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Smith.ai vs Ruby pricing

Short answer. Smith.ai bills its human receptionists by the call. Starter costs $300 a month for 30 calls. Ruby bills by the minute. Its smallest plan costs $250 a month for 50 minutes. Short calls favor Ruby's minutes. Long calls favor Smith.ai's per-call price. Smith.ai sells an AI receptionist from $150 a month for 75 calls. Ruby adds AI tools to its live plans at no extra cost, with no stand-alone AI plan on its pricing page. We read both pricing pages on October 26, 2026.

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Human receptionist plans

Smith.ai plan	Price	Calls	Per included call	Extra call
Starter	$300	30	$10.00	$11.50
Basic	$810	90	$9.00	$10.50
Pro	$2,100	300	$7.00	$8.50

Ruby plan	Price	Minutes	Per minute
50 minutes	$250	50	$5.00
100 minutes	$395	100	$3.95
200 minutes	$720	200	$3.60
500 minutes	$1,725	500	$3.45

Source: Smith.ai receptionist pricing and Ruby plans and pricing, checked October 26, 2026. Per call and per minute figures are our math. Ruby's page lists no rate for minutes over your plan.

Which costs less for your calls

The answer turns on how long your calls run.

Calls of 2 minutes or less: 50 calls a month fit Ruby's 100-minute plan at $395. On Smith.ai Starter, 50 calls cost $530, which is $300 plus 20 extra calls at $11.50. Ruby costs less here.
Calls of 3 minutes or more: Smith.ai Starter at $300 covers 30 calls of any length. Ruby would need 90 minutes or more for the same calls, which means the $395 plan.

Our math from the prices above, before tax. Time a week of your calls before you pick.

AI receptionist option

Smith.ai AI plan	Price	Calls	Extra call
Free	$0	25	$3.00
Pro 75	$150	75	$2.50
Pro 150	$270	150	$2.30
Pro 300	$500	300	$2.17
Enterprise 500	$800	500	$2.10

Source: Smith.ai AI receptionist pricing, checked October 26, 2026. Ruby adds optional AI tools, such as AI transcripts and AI-assisted call flows, to every plan at no extra cost. It lists no stand-alone AI receptionist plan. If you want AI answering with a per-call price, Smith.ai has it. For other AI options, see AI receptionist cost and Abby Connect pricing.

What Ruby includes on every plan

24/7 live answering, Spanish and bilingual calls, custom greetings, a mobile app, local and toll-free numbers, scheduling, payment collection, and outbound call help. Plans differ by minutes, not features. Source: Ruby plans and pricing.

FAQ

Is Smith.ai cheaper than Ruby? For long calls, yes. Smith.ai Starter costs $300 for 30 calls of any length. For short calls, Ruby costs less per call.

How does Ruby bill? By the minute. Plans cost $250 for 50 minutes, $395 for 100, $720 for 200, and $1,725 for 500.

How does Smith.ai bill? By the call. Human plans cost $300 for 30 calls, $810 for 90, and $2,100 for 300.

Does Ruby have an AI receptionist? Ruby adds AI tools such as AI transcripts to its live plans at no extra cost, but lists no stand-alone AI receptionist plan. Smith.ai's AI receptionist starts free for 25 calls, then $150 for 75 calls.

What does an extra call cost on Smith.ai? $11.50 on Starter, $10.50 on Basic, and $8.50 on Pro for human plans.

Checked 2026-10-26. Prices and policies change. Confirm on the source before you buy.