Smith.ai AI Receptionist vs Marlie AI
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
Smith.ai AI Receptionist ranks higher on Top 11 (#5 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.. AI first with human receptionists behind it, native Clio, HubSpot and Salesforce, and 25 free calls.
At a glance
| Smith.ai AI Receptionist | Marlie AI | |
|---|---|---|
| Top 11 rank | #5 / RingCentral vs Nextiva vs Upfirst: 11 Best AI Receptionists for Small Business 2026 | #6 / RingCentral vs Nextiva vs Upfirst: 11 Best AI Receptionists for Small Business 2026 |
| Score (out of 9.4) | 8 | 7.8 |
| Best for | Professional firms that want AI with human receptionists behind it | Local service businesses that want to text a checkout link mid call |
| Pricing | $$ (free for 25 calls a month, then $3 a call; Pro $150 a month at $2 a call; Enterprise $500 a month) | $ ($49 a month for 250 minutes up to $399 for 2,000; $0.35 to $0.25 a minute over; 14 day trial) |
| HQ | — | — |
| Founded | — | — |
Smith.ai AI Receptionist
AI first with human receptionists behind it, native Clio, HubSpot and Salesforce, and 25 free calls.
smith.ai/ai-receptionistMarlie AI
The only one here that texts a Square or Shopify checkout link mid call. From $49 for 250 minutes.
www.marlie.aiMethodology and scoring weights live at /methodology. No vendor pays for placement — see about.