Smith.ai vs Alastor Global.
Smith.ai is an answering service. You forward your phone to them, a person picks up as your company, and you pay for every call they take. We answer your phone too, on your own number, in a natural voice or by text, whichever you want, and it books the job on your calendar. One flat number, not per call.
Smith.ai sells you people to answer your calls, from $300 a month for 30 calls. We put an answered line behind your own number. It picks up when you cannot, day or night, in a voice or by text, takes the details and books the job. Flat price, your number stays, nothing to forward.
Picture Tuesday at 2 PM. You are under a sink, the phone rings, you cannot get it. With Smith.ai, a receptionist in another state answers, takes a message, and emails it to you. That call cost about $11. With us, the line picks up in a natural voice, asks what the caller needs, offers real openings from your calendar, books Thursday at 10, and texts the caller a confirmation. Or, if you would rather, the caller gets a text 60 seconds after the call rings out with a link to book. Your choice, and many businesses run both. Now picture 9 PM. Smith.ai answers if you pay for the after-hours plan. Ours answers every night the same way, and you read the transcript and see the booking in the morning.
Side by side.
What each one costs, who does the work, and what you have on day one.
| Smith.ai | Alastor Global | |
|---|---|---|
| What it costs | Starter $300 a month for 30 calls, then $11.50 a call. Basic $810 for 90 calls. Pro $2,100 for 300 calls. | A number after a ten-minute call. Flat. Not billed per call. |
| Who answers | A live receptionist, or their AI option, on every forwarded call. | Your phone rings first. When you do not pick up, or after hours, the line answers in a natural voice, or texts back, or both. |
| What happens on the call | Takes a message or transfers. Intake questions you set up. | Asks what the caller needs, takes the address and the job details, offers real openings, books one, sends a confirmation text. |
| Missed calls | Answered if you forward them. | Answered in a voice, or texted back within a minute, under your business name. |
| After hours | 24/7 answering on the plans that include it. | Every night, every weekend, same line, same booking. |
| Your number | You forward your line to them. | Your number stays. Nothing is forwarded. |
| After the job | Not part of it. | One text asking for a Google review, with the direct link. |
| Emergencies | Transferred per your instructions. | Routed to the number you choose, right away. |
| Records | Call summaries by email. | Every call transcript, every text thread and every booking logged where you can read it. |
| Who it is for | Firms with heavy daytime call volume: law offices, agencies, medical. | Trades and local businesses where the owner is the phone. |
Prices from smith.ai/pricing, checked 2026-09-21. They can change.
When Smith.ai is the right buy
Your phone rings 40 times a day and every caller expects a human with judgment. A law office, a medical practice, a busy showroom. Paying people to answer is correct there, and Smith.ai does it well.
When it is not
A one- or two-truck business does not miss calls because there are too many. It misses them because your hands are full. Paying $11 a call for a person to write down "he will call you back" is the expensive way to solve that. An answered line that books the job solves it, and the customer gets a time instead of a promise.
Voice, text, or both
Some owners want every missed call answered in a voice, so the caller never hears voicemail. Some want a text back, because their customers text anyway. Most end up with both: the line answers, and if the caller hangs up early they still get the text. The line says it is the after-hours line for your business. It does not pretend to be you. It takes the details, books real openings, and hands anything it cannot answer to you with the caller's number.
What you actually get
An answered line on your own number, day and night. A text back on missed calls if you want it. Booking on your real calendar with a confirmation to the customer. One text after the job asking for a Google review. And the transcript of every call, so you know exactly what was said.
Questions about this.
Can I use both Smith.ai and this?
Yes. Some businesses keep a receptionist for daytime and use our line for missed calls and nights. There is no conflict.
Will callers know it is not a person?
Yes. The line says it is the after-hours line, or the line for your business when you cannot pick up. It books a real appointment and sends a confirmation, which is more than voicemail does.
Do I have to forward my number?
No. Your phone rings first. The line only picks up when the call rings out, or after the hours you set.
Can it be text only?
Yes. If you do not want a voice on the line, missed calls get a text back within a minute and nothing else changes.
Start with a ten-minute call.
917-414-4476Call or text. Tell us what you pay for now and what it is not doing.