Upfirst Alternatives 2026: AI Receptionist Pricing and Where Each Passes Upfirst
Published · prices checked October 26, 2026
Key takeaways
- Upfirst costs $59.95 at 3 three-minute calls a day, less than all 8 AI alternatives in our table (prices checked October 26, 2026).
- Goodcall costs less than Upfirst from about 144 calls a month; at 13 calls a day it costs $129 against Upfirst's $227.45.
- Smith.ai AI Receptionist, the other per-call AI in the table, costs 3.1 times Upfirst at 13 calls a day and counts answered spam by default.
- Upfirst's 14-day trial runs on real calls with no card, and cancelling keeps the month you paid for.
Upfirst costs $59.95 a month at 3 three-minute calls a day, less than every ready-made AI receptionist in our table (prices checked October 26, 2026). At 13 calls a day the order changes: Goodcall costs $129 and NextPhone $199, against Upfirst's $227.45.
What does Upfirst cost?
Upfirst starts at $24.95/month (30 calls) and bills per call, with calls under 15 seconds and spam left off the bill. At 3, 5 and 13 calls a day it costs $59.95, $119.95 and $227.45. Plans, overage and the two Scale prices are on the Upfirst pricing page.
Upfirst alternatives compared
Prices checked against each vendor's own pricing page on October 26, 2026.
| Service | Entry plan | 3 calls/day (90/mo) | 5 calls/day (150/mo) | 13 calls/day (390/mo) | If calls double (13 to 26 a day) | Overage | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Upfirst | $24.95/month (30 calls) | $59.95 | $119.95 | $227.45 | +$197.55 | $0.70 to $1.50 a call | upfirst.ai/pricing, read Oct 26, 2026 |
| Goodcall | $79/month (100 unique callers) | $79 | $118.50 | $129 | +$72.80 | $0.15 to $0.79 a caller | goodcall.com/pricing, read Oct 26, 2026 |
| NextPhone | $199/month (unlimited calls) | $199 | $199 | $199 | No change | None, unlimited calls | getnextphone.com/pricing, read Oct 26, 2026 |
| Phonely | Free (100 minutes), then $50/month (200 minutes) | $67.50 to $74.50 | $112.50 to $137.50 | $292.50 to $389.50 | +$292.50 to $409.50 | $0.25 to $0.35 a minute | phonely.ai/pricing, read Oct 26, 2026 |
| Rosie | $49/month (250 minutes) | $149 | $149 | $299 | Not computable | Moves up to the next plan | heyrosie.com/pricing, read Oct 26, 2026 |
| My AI Front Desk | $99/month (240 minutes: 200 voice plus a 1,000-credit pool worth 40) | $106.50 | $151.50 | $331.50 | +$292.50 | $0.25 a minute | myaifrontdesk.com/pricing, read Oct 26, 2026 |
| Dialzara | $29/month (60 minutes) | $121.50 | $199 | $408.50 | +$409.50 | $0.35 to $0.48 a minute | dialzara.com/pricing, read Oct 26, 2026 |
| RingCentral AI Receptionist | From $49/month (100 minutes) | $134 | $224 | $584 | +$585 | $0.50 a minute | ringcentral.com/pricing/ai-receptionist.html, read Oct 26, 2026 |
| Smith.ai AI Receptionist | Free (25 calls), then $150/month (75 calls) | $187.50 | $270 | $695.30 | +$692.70 | $2.10 to $3.00 a call | smith.ai/pricing/ai-receptionist, read Oct 26, 2026 |
Our arithmetic: each vendor's cheapest published plan for that volume plus its published overage, at 3-minute calls over 30 days. Goodcall bills per unique caller; we count every call as a new caller. Taxes, setup fees and add-ons are not included. How we price.
At 3 calls a day Upfirst costs the least in the table. At 13 a day Goodcall does, and NextPhone also costs less than Upfirst. The other six cost more than Upfirst at 13 a day, Rosie among them.
Where each alternative passes Upfirst
Above 3 calls a day, three alternatives pass Upfirst, each at a different point:
- Goodcall costs less from about 144 calls a month. Repeat callers bring that point lower.
