MainStreetAI

Buying guide · Ranked by crew score

Best AI receptionists & phone answering services

AI agents that answer your phone, book appointments, and take messages 24/7 — without hiring front-desk staff.

Smith.ai

Solid pick

Phone answering with a North America human safety net, priced per call, built for law firms first.

From $150/mo · Crew score 7.5/10 · Best for: Law firms and high-ticket home services that lose real jobs to voicemail

Weave

Situational

A dental phone system with missed-call text in the base plan. A plumber is shopping the wrong aisle.

From $199/mo · Crew score 7.5/10 · Best for: A US or Canada dental, optometry, vet, or specialty-medical office replacing its PBX. Not a plumber, not a salon, not a law firm.

CallRail

Situational

Public-price call tracking so you know which Google ad rang the phone. 250 minutes, then overage they will not refund.

From $55/mo · Crew score 7/10 · Best for: A plumber, HVAC shop, or law firm that runs Google Ads. Not a salon shopping missed-call text-back.

OpenPhone

Situational

Cheap shared line on the phones you already carry. Rebranded Quo. If the Google number cannot go down, keep walking.

From $19/user/mo · Crew score 7/10 · Best for: A Jobber plumber or Clio law firm that wants a shared SMS inbox. Not a Dentrix dentist, not a Mindbody salon.

Ruby

Situational

Live US receptionists with a public price list. The minutes round up, and overage is not on the marketing page.

From $250/mo · Crew score 7/10 · Best for: Solo law and other low-volume offices that want a human at 2 a.m. Dispatch-heavy plumbers and salons should keep walking.

Broadly

Skip for most

The FAQ says cancel today. The terms still look like a 12-month auto-renew. List price is $799 a month.

From $799/mo · Crew score 6/10 · Best for: A plumber who wants reviews, missed-call text-back, and an AI front desk in one bundle, and who gets cancel terms in writing that match the FAQ.

JustCall

Skip for most

Two-seat sales phone. The $29 is annual. AI that answers is $99 extra.

From $39/user/mo · Crew score 6/10 · Best for: A HubSpot or Salesforce sales team that wants VoIP plus SMS. Not a one-shop plumber, dentist, salon, HVAC truck, or solo law firm.

Aircall

Skip for most

Sales-desk cloud phone. Essentials is $40 a seat monthly. You still buy three.

From $40/user/mo · Crew score 6/10 · Best for: A HubSpot or Salesforce sales team that wants VoIP plus an AI Voice Agent. Not a one-shop plumber, dentist, salon, HVAC truck, or Clio law firm.

Goodcall

Situational

A cheap AI that answers the phone. No human behind it, and almost nobody in the trades has reviewed it in public.

From $79/mo · Crew score 5/10 · Best for: Low-volume shops that need a cheap after-hours bot for FAQs and messages, not emergency dispatch

SignpostAI

Skip for most

A trades receptionist with public prices. The FAQ says month-to-month. The terms do not.

From $199/mo · Crew score 4/10 · Best for: HVAC and plumbing shops that want phone answering, if they get cancel terms in writing. Dentists, salons, and law firms should look elsewhere.

Numa

Skip for most

A real AI receptionist for car dealers. If you run a shop, Capterra is showing you a product they stopped selling.

From Custom · Crew score 3/10 · Best for: Franchise auto dealerships with a DMS. Not plumbers, dentists, salons, HVAC, or law firms.