Smith.ai and MakoAnswer both bill by the call — and the entry tiers even cover the same volumes: 30, 90, and 300 calls a month. That makes this the cleanest apples-to-apples comparison in the industry. The difference is who answers, and what each tier costs.
First, credit where it’s due
Smith.ai is one of the strongest operators in this space: North America-based receptionists, per-call billing that never charges for spam, and a real AI product of its own. If you want humans answering first and the budget supports roughly $9–10 a call, Smith.ai earns its reputation.
| Smith.ai | ▸ MakoAnswer | |
|---|---|---|
| 30 calls/mo | $300/mo (Starter, live receptionists) | $24.95/mo (Starter) |
| 90 calls/mo | $810/mo (Basic) | $59.95/mo (Premium) |
| 300 calls/mo | $2,100/mo (Pro) | $199.95/mo (Pro) |
| Overage per call | $11.50 / $10.50 / $8.50 by tier | $1.50 / $1.00 / $0.75 by tier |
| Their AI option | Smith.ai AI Receptionist: free for 25 calls/mo, then ~$2–3/call; Pro $150/mo base | AI is the product: every plan, flat monthly price, published overages |
| Who answers | Humans first (receptionist plans) or AI-first with human escalation (AI plans) | Mae, an AI receptionist — warm transfer to your own team on Pro |
| 24/7 coverage | Included, no extra charge | Included, no extra charge |
| Spam calls | Never billed | Blocked before they're answered — and never billed |
| Contract | Month-to-month; AI plans ask 30 days' cancellation notice | Month-to-month, cancel anytime |
| After the call | Call summaries and transfer per instructions | Full transcript, summary, recording, and a qualified lead in your inbox |
Smith.ai figures are from smith.ai's published receptionist and AI-receptionist pricing pages as of July 2026. Confirm current terms with Smith.ai before buying. Checked July 2026.
There's no trick in the arithmetic: Smith.ai pays trained North American receptionists to take every call, and that labor is most of what your $300 buys. MakoAnswer's Mae is software with a premium natural voice — she costs the same at 2pm and 2am, never queues a second caller, and that's why 30 calls cost $24.95 instead of $300. The honest question isn't which is cheaper — it's whether your routine calls actually need a human, or need to be answered instantly, documented perfectly, and forwarded when they're urgent.
Smith.ai's AI Receptionist is real and reasonably priced — a free tier covers 25 calls, then roughly $2–3 per call, with human escalation built in. MakoAnswer is AI-native rather than AI-optional: flat monthly plans instead of per-call metering, your own knowledge base and booking rules loaded in from day one, spam and vendor screening with the business name behind the number in your call log, and warm transfer to your own team rather than to a third-party call center.
As of July 2026, Smith.ai's live receptionist plans are $300/mo for 30 calls, $810/mo for 90, and $2,100/mo for 300, with per-call overages of $11.50, $10.50, and $8.50. Its separate AI Receptionist product has a free tier (25 calls/mo, then $3/call) and a Pro tier at $150/mo base with ~$2/call rates. All plans include 24/7 answering.
MakoAnswer covers the same call counts as Smith.ai's three receptionist tiers — 30, 90, and 300 calls — for $24.95, $59.95, and $199.95 a month, roughly a tenth of the price, with overages from $0.70–$1.50/call. The difference is that Mae is an AI receptionist; urgent or complex calls warm-transfer to your own team instead of a call center.
Smith.ai's AI plans meter by the call (roughly $2–3/call after allowances); MakoAnswer is flat-rate monthly with published overages, includes transcripts, summaries, and recordings on every plan, screens spam with reverse caller-ID so your log shows who was blocked and why, and warm-transfers to your team. If you'd rather have humans answer first, Smith.ai's receptionist plans are the better fit — at their price.
Listen to a real, unedited recording of Mae answering our own line — or call the live demo line and talk to her right now.
Smith.ai is a trademark of its owner. MakoAnswer is not affiliated with or endorsed by Smith.ai.All competitor pricing and plan details reflect information published on the provider’s own website as of July 2026 and may change.