Ruby Receptionist Alternatives for Small Businesses (2026 Prices)
The best Ruby alternative depends on whether you need a person or just need every call answered. Ruby’s pricing page lists $250 a month for 50 minutes and $1,725 for 500. Dooza’s AI answering service costs $149 a month for up to 500 minutes, then $0.30 a minute. Prices checked October 21, 2026 on each vendor’s own page.
We sell one of the services on this page (Dooza). Prices checked October 21, 2026 on each vendor’s own pricing page; check the links yourself.
Ruby Receptionist alternatives compared
These services bill in different units: per call, per minute, per Abby Minute or per unique customer. A 10-minute call costs one call on Upfirst but 10 minutes on Rosie, so compare on your own call pattern. A human service’s minute is receptionist time, so it is not directly comparable with an AI minute. The closest like-for-like line: Ruby’s 500 minutes cost $1,725 a month and Dooza’s up to 500 minutes cost $149, but Ruby is a human service and Dooza is AI. Prices checked October 21, 2026.
| Service | Type | Billed by | Entry plan | Other plans | Overage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dooza (ours) | AI | Minutes | $149/month for 500 minutes | One plan | $0.30/min |
| Ruby (virtual receptionist) | Human | Minutes | $250/month for 50 minutes | $395 for 100; $720 for 200; $1,725 for 500 minutes | Not listed on pricing page |
| Ruby (live chat) | Human | Chats | $143/month for 10 chats | $335 for 30; $520 for 50 chats. Bundled with a receptionist plan: $115, $268, $416 (20% off) | Not listed on pricing page |
| Smith.ai (human-first) | Human | Calls | $300/month for 30 calls | $810 for 90 calls; $2,100 for 300 calls | $11.50/call over 30 (Starter) |
| Smith.ai (AI receptionist) | AI | Calls | $0/month for 25 calls (Free); Pro $150/month | Pro: $2.00/call (about 2–3 calls a day) | $3.00/call after 25 (Free) |
| Abby Connect | Human or AI | Abby Minutes | $164/month for 50 Abby Minutes | $329 for 100; $599 for 200; $1,380 for 500. Minutes double if you choose AI | Billed at your plan’s Abby Minute rate |
| Goodcall | AI | Unique customers | $79/month for 100 unique customers | $129 for 500; $299 for 2,000 unique customers | 79¢ (Starter), 26¢ (Growth), 15¢ (Scale) per extra customer |
| Upfirst | AI | Calls | $24.95/month for 30 calls | $59.95 for 90; $159.95 for 300; $299 for 600 calls | $1.50/call (Starter) down to $.70/call (Scale) |
| Dialzara | AI | Minutes | $29/month for 60 minutes | $99 for 220; $199 for 500; $349 for 1,000 minutes | $0.48/min (Lite) down to $0.35/min (Elite) |
| My AI Front Desk | AI | Minutes | $99/month for 200 voice minutes | $79/month if billed annually | 25 credits ($0.25) per extra minute |
| Rosie | AI | Minutes | $49/month for 250 minutes | $149 for 1,000; $299 for 2,000 minutes | Not listed on pricing page |
Sources (checked October 21, 2026): ruby.com/pricing/, smith.ai/pricing/receptionists, smith.ai/pricing/ai-receptionist, abby.com/pricing/, goodcall.com/pricing, upfirst.ai/pricing, dialzara.com/pricing, myaifrontdesk.com/pricing, heyrosie.com/pricing. Monthly list prices; some vendors discount annual billing. Ruby’s page does not state an overage rate, free trial, refund policy or contract terms. For 20 services in one place, see our best AI receptionist comparison; to estimate your own bill, try the AI receptionist cost calculator.
The alternatives, one by one
Dooza AI answering service
An AI that answers your calls when you can’t, asks the caller the questions you give it, and emails you the message with the transcript and a link to the recording. Run by us, the company that publishes this page.
Price: $149/month for up to 500 minutes, then $0.30/min. Month to month, no free trial. Full refund if you cancel within 14 days of your first charge.
Best for: Owners who miss calls on the job and want each caller’s message in their inbox, without calendar booking or texting.
Smith.ai
A receptionist service with human-first plans and a separately priced AI receptionist. Its human plans include transfer destinations, and its pricing page says it is a month-to-month service.
Price: Human-first from $300/month for 30 calls ($11.50 per extra call). AI receptionist: free for 25 calls a month, Pro from $150/month at $2.00 per call.
Best for: Businesses that want live people on the phone, or a low-volume AI plan from the same vendor.
Abby Connect
A receptionist service where one plan covers both human and AI answering. Its page says your Abby Minutes double when you choose AI, that every plan comes with a free trial, and that Abby is month to month.
Price: From $164/month for 50 Abby Minutes; $1,380/month for 500. Overage at your plan’s Abby Minute rate.
Best for: Teams that want humans and AI under one plan.
Goodcall
An AI answering service that bills by unique customer: one phone number, once a month, however often that person calls. You can start free with a demo agent and add a number later.
