Compare AI receptionists and AI CRMs, in plain English
Law firms, property managers, mortgage brokers and real estate agents all get pitched "AI". Here is what each company actually does, what it costs, and where it falls short.
Choose your industry
Each guide lists the AI receptionists and AI-powered CRMs your peers actually use, what they cost, and what they can and cannot do, in plain English.
Law Firms
Smith.ai, Ruby, Clio Grow AI, LEX Reception and more: who answers calls, checks conflicts and books consultations.
See the comparisonProperty Management
AppFolio, Buildium, Yardi, EliseAI, DoorLoop, Rhenti and more: who answers tenant and prospect calls with AI.
See the comparisonMortgage Brokers
Velocity, Finmo, Filogix, Shape, Total Expert, GoHighLevel and AI answering services for Canadian brokers.
See the comparisonReal Estate Agents
Follow Up Boss, Lofty, BoldTrail, Real Geeks, Ylopo, Sierra and AI answering services for Canadian agents and brokerages.
See the comparisonCRMs with AI
Zoho, HubSpot, Salesforce, GoHighLevel, Pipedrive and monday: does your CRM’s AI actually answer the phone?
See the comparisonHead-to-head comparisons
Already talking to a specific company, or using one today? Open the side-by-side page and go through it feature by feature.
Three kinds of products get called "AI receptionist"
Before comparing prices, check which kind of product you are looking at. They solve different problems, and many firms pay for two or three of them.
Human answering services
Real people answer your phone (Ruby, Smith.ai human plans, Posh, PATLive). Friendly, but billed per minute or per call, and the best ones cost the most.
AI receptionists
An AI voice answers every call, asks your questions and books appointments (Smith.ai AI, My AI Front Desk, Dialzara). Low cost, but you still need a CRM.
CRMs with built-in AI
Zoho, HubSpot, Follow Up Boss, Clio and others add AI for writing, summaries and scoring. Most do not answer your phone, or only in the US.
10 questions to ask any AI receptionist company
Use these on your next sales call, with us or anyone else.
- Does the AI answer real phone calls, or only text and chat?
- Is it billed per call, per minute, per seat or per lead? What happens when I go over?
- Can it book into my actual Google or Outlook calendar while the caller is on the line?
- Can it transfer a caller to me, and does it brief me first?
- Does it recognise existing clients when they call back?
- Where is my client data stored, and is it in Canada?
- Is the price in Canadian or US dollars?
- Does it include a CRM, or do I need another subscription?
- Can I see every call’s recording, transcript and summary?
- How long is the contract, and what does it cost to leave?
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between an AI receptionist and a CRM?
Are AI receptionists allowed for Canadian law firms and brokers?
Which AI receptionists store data in Canada?
How do you keep these comparisons fair?
See it working with your own calls
Book a 15-minute walkthrough. We will call your AI receptionist live, book a test appointment into a calendar, and show you where the lead lands in the CRM.