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Kalvo vs Smith.ai

Smith.ai is a well-regarded US answering service that pairs AI with live agents and charges per call. Kalvo is a UK AI receptionist at a flat monthly price. They solve the same problem with different economics, and the difference is easy to see because both publish their prices.

Side by side

AspectSmith.aiKalvo
What it isAI answering backed by live North American agents, 24/7An AI receptionist for calls, website chatbot and email
Published pricing$300 a month for 30 calls, $810 for 90, $2,100 for 300 (USD)£49/month, 100 call minutes included, then 29p per minute
Pricing modelPer call, with overage at $8.50 to $11.50 per callFlat by minutes; no per-call fees inside your plan
Appointment bookingAvailable as an add-on at $1.50 per booked callIncluded; books during the call
Call transcriptsRecording and transcription listed at $0.25 per callIncluded on every call, with a summary
Human agents in the loopYes, live-staffed with their own agents; their genuine differentiatorNo; genuine emergencies transfer to your own people under your rules
Home marketUnited States; strong with US law firms and professional servicesUnited Kingdom; GBP pricing, UK-shaped answering
Try it first30-day money-back guaranteeTalk to the receptionist on the demo page, then a free trial

Smith.ai figures from smith.ai/pricing, checked 22 July 2026, quoted in USD as published. Kalvo figures from our pricing page.

Where Smith.ai is genuinely strong

Live agents behind the AI. When a call needs a person, Smith.ai can staff it with their own trained agents around the clock, and their intake workflows, built over years serving US professional firms, are deep. For a US law firm that wants third-party humans doing structured intake, it is a strong, proven choice.

The economics follow from the humans: roughly ten dollars a call at the entry plan, with booking, transcription and some destinations priced as add-ons. That is not a hidden catch, it is what staffed answering costs.

Where Kalvo is different

Kalvo is software end to end, which is why the price is simple: £49 a month covers 100 minutes of answered calls with booking, summaries and transcripts included, then 29p per minute, and 24/7 is included. When a person is needed, the call transfers to your own team under rules you set, rather than to a third party.

It is also built for the UK: pounds, UK number handling, and answering shaped for UK callers. And the same receptionist covers your website chatbot and email from one knowledge base, which per-call services price separately or not at all. Hear it on the demo page before you decide anything.

The honest bottom line

A US firm that wants live third-party agents doing intake should shortlist Smith.ai. A UK business that wants every call answered and booked at a flat, published price should trial Kalvo. If you sit between those, run both trials against a week of real calls; both companies publish enough to make that easy.

Common questions

Is Smith.ai available in the UK?

Smith.ai is a US company with published pricing in dollars and live agents based in North America. UK businesses can use it, but the product, hours culture and pricing are built for the US market. Kalvo is built for UK small businesses, priced in pounds.

How do the prices actually compare?

Smith.ai publishes $300 a month for 30 calls with overage from $8.50 per call, and add-ons such as $1.50 per booked appointment. Kalvo publishes £49 a month for 100 call minutes, then 29p per minute, with booking and transcripts included. The models differ, per call versus per minute, but at typical small-business call lengths the gap is large. Both price pages are linked on this page; check them today.

Is having live human agents better?

For some calls, genuinely yes. Smith.ai can put a person on the line as part of the service, which suits complex intake, and it is why firms pay per call for it. Kalvo answers with software and transfers to your own team when your rules say a human is needed. Which is better depends on whether you want a third-party person or your own people handling the moments that matter.

Which is better for a law firm?

Smith.ai has a strong reputation with US law firms and its intake workflows reflect that. For UK firms, our solicitors page sets out how Kalvo handles legal intake: capture without advice, department routing, and full transcripts. The honest answer is to trial against your own call mix.

Can I try Kalvo without talking to sales?

Yes. The demo page lets you speak to the receptionist directly, and the free trial runs it on your real number. No quote, no call with us needed first.

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