Crixin vs Smith.ai
Smith.ai offers a premium hybrid human+AI service for businesses that need human operators on complex calls. Crixin is a pure AI solution that costs 80% less with faster setup and broader language support.
Side-by-side comparison
| Feature | Crixin | Smith.ai |
|---|---|---|
| Starting Price | $0/month (pay-as-you-go) | $95/month (AI-only plan) |
| Per-Call/Per-Minute Fees | $0.12/minute, no per-call fees | $2.10-$2.40 per call overage |
| Human Operators | AI-only (natural voice) | Human+AI hybrid available ($500-$800/mo) |
| Setup Time | Under 5 minutes | Multiple days with onboarding team |
| Custom Knowledge Base | Auto-scraped from your website (RAG) | Manual FAQ entry with onboarding team |
| Languages | 25+ including Nigerian languages | English and Spanish |
| 24/7 Availability | Yes, always | Yes (AI plans); limited hours on human plans |
| Annual Discount | No — prices are already flat-rate | 10% annual prepay discount |
| Appointment Booking | Yes, included | Yes, included |
| Call Transcripts | Yes, every call | Yes, every call |
Pricing breakdown
Crixin
Pay-as-you-go: $0.12/minute with no monthly fee. Starter plan: $99/month with 1,500 included minutes ($0.08/min overage). Professional: $199/month with 4,000 minutes ($0.06/min overage).
Smith.ai
AI-only plans start at $95/month. Hybrid human+AI plans range from $500-$800/month for 50-100 calls. Per-call overage fees of $2.10-$2.40. A customer reported discovering they were overpaying by $700/month after being upsold.
The verdict
Crixin is significantly cheaper at every volume level. A business handling 200 calls/month would pay roughly $99-$199 with Crixin vs. $500-$800+ with Smith.ai hybrid plans. Smith.ai's per-call overage model can cause surprise bills during busy months.
Strengths of each option
Why choose Crixin
- 80% lower cost at comparable call volumes
- 5-minute setup vs. multi-day onboarding
- RAG-powered knowledge base auto-scraped from your website
- 25+ languages including Nigerian languages (Yoruba, Igbo, Hausa)
- No per-call overage fees — predictable billing
- No contracts, cancel anytime
Why choose Smith.ai
- Human operators available for sensitive or complex calls
- Established brand with years of market presence
- Good for businesses that want a hybrid human+AI approach
- Strong integrations with legal and professional service tools
Which one is right for you?
Choose Smith.ai if...
Smith.ai is a good choice for mid-market law firms and professional services that specifically need human operators on the line for complex client intake or sensitive conversations. If your callers frequently require nuanced judgment that only a human can provide, Smith.ai's hybrid model may be worth the higher price.
Choose Crixin if...
Crixin is the better choice for small businesses that want reliable 24/7 call answering at a fraction of the cost. If you need fast setup, multilingual support, or a knowledge base that learns from your website automatically, Crixin delivers more for less.
How to switch from Smith.ai to Crixin
Sign up for Crixin and paste your website URL to build your knowledge base
Configure your business greeting and choose a voice
Test with a few calls to verify accuracy
Update your call forwarding from Smith.ai to your Crixin number
Cancel your Smith.ai subscription
Frequently asked questions
Is Smith.ai better than Crixin for law firms?
Smith.ai has strong legal integrations and offers human operators for complex intake. However, Crixin costs 80% less and handles most legal intake calls effectively with AI. For routine calls — scheduling, basic questions, lead capture — Crixin performs equally well at a fraction of the price.
Does Smith.ai have better call quality?
Smith.ai's human operators can handle nuanced conversations better than any AI. However, Crixin's natural voice AI handles the majority of business calls indistinguishably from a human. For the 80% of calls that are routine, quality is comparable.
Can I try both before deciding?
Crixin offers $20 in free minutes with no credit card required. Smith.ai offers a 14-day money-back guarantee. You can test both risk-free.
What if I'm already using Smith.ai?
Switching takes about 10 minutes. Set up Crixin, test it, then redirect your call forwarding. No downtime required.
Does Crixin offer human operators like Smith.ai?
No. Crixin is a pure AI solution. This is how it keeps costs 80% lower. For the vast majority of small business calls, AI handles them effectively.
See for yourself — try Crixin free
$20 off your first month. No contracts. Set up in 5 minutes and compare with your own business calls.