What's the main difference between Abby Connect and Smith.ai?

Both are ai + human backup services at a similar price point; the difference comes down to integrations and how each handles calls it can't finish.

Abby Connect vs Smith.ai

Smith.ai starts $165/mo cheaper than Abby Connect.

Both pages checked by August 19, 2026

Abby ConnectAI + human backup: $165/mo; Starter plan; US-based virtual receptionist company selling a dedicated human receptionist team, an AI receptionist, or a mix of both on a single shared pool of "Abby Minutes", aimed at small and mid-sized professional service firms.
Smith.aiAI + human backup: $0/mo; AI Receptionist — Free plan; Smith.ai sells small and mid-sized businesses two products off one platform: an AI Receptionist that answers, qualifies and books 24/7 with escalation to its North America-based Live Agent Network, and a fully human Virtual Receptionist service, both billed per call rather than per minute.

Capability	Abby Connect	Smith.ai
Live transferCan hand a hot caller to a human mid-call.	Yes	Yes
Books appointmentsWrites to a real calendar, not just a message.	Yes	Yes
Text follow-upSends the caller a text — link, quote, confirmation.	Yes	Yes
Outbound callsCalls leads back, not just answers.	unstated	Yes
SpanishHandles a Spanish-speaking caller end to end.	Yes	Yes
Human backupA person takes over when the bot is stuck.	Yes	Yes
Call recordingsYou can listen to what it actually said.	Yes	Yes
TranscriptsSearchable text of every call.	Yes	Yes
Spam screeningKills robocalls before they reach you.	Yes	Yes
Custom voicePick or clone the voice callers hear.	unstated	Yes
APIWire it into your own systems.	unstated	Yes

"unstated" means the vendor doesn't claim it in their own documentation. It is not the same as no — it means nobody will put it in writing.

Plan	Published price	Includes	Over that
Starter	$165 per month	50 min	Overage is billed at your plan's Abby Minute rate. You can move up a plan at any time.
Essential	$329 per month	100 min	Overage is billed at your plan's Abby Minute rate. You can move up a plan at any time.
Professional	$599 per month	200 min	Overage is billed at your plan's Abby Minute rate. You can move up a plan at any time.
Growth	$1,380 per month	500 min	Overage is billed at your plan's Abby Minute rate. You can move up a plan at any time.
Enterprise	Custom	—	—

Plan	Published price	Includes	Over that
AI Receptionist — Free	$0 mo	25 calls	25 calls/mo ($3.00/call after that)
AI Receptionist — Pro (75 calls)	$150 /mo — $2.00/call (~2–3 calls/day)	75 calls	$2.50
AI Receptionist — Pro (150 calls)	$270/mo	150 calls	$2.30
AI Receptionist — Enterprise (300 calls)	$500 /mo — $1.67/call (~10 calls/day)	300 calls	$2.17
AI Receptionist — Enterprise (500 calls)	$800/mo	500 calls	$2.10
AI Receptionist — Enterprise (1,000+ calls)	Custom	—	Custom
Virtual Receptionist (human) — Starter	$300 / month	30 calls	Overage: $11.50/call over 30
Virtual Receptionist (human) — Basic	$810 / month	90 calls	Overage: $10.50/call over 90
Virtual Receptionist (human) — Pro	$2,100 / month	300 calls	Overage: $8.50/call over 300
Virtual Receptionist (human) — Enterprise	Custom	—	—