cyberstaff

The best Smith.ai alternatives for UK businesses in 2026.

Smith.ai is an AI-plus-human hybrid, but the maths matters: it charges per call in US dollars, so your invoice scales with the number of calls rather than the work done. This review benchmarks the leading alternatives on the axes that decide the outcome — headline price, billing model and verified review scores — to isolate which one suits your actual call profile.

John Oberlin-Harris

Written by John Oberlin-Harris

CRO, Cyberstaff

Last updated 16 July 2026

The quick verdict

The trade-off comes down to staffing model versus cost predictability. Smith.ai earns its place if you genuinely need trained humans on your hardest calls and your operations already run on a US CRM. But if the priorities are 24/7 cover at a fixed price in pounds, metering by the minute rather than the call, and jobs written straight into your diary, an AI receptionist is the tighter fit on every count. On our scoring that points UK trades and SMBs to Cyberstaff, from £30 a month with 24/7 and setup included, and no contract.

Why businesses look beyond Smith.ai

A capable hybrid, but the per-call bill is built for US businesses.

Per-call billing punishes you

At roughly $9.75 to $11.50 per call, the pricing ignores effort entirely — a 20-second wrong number is charged the same as a 10-minute booking.

Long calls can count double

Once a call passes about five minutes it can register as more than one call, so your highest-value conversations land in the most expensive bracket.

Priced and staffed from the US

Both the agents and the price list are North-American; UK callers notice the accent and your finance team notices the dollar exposure.

Plans start high for few calls

Entry to the human tier sits near $292.50 a month for 30 calls — and that is the floor, before a single overage charge.

No real free trial

A money-back guarantee is not the same as a trial: you sign up and pay first, rather than evaluating it live on your own calls.

AI, chat and outreach are separate

Voice, AI, web chat and outbound are each their own line item, so the realistic cost of a complete deployment is well above the headline number.

What to look for in an alternative

What is worth checking before you switch.

  1. 1

    Per-minute, not per-call, billing. The right test: a 30-second call should bill below a 10-minute one.

  2. 2

    Priced and supported in the UK. Look for pounds, UK numbers and UK business hours rather than a dollar invoice.

  3. 3

    24/7 cover included as standard. Out-of-hours calls convert best, so that cover belongs in the base price, not as an add-on.

  4. 4

    A real free trial. A refund window is no substitute for hearing it handle your own calls before you commit.

At a glance

Smith.ai and six alternatives, side by side.

Provider From Overage 24/7 Setup Min term Rating Notes
Cyberstaff Customisable AI £30/mo £0.30/min ✓ Included Included Rolling monthly 4.6 Trustpilot
Moneypenny Customisable AI £99/mo £2.20/call ✓ Included £250 4 months 4.8 Trustpilot Some changes chargeable @ £70/hour
Moneypenny Virtual Receptionist £282/mo £2.25/min +£150/mo Included 4 months 4.8 Trustpilot
Reception HQ Virtual Receptionist (My Assistant) £99/mo £1.10/min ✓ Included From £20 Rolling monthly 3.2 Trustpilot
AnswerConnect Virtual Receptionist £168.75 £1.75/min ✓ Included £49.99 Rolling monthly 4.9 Trustpilot Transcripts @ +£30/mo, Transfer @ +£30/mo
AllDayPA Virtual Receptionist £123 £1.34/min ✓ Included Included 3 months 4.8 Trustpilot
JAM Virtual Receptionist £109.60 £1.15/min ✓ Included Included 4 months 4.6 Trustpilot + post call transcription costs
Face for Business Inclusive Minutes Plan · Virtual Receptionist From £189/mo Not stated Not available Included 4 months 5.0 Verified Trusted No charge for sales/nuisance calls

Based on 100 minutes/50 calls minimum using cheapest published/quoted plan. As of June 2026. Trustpilot ratings used where found, otherwise first ranking independent review site from Google search with ≥5 reviews.

The alternatives, ranked

Six Smith.ai alternatives, with the honest case for each.

1

Cyberstaff AI

Best for: Small businesses looking for instant set up, great support and market leading pricing

From £30/mo

100 mins then £0.30/min

A UK based AI receptionist that configures a bespoke AI receptionist based on a 1 minute website scan. Rated Excellent on Trustpilot with great reviews and a growing list of integrations, but newer on the block.

Flat pricing, 24/7 included on every plan

Answers unlimited calls at once, no queue

No setup fee, cancel anytime

Reads your website and is live in under 60 seconds

Newer brand than the incumbents

Built for inbound, not large outbound campaigns

4.6 Trustpilot

The recent reviews for Cyberstaff are overwhelmingly positive, with users giving the company a 5-star rating for its AI receptionist service. Reviewers consistently praise the tool for sounding natural, saving them hours of admin work, and efficiently handling customer bookings and calls while they are busy.

