Vendor comparison
OnCrew vs Upfirst: which AI receptionist fits?
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Last updated: 15 October 2026. OnCrew and Upfirst both bill per call, both offer a 14-day free trial (OnCrew states no card; we have no card terms for Upfirst), and both publish demo lines. OnCrew is trades-narrow (HVAC, plumbing, electrical, roofing). Upfirst is broader SMB, and Upfirst has the lower published entry plan. Prices rechecked 2026-10-15.
Verdict
Pick OnCrew if you run a field-service trades shop and want emergency triage, on-call tech text alerts, and answering built for HVAC/plumbing/electrical/roofing contractors, from $49/mo, with a 30-day money-back guarantee on top of the trial.
Pick Upfirst if you want per-call plans from $24.95/mo, appointment scheduling with no plan restriction named in our data, seven named integrations including Clio, Calendly and Zapier, 35+ languages, and tags beyond pure trades (restaurants, salons, law firms, property management).
Side-by-side
| Field | OnCrew | Upfirst |
|---|---|---|
| Website | oncrew.ai | upfirst.ai |
| What it does | AI receptionist for HVAC, plumbing, electrical and roofing contractors that answers 24/7, triages emergencies and texts the on-call tech. | Affordable AI answering service and virtual receptionist for small businesses, priced per call with 24/7 coverage. |
| Starting price | $49/mo | $24.95/mo |
| Pricing model | Usage plus base | Usage plus base |
| Included on entry plan | 100 calls | 30 calls |
| Overage (entry plan) | $0.99 per extra call | $1.50/extra |
| Setup fee | Not published | Not published |
| Published pricing | Starter $49/mo (100 calls); Pro $149/mo (400 calls); Multi-Truck $349/mo (1,000 calls); $0.99 per extra call | Starter $24.95/mo (30 calls, $1.50/extra); Premium $59.95/mo (90 calls, $1/extra); Pro $159.95/mo (300 calls, $0.75/extra); Scale $299/mo (600 calls, $0.70/extra); save 20% annually |
| Trial or free plan | Free trial, 14 days, no card required | Free trial, 14 days |
| Demo line | (818) 578-4783 | (833) 564-4778 |
| Integrations | Google Calendar | Google Calendar, Outlook, Clio, Acuity, Calendly, Square, Zapier |
| Key features | Answers in two rings, 24/7; Emergency triage with your rules; On-call tech text alerts and live transfers; Appointment request capture; Email summaries with recording and transcript | 24/7, overflow-only or after-hours answering; Warm call transfers; Appointment scheduling; In-call texting; 35+ languages and returning-caller memory |
| Industries (our tags) | Home Services, HVAC Companies, Plumbers, Electricians, Roofers | Small Businesses, Home Services, HVAC Companies, Plumbers, Electricians, Law Firms, Real Estate, Property Management, Restaurants, Salons |
| Practice size | Owner-operators to multi-crew shops (1 to 15 trucks) | Small businesses |
| Listing note | None | None |
| Source | Vendor site (oncrew.ai) | Vendor site (upfirst.ai) |
| Last checked | 2026-10-15 | 2026-10-15 |
- What it does
- OnCrew: AI receptionist for HVAC, plumbing, electrical and roofing contractors that answers 24/7, triages emergencies and texts the on-call tech.
- Upfirst: Affordable AI answering service and virtual receptionist for small businesses, priced per call with 24/7 coverage.
- Starting price
- OnCrew: $49/mo
- Upfirst: $24.95/mo
- Pricing model
- OnCrew: Usage plus base
- Upfirst: Usage plus base
- Included on entry plan
- OnCrew: 100 calls
- Upfirst: 30 calls
- Overage (entry plan)
- OnCrew: $0.99 per extra call
- Upfirst: $1.50/extra
- Setup fee
- OnCrew: Not published
- Upfirst: Not published
- Published pricing
- OnCrew: Starter $49/mo (100 calls); Pro $149/mo (400 calls); Multi-Truck $349/mo (1,000 calls); $0.99 per extra call
- Upfirst: Starter $24.95/mo (30 calls, $1.50/extra); Premium $59.95/mo (90 calls, $1/extra); Pro $159.95/mo (300 calls, $0.75/extra); Scale $299/mo (600 calls, $0.70/extra); save 20% annually
- Trial or free plan
- OnCrew: Free trial, 14 days, no card required
- Upfirst: Free trial, 14 days
- Integrations
- OnCrew: Google Calendar
- Upfirst: Google Calendar, Outlook, Clio, Acuity, Calendly, Square, Zapier
- Key features
- OnCrew: Answers in two rings, 24/7; Emergency triage with your rules; On-call tech text alerts and live transfers; Appointment request capture; Email summaries with recording and transcript
- Upfirst: 24/7, overflow-only or after-hours answering; Warm call transfers; Appointment scheduling; In-call texting; 35+ languages and returning-caller memory
- Industries (our tags)
- OnCrew: Home Services, HVAC Companies, Plumbers, Electricians, Roofers
- Upfirst: Small Businesses, Home Services, HVAC Companies, Plumbers, Electricians, Law Firms, Real Estate, Property Management, Restaurants, Salons
- Practice size
- OnCrew: Owner-operators to multi-crew shops (1 to 15 trucks)
- Upfirst: Small businesses
- Listing note
- OnCrew: None
- Upfirst: None
- Source
- OnCrew: Vendor site (oncrew.ai)
- Upfirst: Vendor site (upfirst.ai)
- Last checked
- OnCrew: 2026-10-15
- Upfirst: 2026-10-15
Every row comes from our vendor data, refreshed whenever the directory is rebuilt. "Not published" means the vendor does not publish it or we have not recorded it.
