Your own staff take the transfers
When a caller needs a person, our agent sends the call to the store, a manager or a central team with a short summary. Your people know your stores, so they can close the job.
Comparison
Trilix AI vs. Smith.ai
Looking for a Smith.ai alternative for your quick lube or tire shop? Smith.ai sells AI and live receptionists, with options from 100% AI to 100% human. Its homepage focuses on law firms and also lists home services, contractors, medical, insurance and other industries (Smith.ai).
Smith.ai is a well-run service with clear pricing. This page explains where it fits for auto service, where Trilix fits, and how to choose.
Checked October 2026. Features and prices change, so confirm details with each vendor.
The short version
Smith.ai offers an AI receptionist billed per call, live North American receptionists billed per call, and a hybrid of both. Prices are public.
Trilix AI builds a custom AI phone agent for multi-location auto service operators, connected to camera analytics, upsell tools and a store-by-store dashboard.
Pick Smith.ai if you want live people on hard calls and a simple per-call price. Pick Trilix if you run several stores and want the phone tied to your bays, POS and reports.
Side-by-side
| Smith.ai | Trilix AI | |
|---|---|---|
| AI phone answering | Yes. AI Receptionist | Yes. 24/7 |
| Live human receptionists | Yes. Human-first plans, or escalation from AI | Transfers to your own staff |
| Pricing model | Per call | Custom quote |
| Books appointments | Yes. Calendly and others on AI plans; $1.50/call add-on on live plans | Yes, where your scheduler allows a connection |
| Languages | English and Spanish | English and Arabic |
| Integrations | Clio, Zapier, Calendly and more; "7,000+ systems" | Custom connections to POS, phones and cameras where they allow it |
| Auto-specific call flows | Automotive not listed on Smith.ai's homepage | Yes. Wait times, price by vehicle, drive-in questions |
| Live wait times from bays | Not stated | Yes, from TrixLink cameras or POS |
| Camera analytics | No | Yes. TrixLink on existing cameras |
| Multi-location support | On the AI Enterprise plan | Yes. A persona and call flow per store |
| Multi-store reporting | Analytics and call history | Executive dashboard with 18 reports |
"Not stated" means we didn't find it in Smith.ai's public materials. Ask them directly.
Smith.ai pricing at a glance
| Plan | Price | Calls included | Each extra call |
|---|---|---|---|
| AI Receptionist Free | $0 | 25 | $3.00 |
| AI Receptionist Pro | From $150/mo | 75 | $2.50 |
| AI Receptionist Enterprise | From $500/mo | 300 | $2.17 |
| Live Receptionist Starter | $300/mo | 30 | $11.50 |
| Live Receptionist Basic | $810/mo | 90 | $10.50 |
| Live Receptionist Pro | $2,100/mo | 300 | $8.50 |
Sources: Smith.ai AI Receptionist pricing and Smith.ai live receptionist pricing, October 2026. Pro and Enterprise AI plans have higher-volume tiers with lower per-call rates.
Per-call pricing adds up at busy stores. As an example, a store taking 40 calls a day for 26 days handles about 1,040 calls a month, so run your real call count through any per-call plan. Our AI voice agent vs call center cost guide works through Smith.ai and other services at example store volumes.
Where Smith.ai is strong
Smith.ai gives you real people when you need them. AI calls can be handed to a live North America-based receptionist (Smith.ai), and the human-first plans are staffed 24/7. Pricing is public, billing is month to month, and live plans come with a 30-day money-back guarantee (Smith.ai). Spanish support is built in.
If you want a person answering your hardest calls and don't need the phone connected to your bays, Smith.ai is a solid choice.
When to pick which
- A single shop that wants live people answering, with predictable pricing: Smith.ai.
- A store with many Spanish-speaking callers: Smith.ai supports English and Spanish.
- A chain with high call volume where per-call fees add up: compare Smith.ai's per-call math with a custom quote from us.
- A group that wants calls tied to cameras, POS and reports: Trilix. As a Smith.ai alternative, we fit operators who want the phone to know what's happening in each store.
Where Trilix is different
Auto service call flows
We build flows for price by vehicle, the current wait, "can I come now?" and big-job transfers. See our AI phone agent page.
Connected to the rest of the store
Calls feed the executive dashboard next to car counts and ticket average, and the agent can read live bay status from TrixLink.
Arabic and English
For operators in Saudi Arabia and the GCC, the agent speaks Arabic and English.
Frequently asked questions
Still unsure? Ask us directly.
Does Smith.ai work for auto repair shops?
Smith.ai's homepage doesn't list automotive, but its receptionists can be set up for any business. Ask how they handle price-by-vehicle and wait-time questions.
How much does Smith.ai cost?
The AI Receptionist has a free plan with 25 calls and paid plans from $150 a month for 75 calls. Live receptionist plans start at $300 a month for 30 calls (Smith.ai).
Does Trilix use live receptionists?
No. Our agent is AI, and it transfers to your own team when a caller needs a person.
Should I hire a front-desk person instead?
It depends on your call volume and hours. Our AI receptionist vs staff cost calculator lets you compare both with your own numbers.
How do I compare them fairly?
Run your real monthly call count through each option, then pilot at a few stores. Request a pilot.
Related
- AI phone agentAnswers every call 24/7, books visits and gives live wait times.Read more
- AI receptionist vs staff costCompare a front-desk hire with an AI voice agent, using your numbers.Read more
- Goodcall alternativeSelf-serve AI receptionist vs a custom build for multi-store groups.Read more
- Tire & auto repairQuote calls, booking and long jobs.Read more
Hear it on your own phone line
Tell us your store count and call volume. We'll set up a demo for your stores.