Doug vs Smith.ai: an answering service or an agent on your website?
Doug and Smith.ai answer at different doors. Smith.ai picks up your phone with live receptionists (from $300 a month for 30 calls) or an AI voice agent (from $150 a month). Doug does not answer phone calls: he answers and books on your website and inside AI assistants like ChatGPT, Claude and Muse, takes deposits through Stripe, and works every week to get you found, from $49 a month. If most of your customers call, pick Smith.ai. If most of them find you online, start with Doug.
Updated
| Doug | Smith.ai | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it answers | Your website and AI assistants | Your phone line |
| Who answers | Doug, with your team able to jump in | Live receptionists, or an AI receptionist |
| Starting price | $49 a month for 2,000 messages | Human: $300 a month for 30 calls. AI: free for 25 calls, then from $150 a month for 75 calls |
| How you pay | Flat plan, extra messages $10 per 1,000 | Per call; human plan overage is $11.50 a call |
| Booking | Included | $1.50 a call add-on on human plans |
| Deposits | Through Stripe at booking | Payment collection is a $1 a call add-on on human plans |
| Getting found on Google and in AI | Weekly check and fixes | No |
| Listed inside ChatGPT, Claude, Muse | Yes, opt-in | No |
| Best for | Businesses whose customers start online | Businesses whose customers call |
Does Doug answer the phone like Smith.ai?
No. Smith.ai answers phone calls. Doug answers on your website and inside AI assistants. Those are different doors, and you should pick the tool that stands at the door your customers use most.
If your phone rings all day and a missed call is a missed job, an answering service like Smith.ai earns its price. Doug will not help with the calls themselves. Smith.ai is also a well-established choice for law firms and other offices that want a live person on every call.
Why does the website door matter more than it used to?
More customers start with a search, not a phone call. They read your site at 10pm, they want to know whether you cover their town and what a visit costs, and they want to book without talking to anyone. Many people would rather type a question than call.
And more of them are now asking ChatGPT or Gemini who to call. If the assistant can't find a clear answer about you, you are not on the list it gives back. An answering service can't help with that, because the customer never dialed.
What does Doug do on your website?
Doug answers from your own website and documents, in seconds, at any hour, in whatever language the customer writes in. Customers can also talk to him in the chat window instead of typing.
- Answers the questions every customer has: area, price, timing, and whether you do that kind of work.
- Takes the job details and sends them to your team.
- Books real open times and takes a deposit through Stripe.
- Lists you where ChatGPT, Claude and Muse look, so an assistant can book you directly.
- Checks every week how you show up on Google, Maps, ChatGPT, Perplexity and Gemini, and fixes what he can: service pages, your Google profile, review replies.
How do Smith.ai and Doug prices compare?
Smith.ai charges per call. Its human receptionist plans start at $300 a month for 30 calls, with extra calls at $11.50 each and add-ons billed per call: $1.50 for booking an appointment and $1 for taking a payment. Its AI receptionist is free for 25 calls, and the Pro plan starts at $150 a month for 75 calls. These are the prices on Smith.ai's pricing pages in September 2026, so check before you buy.
Doug is a flat monthly plan. Starter is $49 for 2,000 messages. Growth is $149 for 10,000 messages and adds actions and live handoff. Extra messages are $10 per 1,000. Doug takes nothing off a booking payment. If you'd rather our team run the get-found work for you, the done for you tier is priced when you talk to us.
What does the customer end up with?
With an answering service, the customer usually ends the call with a message taken or a transfer to your team. Smith.ai can also book and take intake, depending on the plan and add-ons you choose.
With Doug, the customer ends the chat with an answer, a booked time, and a deposit paid. Your team gets the name, the number and the job details. When the question is something Doug shouldn't handle, like a billing dispute, he hands off to a person, and on Growth your team can jump into the live conversation.
Can you use both?
Yes, and plenty of businesses should. The phone goes to your answering service. The website and the AI assistants go to Doug. Both send you the details of the job, and neither one leaves a customer waiting until morning.
If you can only pick one, look at where your last twenty customers came from. Count the calls and count the web forms, chats and 'found you on Google' mentions. That count tells you which door to staff first.
Questions
- Does Doug answer phone calls?
- No. Doug answers on your website and inside AI assistants. Customers can talk to him out loud in the chat window, but he does not take calls to your phone number.
- Is Doug cheaper than an answering service?
- Doug starts at $49 a month for 2,000 messages. Answering services usually charge per call. They cover different channels, so compare on where your customers actually reach you.
- Can Doug take intake like a receptionist?
- Yes. He takes the name, number and what they need, plus the job details you ask for, and sends it to your team as a lead you can act on.
- What happens when Doug can't answer?
- He says so and offers to get a person. The question shows up in your dashboard with a drafted answer, and once you approve it he gets it right from then on.