- Rosie changes places with Upfirst more than once, so there is no single break-even. At 150 calls Upfirst costs $119.95 and Rosie $149; at 200 calls Upfirst $159.95 and Rosie $149.
- NextPhone costs less from about 353 calls a month, where Upfirst's Pro plan plus overage passes NextPhone's flat price.
Below 3 calls a day the order shifts again. At 50 calls a month Rosie's entry plan costs $49, less than Upfirst's $54.95.
Upfirst and Smith.ai: the two per-call AI receptionists
Upfirst and Smith.ai AI Receptionist both bill by the call, so call length does not change either bill:
| Calls a day | Upfirst | Smith.ai AI Receptionist | Smith.ai as a multiple of Upfirst |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | $59.95 | $187.50 | 3.1 |
| 5 | $119.95 | $270 | 2.3 |
| 13 | $227.45 | $695.30 | 3.1 |
What counts as a call differs too. Upfirst: "We also don't bill for calls under 15 seconds or calls where the caller never speaks" (upfirst.ai/pricing, read October 27, 2026). Smith.ai: "Every call answered by your AI Receptionist counts toward your call quota by default", with "an allowance to remove up to 10% of their calls" as spam (smith.ai, read October 26, 2026).
What Smith.ai sells that Upfirst does not: a handoff from the AI to a live Smith.ai receptionist, charged per call, and a permanent plan that is free for 25 calls.
Live virtual receptionists against Upfirst
Smith.ai Virtual Receptionists, a live service billed per call, costs $915 for 100 calls a month, against Upfirst's $69.95. A person answers every call; that is what the gap buys. Compare live services on virtual receptionist pricing. One full-time hire on the BLS median wage costs $4,399 a month (hire vs AI receptionist).
What each alternative does better and worse than Upfirst
Goodcall
Better: at 13 calls a day Upfirst costs $98 a month more. A caller who rings five times in a month counts once on Goodcall and five times on Upfirst.
Worse: no trial, only a demo agent without a number. At 3 calls a day Goodcall costs $79.
Rosie
Better: flat at $149 from 3 calls a day until Scale's 1,000 minutes run out, at about 11 a day, so a busy month costs what a quiet one does inside that.
Worse: at 3 calls a day Rosie costs 2.5 times Upfirst. At 13 a day it moves up to Growth, $299 against Upfirst's $227.45. A 20-second hang-up uses a full minute, where Upfirst bills nothing under 15 seconds.
NextPhone
Better: NextPhone charges one flat price with unlimited calls, so long calls and repeat callers cost nothing extra. At 13 calls a day it costs $28 a month less than Upfirst.
Worse: at 3 calls a day it costs $139 a month more than Upfirst.
Phonely
Better: a free 100-minute plan for low-volume lines.
Worse: at 13 calls a day Phonely costs $292.50 to $389.50, and it bills by the minute with no published rounding rule.
My AI Front Desk
Better: a 7-day trial with no card, and one plan that adds "web chat, 2-way SMS, an AI-native CRM" (myaifrontdesk.com/pricing, read October 27, 2026).
Worse: at 13 calls a day My AI Front Desk costs $104 a month more, and usage during the trial is billed.
Dialzara
Better: Dialzara meters to the second, and with auto-recharge off its bill cannot pass the plan price.
Worse: at 13 calls a day it costs 1.8 times Upfirst, and its terms say it does not offer refunds.
RingCentral AI Receptionist
Better: sold as an add-on for businesses already on RingCentral's phone system, with the same 14-day trial length as Upfirst.
Worse: at 13 calls a day RingCentral AI Receptionist costs $584, with every call rounded up to 30 seconds.
Where Upfirst is still the better buy
Three calls a day. At that volume Upfirst costs less than every alternative in the table. Below it the lead goes: at 50 calls a month Rosie costs $49 against Upfirst's $54.95.
Lines with junk calls. Calls under 15 seconds, silent calls, spam and tests are free, and each is labeled in the call log so you can check.
