Comparison
Fortify vs. Smith.ai: AI Receptionist vs. Live Agents
Smith.ai is a live-agent answering service. Real people answer your calls, take messages, and can book appointments, billed by the call across many industries. Fortify's Lucy is a dedicated AI receptionist built for dental practices. She answers every call herself, 24/7, and books directly into your practice management system.
Both make sure a call gets answered. The difference is who's answering, how well they know dentistry, and what it costs when call volume climbs.
Side by side
| Fortify (Lucy) | Smith.ai | |
|---|---|---|
| Who answers | A dedicated AI receptionist | Live human agents |
| Built for dental | Yes, knows the questions dental patients ask | General-purpose across many industries |
| Availability | 24/7, up to 20 calls at once | Live agents, subject to plan limits and hours |
| Books into your PMS | Yes, Open Dental, Dentrix, Eaglesoft | Can schedule via integrations, varies by setup |
| Languages | English and Spanish | English and Spanish |
| Pricing model | $997/mo flat + per-minute usage, no contract | Per-call/per-plan pricing that scales with call volume, confirm current pricing with Smith.ai |
What Smith.ai does well
There's something real about a human picking up the phone, and Smith.ai's agents are trained, friendly, and handle a wide range of businesses. For a practice that wants live people answering overflow calls and doesn't mind general-purpose agents, it's a legitimate option, and it's a big step up from voicemail.
If your priority is a human voice on every call and your call volume is modest, Smith.ai is worth a look. We'll say that plainly.
Where Lucy is different
A live-agent service answers for hundreds of different businesses. The person picking up for your practice was answering for a law firm an hour ago. They can take a message and follow a script, but they don't already know what a new-patient exam involves, which insurance questions matter, or how your schedule is built. Lucy does, because she was built for dental and nothing else.
Then there's volume. Human agents answer one call at a time, and per-call pricing climbs with every call. Lucy takes up to 20 calls at once and stays at one flat monthly price. When Monday morning brings a rush, that's the difference between every call answered and callers back in the queue.
This is really the same question as a human vs. AI answering service, worth reading if you're weighing the two approaches.
What it costs, and what it recovers
Lucy is $997 a month, flat, plus a one-time $1,600 setup and per-minute usage. No contract. A per-call service can cost less at low volume and more as your calls grow, so the comparison shifts with how busy your phone is.
What doesn't shift: every missed call costs a practice about $580 in lost production, and practices running Lucy recover $13K+ a month on average, a 13× return. A five-location group in Dallas–Fort Worth recovered $67,000 in Lucy's first month.
See the full cost math and the $997/mo pricing.
Still comparing?
If you're also looking at communication platforms, see Fortify vs. Weave.
Frequently asked questions
Is Smith.ai a human or an AI answering service?
Smith.ai uses live human agents to answer calls across many industries. Lucy is a dedicated AI receptionist built specifically for dental practices, answering every call herself, 24/7.
Does Lucy book appointments like a live agent would?
Yes. Lucy books directly into Open Dental, Dentrix, or Eaglesoft during the call, so the appointment is on your schedule before the patient hangs up. She isn't taking a message for someone else to enter later.
Which is cheaper, Fortify or Smith.ai?
Lucy is a flat $997/month plus per-minute usage, with no contract. Live-agent services usually price per call, so they can be cheaper at very low volume and more expensive as your call volume grows. The busier your phone, the more a flat price works in your favor.
Can an AI receptionist really replace live agents for a dental office?
Lucy handles the calls a live-agent service would, and she already knows dentistry, so she can answer insurance and new-patient questions without a script. She also isn't meant to replace your front desk, practices tell us she backs the team up by covering the calls they can't get to.
Does Lucy speak Spanish?
Yes. Lucy answers in English and Spanish, and she can take up to 20 calls at once, so a rush never sends patients to voicemail.
Hear the difference for yourself
Book a demo and listen to Lucy handle a real call. It's the fastest way to judge whether a dental-trained AI answers your patients the way you'd want.