Marlie AI vs Frontdesk (My AI Front Desk)

Side-by-side from the Top 11 ranking of RingCentral vs Nextiva vs Upfirst: 11 Best AI Receptionists for Small Business 2026. Last verified October 6, 2026.

The short answer

Marlie AI ranks higher on Top 11 (#6 vs #7) for Owners of United States small businesses, roughly 1 to 50 people, who miss calls while they work and want an AI receptionist that books the appointment and logs the caller, not one that only takes a message.. The only one here that texts a Square or Shopify checkout link mid call. From $49 for 250 minutes.

At a glance

Marlie AIFrontdesk (My AI Front Desk)
Top 11 rank#6 / RingCentral vs Nextiva vs Upfirst: 11 Best AI Receptionists for Small Business 2026#7 / RingCentral vs Nextiva vs Upfirst: 11 Best AI Receptionists for Small Business 2026
Score (out of 9.4)7.87.6
Best forLocal service businesses that want to text a checkout link mid callOwners on HubSpot or GoHighLevel who want phone, chat and forms in one bundle
Pricing$ ($49 a month for 250 minutes up to $399 for 2,000; $0.35 to $0.25 a minute over; 14 day trial)$$ ($99 a month or $79 billed annually, 200 voice minutes; voice overage 25 cents a minute in credits; 7 day trial)
HQ——
Founded——

Marlie AI

The only one here that texts a Square or Shopify checkout link mid call. From $49 for 250 minutes.

www.marlie.ai

See full entry in RingCentral vs Nextiva vs Upfirst: 11 Best AI Receptionists for Small Business 2026

Frontdesk (My AI Front Desk)

Phone, chat, texts and forms for $99 with HubSpot and GoHighLevel named. Actions are capped.

www.myaifrontdesk.com/ai-receptionist

See full entry in RingCentral vs Nextiva vs Upfirst: 11 Best AI Receptionists for Small Business 2026

Methodology and scoring weights live at /methodology. No vendor pays for placement — see about.