MintWire vs Smith.ai.
The biggest difference isn't a feature — it's the billing unit. Smith.ai's AI Receptionist charges per call, regardless of length. MintWire charges for a pool of minutes. Which is cheaper depends entirely on how long your calls actually run.
$78/mo all-in · 250 talk-minutes/month included · 14-day free trial · Card required, cancel during the trial and pay nothing
Why the billing model matters more than the sticker price.
Prices as published on smith.ai/pricing/ai-receptionist, checked 2026-07-05.
| MintWire — AI Phone Receptionist | Smith.ai — AI Receptionist | |
|---|---|---|
| Billing unit | Per minute (a pool of talk-time) | Per call, regardless of how long the call runs |
| Free-forever tier | No — but the 14-day trial covers phone, chat, forms and email with no call cap (Smith.ai’s free tier is phone calls only) | Yes — $0/mo, up to 25 calls/month |
| Entry tier | $78/mo, 250 minutes included, then $12/30 min, $20/60 min, $35/120 min | Free — $0/mo, 25 calls/month, then $3.00/call |
| Mid tier | $128/mo (Pro), 500 minutes included | $150/mo, $2.00/call (Smith.ai estimates ~2–3 calls/day, roughly 60–90 calls/mo) |
| Top published tier | Top-up packs as needed ($12/30 min, $20/60 min, $35/120 min) | $500/mo, $1.67/call (Smith.ai estimates ~10 calls/day, roughly 300 calls/mo); a 6-month contract with rollover calls and a lower rate is available on request |
| Calendar booking | +$19/mo add-on (Google Calendar two-way sync) — included free on the $128/mo Pro plan | Included on every tier, including the free one (Calendly and others) |
| Website chat & intake forms | Included | Not part of the AI Receptionist plan (phone-call focused) |
| Email intake | Included | Not part of the AI Receptionist plan |
Sources: mintwire.tech/pricing and smith.ai/pricing/ai-receptionist, checked 2026-07-05. Smith.ai also sells a separate human-staffed Virtual Receptionist product at higher, per-call rates — this page compares its AI Receptionist only. Both companies can change pricing at any time.
A worked example.
Short calls (1–2 min average)
If most calls are quick FAQ or triage calls, per-call billing (Smith.ai) often costs more per minute of actual conversation than a shared minute pool — you're paying the same $2–3 whether the call lasted 20 seconds or 4 minutes.
Long calls (5+ min average)
If your calls run long — detailed intake, multi-question conversations — per-call billing can work out cheaper than metering by the minute, since the price per call stays flat regardless of length.
Where each one makes more sense.
Smith.ai may be the better fit if: your call volume is low enough to stay on their free tier, your calls tend to run long, or you want calendar booking included at every price point without an add-on.
MintWire may be the better fit if: your calls are typically short, you want phone, website chat, intake forms and email unified in one operator inbox, or you'd rather budget a fixed minute pool than track per-call charges.
- Both disclose the caller is talking to an AI
- Both offer calendar-based appointment booking (Smith.ai included, MintWire as a $19/mo add-on or free on Pro)
- Both hand off to a human when the call needs one
Quick math
100 short calls/month (2 min avg = 200 min) fits inside MintWire's 250-minute pool: $78 total, no extra charge.
Smith.ai's published card for that volume range is $150/mo at $2.00/call — their site doesn't spell out whether that's a flat fee, a per-call rate, or both together, so confirm the exact mechanics with them before comparing directly.
See it answer a real call.
Try the live voice demo, then start a 14-day free trial. Cancel anytime.
14-day free trial · Card required, cancel during the trial and pay nothing · 30-day money-back guarantee · Billing via Stripe in USD