Ruby receptionist pricing and an AI alternative
Ruby receptionist pricing starts at $250 a month for 50 minutes, then $395 for 100, $720 for 200 and $1,725 for 500, as of October 10, 2026. Ruby’s help center lists extra minutes at $5.40 to $4.00 on those plans. Ruby rounds each call up to the next minute and counts hold time.
LobbyStack wrote this page, and we sell an AI receptionist that competes with Ruby Receptionists. The two answer your phone in different ways: Ruby puts a trained person on the line, and LobbyStack puts an AI on it. Our Starter plan costs $30 a month for 150 minutes, with booking and transfers. Free gives you 30 voice minutes and a US or Canadian number free for 14 days, with no card. No LobbyStack plan has a setup fee. We read Ruby’s pricing page, FAQ, terms and help center on October 10, 2026, and link them under Sources.
What is a Ruby receptionist?
Ruby (ruby.com), from Ruby Receptionists, Inc., is a live virtual receptionist service. Its US-based receptionists answer your business calls 24/7, including weekends and holidays, and you decide when Ruby steps in. Ruby’s FAQ says it serves businesses anywhere in the United States, Canada and the US Caribbean.
Ruby uses AI to support its staff and leaves the calls to its receptionists. Its FAQ says an AI receptionist that picks up and runs the call on its own “isn’t how Ruby works.”
Every Ruby receptionist plan lists the same services, so the plans differ in minutes alone. Ruby’s pricing and answering-service pages list:
- answering, transfers, and messages sent to you by email, text or app notification
- appointment scheduling, lead intake and payment collection
- outbound call assists, such as confirming an appointment
- Spanish-speaking receptionists at no extra cost
- local or toll-free number hosting, and calls and texts from your business number
- voicemail transcription, AI transcripts and caller sentiment analysis
- robocall filtering
- HIPAA-compliant services
- “5000+ integrations”, through direct integrations and Zapier
How much does Ruby cost in 2026?
Ruby’s public pricing page shows four receptionist plans. Its help center article “Am I on the right billing plan?”, dated December 11, 2025, lists the same four prices, six larger plans and an overage rate for each. Ruby’s pricing page and help center showed these on October 10, 2026:
| Plan | Monthly price | Included minutes | Price per included minute | Extra minutes | Help center recommends it for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Call Ruby 50 | $250 | 50 | $5.00 | $5.40 | 0 to 76 minutes |
| Call Ruby 100 | $395 | 100 | $3.95 | $4.50 | 77 to 172 minutes |
| Call Ruby 200 (most popular) | $720 | 200 | $3.60 | $4.40 | 173 to 311 minutes |
| Call Ruby 350 | $1,210 | 350 | $3.46 | $4.25 | 312 to 471 minutes |
| Call Ruby 500 | $1,725 | 500 | $3.45 | $4.00 | 472 to 706 minutes |
| Call Ruby 750 to 2,500 | $2,550 to $7,875 | 750 to 2,500 | $3.40 to $3.15 | $3.85 to $3.30 | 707 minutes or more |
Ruby’s pricing page lists the 50, 100, 200 and 500 plans and no overage rates. The FAQ says extra minutes are “billed according to the overage rate associated with your plan.” Ask Ruby to confirm your rate before you sign up.
The help center’s ranges mark where the next plan becomes cheaper. At 76 minutes, Call Ruby 50 costs $390.40 ($250 + 26 × $5.40). At 77 minutes it costs $395.80, more than Call Ruby 100.
Website chat costs extra: $143 a month for 10 chats, $335 for 30 or $520 for 50. Add chat to a receptionist plan and Ruby takes 20% off the chat price.
How does Ruby count a receptionist minute?
Ruby’s terms of use, last updated March 2026, set four rules:
- Rounding. Ruby bills in 60-second increments and rounds each call up to the next 60-second mark, so a 61-second call uses 2 minutes.
- Hold time counts. Talk time after a receptionist transfers the call to you or your voicemail doesn’t.
- After-call work counts. The clock includes the time a receptionist spends completing your call notes after the caller hangs up.
- Outbound calls count. On an outbound call assist, Ruby bills the receptionist’s time on the call and the follow-up email.
Ruby’s FAQ uses a 10-second call as its example and says Ruby bills it as 60 seconds “(or half of a receptionist minute).” That parenthesis conflicts with the 60-second rule, so ask Ruby which one applies.
Ruby routes robocalls to your Ruby voicemail box. Its answering-service page says “we don’t answer them live or charge you for them.” The pages we read don’t say how Ruby bills a wrong number or a spam call that reaches a receptionist. Ruby alerts you when you’ve used 85% and 100% of your plan’s minutes.
