Smith.ai vs Abby Connect Pricing 2026: Per Call or Abby Minute

At 100 three-minute calls a month, Abby Connect costs $898 and Smith.ai Virtual Receptionists cost $915, each on its cheapest plan for that volume (prices checked October 26, 2026). The difference that matters most is volume: Abby costs less up to about 250 calls a month, and Smith.ai's per-call plans cost less above that.

Smith.ai vs Abby Connect pricing at a glance

Prices checked against each vendor's own pricing page on October 26, 2026.

Our arithmetic: each vendor's cheapest published plan for that volume plus its published overage, at 3-minute calls. Every Abby minute is priced as a human-answered minute; calls its AI answers use half. Taxes, setup fees and add-ons are not included. How we price.

The arithmetic once, at 100 calls, or 300 minutes. Abby's Professional plan is $599/month for 200 minutes, and the other 100 minutes bill at $2.99 a minute. Smith.ai's nearest plan is $810/month for 90 calls, plus 10 calls at $10.50 a call.

Where Abby Connect costs less

Below about 254 calls a month, at 3-minute calls. Abby costs less than Smith.ai at 15, 50, 100 and 200 calls. The margin is thin in the middle: at 100 calls Smith.ai costs $17 a month more, $9.15 a call against $8.98 a call. At 200 calls the gap is $309.

At low volume Abby's smallest plan does the work. Abby's Starter is $164/month for 50 minutes, and at 15 calls it costs $164 against Smith.ai's $300.

Abby's own comparison page undersells this. For 30 three-minute calls it names the "Essential plan, 100 Abby Minutes for 90 minutes of calls" at $329 (abby.com, read October 7, 2026). Starter plus overage at $3.29 a minute costs $295.60 on our arithmetic, below Smith.ai's $300.

The AI half-minute widens Abby's lead further. Abby's pricing page: "Abby minutes cover both Human and AI answering. The more you use AI, the further your plan will stretch." (abby.com/pricing, read October 26, 2026) Calls the AI handles are not in our arithmetic, so the Abby numbers here are its ceiling at 3-minute calls.

Where Smith.ai costs less

Above about 254 calls a month. That is where Abby goes past Smith.ai and Smith.ai's $2,100/month for 300 calls starts to pay off. At 300 calls Abby costs $2,484, $384 a month more than Smith.ai.

Long calls also favor Smith.ai. Each minute past 3 adds to Abby's bill and not to Smith.ai's per-call price, inside Smith.ai's reasonable-use limits. A 6-minute intake call bills about 6 Abby Minutes with a human on the line, and one call at Smith.ai.

How each counts a minute, or a call

Abby's terms define the meter in two steps. "The sum of rounded ring time, talk time, and transfer time is then rounded up to the nearest 30-second mark." Their worked example adds 10 seconds of ring, 15 of talk and 10 of transfer: "35 seconds", billed as "one (1) minute of measured call time" (abby.com terms, read October 26, 2026). Hold time is excluded.

The same call costs half when the AI takes it: "one-half (0.5) Abby Minute if handled by the AI Receptionist" (same terms).

Smith.ai counts a call, not time, and does not count some calls at all: "Inbound calls made by telemarketers, misdialed numbers, promotional companies, or callers not wanting to leave a message are not counted as Receptionist Calls." (smith.ai/receptionists/terms, read October 26, 2026)

Abby's comparison page sets the two spam rules side by side. For Abby: "Screened and blocked by your receptionist team". For Smith.ai: "Not charged when caller ID passes" (abby.com, read October 7, 2026). Abby's own line does not say a screened spam call is free, and its terms publish no spam rule.

The catch with each

Abby Connect

1. Ring time is on the bill. The 30-second rounding is applied after ring and transfer time are added to talk. A 15-second conversation can bill a full minute.
2. A busy month can rewrite the plan. Past 1,000 Abby Minutes in a billing period, "we may automatically upgrade you to a custom Enterprise Plan" sized from your last three full weekdays and most recent weekend (abby.com terms, read October 26, 2026).
3. Intake is capped by plan on human calls. Abby's help center lists questions per human-handled call at 5 on Starter and Essential and 10 on Professional; "AI-handled calls can include unlimited questions" (Abby help center, read October 26, 2026).
4. The trial charges you unless you write in. At the end of the 14-day trial you "must email your cancellation request to billing@abby.com at least 24 hours before expiration" (Abby terms, read October 26, 2026).

