Honest Comparison · Updated April 2026
FollowFire vs Smith.ai
Smith.ai provides live virtual receptionists and AI phone answering that screen calls, book appointments, and intake leads via phone. FollowFire handles the digital side — web form, landing page, and Angi/Thumbtack lead responses via instant SMS, before a human or virtual receptionist ever picks up the phone.
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FollowFire
AI Lead Follow-Up for Contractors
Pricing$49/mo Starter · $99/mo Pro · 30-day free trial
Setup20 minutes — paste webhook URL, done
Best forContractors getting leads from web forms, Angi, Thumbtack, HomeAdvisor, Google LSA
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Smith.ai
Virtual Receptionists & AI Call Answering for Small Businesses
Pricing$285–$600+/mo for live reception; AI plans ~$97–$300+/mo
SetupSame-day setup, but requires scripting calls, intake rules, and ongoing receptionist management
Best forBusinesses relying on inbound phone calls as primary lead channel
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Bottom Line
FollowFire wins on speed and price for contractors with online lead sources. Smith.ai is better if your main channel is inbound phone calls.
Feature Comparison
Feature
FollowFire
Smith.ai
Core
AI auto-reply to new leads
Phone/chat only
60-second SMS response time
SMS / text follow-up
Via receptionist
Email follow-up
Via receptionist
3-touch drip sequence
Phone call handling
Live receptionist option
Setup
Webhook / form integration
No-code setup < 30 min
Works with Angi/Thumbtack leads
Call handling only
Dashboard
Lead inbox dashboard
Mobile-responsive UI
Pricing
Starts at $49/mo
30-day free trial
Under $100/mo entry price
Key Differences
Different channels: online leads vs phone calls
Smith.ai is built for inbound phone calls — it answers, qualifies, and books. FollowFire is built for web leads — when someone submits a form on your site or through Angi, you get an instant SMS reply in under 60 seconds. If your leads come from online forms, FollowFire is the tool for that gap.
Price: $49/mo vs $285–600+/mo
Smith.ai's live receptionist plans start at $285/mo for 30 calls. FollowFire starts at $49/mo and handles unlimited lead responses. For contractors whose lead volume comes from digital, FollowFire delivers more ROI per dollar.
Best stack: use both
For contractors running both phone and online lead sources, these tools work well together. Smith.ai answers the calls; FollowFire handles the web forms and digital lead notifications. Together you close the response gap on every channel.
"
I had Smith.ai handling my calls but kept losing web leads because no one was texting them back fast enough. FollowFire plugged that hole. Now my online leads get a text in under a minute and I close a lot more of them.
— Derek, Plumber, Charlotte NC
Ready to try FollowFire?
Start free for 30 days — no credit card required. Setup takes 20 minutes.
No credit card · No contracts · Cancel anytime
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