Blog · Published Nov 3, 2026 · Last updated
Smith.ai vs Dialzara: which AI receptionist should a solo business pay for?
What each one costs per call or per minute, what the cheapest plans leave out, and which fits a one-person business.
If you run a business on your own, the phone rings at the worst times: mid-appointment, on a ladder, during a client call. Smith.ai and Dialzara are two AI receptionists that pick up for you, and both are in our directory. Each answers 24/7, records the call and sends you a summary. The big difference is how they bill. Smith.ai charges per call and can hand a caller to a live person. Dialzara charges per minute and costs less to start.
Here's the short answer to Smith.ai vs Dialzara: start with Smith.ai if you get fewer than 25 calls a month, or if you want a human receptionist available as backup. Pick Dialzara if your calls are short and you want the lowest paid plan, or if you get enough calls that per-call pricing adds up.
Key takeaways
- Smith.ai has a free plan with 25 calls a month, then $3.00 per call. Pro is $150 a month for 75 calls.
- Dialzara starts at $29 a month for 60 minutes of talk time, then $0.48 a minute. Business Pro is $99 a month for 220 minutes.
- Smith.ai lists English and Spanish on every plan. On Dialzara, Spanish and calendar sync start on Business Pro.
- Smith.ai can pass calls to its own North America-based receptionists. Dialzara transfers calls to a number you choose, such as your own.
Prices and plan details as of November 3, 2026, from each vendor's own pricing page, in US dollars, before tax. Both tools are in our customer support category.
Smith.ai vs Dialzara: prices side by side
| Smith.ai | Dialzara | |
|---|---|---|
| How you're billed | Per call | Per minute of talk time |
| Free option | Free plan: 25 calls a month, then $3.00 a call | No free plan, 7-day free trial |
| Entry paid plan | Pro: $150 a month for 75 calls | Business Lite: $29 a month for 60 minutes |
| Next step up | Pro with 150 or 300 calls a month | Business Pro: $99 a month for 220 minutes |
| Extra usage | $2.50 a call on Pro (75 calls) | $0.48 a minute on Lite, $0.45 on Pro |
| Human backup | Its own live receptionists, per-call add-on | Transfers to a number you choose |
| Spanish | Every plan | Business Pro and up |
| Contract | Month to month, 30 days' notice to cancel | No contract, cancel anytime |
Smith.ai: free to start, priced per call
SMSmith.ai's free plan has no end date. You get 25 calls a month at $0, and Smith.ai says it stays free until you need more than that. After 25 calls, each extra call is $3.00. A credit card is required at signup, but overages are off by default, and Smith.ai says it won't charge the card unless you turn them on.
The free plan includes 24/7 answering, recording, transcripts and summaries, lead qualification, call routing and AI scheduling with Calendly and other tools. Smith.ai lists English and Spanish, spam screening and a dedicated phone number on every plan. Before you go live, its Quality Studio lets you run up to 50 simulated calls a month on the free plan to see how the AI handles your scenarios. Smith.ai says setup takes about 15 minutes.
Pro is $150 a month for 75 calls, which works out to $2.00 a call, and extra calls cost $2.50 each. Pro adds dedicated onboarding and live phone, email and chat support. Higher Pro tiers cover 150 or 300 calls a month at a lower per-call rate.
Smith.ai's biggest difference is the human backup. Smith.ai has a network of live receptionists in North America. If the AI decides a call needs a person, Smith.ai says there's no fee for that handoff. If you want live agents to verify details or book appointments as a routine step, that's a per-call add-on.
Smith.ai bills per call, not per minute, so a long chatty caller costs the same as a quick one. Every answered call counts, though. Smith.ai blocks calls from more than 20 million known spam numbers before the AI answers, and lets you remove up to 10% of your calls each billing cycle for spam that slips through.
Dialzara: the lowest paid plan, priced per minute
DIDialzara's Business Lite plan is $29 a month for up to 60 minutes of talk time, then $0.48 a minute. Dialzara counts only live talk time and tracks it to the second, so partial minutes aren't rounded up. If your calls are short, 60 minutes goes further than you might think.
Every plan includes a US local or toll-free number, call recordings, a summary of every call, an email or text after each handled call, and 24/7 answering. On Lite, the AI takes messages with your own custom questions and can do a blind transfer to your team, which means it passes the call along without introducing it first.
Business Pro is $99 a month for 220 minutes, then $0.45 a minute. It adds warm transfers, after-hours rules, English and Spanish, and Google or Outlook calendar sync. If you want the AI to book appointments into your calendar, plan on Pro.
