Clerx vs Smiledog: AI Legal Intake or Per-Minute Virtual Reception for Your Law Firm?

This article is published by Clerx, which sells an AI receptionist for law firms and competes with Smiledog. Smiledog's prices, minute rates and service details below come from its pricing page, its AI receptionist page and its legal answering page, all reviewed November 12, 2026. Plans change, so confirm current terms with Smiledog in writing before you sign.

Smiledog is a Canadian, family-owned answering company that sells two things to law firms: live virtual receptionists billed by the minute, and a managed AI receptionist billed by the minute at a much lower rate. Clerx is an AI receptionist and intake system built only for law firms, priced as a custom package. If you want people answering your phones during business hours and you take a modest number of calls, Smiledog's human service is a straightforward option. If you want 24/7 intake that qualifies the matter, books and collects payment for the consultation, and writes the result into Clio, MyCase, Smokeball or another legal platform, Clerx is the closer fit.

The short answer

• Smiledog's human reception starts at $199/month on an annual contract ($249 month to month) with 100 minutes included. Extra minutes cost $2.89 down to $1.99 each on annual terms, or $3.59 down to $2.49 month to month.
• Talk time and wrap-up time both count. Smiledog bills by the second and includes the time its receptionist spends finishing your message.
• Human coverage is not 24/7. Smiledog lists reception hours of 7:30am to 8pm ET on weekdays and 9am to 5pm ET on Saturdays.
• Smiledog's AI receptionist is 24/7 and cheaper per minute. It starts at $199/month annual ($249 monthly) with 200 minutes, then $0.89 down to $0.59 per extra minute, plus a $299 setup fee. Direct booking into your software is a $69/month add-on.
• Smiledog's AI currently speaks English only. Its FAQ says French and Spanish are in progress. Clerx supports 50+ languages, including English and Spanish.
• Clerx does not publish standard pricing. It quotes a package based on call volume, channels, languages, integrations and workflow, with onboarding included.
• Legal software is the biggest practical gap. Smiledog integrates with platforms that have an open API, custom built per client. Clerx lists direct integrations with legal platforms such as Clio, MyCase and Smokeball.

What Smiledog is and how it prices

Smiledog describes itself as a virtual reception and scheduling company for small businesses, with healthcare clinics, law firms, home services and real estate among its customers. Its legal page says its receptionists answer calls, texts, emails and website chat, take detailed messages, route inquiries to the right lawyer, capture new client inquiries and give basic firm information. It names family law, personal injury, solo practices, real estate law and employment law as practices it commonly supports, and says it serves more than 500 businesses.

Its pricing page lists four services. Prices shown are on an annual contract, which Smiledog discounts 20%, with month-to-month prices in brackets:

• Virtual Reception: $199/month ($249) with 100 minutes included.
• Reception plus Appointment Scheduling: $259/month ($329) with 100 minutes included.
• Email, Text and Live Chat: $159/month ($199) with 200 messages included. Every inbound or outbound message counts, so a 20-message conversation is 20 messages.
• 24/7 AI Receptionist: $199/month ($249) with 200 minutes included, plus a $299 setup fee. An after-hours-only AI add-on is $99/month ($129) with 100 minutes and a $199 setup fee.

Every human plan includes a custom greeting, an FAQ list, custom instructions, booking software integration "if on approved list," a dedicated forwarding number, after-hours voicemail Smiledog can return calls from, and a monthly, weekly or daily call report. Setup fees for human reception are quoted per client. Smiledog does not charge for spam calls, and annual contracts include a 60-day trial you can cancel without fees.

How Smiledog's per-minute billing works

This is the part to read twice, because it decides your real monthly bill.

• Minutes are tracked by the second, and wrap-up counts. Smiledog's own example: a call that takes two minutes including the receptionist finishing your message is billed as two minutes.
• Your tier applies to all of your extra minutes. Smiledog subtracts the included minutes, then bills the remainder at the rate for that volume. Its example: 330 minutes in a month means 230 extra minutes at the 201 to 500 rate.
• Human reception rates on annual terms: $2.89 per extra minute up to 200, $2.59 for 201 to 500, $2.29 for 501 to 800, and $1.99 above 800.
• Human reception rates month to month: $3.59, $3.29, $2.89 and $2.49 for the same bands.
• Reception plus Scheduling costs more per minute: $3.49 down to $2.59 annual, or $4.39 down to $3.29 month to month.
• AI receptionist rates: $0.89 down to $0.59 per extra minute annual, or $1.09 down to $0.79 month to month.
• Cancellation terms differ by plan. On the AI FAQ, month-to-month plans cancel with 30 days' notice and no fee, while annual plans bill 50% of the monthly fee for each remaining month of the commitment.

Per-minute billing matters more for law firms than for most businesses, because long intake calls are exactly the calls you want answered well. Our guides to Ruby pricing in 2026, Smith.ai pricing in 2026 and what a legal answering service costs show how the same math plays out with other providers.