2

AnswerConnect Human

Best for: Businesses wanting human receptionists with 24/7 included

From £168.75/mo

100 mins then £1.75/min

A long-standing human answering service that bundles round-the-clock and bilingual cover as standard, and carries the highest Trustpilot score in this field. The catch is per-minute pricing that mounts as volume grows and most plans have a £49.99 set up fee.

24/7 human cover included as standard

App to manage and integrations with many popular CRMs

Excellent 4.9 Trustpilot from over 200 reviews

Over 5 times the price of leading AI agent options and £49.99 set up fees

Per-minute rates are towards the higher end at £1.75/min

Transcripts and Transfers each come with a £30/month add on price

4.9 Trustpilot

Recent reviews for AnswerConnect UK are overwhelmingly positive, with customers highly praising the supportive customer service team, smooth onboarding processes, and quick, professional call handling. While the service is widely described as reliable and highly effective at filtering calls, a minor critique notes that it can be quite expensive.

3

AllDayPA Human

Best for: UK firms wanting a human team and willing to commit for long term

From £123/mo

100 mins then £1.34/min

A Manchester outfit that has been at it since 1999 and claim to cover a number of sectors including Business Support and Finance. Provides 24/7 service as standard.

UK-based human receptionists

Can handle web chat and email management as additional services

Strong 4.8 Trustpilot for staff friendliness

Pricing not published and sits behind a quote form

90-day notice period to terminate in the Terms and Conditions

Weaker review score on Google Reviews (3.7)

4.8 Trustpilot

Recent reviews for AllDayPA are overwhelmingly positive, with clients consistently praising the team's professional, reliable, and friendly call handling that seamlessly extends their own business operations. Reviewers frequently highlight their prompt communication, quick turnaround times, and exceptional long-term support spanning over many years.

4

Moneypenny Human or AI

Best for: Businesses wanting a hybrid human/AI service and willing to pay a premium for it

From £282/mo (human), £99/mo (AI)

100 mins then £2.25/min (human) or £2.20/call (AI)

One of the best-known UK answering services, with a strong name, a decent app and a hybrid human/AI service. But 24/7 costs extra, the included minutes are lower than others, overages are among the highest in the market and there's a minimum 4 month term.

Well-known UK brand with a polished app

High 4.8 Trustpilot score

Use of a dedicated group of agents

Overages high at £2.25 per minute

24/7 costs around £150/mo extra

Four month or longer contracts

4.8 Trustpilot

Recent reviews overwhelmingly praise Moneypenny for its exceptionally friendly, professional, and reliable staff, with many customers noting that the team acts as a seamless extension of their own business. While the feedback is highly positive, a rare minor complaint noted an issue with incorrect account settings that resulted in zero work being carried out.

5

Reception HQ Human

Best for: Businesses looking for a great value human agent option and 24/7 coverage included as standard

From £99/mo

100 mins then £1.10/min

UK receptionists handle the weekday calls, with offshore teams taking the after-hours shift so 24/7 comes built in, all billed by the second and free of any contract. A neat fit for overflow and seasonal spikes, though reviews do flag the odd billing and cancellation snag.

24/7 included, no after-hours surcharge

No lock-in, 7-day free trial

Per-second billing, no minute rounding and some of the lowest rates for human agents

Out of hours and surge calls are answered off shore

Small number of mainly negative reviews on Trustpilot

A human handles one call at a time

3.2 Trustpilot

The page currently has only one review, which gives the company a 1-star rating. The reviewer strongly advises against using the service, warning that receptionists mispronounced or incorrectly used their company name during a trial and offered no apology for the mistake.

6

JAM Human

Best for: Businesses wanting the longest-running UK human service at a reasonable price

From £109.60/mo

100 mins then £1.15/min

The longest-established answering service in the UK, running since 1977, with dedicated PA teams, 24/7 cover at no extra charge and a 4-month minimum (a 3-month minimum plus 30 days' notice).

Long UK track record, bespoke PA teams

24/7 included at no extra charge

Transparent pricing published online

Charges for type up time on top of calls

One team, not unlimited parallel calls

Premium versus AI on cost

4.6 Trustpilot

Recent reviews for JAM are largely positive, with customers frequently praising the professional call handling, efficient support team, and the service's role as a helpful extension of their business. While most users are satisfied, a few noted minor issues regarding setup, spam call filtering, and occasional delays in administrative processes like refunds.

7

Face for Business Human

Best for: SMEs wanting UK PAs with per-second billing

From £189/mo

100 mins, overage not stated

UK-based virtual PAs, running since 2011, billed by the second with no setup fee. Evenings and weekends for an extra fee but not 24/7. A dedicated team rather than a call-centre queue, on a 4-month term.