Trying it first. "You can forward real calls and test responses with no commitment." (upfirst.ai/pricing, read October 27, 2026)
Several lines or locations. Each extra agent costs $9.95 a month, and "calls from every agent count toward the same plan allowance" (help.upfirst.ai, read October 27, 2026). Goodcall's FAQ instead says to "Choose a plan for the customers each agent serves" (goodcall.com/faq, read October 27, 2026).
A seasonal business on annual billing. Calls come as a yearly bucket, so a busy month draws on quiet ones instead of billing overage.
Which alternative fits which situation
- Best at 13 calls a day: Goodcall. $129 at 13 a day, the least in the table. No trial on real calls.
- Best for a bill that does not move: NextPhone. $199 at any volume, the only bill in the table that stays put from 13 to 26 calls a day. No meter, so long calls cost nothing extra; it costs less than Upfirst from about 353 calls a month.
- Best if a person must be one step away: Smith.ai AI Receptionist. Live handoff on the call, at 2.3 times Upfirst's cost at 5 a day.
How to switch from Upfirst
Cancelling ends the plan "at the end of your current billing period", and Upfirst may offer "a partial refund on your last payment" in exchange for feedback (help.upfirst.ai, read October 27, 2026). Start the new vendor before that date.
Export first: the terms give "ninety (90) days to export your Customer Content" after cancelling (upfirst.ai/terms-of-service, read October 27, 2026). If you forwarded your own number, repoint the forward. Upfirst publishes no rule for porting an Upfirst-issued number out, so ask before you cancel.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is cheaper than Upfirst?
At 3 three-minute calls a day, no ready-made AI receptionist in our table costs less than Upfirst's $59.95. At 13 calls a day Goodcall at $129 and NextPhone at $199 cost less than Upfirst's $227.45.
Is Goodcall cheaper than Upfirst?
At higher volume, yes. Upfirst costs more than Goodcall from about 144 calls a month. Goodcall bills each caller once a month; Upfirst bills every call.
Is Smith.ai cheaper than Upfirst?
No. At 3, 5 and 13 three-minute calls a day Smith.ai AI Receptionist costs more than Upfirst; at 13 a day it costs $695.30 against $227.45. Smith.ai adds a handoff to live receptionists.
Which Upfirst alternative bills per call?
Smith.ai AI Receptionist bills per answered call, as Upfirst does. Goodcall bills per unique caller a month, NextPhone a flat monthly price, and the rest by the minute.
Can I take my number from Upfirst to another AI receptionist?
If you forwarded your own number to Upfirst, it stays with your carrier and you point it elsewhere. Upfirst helps port numbers in at no charge but publishes no rule for porting one out.
How these numbers were made
Every vendor price on this page was read from the vendor's own pricing page on the date in its Source cell and saved as a dated capture. Monthly costs use each vendor's cheapest published plan for the volume plus its published overage, at 3-minute calls. The in-house figure uses the BLS median wage for receptionists over 2,080 paid hours (paid leave included), other employer benefit costs and turnover, each from the BLS release named below. Vendors that hide prices stay in the tables as quote only. We do not test answering quality and publish no ratings.
Sources
Vendor pricing and terms pages, from the price index
- Dialzara: dialzara.com/pricing (read October 26, 2026); dialzara.com/terms-of-use (read October 27, 2026)
- Goodcall: goodcall.com/pricing (read October 26, 2026); help.goodcall.com/en/articles/8007566-terms-of-service (read October 27, 2026)
- My AI Front Desk: myaifrontdesk.com/pricing (read October 26, 2026); myaifrontdesk.com/terms-of-service (read October 27, 2026)
- NextPhone: getnextphone.com/pricing (read October 26, 2026)
- Phonely: phonely.ai/pricing (read October 26, 2026)
- RingCentral AI Receptionist: ringcentral.com/pricing/ai-receptionist.html (read October 26, 2026)
- Rosie: heyrosie.com/pricing (read October 26, 2026); heyrosie.com/legal/terms (read October 27, 2026)
- Smith.ai AI Receptionist: smith.ai/pricing/ai-receptionist (read October 26, 2026)
- Smith.ai Virtual Receptionists: smith.ai/pricing/receptionists (read October 26, 2026); smith.ai/receptionists/terms (read October 7, 2026)
- Upfirst: upfirst.ai/pricing (read October 26, 2026); upfirst.ai/terms-of-service (read October 27, 2026)
Hire-cost inputs, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
- OEWS, receptionists and information clerks (SOC 43-4171) (May 2025, released May 15, 2026)
- Employer Costs for Employee Compensation, table 4 (June 2026 (2026 Q2), released September 9, 2026)
- Employee Benefits in the United States (March 2026, released September 25, 2026)
- Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey, annual 2025 (released March 13, 2026)
- Heather Boushey and Sarah Jane Glynn, "There Are Significant Business Costs to Replacing Employees," Center for American Progress, November 16, 2012 (issue brief; PDF carries an August 31, 2015 correction to Figure 3)
Other pages quoted
- Upfirst help, "How do I cancel my plan?": help.upfirst.ai, read October 27, 2026.
