Toolbench vs Smith.ai.
Smith.ai is a receptionist billed on minutes and seats. Toolbench is the trades front office: Google plus missed-call text-back, not a live agent pool.
| Toolbench | Smith.ai | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $49/mo after a 7-day trial | AI from ~$97/mo; live agents much higher |
| Humans on the line | You, when you want them | Optional live receptionists |
| Google Business Profile | Included | Not the product |
| Storm-season cost | $0.10/credit over 500 | Minutes and seats scale with volume |
| Built for trades | HVAC, plumbing, roofing, 80+ trades | Horizontal answering service |
| Audit log / your rules | Every action logged; 1–2★ held | Reception scripts and handoff |
Choose Toolbench if
Pick Toolbench if you want a flat monthly price, Google presence included, and text-back that sounds like your shop — no per-minute overages in storm season.
Choose Smith.ai if
Pick Smith.ai if you need a live human on sensitive calls and you're fine paying reception-service pricing.
Good to know.
Smith.ai is a receptionist (AI + humans), billed around minutes and seats. Toolbench is the contractor front office — Google + missed-call text-back + qualification — at $49/month. You stay the human.
Only you. Toolbench is not a live answering service. Sensitive review replies wait for your approval.
Yes on Toolbench. No — Google is not the Smith.ai product.
Usually, yes — especially in peak season when answering services bill minutes. Toolbench is $49 plus $0.10 per extra credit.
Yes. Missed-call text-back runs at 2am. You wake up to a triaged inbox.
More comparisons