Per-second billing, no rounding

No setup fee and no charges for sales/nuisance calls

Dedicated UK PA team, ISO 9001 accredited

Still per-time human pricing at volume and expensive minimum package of £115

No Trustpilot reviews found

24/7 coverage not available

5.0 Verified Trusted

Recent reviews overwhelmingly praise Face For Business for their professional, efficient, and friendly telephone answering service, noting that they act as a seamless extension of clients' teams. Many small business owners highlighted how the service prevents missed calls, saves time, and smoothly integrates with their existing setups.

Head to head

Cyberstaff vs Smith.ai, feature by feature.

Feature Cyberstaff Smith.ai
24/7 cover ✓ Included free +£75/mo add-on
Pricing model Generous bundled minutes + lowest overage rates Base + per-minute
Starting price From £30/mo From £99/mo
Included minutes/calls 100 to 600 mins/mo Variable, with premium overages
Per-minute overage 20p to 30p/min, same as contract rate £1.10 to £2.35/min
Setup fee £0 Up to £250
Minimum contract Rolling monthly 4 months with some providers
Calls at once ✓ Unlimited parallel Limited by staffing
Calendar and CRM booking ✓ Built in Mostly message taking
Call transcripts ✓ Included Often an additional charge
Time to go live Under 60 seconds Days to weeks

Pricing in the real world

What you actually pay as call volume grows.

Flat AI pricing stays low while per-minute human services climb with volume. Below is each provider on its cheapest published or quoted plan, at three usage tiers.

Monthly mins/callsCyberstaff (AI)AnswerConnect (human)AllDayPAMoneypenny (Virtual Receptionist)Moneypenny (AI Receptionist)Reception HQJAMFace for Business
100 mins (c. 50 calls) £30/mo +£0.30/min£168.75/mo +£1.75/min£123/mo +£1.34/min£282/mo +£2.35/min£99/mo +£2.20/call£99/mo +£1.10/min£109.60/mo +£1.15/min£189 +£2.00/min
300 mins (c. 150 calls) £75/mo +£0.25/min£332.50/mo +£1.75/min£369/mo +£1.34/min£679.50/mo +£2.09/min£260/mo +£1.90/call£265/mo +£1.10/min£309.60/mo +£1.15/min£465 +£1.70/min
600 mins (c. 300 calls) £120/mo +£0.20/min£692.50/mo +£1.75/min£738/mo +£1.34/min£1,298/mo +£2.09/min£489/mo +£1.80/call£505/mo +£1.10/min£618/mo +£1.09/min£875 +£1.70/min
Additional fees/notes Simple pricing inc. full transcripts and transfers+£30/mo for transcripts +£30/mo for transfers+£150/mo for 24/7 coverage£250 set up feeSet up from £20 depending on complexityType up time charged on top of call time.

Data from published plans or quotes provided by email as at June 2026.

The honest take

When Smith.ai is genuinely the better choice.

A comparison that declares one winner in every scenario is not a comparison. Here are the conditions under which Smith.ai is the correct call:

You want real humans on complex calls. Its North-American agents can carry the nuanced or sensitive conversations you would not want an AI fielding.

You live inside a US CRM stack. With 30+ native integrations and mature workflows, it slots cleanly into sales teams whose process runs through their CRM.

Your business and callers are US-based. For a US operation, US hours, US accents and dollar billing read as alignment rather than overhead.

You want chat and outreach too. It packages web chat and outbound campaigns alongside answering, consolidating channels under one vendor.

Switching from Smith.ai

Move across without missing a single call.

  1. 1

    Start free, no card needed

    Open an account and a Cyberstaff AI number is issued immediately, with your existing number kept in place. It reads your website to learn your services and coverage area.

  2. 2

    Keep your number

    Point conditional forwarding from your current business number to Cyberstaff. Callers keep dialling the number they already know.

  3. 3

    Run both in parallel

    Leave Smith.ai running for 7 to 14 days so you can audit real calls side by side and refine the script and call flows.

  4. 4

    Cancel when ready

    Smith.ai runs month-to-month, so there is no notice period gating the switch — once the evidence is in, switch it off.

How to choose

Pick by how your business actually takes calls.

Choose Cyberstaff

The fit if you need 24/7 cover at a predictable flat cost in pounds, you are a UK trade or SMB, and you want jobs landing in your diary without a per-call meter.

Choose Smith.ai

The fit if trained humans on complex calls and deep US CRM workflows are the priority, and US hours and dollar billing pose no problem.

Choose a human service

AnswerConnect, AllDayPA or Moneypenny make sense when every caller must reach a UK person and a consistent brand voice outranks cost.

Choose Synthflow

The fit if you are technical, budget is tight, and you are content to build and maintain your own AI voice agent.

FAQ

Smith.ai vs Cyberstaff, answered.

Make the switch in under 60 seconds.

Start free and keep your number. Your AI receptionist is answering as your business in about 60 seconds.