Comparison
Smith.ai vs Ruby for trades businesses
Verdict: Smith.ai is the better value for most trades: AI answering is free for 25 calls a month, and live receptionists bill per call from $300/mo. Ruby fits if every call must reach a person and calls are short, at $250/mo for 50 minutes.
Side by side
Prices checked October 26, 2026 on smith.ai and ruby.com (live plans on smith.ai/pricing/receptionists).
| Smith.ai | Ruby Receptionists | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | AI receptionist plans plus live receptionist plans | Live virtual receptionists, with chat plans |
| Cheapest plan | AI Free, 25 calls a month, then $3 a call | $250/mo for 50 receptionist minutes |
| Cheapest live plan | Starter $300/mo for 30 calls | $250/mo for 50 minutes |
| Bigger live plans | Basic $810/mo for 90 calls, Pro $2,100/mo for 300 calls | $395 for 100 minutes, $720 for 200, $1,725 for 500 |
| What you pay for | Calls | Minutes |
| Going over | AI $2.10 to $3 a call; live $8.50 to $11.50 a call, by plan | Not shown on the pricing page |
| AI middle plans | Pro $150/mo for 75 calls, $270 for 150, $500 for 300 | None listed |
| Hours | 24/7 | 24/7, including after hours, weekends and holidays |
| Spanish | Not checked on the pricing page | 24/7 Spanish and bilingual answering available |
| Setup fees | Not stated on the pages we read | No activation, onboarding or setup fees |
How the bills differ
Smith.ai counts calls. Its AI Receptionist is free for 25 calls a month, Pro is $150 for 75 calls, and live receptionists start at $300 for 30 calls with $11.50 for each call past that. Ruby counts receptionist minutes. $250 buys 50 minutes, $395 buys 100. If your calls average 2 minutes, Ruby's $250 plan covers about 25 calls. If they average 4 minutes, it covers about 12.
Which one fits a trades shop
Most trades shops get a lot of short calls about scheduling, pricing and emergencies. Smith.ai's AI plans handle that volume for far less: at 100 calls a month the AI side comes to $212.50, and live receptionists come to $915. Ruby makes sense when you want a real person on every call, with Spanish available around the clock, and your call volume is modest.
What we couldn't confirm
Ruby's pricing page doesn't show a rate for minutes past your plan. Smith.ai's listing on TradePhone mentions field service integrations, but check that your software is supported before you buy.
Pick Smith.ai if: You want AI to take most calls with live people available, you get lots of short calls, or you want to start free.
Pick Ruby Receptionists if: You want a live person on every call, Spanish around the clock, and no setup fees, and your volume is modest.
FAQ
- Is Smith.ai or Ruby cheaper?
- For most trades shops, Smith.ai. Its AI plan is free for 25 calls a month and Pro is $150 for 75 calls. Ruby starts at $250/mo for 50 live receptionist minutes. Live to live, Smith.ai Starter is $300 for 30 calls. Prices checked October 26, 2026 on smith.ai and ruby.com.
- Does Ruby use AI?
- Ruby is a live receptionist service. Its pricing page lists AI powered transcripts and sentiment analysis, but people answer the calls.
- How does Smith.ai charge for extra calls?
- By the call. Live receptionist overage is $11.50 a call on Starter, $10.50 on Basic and $8.50 on Pro. AI overage runs from $3 a call on the free plan down to $2.17 at 300 calls.
- Which is better for after hours emergency calls?
- Both answer 24/7. Ruby puts a live person on every call, including nights, weekends and holidays. Smith.ai lets AI take the call with live receptionists on its live plans.