---
title: "Concierge vs Smith.ai: AI and human receptionists"
description: "Compare Smith.ai and Concierge: human and AI receptionist plans priced per call, appointment booking, and Shopify actions, checked October 18, 2026."
url: "https://chargezen.com/compare/smith-ai"
lang: "en"
updated: "2026-10-18"
---

Canonical URL: https://chargezen.com/compare/smith-ai

# A receptionist service, or an agent that knows your store?

Smith.ai answers your phone with live receptionists or an AI receptionist, books appointments and takes intake, priced per call. Concierge answers calls, texts, chat, WhatsApp and email with AI that can look up orders and change subscriptions. Callers helped, not just taken down.

Self-serve software or help with setup and migration.

## Side by side

See exactly what you get with each one.

**Who each one is best for.** Choose Smith.ai if you want real people answering your phone 24/7, booking appointments into your calendar and taking intake, and per-call pricing fits your call volume. Choose Concierge if you sell on Shopify and want callers’ order, return and subscription requests handled on the call, with your own team joining when needed, priced on credits.

**Checked October 18, 2026.** Smith.ai facts come from [Smith.ai pricing](https://smith.ai/pricing) and [Smith.ai AI Receptionist pricing](https://smith.ai/pricing/ai-receptionist). “Not listed” means those pages didn’t name the feature when we checked, not that Smith.ai can’t do it.

| Feature | Smith.ai | Chargezen |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Live human receptionists People answer your calls 24/7 | Human-first plans | Not included |
| AI receptionist An AI agent picks up the phone | AI-first plans, priced per call | Included in credits |
| Appointment booking Books callers into your calendar | Calendly, Acuity and more | Not included |
| Calls passed to a person When the caller needs a human | Transfers to your team; AI plans can pass calls to a live receptionist | Your teammates join or take a transfer from the Finn apps or the browser |
| Shopify orders on the call Look up and act on orders | Not listed | Included |
| Subscription changes Pause, skip, swap or cancel subscriptions | Not listed | Included |
| Texts on the same number Customers call or text one number | Text follow-up after a call, $0.50 per call | Concierge answers calls and texts |
| Chat, email and WhatsApp Answer other channels too | Not listed | Included |
| Pricing How it is billed | Per call | Credits, no per-call plan tiers |

## What you’d really pay

Smith.ai charges a monthly plan with a set number of calls, then per call. Concierge runs on credits.

### Smith.ai

AI receptionist Pro

$150/mo for 75 calls

Human receptionists, Starter

$300/mo for 30 calls

Human receptionists, Basic

$810/mo for 90 calls

Appointment booking (human plans)

$1.50 per call

Estimated Annual Cost

From $1,800/year

AI receptionist Pro billed monthly; a Free AI plan covers 25 calls. Extra calls are $11.50, $10.50 or $8.50 on the Starter, Basic and Pro human plans (Pro is $2,100/month for 300 calls). Human plans are 10% off with a 12-month term. [Smith.ai pricing](https://smith.ai/pricing), checked October 18, 2026.

### Chargezen

Concierge Starter

$20/mo with 20,000 credits

Seats

No per-seat fees

More credits

$1 per 1,000

Texts

2¢ per message part

Calls

Billed as you use them

Annual Cost

$240/year + usage

Concierge Starter is $20/month with 20,000 credits; Pro is $199/month, or $1,990/year, with 199,000 credits a month. Credits pay for the work Concierge does, like answering a customer or handling a task. More credits are $1 per 1,000. Texts are 2¢ per message part; calls are billed as you use them. No per-seat fees. [Chargezen pricing](https://chargezen.com/pricing).

## Plan your move from Smith.ai

Check your data, billing dates and launch plan before you switch.

[Talk through your move](https://chargezen.com/contact-sales)

*   [See Concierge](https://chargezen.com/concierge)

1.  01
    
    ### Get a number or bring yours
    
    Pick a local or toll-free US number in Chargezen, or move the number customers already know.
    
2.  02
    
    ### Teach it your store
    
    Concierge learns from your website, help docs and store.
    
3.  03
    
    ### Set the rules
    
    Choose what Concierge may do on its own and when it passes a call to your team.
    
4.  04
    
    ### Choose who joins
    
    Teammates listen in from the Finn apps or the browser and join or take a transfer when a caller needs a person.
    

## Why brands switch to Chargezen

### Unified Platform

Run AI agents, texts and email, upsells, creators and subscriptions from one place.

### AI-Powered

AI agents answer customers, follow up and handle everyday busywork for your team.

### Clear Pricing

See prices and usage costs, billed monthly or yearly.

## Ready to switch from Smith.ai?

See the products, prices and setup help that fit your brand.

[Get started](https://admin.chargezen.com/signup)

## Common questions

### How much does Smith.ai cost compared with Concierge?

Smith.ai’s AI receptionist has a Free plan for 25 calls, Pro from $150/month for 75 calls and Enterprise from $500/month; human receptionist plans are $300/month for 30 calls, $810 for 90 and $2,100 for 300, with extra calls from $8.50 to $11.50 (checked October 18, 2026). Concierge Starter is $20/month with 20,000 credits and Pro is $199/month, with calls billed as you use them.

### Does Concierge use human receptionists?

No. Concierge is an AI agent; the people who step in are your own teammates, who can join a live call or take a transfer from the Finn apps or the browser. If you want an outside team of receptionists answering for you around the clock, Smith.ai offers that and Concierge doesn’t.

### Can Concierge book appointments like Smith.ai?

Not on calls today. Smith.ai books callers into Calendly, Acuity and other calendars (checked October 18, 2026). Concierge is built for online stores: it handles order status, returns and subscription changes on the call and keeps the call in the customer’s conversation history.