Price: From $79/month for 100 unique customers, then 79¢ each; $129/month for 500.
Best for: Businesses whose customers call back often, so unique-caller billing can cost less than per-call or per-minute billing.
Upfirst
An AI receptionist billed per call. Its page lists appointment scheduling into your calendar, call transfers and a 14-day free trial with no credit card, and says you can cancel anytime.
Price: From $24.95/month for 30 calls, then $1.50 per extra call; $159.95/month for 300 calls.
Best for: Low call volumes on a tight budget, or anyone who needs calendar booking.
Dialzara
An AI receptionist billed by minutes of talk time, with outbound voice, SMS and website chat sold as add-ons. Its page lists a 7-day free trial and no contract.
Price: From $29/month for 60 minutes ($0.48/min after); $199/month for 500 minutes ($0.40/min after).
Best for: Buyers who want to start small and add texting or chat later.
My AI Front Desk
An AI front desk whose call-answering plan bundles 200 voice minutes with chat, SMS, CRM and automations, per its pricing page, with a 7-day free trial.
Price: $99/month ($79/month billed annually) for 200 voice minutes; extra minutes use 25 credits ($0.25) each.
Best for: Businesses that want calls, chat and texting in one tool.
Rosie
An AI answering service with a 7-day free trial. Its Scale plan adds booking appointments on your calendar, warm transfers and texts to callers during the call.
Price: From $49/month for 250 minutes; $149/month for 1,000 minutes. No overage rate on the pricing page.
Best for: Price-sensitive owners who want the most minutes per dollar.
Where Dooza fits, and what it does not do
Dooza is one plan: $149 a month for up to 500 minutes, then $0.30 a minute, month to month. It answers when you can’t pick up, asks the caller your questions, and emails you the message with the transcript and a link to the recording. If you miss calls while you are on a job, see how it works for HVAC, plumbing and garage door businesses.
Dooza does
- Answer your calls when you can’t
- Ask the questions you give it
- Email you the message, transcript and recording link
- Up to 500 minutes a month; $0.30/min after
Dooza does not
- Book onto your calendar
- Send texts
- Give you a human receptionist
Cheaper on paper: Upfirst ($24.95/month for 30 calls), Dialzara ($29 for 60 minutes; $99 for 220), Rosie ($49/month for 250 minutes) and My AI Front Desk ($99 for 200 minutes) cost less than Dooza to start, and Smith.ai’s AI plan is free for 25 calls. If your call volume is low or you need booking, start there. Dooza makes sense when you want one flat price that covers up to 500 minutes a month, a stated $0.30 overage, and each caller’s message in your inbox.
Human or AI answering?
Ruby, Smith.ai’s human-first plans and Abby put a trained person on the line. A person handles upset callers, judgment calls and sales conversations better than AI does, and you pay for it: Ruby starts at $250 for 50 minutes and Smith.ai’s human plans at $300 for 30 calls. If you run a law firm and every caller needs a careful intake conversation, a human service like Ruby or Smith.ai may suit you better than Dooza. Comparing against PATLive instead? See PATLive alternatives. Or Moneypenny? See Moneypenny alternatives. Or VoiceNation? See VoiceNation alternatives.
AI services such as Dooza, Rosie, Upfirst and Goodcall cost a fraction of that. They are not a human receptionist. A common setup is a person for the office day and AI for overflow and after hours. More detail: AI answering service for small business and AI receptionist.
Frequently asked questions
Ruby’s pricing page lists its virtual receptionist at $250 a month for 50 minutes, $395 for 100, $720 for 200 and $1,725 for 500 minutes. Live chat starts at $143 a month for 10 chats. Ruby says there are no extra fees for activation, onboarding, setup or customization. Overage, free trial and refund terms are not stated on that page. Checked October 21, 2026 on ruby.com/pricing.
Per its pricing page, Ruby sells live virtual receptionists priced by minutes per month, and live website chat priced by chats per month. The page describes 24/7 coverage and “100% live, personalized communication”, with optional features such as scheduling, bilingual answering and client intake.
It depends on what you need. Dooza costs $149 a month for up to 500 minutes and emails you each caller’s message, transcript and recording link. Upfirst ($24.95 for 30 calls) and Rosie ($49 for 250 minutes) cost less to start, and both list calendar booking, which Dooza does not do. Prices checked October 21, 2026.
An AI answering service. Every AI service on this page starts below Ruby’s $250 a month. AI answers every call and takes the caller’s details, but it does not handle upset callers, judgment calls or complex conversations the way a trained person does.
Not fully. AI is good at answering every call, asking set questions and passing on the message. A person is better with upset callers, judgment calls and sales conversations. A common setup is a person for the office day and AI for overflow and after hours.
Yes. Dooza is month to month with no contract, and you pay the first month up front; there is no free trial. If you cancel within 14 days of your first charge, you get a full refund.
Stop sending callers to voicemail
$149/month for up to 500 minutes, then $0.30/min. Month to month. Cancel within 14 days of your first charge for a full refund.