Read the overage rules before you choose Lite. When you have 15 minutes left, Dialzara emails you so you can turn on auto-recharge or buy more. If you run out, callers go straight to voicemail. Extra minutes you buy don't expire. Dialzara also connects to other apps through Zapier and Make, and our Zapier vs Make vs n8n comparison covers that side.
There's no free plan, but there is a 7-day free trial, no contract, and Dialzara says most customers go live the same day.
What does each one cost at your call volume?
Here are two examples using each vendor's published rates. Your own call count and call length will change the answer, so check your phone log for last month first.
- Example 1: 20 calls a month, about 2 minutes each. Smith.ai Free covers it at $0. Dialzara needs about 40 minutes, so Business Lite at $29 a month covers it.
- Example 2: 100 calls a month, about 3 minutes each. On Smith.ai Pro (75 calls), that's $150 plus 25 extra calls at $2.50, so $212.50 a month. On Dialzara it's about 300 minutes. Business Pro covers 220, and 80 extra minutes at $0.45 add $36, so $135 a month.
So low call volume favors Smith.ai's free plan. Higher volume with short calls favors Dialzara. Long calls push Dialzara's cost up, while Smith.ai's per-call price stays the same.
Will callers hang up on an AI receptionist?
Some will, and owners talk about this a lot. In an r/smallbusiness thread from September 2026, owners who had tried AI phone answering suggested letting the AI handle basic questions and collect details, sending urgent or tricky calls to a person quickly, and starting with after-hours calls only.
Both tools give you a way to test before real callers hear it. Smith.ai has Quality Studio and simulated calls. Dialzara has the 7-day trial. Call your own number a few times and try the awkward cases: a caller who talks over the greeting, a misspelled name, an urgent request. Then read the transcripts.
Smith.ai says callers will know they're talking to AI, and you can set the greeting to say so. Telling callers up front is a good habit whichever tool you use.
Which AI receptionist should a solo business pay for?
- You miss a handful of calls a month: Smith.ai Free. It costs nothing up to 25 calls.
- You want a real person available when the AI gets stuck: Smith.ai. Dialzara can transfer calls to you or your team, but its pricing page doesn't list live receptionists.
- You get lots of short calls and want the lowest bill: Dialzara, on Lite or Pro depending on your minutes.
- You need bookings in your calendar or Spanish: both work, but on Dialzara that means Business Pro at $99 a month.
If most of your customers message you instead of calling, a website chat tool may be the better first step. Tidio is one option in our directory.
Want to see how other solo owners set up AI for calls and follow-ups? Join us in the Claude Specialist Society on Skool.
Before you sign up
- Count last month's calls and note the average length. That number decides which billing model is cheaper for you.
- Write down the 3 or 4 questions you always ask a new caller. Both tools let you set custom intake questions.
- Decide what counts as urgent and who gets those calls.
- Check whether you can keep your number. Dialzara says you can forward or port it, or get a new one.
Frequently asked questions
Is Smith.ai free?
Yes, Smith.ai has a free AI receptionist plan with 25 calls a month at $0. After that, each extra call costs $3.00 if you turn overages on. A credit card is required at signup, but overages are off by default. The Pro plan costs $150 a month for 75 calls, with dedicated onboarding and live support.
How much does Dialzara cost?
Dialzara starts at $29 a month for Business Lite, which includes 60 minutes of talk time, then $0.48 a minute. Business Pro is $99 a month for 220 minutes, then $0.45 a minute. Every plan has no contract, and there's a 7-day free trial. Talk time is tracked to the second.
Is Smith.ai or Dialzara cheaper?
It depends on your call volume and call length. Under 25 calls a month, Smith.ai's free plan costs nothing. With more calls, Dialzara is usually cheaper if calls are short, because it bills per minute. In our example of 100 three-minute calls a month, Dialzara cost $135 and Smith.ai Pro cost $212.50.
Can an AI receptionist transfer calls to a real person?
Yes, both can. Smith.ai can pass a call to its own North America-based live receptionists, with no fee when the AI starts the handoff. Dialzara transfers calls to a number you choose, such as your own phone. Blind transfers come on every Dialzara plan, and warm transfers start on Business Pro.
Do Smith.ai and Dialzara answer calls in Spanish?
Yes. Smith.ai lists English and Spanish on every plan, including the free one. Dialzara offers English and Spanish starting on Business Pro at $99 a month, so its $29 Business Lite plan is English only. Test a few calls in Spanish during the free plan or trial before you rely on it.
Keep learning
About the author
Sondra Verva runs AI Solution Vault, a free directory of AI tools for people who run a business on their own, and Amplif-AI Your Business. This comparison is based on each vendor's published pricing pages and FAQs, checked on November 3, 2026. We did not run paid accounts for it.