#1Top pickFree option
AI receptionist with live North America-based receptionists as backup
Smith.ai is an answering service that combines an AI receptionist with human receptionists who can take over calls. The AI answers, qualifies and routes calls, and complex calls can be transferred to a live receptionist at any hour. It connects to CRMs and scheduling tools and is popular with law firms and service businesses.
Why it's here
- +Live receptionists available as backup
- +Free AI plan to start
- +Clio, HubSpot and Salesforce integrations
- +Can take payments via LawPay, Square, PayPal
Watch out for
- −Priced per call, which adds up for busy lines
- −Human plans are much pricier than AI-only rivals
- −Extra CRM integrations cost per call
Free · from $150/moAutonomous
#2
AI platform and agents for law firms and in-house legal teams
Harvey is an AI platform for legal and professional services that handles research, document review, drafting and contract analysis. Its agents can carry out multi-step legal work, and an orchestration layer routes tasks to the right agent. It sells to law firms and in-house teams through demos, with no public pricing.
Why it's here
- +Broad legal toolset in one platform
- +Vault for bulk document analysis
- +Shared workspaces with clients
Watch out for
- −Priced for firms, not solo lawyers
- −No self-serve signup
- −Lawyers still must review output
#3
AI contract drafting and review inside Microsoft Word
Spellbook is an AI contract tool for lawyers that reviews, redlines and drafts agreements. It works in Microsoft Word and Google Docs, flags risky terms, compares contracts to market standards and enforces your team's playbooks. It offers a 7-day free trial.
Why it's here
- +Works where lawyers already draft
- +Redlines and risk flags
- +Free trial
Watch out for
- −Contracts only, no intake or phones
- −Pricing requires contacting sales
- −Suggestions need lawyer review
#4
Budget AI receptionist that books, qualifies and routes calls
Dialzara is an AI receptionist that answers calls 24/7, books appointments, qualifies leads and transcribes voicemails. Plans are priced by included minutes, starting at 60 minutes a month. Add-ons cover SMS, a website chatbot and outbound calling.
Why it's here
- +Cheapest entry plan in this list
- +White-glove onboarding on paid plans
- +CRM and calendar integration from the base plan
Watch out for
- −Warm transfer only on the $349 plan
- −Overage around $0.35–$0.48/min
- −Self-editing the prompt needs a higher tier
#5
AI phone answering for small businesses, from $49/mo
Rosie is an AI answering service that picks up a small business's calls 24/7, answers questions and takes messages. It trains itself from your Google Business profile and website, books appointments on higher plans, and can transfer callers to staff. It works in English and Spanish and includes a website chat widget.
Why it's here
- +Low entry price with minutes included
- +Learns from your website and Google profile
- +English and Spanish
- +iOS and Android apps
Watch out for
- −Calendar booking needs the $149 plan
- −Live transfers not on the cheapest plan
- −Minute caps per plan
#6
Per-call AI answering service with a no-card free trial
Upfirst is an AI answering service that answers every call, overflow calls or after-hours calls for a small business. It books appointments on Google, Outlook and Calendly, sends call summaries, and can text callers back. Pricing is per call, and spam or calls under 15 seconds are not billed.
Why it's here
- +Free trial needs no credit card
- +35+ languages
- +Spam and short calls not billed
- +Zero data retention option
Watch out for
- −Per-call pricing punishes long-tail volume
- −Base plan only covers 30 calls
- −Fewer deep CRM integrations