YourKendra vs Smith.ai — which is right for your business?

At a glance

	YourKendra	Smith.ai
Who answers?	100% AI (Anthropic Claude + ElevenLabs voice)	Human receptionists (US-based) · AI assists
Pricing model	Flat monthly · $199 Founding / $299 Solo / $799 Team / Enterprise	Per-call pricing · starts $285/mo (30 calls) up to $2,000+/mo
Call minutes included	500-10,000 min/mo · $0.25/min overage	Per-call — 10-min cap per call, $10-15 per call after included
Coverage	24/7/365 · never voicemail	24/7 available · some plans business hours only
Speed to live	Under an hour self-serve	3-5 business days (white-glove onboarding)
Roles beyond receptionist	5 other AI employees (sales, marketing, collections, EA, HR)	Receptionist + chat only
Voice cloning	Upload 30 sec — Kendra answers in your voice	Not offered
CRM integrations	HubSpot, Salesforce, Pipedrive, GHL + Zapier/Make for 5000+ tools	HubSpot, Salesforce, Clio, Lexicata + others
HIPAA readiness	Q3 2026 (BAA signing + audit)	Available on Business tier
SOC 2	Type I Q2 2026 · Type II Q1 2027	Type II certified

When YourKendra is the right choice

You're losing jobs to voicemail after 6pm and want always-on without per-call ramp cost.
You want predictable monthly cost instead of per-call metering that surprises you in a busy month.
You need more than a receptionist — outbound sales, collections, marketing content, EA work — from the same platform.
You want Kendra to sound like your voice — not a generic front-desk person.
You're comfortable with AI-only interactions (or want the option to disclose it to callers).

Rough math: 50 calls/month on Smith.ai's starter plan = $285. The same 50 calls on YourKendra Founding Member = $199 flat, even if you hit 500 calls that month.

When Smith.ai is the right choice

Your callers absolutely must hear a human (regulated-practice law firms, white-glove enterprise intake, high-value estate lawyers).
You need HIPAA-covered PHI handling today (we're Q3 2026 on HIPAA; they're available now on Business tier).
You have very low call volume (<20/month) and want the cheapest possible per-call starting tier.
You only need the receptionist function and don't value the other 5 AI employees.

What both do well

Neither tool is a "pick up a random number in a directory" answering service. Both have real integrations, real call intelligence, and real process. If your options are Smith.ai or YourKendra — you're already out of the bottom tier of the market.

Try YourKendra before you commit

Call Kendra live on our homepage — pick your industry, click call. She'll answer as a real front desk for that business. No signup, no credit card. If you like what you hear, claim a Founding Member spot for $199/mo.

Talk to Kendra See pricing