Heyly vs Smith.ai
Smith.ai puts a trained person on the line for you, on every call it takes. Heyly is built for the calls you keep: on a Heyly number it is with you on every call, yours included, and on your own number an AI that says it is an assistant answers your calls for you.
+1 208 504 3639 answers as a sample plumbing business.
Smith.ai's published prices
As shown on smith.ai/pricing/receptionists (Human-first plans), read October 2, 2026. Check the page yourself before you decide: prices move, and a comparison page is the worst place to learn them second-hand.
| Plan | Price | Includes | Past the allowance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starter | $300 / month | 30 calls | $11.50 per call over 30 |
| Basic | $810 / month | 90 calls | $10.50 per call over 90 |
| Pro | $2,100 / month | 300 calls | $8.50 per call over 300 |
| Enterprise | Custom | Ask about enterprise pricing | Price adjusted to needs |
In their words:
- "Professional call answering by real people"
- "Live-staffed with expert agents 24/7"
- "All plans include a 30-day money-back guarantee"
The same page also sells an AI-first option. This comparison is about the Human-first plans, where a person answers.
Our arithmetic, not theirs
| Plan | Cost per call | Past the allowance |
|---|---|---|
| Starter | $10.00 per included call | $11.50 per call after 30 |
| Basic | $9.00 per included call | $10.50 per call after 90 |
| Pro | $7.00 per included call | $8.50 per call after 300 |
Our division of their published price by their published call count. On every plan, a call past the allowance costs $1.50 more than an included one, so growing past your plan costs more per call than the plan does. A per-call price cannot be compared with a per-minute price without knowing your average call length, which no one in this comparison publishes.
Heyly's published plans
| Plan | Price | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Starter | $29 / month | AI receptionist for the calls you miss, transcripts and summaries |
| Pro | $79 / month | Everything in Starter, plus the caller's words on screen while you talk on a Heyly number, and what each customer said kept for next time |
| Team | $199 / month | Everything in Pro, for up to 3 lines |
Every Heyly plan starts with the first month free. The full plan details are in pricing on the home page.
What Smith.ai does that Heyly does not
- A trained person answers every call. If your callers expect a human, or your calls need judgement no script can cover, that is what you are paying for.
- Lead screening, qualification and intake by live staff, 24/7, as listed on their pricing page.
- Every plan comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee, quoted from their pricing page.
What changes if you put Heyly on your line
- Heyly keeps what each customer said, what you quoted and what is still owed, filed under that customer. On a Heyly number it is on every call, yours included, with the caller's words on your screen while you talk; on your own number its AI answers your calls for you and writes down what was said. An answering service is built around the calls it takes for you.
- You pay a monthly plan, not a rate per call: $29, $79 or $199 a month on the plans published on heyly.ai, after the first month free.
- Heyly is built for owner-operated trades, where the person who answers the phone is the person doing the work.
Heyly and Smith.ai: questions
Yes. When Heyly answers a call, it says it is an AI assistant before anything else, and you can hear exactly how it sounds on our own line. If your callers need to reach a person every time, a human answering service is the better fit, and that is the honest reason to choose one.
On the published prices, Heyly's plans are $29, $79 and $199 a month, and Smith.ai's Human-first plans start at $300 a month for 30 calls (read on their pricing page on October 2, 2026). They are not the same product. Smith.ai sells a person on each call it takes; Heyly sells an AI that answers your calls for you, and on a Heyly number works with you on the ones you take.
Not if you want a person on every call. An answering service where trained people answer your calls, priced per call, with an AI-first option sold on the same page. Heyly does a different job: on a Heyly number it is with you on every call, yours included, and on your own number an AI that says it is an assistant answers your calls for you.
Yes, and you should. Call +1 208 504 3639 and you are talking to the same product answering our own line, set up as a sample plumbing business. Nothing about your current setup changes until you decide.
It stays yours either way. Keep it and Heyly's AI answers it for you, with no port and nothing to reprint. Or give customers a Heyly number too, and Heyly is on every call to it, yours included.
Stay the one they call.
Heyly keeps what every customer said, what you quoted and what they still owe, and answers the calls you can't. On a Heyly number, or on the one you already have.
First month free, no card. Or call +1 208 504 3639 first and hear it answer - that's our own line, not a recording.
We'll email you to set up your line. Every line is set up by hand, by us, which is why we take businesses on one at a time.
You're on the list.
We'll email you to set up your line. In the meantime, call the number below - that's Heyly answering, not a recording.
Call Heyly: +1 208 504 3639