Pricing
OnCrew (oncrew.ai, 2026-10-15): Starter $49/mo (100 calls); Pro $149/mo (400 calls); Multi-Truck $349/mo (1,000 calls); $0.99 per extra call.
Upfirst (upfirst.ai/pricing, 2026-10-15): Starter $24.95/mo (30 calls, $1.50/extra); Premium $59.95/mo (90 calls, $1/extra); Pro $159.95/mo (300 calls, $0.75/extra); Scale $299/mo (600 calls, $0.70/extra); save 20% annually.
Both bill per call, so the comparison is included calls plus the per-extra-call rate on each plan. Upfirst has the lower entry plan; which bill is lower for you depends on your monthly call count, so price a typical month on both with the cost guide.
Features
- Emergency workflows: OnCrew leads with emergency triage using your rules, plus on-call tech text alerts and live transfers. Upfirst is general SMB answering with warm call transfers; its record lists no emergency triage feature.
- Booking: Upfirst lists appointment scheduling with no plan restriction named in our data. OnCrew captures appointment requests (confirm calendar write-back depth for your workflow).
- Languages: Upfirst 35+. Our data lists no languages for OnCrew (confirm on site).
- Integrations: Upfirst lists Google Calendar, Outlook, Clio, Acuity, Calendly, Square and Zapier. OnCrew lists Google Calendar only in our data.
Setup and trial
OnCrew: Free trial, 14 days, no card required. Upfirst: Free trial, 14 days; we have no card terms for Upfirst, so check at signup. OnCrew also offers a 30-day money-back guarantee. Demos: OnCrew (818) 578-4783, Upfirst (833) 564-4778. More in the free trial guide.
Best fit by industry
| Need | Lean OnCrew | Lean Upfirst |
|---|---|---|
| HVAC / plumbers / electricians | Emergency triage + on-call texts | Appointment scheduling + more named integrations |
| Roofers | Tagged for roofing | Not tagged for roofing (home-services tag only) |
| Law firms / restaurants / salons | Not tagged | Tagged + Clio for law |
| SMB | Not tagged; trades only | Tagged for small businesses |
- HVAC / plumbers / electricians
- Lean OnCrew: Emergency triage + on-call texts
- Lean Upfirst: Appointment scheduling + more named integrations
How to choose in one minute
- Call both demos with an after-hours emergency script and a normal booking script.
- Count monthly answered calls (not minutes).
- Price OnCrew Starter/Pro vs Upfirst Starter/Premium including overage.
- Prefer OnCrew when triage and on-call dispatch matter most. Prefer Upfirst when entry price, languages, and named integrations matter more.
FAQ
Which is cheaper?
Upfirst opens lower: Upfirst from $24.95/mo, OnCrew from $49/mo. At higher call counts, compare included calls and per-extra-call rates on each plan (see Pricing above) and price a typical month on both.
Do both skip the credit card on trial?
OnCrew does: Free trial, 14 days, no card required. Upfirst: Free trial, 14 days; we have no card terms for it, so check at signup.
Can I hear both?
Yes. OnCrew (818) 578-4783; Upfirst (833) 564-4778.
Is OnCrew only for trades?
Our tags are home services, HVAC, plumbing, electrical, and roofing. Upfirst is tagged for home services, HVAC, plumbing and electrical (not roofing), plus small businesses, law firms, real estate, property management, restaurants and salons.
Who has more native integrations?
Upfirst, with seven named integrations in our data. OnCrew lists Google Calendar only; confirm any FSM connectors you need with sales.
Related pages
- OnCrew and Upfirst
- Best AI receptionist, cost, free trials
- Home services, HVAC, plumbers
- Methodology · submit a correction
Disclosure
Snapshot dated 2026-10-15. Re-verify prices on each vendor's site before you buy. AI Front Desk List is independent and is not affiliated with OnCrew or Upfirst. Rankings and picks are never sold. Paid placements are always labelled Sponsored. See Advertise.