What are Ruby’s contract terms?
- Term. Your contract renews every 30 days. A cancellation takes effect at the end of the current monthly billing period.
- Upgrades. An upgrade starts at once and applies to the current billing period “and at least the subsequent two consecutive billing periods.”
- Downgrades. You can downgrade after three consecutive billing periods on a plan. New customers get a 90-day calibration window to change plans at any time. Returning customers don’t.
- Money-back guarantee. First-time users get a full refund if they cancel within 21 days of buying or before they pass 500 receptionist minutes, whichever comes first. Ruby doesn’t refund other payments.
- Setup fees. The pricing page says Ruby has “no additional or hidden fees for activation, onboarding, setup, customization, or coverage during certain periods.” The terms mention setup or activation fees “as applicable” and name no amount.
The upgrade rule matters after a busy month. Say a Call Ruby 100 customer uses 200 minutes in June and then goes back to 100. Paying overage costs $845 for June ($395 + 100 × $4.50) and $1,635 across June, July and August. Upgrading to Call Ruby 200 costs $720 for June, but the terms keep the customer there through August: $2,160 for the three months.
Why do other sites quote different Ruby prices?
Ruby’s own answering-service page still said plans “start at $245/month for 50 minutes” on October 10, 2026, while its pricing page said $250. On Google’s first page for “ruby receptionist pricing”, posts by vendors that sell competing answering services quoted $235 for 50 minutes or 30-second rounding, which don’t match Ruby’s current pages. We sell a competing service too, so check the date and author of any Ruby price you read, including ours.
For other live services’ rates, see what an answering service costs.
Ruby Receptionists vs LobbyStack at a glance
| Ruby | LobbyStack (ours) | |
|---|---|---|
| Who answers | Trained US-based receptionists, helped by AI tools | An AI receptionist running on OpenAI GPT-Live |
| Entry paid plan | $250 for 50 minutes | $30 for 150 minutes (Starter) |
| Larger plans | $720 for 200 minutes, $1,725 for 500 | $100 for 500 minutes (Pro) |
| Extra minutes | $5.40 to $3.30 a minute, per Ruby’s help center | $0.20 on Starter, $0.18 on Pro, with an optional spending cap |
| Billing increment | Each call rounded up to the next 60 seconds; hold time and after-call work count | Counted in seconds; calls under 10 seconds and calls the receptionist ends as spam don’t count |
| Try it first | Money-back guarantee for first-time users: 21 days or 500 minutes | Free plan: 30 voice minutes, no card, US or Canadian number free for 14 days |
| Plan changes | Upgrades hold for at least three billing periods; downgrades after three | Upgrade, downgrade or cancel from billing settings, with no cancellation fee |
| Caller languages | English and Spanish | Opens in your choice of 8 languages, then answers in the caller’s language (70+, including Spanish) |
| Booking | Receptionists schedule appointments | Books into Google Calendar only |
| Transfers | To any number you choose; fees may apply outside North America | Blind transfer to one number per business |
| Messages | Email, text or app notification | Email alert when it takes a message; text alerts optional |
| Call records | AI transcripts of calls and voicemails | Recording, transcript and summary of every call |
| Other services | Payment collection, intake forms, outbound call assists, website chat | None of these; it answers phone calls |
| Texts | Call and text from your business number | Booking confirmation and 24-hour reminder with the caller’s consent, to US and Canadian numbers; the AI doesn’t reply to texts |
| Integrations | “5000+” through direct integrations and Zapier | REST API and signed webhooks for six events |
| Where it works | US, Canada and the US Caribbean | Phone numbers in the US, Canada, the UK, Australia and New Zealand |
| HIPAA | Lists HIPAA-compliant services | Makes no HIPAA claim |
| Setup fee | None on the pricing page | None on any plan |
| Source code | A staffed service | MIT-licensed; self-host with your own OpenAI and Twilio accounts |
Prices and features checked October 10, 2026. For the wider trade-off between a person and an AI on your line, see AI receptionist vs virtual receptionist.
What will Ruby cost at your call volume?
For 120 minutes a month, about 40 three-minute calls, Ruby costs $485 and LobbyStack Starter costs $30. LobbyStack costs less at every volume in the table below, by $220 to $3,160 a month. That gap pays for a trained person on every call, which LobbyStack doesn’t offer.
