Marlie AI vs RingCentral AI Receptionist (AIR)
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
RingCentral AI Receptionist (AIR) ranks higher on Top 11 (#1 vs #6) 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.. Names its calendars and CRMs, works with any phone system, and prints the whole bill. From $49 a month.
At a glance
| Marlie AI | RingCentral AI Receptionist (AIR) | |
|---|---|---|
| Top 11 rank | #6 / RingCentral vs Nextiva vs Upfirst: 11 Best AI Receptionists for Small Business 2026 | #1 / RingCentral vs Nextiva vs Upfirst: 11 Best AI Receptionists for Small Business 2026 |
| Score (out of 9.4) | 7.8 | 8.9 |
| Best for | Local service businesses that want to text a checkout link mid call | Owners who want booking and CRM logging without changing phone provider |
| Pricing | $ ($49 a month for 250 minutes up to $399 for 2,000; $0.35 to $0.25 a minute over; 14 day trial) | $ (standalone from $49 a month with 100 minutes, or $39 a month on top of RingEX Core at $30; $0.50 a minute after that; 14 day trial) |
| HQ | — | — |
| Founded | — | 1999 |
Marlie AI
The only one here that texts a Square or Shopify checkout link mid call. From $49 for 250 minutes.
www.marlie.aiRingCentral AI Receptionist (AIR)
Names its calendars and CRMs, works with any phone system, and prints the whole bill. From $49 a month.
www.ringcentral.com/ai-receptionist.htmlMethodology and scoring weights live at /methodology. No vendor pays for placement — see about.