Choose InsertChat if
Stay with Upfirst if
Explore the demo01
Add your knowledge
Import the website pages, documents, and FAQs your Upfirst setup answers from, then test the common questions.
AI receptionist alternative
Upfirst alternative: InsertChat vs Upfirst
InsertChat is the Upfirst alternative for businesses whose customers also reach out by website chat, email, SMS, or WhatsApp. Upfirst sells phone answering by the call, from $24.95 for 30 calls, with extra calls from $1.50 down to $0.70. InsertChat answers calls, website chat, email, SMS, and WhatsApp in one shared inbox from $98 per month.
Our verdict on InsertChat vs Upfirst
InsertChat is the stronger pick when you want every channel answered by one assistant and worked from one team inbox. Upfirst makes sense when you only need the phone covered, get few calls, and want warm transfers on its entry plan.
Choose InsertChat if
- You want website chat, email, SMS, and WhatsApp answered in the same inbox as your calls.
- You want several assistants without add-on fees: Pro includes 3, while Upfirst lists $9.95 a month for each extra agent.
- You want your team to pick up any conversation with the full history in a shared inbox.
- You want answers from your website, documents, FAQs, audio and video files, and product information.
Stay with Upfirst if
- You get few calls and want a $24.95 entry price for 30 calls.
- You want live, warm call transfers, which Upfirst lists on every plan.
- You need a BAA and can use Upfirst’s Custom plan, where it is offered.
New customers can try Pro free for 7 days with 500 credits. A card is required at checkout, and the Pro plan starts when the trial ends unless you cancel first.
InsertChat vs Upfirst at a glance
Competitor details checked on from Upfirst’s public pricing page. Prices are in USD as listed; vendors change plans, so confirm current terms with each linked source.
Swipe horizontally to compare →
| Compared | InsertChat | Upfirst |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Pro, Growth, Scale, and Enterprise plans with monthly AI credits included. Annual billing costs ten monthly payments, paid upfront. Details | Starter, Premium, Pro, and Scale plans by included calls; annual billing saves 20% Source |
| What is metered | AI credits from one monthly allowance. Use depends on the model, conversation length, knowledge processing, and tools; calls round up to whole minutes. Details | Calls (30 to 600 a month), with extra calls from $1.50 down to $0.70; spam and calls under 15 seconds are not billed Source |
| Channels | Website chat, phone, email, SMS, and WhatsApp in one shared inbox Details | Phone calls, with texts sent during calls and call summaries by text or email Source |
| Human handoff | Your own team takes over in the shared inbox with the full conversation, on every plan Details | Live, warm call transfers to you or your team on every plan Source |
| Knowledge sources | Website URLs, documents, questions and answers, audio and video files, and product information (1,000 sources on Pro) Details | Trains from your website, then your edited questions and FAQ answers Source |
| Booking | Books into the built-in calendar, Google Calendar, Outlook, Calendly, or Cal.com, automatically or after your team’s approval Details | Books into Google, Outlook, Clio, Acuity, Calendly, Square, and more Source |
| Entry price | Pro at $98/month, or $81.67/month billed annually, with 5,000 credits, 3 assistants, and 3 seats Details | $24.95 a month for 30 calls ($20 billed annually), with a 14-day free trial Source |
| Notable limits | Additional phone numbers, SMS, WhatsApp, and other connected services can carry their own charges; analytics and reports start on Scale Details | Each additional AI agent is $9.95 a month; a BAA is offered only on the Custom plan Source |
“Not verified” means our check did not confirm this detail. Ask the vendor before deciding.
Switch from Upfirst in a day
Keep Upfirst answering while you build and test InsertChat. When the answers sound right, point your call forwarding at InsertChat; you can change it back at any time.
02
Set the voice and routing
Pick a voice and greeting, and choose when the AI answers: always, after hours, or when your team doesn’t pick up.
03
Test, then forward your number
Place test calls. In the US and Canada, forward your existing number to InsertChat; elsewhere, use an InsertChat number. Porting is not offered.
Carrier steps for AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, Spectrum, Visible, Mint Mobile, RingCentral, Comcast Business, Grasshopper, Quo (OpenPhone), Nextiva, 8x8, Zoom Phone, Vonage, Ooma Office, Rogers, Bell, TELUS, Fido, Koodo, Freedom Mobile, Virgin Plus, Videotron, iPhone, and other providers are in our call forwarding guides.
What you get when you switch from Upfirst
AI receptionist
InsertChat answers your business calls from your own services, hours, and prices. It books appointments on your calendar and brings in your team, full transcript attached, when a person should follow up.
Explore AI receptionist
After-hours answering
Your team’s phones ring while you’re open. After hours, or whenever nobody picks up, the AI receptionist answers, books the visit, and flags emergencies to your team.
Explore After-hours answering
Scheduling
Your front desk offers open times, books the one the customer picks, and moves or cancels it later, on calls, website chat, and texts. Every booking stays linked to the customer and the conversation.
Explore SchedulingBuilt for businesses like yours
All industries ↗InsertChat, if your customers write as well as call. It answers calls, website chat, email, SMS, and WhatsApp from your business knowledge in one shared inbox, with 3 assistants and 3 team seats on Pro. Pro is $98 per month with 5,000 monthly AI credits, and new customers can try it free for 7 days.
Upfirst lists $24.95 for 30 calls up to $299 for 600, with extra calls from $1.50 down to $0.70; annual billing saves 20%. InsertChat Pro is $98 per month with 5,000 monthly AI credits; calls use credits and round up to whole minutes, with a one-minute minimum.
Yes, on Enterprise. InsertChat can sign a Business Associate Agreement on Enterprise plans for organizations that handle protected health information; on other plans, keep patient health information out of the assistant. Upfirst lists BAAs on its Custom plan.
Yes, in the US and Canada: keep your business number, forward calls to InsertChat, and confirm the setup with a verification call. Elsewhere, use a local or toll-free InsertChat number where one is available. Number porting is not offered.
Build your AI front desk.
Start with the questions you answer every day.
Add your business information, test the answers, and connect your first customer channel.