Upfirst 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
Upfirst ranks higher on Top 11 (#3 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.. Books into six named calendars, bills per call, and starts at $24.95. No named CRM.
At a glance
| Upfirst | Marlie AI | |
|---|---|---|
| Top 11 rank | #3 / 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) | 8.4 | 7.8 |
| Best for | Small offices that want booking into Acuity, Square or Clio from $24.95 | Local service businesses that want to text a checkout link mid call |
| Pricing | $ ($24.95 a month for 30 calls up to $299 for 600, or 20 percent less annually; 14 day trial with no card) | $ ($49 a month for 250 minutes up to $399 for 2,000; $0.35 to $0.25 a minute over; 14 day trial) |
| HQ | Miami, Florida | — |
| Founded | — | — |
Upfirst
Books into six named calendars, bills per call, and starts at $24.95. No named CRM.
upfirst.ai/solutions/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.