The table assumes monthly billing in US dollars before taxes, the same volume every month, and the overage rates in Ruby’s help center. Ruby’s price is its cheapest plan for that volume, overage included. LobbyStack’s price is the cheaper of Starter or Pro with per-minute overage. It leaves out alert texts and transfer attempts beyond the included ones, which cost $0.02 each.
| Minutes a month | Ruby | LobbyStack (ours) |
|---|---|---|
| 50 | $250 (Call Ruby 50) | $30 (Starter) |
| 100 | $395 (Call Ruby 100) | $30 (Starter) |
| 120 | $485 (Call Ruby 100 + 20 × $4.50) | $30 (Starter) |
| 200 | $720 (Call Ruby 200) | $40 (Starter + 50 × $0.20) |
| 300 | $1,160 (Call Ruby 200 + 100 × $4.40) | $60 (Starter + 150 × $0.20) |
| 500 | $1,725 (Call Ruby 500) | $100 (Starter + 350 × $0.20, or Pro) |
| 1,000 | $3,350 (Call Ruby 1,000) | $190 (Pro + 500 × $0.18) |
On annual billing, LobbyStack Starter costs $24 a month and Pro $80, plus the same overage. The Ruby pages we read list monthly prices only.
A plumber with 100 calls a month
Assume a plumbing company gets 100 calls a month. Fifty are quick questions about hours, service areas or “can you come today?”, at 1 minute 30 seconds each. The other 50 are bookings and emergencies at 4 minutes 30 seconds each.
- Ruby rounds the quick calls up to 2 minutes and the long ones to 5, for 350 minutes before hold time or after-call work. Call Ruby 350, a help center plan, costs $1,210. Call Ruby 200 plus 150 minutes at $4.40 costs $1,380.
- LobbyStack counts 300 minutes (75 + 225). Starter costs $60: $30 plus 150 extra minutes at $0.20.
The two products handle the emergencies in different ways. A Ruby receptionist speaks with the caller, then transfers the call or takes a message. LobbyStack follows your written rules and sends a blind transfer to your on-call number. If that transfer doesn’t connect, it tells the caller, offers to take a message, and your team can get a “Live call transfer failed” alert.
Where Ruby is the better choice
Ruby puts a trained person on every call it answers, and LobbyStack can’t match that. A person can calm an upset caller, judge an odd request and handle a conversation your written rules didn’t foresee. Legal intake, billing disputes and sensitive calls are where Ruby earns its price. Ruby also offers:
- Spanish-speaking receptionists on every plan at no extra cost. One FAQ answer calls the service 24/7; another lists bilingual service Monday to Friday, 8am to 9pm Eastern, so ask which applies.
- Payment collection, intake forms and outbound call assists.
- Transfers to any number you choose. LobbyStack sends a blind transfer to one number.
- Website chat in the same account, and calls and texts from your business number.
- Number hosting that can replace your phone service.
- HIPAA-compliant services, per its pricing page. LobbyStack makes no HIPAA claim.
- More than 20 years of serving small businesses, per Ruby’s homepage.
LobbyStack has gaps that might rule it out. No person ever picks up. Its AI doesn’t reply to texts, so your team answers them by hand from the dashboard. It books into Google Calendar alone, transfers to one number, offers no website chat, and reaches CRMs and practice software through webhooks and the API, with no native integration.
Where LobbyStack is the better choice
LobbyStack costs less at every volume we priced, and its extra minutes cost $0.18 to $0.20 against Ruby’s $3.30 to $5.40. It answers routine calls about hours, prices, service areas and bookings, and it hands urgent calls to your team. See how AI phone answering works.
- Booking on the call. With Google Calendar connected and opening hours set, LobbyStack books into open slots. With the caller’s consent, it texts a confirmation and a reminder 24 hours before the appointment.
- Billing by the second. Calls under 10 seconds and calls the receptionist ends as spam don’t count toward your minutes.
- No limit on simultaneous calls. If you set an overage spending cap and reach it, new callers get a busy signal until the next month or until you raise the cap.
- A record of every call. The dashboard keeps a recording, transcript and summary, and your team gets an email alert when the receptionist takes a message.
- More caller languages. Calls open in your choice of eight languages, and the receptionist switches to the caller’s language, from 70+.
- Coverage you choose. It can answer every call, or only overflow or after-hours calls, depending on your carrier’s forwarding rule. Our guide on how to forward business calls covers the setup.
- Open code. LobbyStack is MIT-licensed. You can self-host it, and you can connect other tools through the REST API and signed webhooks.
How do you test LobbyStack as a Ruby Receptionists alternative?
- Sign up at app.lobbystack.com. Free gives you 30 voice minutes a month and a US or Canadian number free for 14 days, without a card.
- Setup walks you through your business details, a website import, your knowledge, the greeting and a plan.
- Write your call rules in plain language and pick a booking mode: book the appointment, take a request for your team to confirm, or take a message. Connect Google Calendar and set your opening hours, because booking needs them.