- Upfirst terms of service: upfirst.ai/terms-of-service, read October 27, 2026.
Changes to these prices
- Upfirst: cancellation notice recorded as none. Its pricing FAQ says "You can cancel, upgrade, or downgrade anytime, no questions asked," the same strength as other cancel-anytime terms. Its setup-fee summary now reads "None stated": no page says there is no fee. No price changed.
- My AI Front Desk: the 1,000 monthly overage credits its pricing page lists as included ("Extra credits you get each month in case you go over your included usage") now count as 40 included minutes, so Business-in-a-Box covers 240 minutes before the $0.25 rate applies (was 200).
- Phonely: its Professional plan card says 650 minutes and its comparison table 750; the card is used. When two plans tie on their lowest cost, the one with the narrower range is chosen, so Phonely at 300 calls a month prices on Professional alone.
- My AI Front Desk: billing-term summaries (billing unit, rounding, time billed beyond the call, spam, setup fee, contract, trial) added from the vendor-data billing-terms and contracts files and their captures. No price changed.
- Phonely: billing-term summaries (billing unit, rounding, time billed beyond the call, spam, setup fee, contract, trial) added from the vendor-data billing-terms and contracts files and their captures. No price changed.
- RingCentral AI Receptionist: billing-term summaries (billing unit, rounding, time billed beyond the call, spam, setup fee, contract, trial) added from the vendor-data billing-terms and contracts files and their captures. No price changed.
- Rosie added from its own pricing page (captured October 26, 2026), with billing terms from its terms, FAQ and help pages (read October 27, 2026). Rosie moves an account up a plan instead of charging overage.
- Goodcall added from its own pricing page (captured October 26, 2026), with billing terms from its terms, FAQ and help pages (read October 27, 2026). Goodcall bills per unique caller a month; our arithmetic counts every call as a different caller.
- Dialzara added from its own pricing page (captured October 26, 2026), with billing terms from its terms, FAQ and help pages (read October 27, 2026).
- Upfirst added from its own pricing page (captured October 26, 2026), with billing terms from its terms, FAQ and help pages (read October 27, 2026). Upfirst does not bill calls under 15 seconds or spam.
- Smith.ai AI Receptionist Enterprise at 500 calls ($800, $2.10 per extra call) added from its pricing page, in a full re-check of every source page.
- Added NextPhone Pro, Growth and Scale from its public pricing page. All three plans include unlimited calls with no per-minute charge or overage fee.
- Smith.ai AI Receptionist: billing terms added.
- My AI Front Desk: overage of $0.25 a minute (25 credits at $0.01) added; it was on the captured page but missing here.
- Smith.ai AI Receptionist: billing terms added from its terms, FAQ and help pages (read October 7, 2026): billing unit, rounding, time billed beyond the call, spam billing, setup fee, contract and trial.
- Smith.ai Virtual Receptionists: billing terms added from its terms, FAQ and help pages (read October 7, 2026): billing unit, rounding, time billed beyond the call, spam billing, setup fee, contract and trial.
Download the data
The first table on this page (CSV, 9 rows). The full price index (CSV), free to reuse under CC BY 4.0.
How to cite this page
ReceptionistPrices.com, Upfirst Alternatives 2026: AI Receptionist Pricing and Where Each Passes Upfirst, prices checked October 26, 2026, https://www.receptionistprices.com/upfirst/alternatives/