Julius Answer vs Smith.ai: pricing and features compared
A side-by-side look at pricing, billing units, booking, transfers and live-agent options, with the numbers from both pricing pages and worked examples at two call volumes.
Updated · By the Julius Answer team at DealsFlow
The main differences are the billing unit and who answers. Smith.ai bills per call and sells both an AI receptionist (from a free 25-call plan) and live North America-based receptionists, so it suits businesses that want a person available or have long, involved calls. Julius Answer by DealsFlow is AI only, bills by call minutes from $79 a month with every feature on every plan, and suits small businesses with mostly short calls that want booking, transfers and a built-in CRM on the entry plan.
How do Julius Answer and Smith.ai compare?
Smith.ai counts calls and Julius Answer counts minutes. Smith.ai sells two products, an AI Receptionist and a live Virtual Receptionist, so both appear below.
| Feature | Julius Answer | Smith.ai AI Receptionist | Smith.ai Virtual Receptionist (live) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Monthly plan with included call minutes; each call counts in whole minutes, rounded up | Per call; every call the AI answers counts, after known spammers are filtered out | Per call, answered by live receptionists |
| Entry price | Starter: $79/month for 300 minutes. Pro: $199 for 1,000. Business: $399 for 3,000 | Free: $0 for 25 calls. Pro: $150 for 75 calls. Enterprise: $500 for 300 calls | Starter: $300 for 30 calls. Basic: $810 for 90. Pro: $2,100 for 300 |
| What's included | Every feature on every plan; plans differ only in minutes and calls answered at once | All plans: 24/7 answering, recordings, transcripts and summaries, lead qualification and routing, scheduling, integrations, analytics. Pro adds onboarding and live support; Enterprise adds full-service setup and custom prompting | Lead qualification, a 5-question intake, a dedicated number, 24/7 live answering |
| Overage | Extra minute packs from $25 for 100 minutes; packs never expire | $3.00 a call (Free), $2.50 (Pro), $2.17 (Enterprise) | $11.50 a call (Starter), $10.50 (Basic), $8.50 (Pro) |
| Free trial or guarantee | 7-day free trial with up to 150 call minutes; it starts when you add a card in the console and nothing is charged until it ends. No free plan | No time-limited trial; the Free plan is the way to try it | No free trial listed; 30-day money-back guarantee for new clients (plan and add-ons up to $1,000, not overages) |
| Booking | Every plan; you confirm each request with one tap. Google Calendar, or a calendar link for Apple Calendar and Outlook | AI scheduling with Calendly and others, on every plan | Add-on: $1.50 a call; custom calendaring $1.00 a call |
| Transfers | Puts callers through to the right person on your team; takes a message if nobody can take it | Lead routing on every plan | 1 free destination (Starter), 2 (Basic), 10 (Pro); extras $15/month each; complex routing $1.50 a call |
| Human agents | No; AI only | Calls can be transferred to a live North America-based receptionist any time; price not stated on pricing page | Yes, live receptionists answer |
| CRM and integrations | Built-in CRM; Slack, Zapier, Make, webhooks, CSV export. No native Clio, HubSpot or Salesforce integration | Native integrations including Clio and Zapier; Enterprise adds unlimited custom integrations | Each CRM after the first: $0.50 a call |
| Languages | American English; replies in Spanish or another language when the caller speaks it | Spanish included at no extra cost (Smith.ai blog, June 2025) | Dedicated Spanish line: $1.00 a call |
| Texting | Texts callers who agree, plus one text after a missed call, once your business is registered with US carriers; reminders and follow-ups by text or email | Custom SMS branding on Pro and Enterprise | SMS or Slack notification: $0.50 a call |
| Contract | Monthly, or yearly with two months free; cancel anytime in the console | Month to month with 30 days' notice to cancel; a 6-month plan has no published price | Month to month; 10% off for paying 12 months |
| Calls answered at once | 1 (Starter), 3 (Pro), 10 (Business) | Not stated on pricing page | Not stated on pricing page |
Smith.ai figures are as listed on its AI Receptionist and Virtual Receptionist pricing pages on October 19, 2026. Vendor prices change often, so check Smith.ai's own pages before you decide. Julius Answer's current plans are on the pricing page.
How much would each cost at 80 and 300 calls a month?
At 80 calls a month, Smith.ai's cheapest AI option comes to $162.50 and Julius Answer Starter is $79. At 300 calls, Smith.ai's AI Enterprise plan is $500 and Julius Answer Pro is $199.