What the costs look like at real call volumes

This is arithmetic on Smiledog's published annual rates, not a quote. It excludes setup fees, scheduling, chat and text. Legal intake calls often run longer than a typical small-business call, so swap in your own average call length.

60 calls a month at 3 minutes (180 minutes)

• Smiledog Virtual Reception: $199 plus 80 extra minutes at $2.89 = about $430/month ($536 month to month).
• Smiledog AI Receptionist: within the 200 included minutes, so $199/month.

100 calls a month at 4 minutes (400 minutes)

• Smiledog Virtual Reception: $199 plus 300 extra minutes at $2.59 = $976/month ($1,236 month to month).
• Smiledog AI Receptionist: $199 plus 200 extra minutes at $0.89 = $377/month.

300 calls a month at 5 minutes (1,500 minutes)

• Smiledog Virtual Reception: $199 plus 1,400 extra minutes at $1.99 = $2,985/month ($3,735 month to month).
• Smiledog AI Receptionist: $199 plus 1,300 extra minutes at $0.59 = $966/month.

Two things stand out. Human reception gets expensive quickly as call volume and call length grow, and the bill moves every month with your call mix. The AI option is far cheaper, but it is English-only today and needs the $69/month add-on to book directly into your calendar or software. If your firm handles overflow at busy times rather than every call, see how small firms approach call overflow for 3 to 5 attorney firms.

What Clerx is and how it prices

Clerx is an AI receptionist and intake system for law firms. On every plan, according to the Clerx pricing page, firms get 24/7 AI intake tailored to their workflows and scripts, lead screening and qualification, appointment scheduling including paid consultations, call transfers and escalation routing, recordings with searchable transcripts and AI summaries, analytics on lead quality and responsiveness, dedicated onboarding and support, and 50+ languages including English and Spanish.

Clerx answers calls through Donna for calls, and the same intake workflow runs on website chat and SMS. Pricing is a custom quote, so ask for one in writing at your real call volume and compare it with the Smiledog math above.

Clerx vs Smiledog, side by side

Who it is built for

• Clerx: law firms only, with intake built around practice areas, qualification and consultation booking.
• Smiledog: small businesses across industries, with law firms among its listed markets.

Who answers

• Clerx: AI, 24/7, with transfers to your team when a caller needs a person.
• Smiledog: your choice of live receptionists during set hours, a managed AI receptionist 24/7, or a mix.

Hours

• Clerx: 24/7 on every plan.
• Smiledog: human reception 7:30am to 8pm ET weekdays and 9am to 5pm ET Saturdays; AI 24/7.

Pricing model

• Clerx: custom package quote; no published per-minute rate.
• Smiledog: published monthly base with included minutes, then tiered per-minute billing that includes wrap-up time on human plans.

Legal software

• Clerx: direct integrations listed in the Clerx integrations directory, including Clio, MyCase, Smokeball, Lawmatics, Filevine and PracticePanther.
• Smiledog: booking software integration from an approved list for human plans, and custom-built API scheduling for the AI at $69/month, where your software has an open API.

Scheduling and payment

• Clerx: prospective clients can schedule and pay for their consultation in one booking flow. See scheduling and payments and the LawPay integration.
• Smiledog: appointment scheduling is a higher-priced human plan or an AI add-on; consultation payment is not described in the materials reviewed.

Languages

• Clerx: 50+ languages, including English and Spanish.
• Smiledog AI: English today, with French and Spanish in progress. Language coverage for the human team is not stated on the pages reviewed.

Setup

• Clerx: the Clerx team builds the intake workflow with your firm during onboarding.
• Smiledog: a managed build with an assessment call, script engineering and sandbox testing for the AI, with a $299 setup fee; human setup fees quoted per client.

Where the law-firm details matter

Smiledog's legal page focuses on answering, message taking and routing, which is what a general receptionist service does well. Its AI page lists "new client intake, consult scheduling with available API's, routing by matter type" as its legal setup. That covers the basics. Whether it covers your intake depends on the questions you need answered before a consultation: practice area, jurisdiction, key dates, opposing party for a conflict check, urgency, and whether the caller fits your criteria.

The practical questions to ask any provider are who writes and maintains that intake logic, and where the result lands. A detailed message in your inbox is not the same as a lead record in your practice management software with the right fields filled. If you use Clio, compare what each tool writes back with 7 Clio integration capabilities to compare. And whatever you choose, keep conflict decisions with your team, as explained in AI intake and conflict checks.

