Smith.ai vs Alastor Global.
Smith.ai is an answering service. Its receptionists or its AI Receptionist answer your calls on a forwarded, ported or dedicated number, and you pay per call. We answer your calls too, in a natural voice or by text, whichever you want, and it books the job on your calendar. We set it up and keep it running for you. One flat number, not per call.
Smith.ai sells answering by its receptionists or its AI Receptionist, billed per call. We set up and run an answered line on your number. It picks up when you cannot, day or night, in a voice or by text, takes the details and books the job, and it connects to your review requests and quote follow-up. Flat price.
Picture Tuesday at 2 PM. You are under a sink, the phone rings, you cannot get it. With Smith.ai, a receptionist or their AI Receptionist answers, qualifies the caller and can book the appointment. 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. Both answer at night. The difference is who sets the line up around your trade and keeps it tuned, and whether the call flows into your review requests and quote follow-up. With us, 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 | Per-call plans, with live receptionists or an AI Receptionist. See smith.ai/pricing. | A number after a ten-minute call. Flat. Not billed per call. |
| Who answers | A live receptionist or their AI Receptionist. | 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 | Answers, qualifies, books on your calendar, transfers, and can send a follow-up text, per the playbook 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 when your calls route to them. | Answered in a voice, or texted back within a minute, under your business name. |
| After hours | 24/7 on every plan. | Every night, every weekend, same line, same booking. |
| Your number | Forward your line, port it, or use a number they give you. | Your number stays yours. Calls you do not pick up roll over to the line, which we set up for you. |
| After the job | A follow-up text after the call, as a paid add-on. No review requests listed. | 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 | Recordings, transcripts, summaries and a dashboard, with CRM integrations. | Every call transcript, every text thread and every booking logged where you can read it. |
| Who it is for | Built around law-firm and professional intake; also used by home service firms. | Trades and local businesses where the owner is the phone. |
Features from smith.ai/ai-receptionist and smith.ai/pricing, checked 2026-10-16. 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 usually misses calls because the owner's hands are full, not because there are too many. Paying per call can work. So can an answered line that is set up around your trade, books the job and keeps running without you managing it. That second one is what we do, 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?
You keep your number and your phone rings first. Calls you do not pick up, or calls after the hours you set, roll over to the line. We set that up for you.
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.