Assumptions: each call lasts 3 minutes after rounding up (only Julius Answer's cost depends on length), no calls are removed as spam, and no Smith.ai add-ons are used.
| Service | 80 calls a month | 300 calls a month |
|---|---|---|
| Julius Answer | 80 × 3 = 240 minutes, within Starter's 300: $79 | 300 × 3 = 900 minutes, within Pro's 1,000: $199 |
| Smith.ai AI Receptionist | Pro: $150 + 5 extra calls × $2.50 = $162.50 (Free: 55 extra calls × $3.00 = $165) | Enterprise, 300 calls: $500 (Pro: $150 + 225 × $2.50 = $712.50) |
| Smith.ai Virtual Receptionist | Basic, 90 calls: $810 (Starter: $300 + 50 × $11.50 = $875) | Pro, 300 calls: $2,100 before add-ons |
Smith.ai's AI Pro plan also has a 300-call option at $1.67 a call, but the page doesn't show its monthly total, so it is left out. Call length is what moves this comparison: Smith.ai's price stays the same when calls run long, while Julius Answer uses more minutes. At 6 minutes a call, the same 300 calls would need 1,800 minutes, beyond Pro's 1,000.
Where Smith.ai is the better choice
Smith.ai is the stronger pick when you want people on the phone or your calls are long.
- A live person when you need one. Smith.ai's live receptionists answer around the clock, and its AI plans can hand a call to a live North America-based receptionist at any time. Julius Answer has no live backup agents.
- Long calls. Per-call pricing means a 12-minute intake costs the same as a 1-minute question, which can work out cheaper for long, detailed calls.
- Very low volume. The Free plan answers 25 calls a month for $0. Julius Answer has no free plan, only a 7-day free trial.
- Native integrations. Smith.ai lists native integrations including Clio. Julius Answer reaches tools like that only through Zapier, Make or webhooks.
- Managed setup and several locations. Enterprise includes full-service setup, custom AI prompting, multi-location support and a dedicated success manager.
Where Julius Answer fits better
Julius Answer fits small businesses whose calls are mostly short and routine: hours, prices, directions, bookings and messages. Because it bills by the minute, a quick question uses a minute or two rather than a full per-call charge.
- Everything on the entry plan. Booking, transfers to your team, caller memory, email summaries, Slack alerts and the built-in CRM are the same on Starter as on Business, with no per-call add-ons.
- Returning callers. It recognizes callers by caller ID, greets them by first name and remembers what they needed last time.
- Questions it can't answer come back to you. It says it doesn't know, takes a message and saves the question, so you answer once and it knows next time.
- A simple exit. You can cancel anytime in the console; Smith.ai's AI plans ask for 30 days' notice.
What Julius Answer does not offer: live human agents, a free plan, HIPAA compliance, or native integrations with tools such as Clio. If one of those is a must, Smith.ai may be the better fit.
Switching to Julius Answer
You can set Julius Answer up alongside Smith.ai and move calls over once your test calls sound right.
Sign up
Create an account on the website, then add a card in the console to start the 7-day free trial. A local number in your area code is included on every plan.
Describe your business
Type or talk to the setup assistant in the console: services, prices you share, hours, service area and who takes which calls.
Forward your number
Forward all calls, or only unanswered or busy ones, from your existing number. See how to forward business calls, then give Smith.ai the notice its plan requires.
Try Julius Answer next to your current service
Start a 7-day free trial, make a few test calls, and forward your number when you're ready.
Frequently asked questions
How much does Smith.ai cost in 2026?
As listed on its pricing pages on October 19, 2026, Smith.ai's AI Receptionist costs $0 for 25 calls a month (Free), $150 for 75 calls (Pro) or $500 for 300 calls (Enterprise). Its live Virtual Receptionist plans start at $300 a month for 30 calls. Check Smith.ai's site for current prices.
Does Smith.ai charge per call or per minute?
Per call. Smith.ai says every call its AI Receptionist answers counts toward your quota; known spammers are filtered out first, and you can remove up to 10% of calls per cycle as spam. Julius Answer counts each call in whole minutes, rounded up.
Does Julius Answer have a free plan like Smith.ai?
No. Smith.ai's Free plan covers 25 AI-answered calls a month. Julius Answer has a 7-day free trial with up to 150 call minutes, then paid plans from $79 a month.
Can Julius Answer transfer callers to a live receptionist?
No. Julius Answer puts callers through to people on your own team and takes a message if nobody can take the call, but it has no live backup agents. Smith.ai's AI plans can transfer calls to a live North America-based receptionist.
Is Julius Answer cheaper than Smith.ai?
It depends on how long your calls are, because Julius Answer bills minutes and Smith.ai bills calls. With 3-minute calls, 300 calls a month fit Julius Answer Pro at $199, while Smith.ai's 300-call AI Enterprise plan is $500 as listed on October 19, 2026. Long calls shift the math toward Smith.ai.
Does Smith.ai's AI receptionist speak Spanish?
Yes. Smith.ai announced in June 2025 that Spanish is included in its AI Receptionist at no additional cost. Julius Answer replies in Spanish or another language when the caller speaks it, and an optional bilingual greeting offers Spanish up front.
Sources
- AI Receptionist pricing, Smith.ai, 2026
- Virtual Receptionist pricing, Smith.ai, 2026
- New Spanish-language support for AI Receptionist, Smith.ai, June 5, 2025
Checked October 19, 2026. Third-party prices and features change; check the vendor before you buy.