Early bird: £49 a month, kept while you stay. 34 places left. See pricingEarly bird: £49 a month. 34 places left. See pricing

Smith.ai alternative

Want a Smith.ai alternative built for the UK? Meet Sayora.

Smith.ai is a capable US receptionist service, priced per call in dollars and answered from North America. Sayora is the AI receptionist built for UK small businesses: a dedicated UK number, a choice of British and Irish voices, and one flat £49/mo with no per-call meter.

Train your receptionist

£49/mo. No contract. Keep your existing number.

Why people switch

Why businesses look past Smith.ai.

Smith.ai does what it does well. These are the reasons people still come looking for something else.

  • You're in the UK. Smith.ai bills in US dollars, answers from North America, and ports numbers for US carriers, so the fit for a British business is awkward.
  • You want a predictable bill. Smith.ai charges per call, with overage and per-call add-ons on top, so busy months cost more.
  • You want a flat monthly price you can budget around, not a prepaid call allotment with overage.
  • You want Ofcom-compliant caller ID to UK rules, and an AI that tells callers it's AI when they first call.
Side by side

Smith.ai vs Sayora.

Smith.ai Sayora
Price Smith.aiPer call, in USD. AI: a free plan for 25 calls, then Pro from $150/mo; live receptionists from $300/mo for 30 calls; per-call overage on both SayoraFlat £49/mo, unlimited minutes
Billing model Smith.aiPrepaid call allotment, with overage and add-ons billed per call SayoraOne flat fee, nothing metered
Where it answers Smith.aiNorth America–based agents, built around US businesses and US number porting SayoraUK-native: a dedicated UK number and a choice of British and Irish voices
Who answers Smith.aiAI plus live human agents (hybrid) SayoraAI trained on your business
Lead to you Smith.aiCall summaries and CRM entries; deep integrations (Clio, Salesforce) SayoraLead summary by text or email when the call ends
UK compliance Smith.aiUS-shaped; Ofcom CLI and AI disclosure are not stated features SayoraOfcom-compliant caller ID; tells callers it's AI when they first call
Currency Smith.aiBilled in USD, so your cost moves with the exchange rate SayoraBilled in pounds

Smith.ai's AI and live-receptionist prices are from its own pricing pages, checked 28 October 2026, and are in USD. Sayora's £49/mo is its published price.

What the whole market charges, with sources, is in our UK answering service cost guide.

Sources
An honest take

Different tools, different jobs.

We'd rather you pick the right fit than the wrong one. Here's the honest split. And if the category is new to you, start with what an AI receptionist actually does.

Smith.ai is the better choice if…

  • You're a US business, especially a law firm or professional-services firm, that wants deep practice-management and CRM integrations (Clio, Filevine, Salesforce).
  • You want a human safety net: real agents who pick up when the AI can't, and you don't mind variable per-call billing.
  • You're already on US carriers and US time zones, where Smith.ai is purpose-built.

Sayora is the better fit if…

  • You're a UK business that wants a dedicated UK number, a choice of British and Irish voices, and a bill in pounds.
  • You want one flat £49/mo with unlimited minutes, not a per-call meter that climbs in busy months.
  • You want an AI trained on your business that screens cold sales, books jobs, sends every lead by text or email immediately, and tells callers it's AI when they first call.
Fair questions

Smith.ai vs Sayora, answered.

Is Sayora a good alternative to Smith.ai?

For a UK business, yes. Smith.ai is a strong US service, but it's priced per call in dollars and answered from North America. Sayora is built for the UK: a dedicated UK number, a choice of British and Irish voices, Ofcom-compliant caller ID, and a flat £49/mo with unlimited minutes. If you're a US firm that needs deep CRM and practice-management integrations, Smith.ai is the better fit.

How does Sayora's pricing compare to Smith.ai's?

Sayora is a flat £49/mo with unlimited minutes, billed in pounds. Smith.ai prices by the call in US dollars: its AI has a free plan for 25 calls a month and Pro from $150, its live receptionists start at $300 a month for 30 calls, and every plan charges for calls beyond its allowance. Your Smith.ai bill moves with your call volume; Sayora's doesn't.

Is Sayora better for UK businesses than Smith.ai?

It's designed for them. You get a dedicated UK number, a choice of British and Irish voices, UK-compliant caller ID, and pricing in pounds with no foreign-exchange surprises. Smith.ai's agents and number support are built around North America.

Does Sayora use humans like Smith.ai?

No. Sayora is AI all the way through and tells callers so when they first call. Smith.ai is a hybrid: AI with live human agents as backup, billed per call. If a human team is essential to you, Smith.ai or a UK human service may suit you better.

Check the work and the bill

See how Sayora works

The enquiry inbox, current limits and a reusable trial checklist.

 Compare complete bills

Published human and AI charges at the same call volumes.

 Explore the wider shortlist

Choose a service by the work your callers need it to do.

 Already have an answering service?

What changes when you switch to Sayora, and how to run both before you cancel anything.

See what Sayora does for your business.

Start a free week, hear Sayora answer your real calls, and you decide.

Train your receptionist

£49/mo. No contract. Cancel any time.

Compare all answering services → See Sayora's telephone answering service →