Smith.ai

1. A bigger plan takes a month to arrive. "The plan change must be made not less than thirty (30) days prior to the end of the current subscription cycle." Until then, "Overage charges, if any, will apply until the new Receptionist Service Plan takes effect." (smith.ai/receptionists/terms, read October 26, 2026) Overage runs $8.50 to $11.50 a call.
2. Two refund windows on one page. The pricing FAQ offers "a 30-day money-back guarantee" and, in the next lines, "If you decide Smith.ai isn't for you in the first two weeks, we'll refund your initial plan" (smith.ai/pricing/receptionists, read October 26, 2026). Overage is excluded either way.
3. Spam is free only with caller ID. The exemption holds "as long as the lines you forward to us pass Caller ID" (same pricing page).

Cancelling takes the same notice at both. Abby: after the first 30 days, "you must provide us with at least 30 days' advance notice of your request to cancel the Subscription Service." Smith.ai: "Cancellation must be made at least thirty (30) days prior to the end of the current subscription cycle." (each vendor's terms, read October 26, 2026) Abby adds "we enforce a strict no refund policy."

Who owns what

Separate companies. Abby's terms name Abby Connect, Inc.; Smith.ai's name Smith.ai, Inc. Each sells live and AI answering under one company: Abby inside one plan, Smith.ai as two products, the AI Receptionist and the Virtual Receptionists priced here.

Which one to pick

• Pick Abby Connect if you take fewer than about 254 calls a month, at 3-minute calls, and want the AI to take some of them at half the minutes: $898 at 100 calls, against Smith.ai's $915. It may not fit if your intake script runs past 5 questions on a small plan, or your volume can spike past 1,000 minutes.
• Pick Smith.ai if you take more than about 254 calls a month, or your calls run long: $2,100 at 300 calls against Abby's $2,484. It may not fit if you need add-ons, each charged per call, or a plan change in a hurry.
• Pick Smith.ai's AI Receptionist if you want AI first with no live plan: $695.30 at 13 calls a day, less than either live option. Other AI receptionists are compared on Smith.ai vs Ruby.

Alternatives to both

At 100 three-minute calls, Posh, Moneypenny, MAP Communications and ReceptionHQ ReceptionistPlus each cost less than Abby, and so less than Smith.ai. ReceptionHQ ReceptionistPlus bills per call like Smith.ai. Posh also sells plans that mix AI and live minutes; Ruby vs Posh compares it with Ruby. For what "live" means at each vendor, see live virtual receptionists.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Abby Connect cheaper than Smith.ai?

Yes, below about 254 calls a month, at 3-minute calls. At 100 calls Abby Connect costs $898 and Smith.ai $915 (prices checked October 26, 2026). From about 254 calls a month Smith.ai costs less.

What is an Abby Minute?

Abby's billing unit. One minute answered by a human receptionist uses one Abby Minute, and one minute answered by Abby's AI Receptionist uses half. Ring, talk and transfer time are added up and rounded up to the next 30 seconds.

Does Smith.ai charge per call or per minute?

Per call. Smith.ai's Virtual Receptionists start at $300/month (30 calls), and call length does not change the price within its reasonable use policy. Add-ons such as booking are charged per call.

Do Abby Connect and Smith.ai charge for spam calls?

Smith.ai's terms leave telemarketers, misdials and callers who leave no message out of the count, if your forwarded line passes caller ID. Abby publishes no spam billing rule; it offers call blocking, and its comparison page says spam is screened and blocked by its receptionists.

How much notice do Abby Connect and Smith.ai need to cancel?

30 days at both. Abby needs no notice during the first 30 days of a paid plan, then 30 days, with no refunds. Smith.ai's terms bill the following month if you cancel within 30 days of the end of the cycle.

Do Abby Connect and Smith.ai have a free trial?

Abby offers 14 days or 500 Abby Minutes, card required, and charges automatically unless you email 24 hours before it ends. Smith.ai has no live trial; it offers a money-back guarantee capped at $1,000.