- From your browser, run the five calls Ruby handles most for you: a price question, a booking, an urgent request, a caller who asks for a person and a wrong number. Read each transcript with whoever handles the follow-up.
- On Starter or Pro, pick a number, or forward your existing business number to LobbyStack when you’re busy, when you’re closed or all the time. Add a transfer number and choose when transfers happen.
- Keep Ruby on your line until LobbyStack passes your test calls. A Ruby cancellation takes effect at the end of the current 30-day period. If Ruby hosts your business number, ask Ruby how to move it out before you cancel, and contact the LobbyStack team to port it.
Questions about Ruby receptionist pricing
Does Ruby offer a free trial?
The Ruby pages we read list no free trial. First-time users get a money-back guarantee instead: cancel within 21 days of buying, or before you pass 500 receptionist minutes, whichever comes first, and Ruby refunds the cancelled service. LobbyStack’s Free plan doesn’t expire. It gives you 30 voice minutes a month without a card, and a US or Canadian number free for 14 days.
Does Ruby charge for spam calls?
Ruby sends robocalls its filter catches to your Ruby voicemail box and says it doesn’t answer or charge for them. Its pages don’t say how it bills a wrong number or spam that reaches a receptionist, and its terms bill any answered call as at least one minute. LobbyStack doesn’t count calls under 10 seconds or calls its receptionist ends as spam.
Is Ruby cheaper than hiring a receptionist?
At low call volumes, yes. The Bureau of Labor Statistics puts the median receptionist wage at $18.27 an hour, or $38,010 a year, as of May 2025, before payroll taxes and benefits. Ruby’s 200-minute plan costs $8,640 a year. A hire covers one shift, while Ruby covers 24/7 for the minutes you buy.
What is the cheapest AI answering service?
The lowest paid entry we found in October 2026 was AI-Receptionist.com at $14 a month for 75 minutes. Smith.ai’s AI Receptionist has a $0 plan for 25 calls a month, then $3 a call. LobbyStack Starter costs $30 for 150 minutes, and our Free plan includes a US or Canadian number for 14 days. Our free AI receptionist guide compares the free options.
Does Ruby use AI to answer calls?
No. Ruby’s receptionists answer, and its AI works behind the scenes. A tool called Call Nav pulls up your business details during the call, and AI writes call and voicemail transcripts, scores caller sentiment and filters robocalls. Ruby’s AI page says these features come at no extra cost on every plan.
Can I keep my business number if I leave Ruby?
If your carrier holds the number and forwards calls to Ruby, change the forwarding rule to point at LobbyStack. If Ruby hosts the number, ask Ruby how to transfer it out before you cancel, and contact the LobbyStack team to port it. LobbyStack offers numbers in the US, Canada, the UK, Australia and New Zealand.
Choose Ruby when
- You want a trained person to answer every call, including upset or complicated callers.
- You need payment collection, intake forms or outbound call assists.
- Your callers need Spanish-speaking staff.
- You want website chat and phone answering from one vendor.
- You need a vendor that lists HIPAA-compliant services.
- Your call volume stays low enough that Ruby’s minutes fit your budget.
Choose LobbyStack when
- Most of your calls are routine: hours, prices, service areas and bookings.
- You want appointments booked into Google Calendar during the call, with confirmation texts.
- You’d rather pay $30 for 150 minutes than $250 for 50.
- You want billing by the second, with no charge for calls under 10 seconds.
- Your callers speak languages beyond English and Spanish.
- You want to test before you pay, with 30 voice minutes a month, a free number for 14 days and no card.
- You want MIT-licensed code, self-hosting, the REST API or webhooks.
Sources
Checked October 10, 2026, unless noted:
- Ruby plans and pricing
- Ruby help center: Am I on the right billing plan?, dated December 11, 2025
- Ruby FAQs
- Ruby terms of use, last updated March 2026
- Ruby answering service
- Ruby AI features
- Ruby homepage
- Bureau of Labor Statistics: Receptionists
- AI-Receptionist.com pricing and Smith.ai AI Receptionist pricing, checked October 9, 2026
- LobbyStack pricing
Verdict
Ruby is the stronger choice when a trained person has to handle the call: intake that needs judgment, payments, Spanish-speaking staff or upset callers. You pay $3.15 to $5.00 per included minute for that person, depending on plan size. LobbyStack is the stronger choice when most of your calls are routine questions and bookings. It answers 150 minutes for $30, books into Google Calendar and transfers urgent calls to your team.
To hear how LobbyStack handles your callers’ questions, start on the free plan. You get 30 voice minutes a month and a US or Canadian number for 14 days, with your own greeting and rules, and you don’t need a card.