Your phone books the job while you're on a job.
VoiceJelly vs Smith.ai for local trades
The call gets answered. The job gets booked for real. A confirmation email goes out. A bird's-eye map shows where the jobs and customers are. The built-in CRM takes the same job from estimate to invoice to paid through Stripe. Smith.ai's homepage says it runs end-to-end intake for law firms, with AI and live agents.
Feature Comparison
| Feature | VoiceJelly | Smith.ai |
|---|---|---|
| Who answers the phone | AI books on its own. Optional: transfer to your team | AI first, or live person on Virtual Receptionist |
| Books a job or consult on the call | Shop or field job | Consults listed |
| Confirmation email after the book | Yes | - |
| Bird's-eye map of jobs and customers | Yes | - |
| Estimates, invoices, Stripe payouts | Yes | - |
| Live human answering | Optional: transfer to your team; AI books on its own | Virtual Receptionist. Add-on on AI Receptionist. |
| Law-firm intake and Clio listed | No | Yes |
| English and Spanish listed | - | EN + ES on AI Receptionist |
| 24/7 coverage listed | Yes | Yes |
| Starting price (as of 2026-09-24) | $19/mo | AI Receptionist Free: $0/mo for 25 calls |
Detailed Breakdown
What each product is for
VoiceJelly: VoiceJelly answers the business phone, books the job, and sends a confirmation email. The AI handles the whole call and books the job on its own. Transfer to your team's phone is an optional forwarding setting you can turn on if you want. A bird's-eye map shows where the jobs and customers are. The built-in CRM takes the same job from estimate to invoice to paid through Stripe.
Smith.ai: smith.ai says it runs end-to-end intake for law firms. AI Receptionist answers, qualifies, books consults, and can escalate to a live agent. Virtual Receptionist is a live person, 24/7, guided by their AI. Practice areas listed on the homepage include personal injury, family law, criminal defense, estate planning, immigration, and employment.
The phone-to-booking loop
VoiceJelly: The call gets answered. The job gets booked for real. A confirmation email goes out.
Smith.ai: Smith.ai lists appointment booking and consult booking on the call. A confirmation email after a trade job is not described on the pages we read, so that cell is a dash.
The map and the CRM
VoiceJelly: A bird's-eye map shows where the jobs and customers are. The built-in CRM takes the same job from estimate to invoice to paid through Stripe.
Smith.ai: Smith.ai lists CRM and practice-management integrations (Clio, Filevine, Lawmatics, MyCase, and others) plus payment collection for retainers or consult fees. A bird's-eye job map and a trade estimate-to-invoice-to-Stripe path are not listed.
Pricing, as published 2026-09-24
VoiceJelly: VoiceJelly plans start at $19 per month on voicejelly.com/pricing.
Smith.ai: AI Receptionist: Free $0/mo for 25 calls, then $3.00 per extra call. Pro $150/mo at $2.00/call (75, 150, or 300 calls). Enterprise $500/mo at $1.67/call. Virtual Receptionist: Starter 30 calls $300/mo ($11.50 overage). Basic 90 calls $810/mo ($10.50 overage). Pro 300 calls $2,100/mo ($8.50 overage). Homepage also lists AI-first from $1.60/call, Hybrid from $2.50/call, and Human-first from $7/call. AI Receptionist is month-to-month with 30 days notice to cancel. Virtual Receptionist lists a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Who each fits
Choose VoiceJelly if you...
- You run a local trade or service shop and need the phone to book the job while you are on a job
- You want the confirmation email, the map, and estimate to invoice to paid in one place
Choose Smith.ai if you...
- You want Smith.ai's own live receptionist staff, or AI plus a live agent, for law-firm or professional intake
- You already run Clio or similar and need conflict checks, retainers, or legal playbooks they list
VoiceJelly limitations
- VoiceJelly does not supply its own receptionist staff; transfers go to your people.
- VoiceJelly is not a legal intake desk. Conflict checks, retainers, and Clio playbooks are not the product.
- English and Spanish live bilingual coverage is not a published VoiceJelly claim here.
Pros & Cons
VoiceJelly
Pros
- The shop phone books the job, then a confirmation email goes out
- Bird's-eye map of jobs and customers
- Estimates, invoices, and Stripe payments in the same CRM
Cons
- Does not supply its own receptionist staff. Transfer to your team is optional.
- Not a legal intake or Clio practice-management product
Smith.ai
Pros
- AI Receptionist and a live Virtual Receptionist are both published
- Homepage is built for law-firm intake, including Clio and similar tools
- Live agent add-on on AI plans. AI-initiated escalation is listed as no extra fee.
Cons
- Priced per call after a free or plan allotment. Extra call rates are on their pricing pages.
- No bird's-eye trade job map on the pages we read
- Trade estimate, invoice, and Stripe payout are not the listed product
Our Verdict
Smith.ai is an intake desk for firms that want AI, live people, or both, especially law. VoiceJelly is the shop phone that books the job, emails the confirmation, puts the work on the map, and takes it to paid. The AI handles the whole call and books the job on its own. Transfer to your team's phone is an optional forwarding setting you can turn on if you want. If you want Smith.ai's own receptionist staff, or you need legal intake, Smith.ai matches that. If you need the job booked while you are on a roof, that is VoiceJelly.
FAQ
Does Smith.ai use AI or live people?
Both, as published. AI Receptionist is AI-first, with live agents as a per-call add-on. Virtual Receptionist plans are answered by a real person, guided by their AI. The homepage also lists a Hybrid mix.
What does Smith.ai charge?
As of 2026-09-24 on their site: AI Receptionist Free is $0/mo for 25 calls, then $3.00/call. Pro is $150/mo at $2.00/call. Enterprise is $500/mo at $1.67/call. Virtual Receptionist Starter is 30 calls for $300/mo, Basic is 90 calls for $810/mo, Pro is 300 calls for $2,100/mo. The homepage also lists AI-first from $1.60/call, Hybrid from $2.50/call, and Human-first from $7/call.
Does VoiceJelly have a live receptionist?
VoiceJelly does not supply receptionist staff. The AI handles the whole call and books the job on its own. Transfer to your team's phone is an optional forwarding setting you can turn on if you want.
Who is each product for?
Smith.ai's homepage says it runs end-to-end intake for law firms, with AI and live agents. VoiceJelly is for local trade and service shops whose phone rings for jobs.
Does Smith.ai include a job map and a trade CRM?
Not on the public pages we read. VoiceJelly includes a bird's-eye map and a CRM from estimate to invoice to paid through Stripe.
Sources
Competitor facts are from their public pages, fetched 2026-09-24.