When Clerx may be the better fit

• You want 24/7 legal intake that qualifies the caller, not just a message, at any hour.
• You use Clio, MyCase, Smokeball, Lawmatics, Filevine or another legal platform and want intake records created directly, without a custom API project.
• You charge for consultations and want booking and payment in one flow. See how to set up paid legal consultations.
• You take calls in Spanish or other languages. See how immigration firms test an AI receptionist in every working language.
• Your calls are long or rising in volume, and you would rather not have your bill move with every minute of talk and wrap-up time.
• Leads come in by phone, website chat and text, and you want one intake workflow across them.

When Smiledog may be the better fit

• You specifically want live human receptionists answering during business hours.
• You want one vendor for human and AI coverage, for example people by day and AI after hours.
• Your intake is short: name, number, reason for calling and a message to the right lawyer.
• You want published prices you can model before a sales call, and a 60-day trial on an annual contract.
• Your callers are English-speaking, or you only need the human service.

How to test fairly

1. Pull a real month of calls. Count calls, average length and how many come in after 8pm ET or on Sundays, when Smiledog's human team is not on.
2. Price the same month on both. Apply Smiledog's tier to your extra minutes, including wrap-up time, and ask Clerx for a written quote at the same volume and channel mix.
3. Write five intake scenarios: a strong lead, a poor fit, an existing client, an urgent matter and a Spanish-speaking caller. Our pre-go-live testing guide has a checklist.
4. Check what lands in your system. Is the lead in your practice management software with the right fields, or only in an email?
5. Test the handoff. Ask for a person mid-call. Read what happens when a caller asks for a human and when an AI receptionist should warm-transfer.
6. Review security and data handling with our 12-question security checklist, and confirm how call forwarding and your number will work.

If you are moving off a human service, our guide on how to switch from a virtual receptionist to AI walks through the cutover. For other head-to-heads, see Clerx vs Lex Reception, Clerx vs Ruby, Clerx vs Smith.ai, Clerx vs Posh, Clerx vs Abby Connect, Clerx vs Moneypenny and Clerx vs Dialzara.

FAQ

Is Smiledog built for law firms?

Smiledog serves small businesses across several industries and has a dedicated legal page. It lists family law, personal injury, solo practices, real estate law and employment law among the practices it supports. Clerx is built only for law firms.

How much does Smiledog cost?

As of November 12, 2026, Smiledog's Virtual Reception is $199/month on an annual contract or $249 month to month, with 100 minutes included. Extra minutes cost $2.89 to $1.99 each on annual terms, or $3.59 to $2.49 month to month. Its 24/7 AI Receptionist is $199/month annual or $249 monthly with 200 minutes, plus a $299 setup fee.

Does Smiledog charge for wrap-up time?

Yes, on its human plans. Smiledog says talk time and wrap-up time are both included in billed minutes, tracked by the second.

How much does Clerx cost?

Clerx does not publish standard pricing. It provides a custom quote based on call volume, channels, languages, integrations and workflow, with onboarding included. Ask for it in writing at your actual volume.

Is Smiledog's live reception available 24/7?

No. Smiledog lists its reception hours as 7:30am to 8pm ET Monday to Friday and 9am to 5pm ET on Saturday. Its AI receptionist and after-hours AI add-on cover the remaining hours. Clerx answers 24/7 on every plan.

Does Smiledog's AI receptionist speak Spanish?

Not yet, according to its FAQ: it currently supports English, with French and Spanish in progress. Clerx supports 50+ languages, including English and Spanish.

Does Smiledog integrate with Clio or MyCase?

Smiledog says its AI can integrate with any platform that has an open API, built per client as a $69/month add-on, and its human plans include booking integration from an approved list. Ask Smiledog to confirm your specific platform. Clerx lists direct integrations with Clio, MyCase and other legal platforms.

Can either service collect payment for a consultation?

Clerx lets prospective clients schedule and pay for their consultation in one booking flow. Smiledog's public pages describe appointment scheduling but do not describe payment collection, so confirm with Smiledog if you need it.

Can I cancel Smiledog?

Smiledog's AI FAQ says month-to-month plans cancel with 30 days' notice and no fee. On annual plans, you are billed 50% of the monthly fee for each remaining month of the commitment, though annual contracts include a 60-day trial you can cancel without fees.

Should a small firm pick human reception or AI?

It depends on your volume and hours. For a few short calls a day during business hours, a human service can work. Once calls are long, frequent, after hours or in more than one language, per-minute human billing gets expensive and coverage gaps show. Our AI receptionist ROI guide for solo firms and AI answering vs voicemail help you run the numbers.

Final verdict

Smiledog is a transparent, small-business answering company with published prices, a choice of human or AI answering and a fair trial on annual contracts. For an English-speaking firm that wants people on the phone during business hours, it is a reasonable option. Its human plans bill every minute of talk and wrap-up time, its people are off overnight and on Sundays, and its AI is English-only for now. Clerx is the better fit when you want 24/7 legal intake, booking and payment in one flow, 50+ languages and direct legal-software integrations. Price both against the same real month of calls before you decide.

Book a demo with Clerx today