DialSwarm vs Smith.ai
Updated October 2026
Smith.ai and DialSwarm both answer business calls with AI. Smith.ai is a receptionist service with AI first and live human agents as backup. DialSwarm is an AI SDR that calls your consented leads and hands ready ones to a rep, plus AI reception for missed and after-hours calls.
Smith.ai details below come from its AI Receptionist pricing page, checked on October 17, 2026.
The short version
If your main need is a professional front desk, especially with the option of a live person stepping in, Smith.ai offers that. If you are a salesperson who wants AI to make outbound qualifying calls and also catch the calls you miss, DialSwarm covers both in one product.
Comparison table
| DialSwarm | Smith.ai AI Receptionist | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | AI SDR plus AI reception | AI receptionist with live agent backup |
| Main job | Outbound qualifying calls and warm transfers, plus inbound reception | Inbound call answering, qualifying and routing |
| Free plan | 10 free calls, no card | Free: 25 calls a month, $3.00 per call after |
| Paid plans | Connected calls only. See dialswarm.com/pricing | Pro from $150/month for 75 calls. Enterprise from $500/month for 300 calls |
| Usage price | Connected calls only. See dialswarm.com/pricing | $2.50 per extra call on Pro with 75 calls, lower at higher tiers |
| Human backup | No. Reception is AI | Calls can be transferred to a live North America based receptionist |
| Scheduling | Follow-up tasks | AI scheduling with Calendly and more |
| Integrations | HubSpot sync, API, webhooks, Zapier, Make | Native integrations including Clio and Zapier |
| Contract | Self-serve plans | Month to month, 30 days notice to cancel |
How they price
Smith.ai bills by the call. The Free plan includes 25 calls a month, then $3.00 a call. Pro starts at $150 a month for 75 calls ($2.50 for each extra call), with 150 and 300 call options at lower per-call rates. Enterprise starts at $500 a month for 300 calls and adds full-service setup, custom prompting and a dedicated success manager. Smith.ai says the service is month to month with 30 days notice to cancel, and that known spam calls are filtered out before they count.
DialSwarm bills connected calls only, so unanswered dials don't count. You get 10 free calls with no card, and current plans are on the pricing page.
Smith.ai's plans include the option of transfer to a live receptionist. DialSwarm is an AI product, not a staffed service.
Reception compared
Smith.ai's AI Receptionist answers 24/7, qualifies leads, routes calls, records and transcribes them, and books appointments. It also offers testing tools so you can check the AI before going live. Its big difference is human backup. When something complex comes up, the call can go to a live receptionist.
DialSwarm's AI reception answers your line after hours or when you miss a call. It takes clear messages, flags urgent ones and learns your business from your website. You can forward missed calls from your cell to it. There is no human receptionist behind it, and we say so plainly.
The outbound side
This is where the products split. DialSwarm's main job is outbound. An AI agent calls your consented leads on a schedule with retries (Fast, Steady, Persistent or custom), never claims to be human, says it's an AI when asked, asks your qualifying questions and warm transfers ready people to a rep's phone. Reps can listen in live and coach the agent mid call by typing or talking. Voicemail rules, follow-up tasks, call history and opt-in recordings are included.
DialSwarm was created by salespeople for salespeople. It gives reps hours of their day back by handling the tedious calls. You can copy your own voice, with spoken consent and admin approval, so the agent sounds like you.
Consent
For outbound AI calls, the FCC has confirmed that TCPA rules on artificial voices apply. You need prior express consent. DialSwarm only calls people who agreed to be called, never claims to be human and honors stop requests.
Who should pick Smith.ai instead
- You want a human safety net. Smith.ai can hand a call to a live receptionist any time, day or night. DialSwarm reception is AI only.
- Your phone is mostly inbound. If you rarely make outbound sales calls, a dedicated receptionist service may be all you need.
- You are a law firm on Clio. Smith.ai lists native Clio integration. DialSwarm syncs HubSpot only today.
- You want appointments booked on the call. Smith.ai lists AI scheduling with Calendly and more.
- You want someone to set it up for you. Smith.ai's Enterprise plan includes full-service setup and ongoing optimization.
Bottom line
Smith.ai is an AI receptionist with live receptionists available as backup. DialSwarm is an AI SDR that makes your outbound calls and catches the ones you miss. Try DialSwarm with 10 free calls, no card.
Sources
- Smith.ai AI Receptionist pricing: https://smith.ai/pricing/ai-receptionist (accessed 2026-10-17)
- FCC, TCPA applies to AI-generated voices: https://www.fcc.gov/document/fcc-confirms-tcpa-applies-ai-technologies-generate-human-voices (accessed 2026-10-17)
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