At a glance
| KeptRing | Smith.ai | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Done-for-you AI answering built only for home-service and construction contractors. | An AI receptionist and a separate live-receptionist service, with the option to hand AI calls to Smith.ai's live agents. |
| Billed by | Per month with minute allowance | Per call |
| Published prices | $249/month per line ($197 for the first 10 paying clients), 500 answered minutes included, then 25¢ per minute. 14-day free trial with 250 answered minutes. | AI Receptionist: Free plan with 25 calls/month ($3.00 per call after that); Pro from $150/month for 75 calls ($2.00/call); Enterprise from $500/month. Live receptionists: Starter $300/month for 30 calls ($11.50 per extra call), Basic $810/month for 90 calls, Pro $2,100/month for 300 calls. |
Where Smith.ai is strong
- Live human agents available 24/7, including as a backup to the AI.
- Appointment scheduling (Calendly and more) and native integrations (Clio, Zapier and more), per its pricing page.
- A free AI plan to test with.
- Month-to-month; its FAQ says canceling takes 30 days' notice.
Where KeptRing is different
- Built only for contractors: trade-specific intake and safety rules (gas, CO, sparking) written for you and approved by you before go-live.
- Says it's an AI and that the call may be recorded on every call.
- Answers the calls you miss during business hours by default; after-hours is opt-in because of how Google LSA counts answered calls.
- Emails you a lead summary after every call. Texting isn't live yet.
- No call transfers, calendar booking, or CRM integrations yet.
- Published, flat pricing with a no-surprise-bills policy: the trial stops at 250 minutes, with reminders 7 and 3 days before the first charge.
Which fits? If you want live human backup, calendar booking, or CRM integrations today, Smith.ai offers them and KeptRing doesn't. If you're a contractor who mainly needs missed calls answered, safety-screened, and emailed to you at a flat published price, try KeptRing's demo line and judge for yourself.
Sources
- Smith.ai AI Receptionist pricing: https://smith.ai/pricing/ai-receptionist (checked Oct. 17, 2026)
- Smith.ai virtual receptionist pricing: https://smith.ai/pricing/receptionists (checked Oct. 17, 2026)
- KeptRing pricing: https://keptring.com/pricing/
Smith.ai is a trademark of its owner. KeptRing isn't affiliated with Smith.ai. We describe Smith.ai only from its own public pages; if anything here is out of date, email support@keptring.com and we'll correct it. See also: answering service cost comparison · all comparisons
Hear it before you decide.
Call the demo line and pretend you're a homeowner with no heat, or say you're a contractor and ask how it works. It costs nothing and takes two minutes.
The demo answers as Summit Heating & Plumbing, a fictional company. You'll hear that it's an automated assistant and that the call may be recorded.