plan costs less than per call.
- You want our team to write the script with you and tune it on your real calls for 30 days.
- You want to work directly with the Georgia studio that builds your agent.
Questions about Smith.ai and Forge Voice.
Is Forge Voice cheaper than Smith.ai?
It depends on your calls. Smith.ai bills per call and we bill per minute. For a month of 300 calls and 1,000 talk minutes, our math is on this page with each source. Short calls favor per-minute billing. Long calls favor per-call billing.
Does Smith.ai use people or AI?
Both. Its pricing pages list an AI Receptionist and separate virtual receptionist plans answered by people. Forge Voice is an AI agent only.
Sources, checked September 26, 2026
- $500 on its 300-call tier. It bills per call, so minutes do not change the price. Source: Smith.ai pricing page, checked September 26, 2026.
- $2,100 on its 300-call plan answered by people. Source: Smith.ai pricing page, checked September 26, 2026.
- AI Receptionist plans: $0 a month for 25 calls, then $3.00 a call; Pro from $150 a month for 75 calls; Enterprise from $500 a month for 300 calls. Source: Smith.ai pricing page, checked September 26, 2026.
- Bills by the call, not by the minute. Source: Smith.ai pricing page, checked September 26, 2026.
- Every answered AI call counts toward the plan. You can remove up to 10% of calls a billing cycle as spam, and calls from known spammers are filtered before they count. Source: Smith.ai pricing page, checked September 26, 2026.
- Plans answered by people: $300 a month for 30 calls, $810 for 90 calls, $2,100 for 300 calls. Source: Smith.ai pricing page, checked September 26, 2026.
- The AI Receptionist is month to month with 30 days' notice to cancel. A separate 6-month plan offers rollover calls at a lower per-call rate; the listed prices above do not require it. Source: Smith.ai pricing page, checked September 26, 2026.
Day or night, the line is covered.
Your agent takes the caller's name, number and what they need, notes an appointment request for your team to confirm, and sends you the call with a recording.