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AI receptionist billed per call, with a 25-call free plan and live-receptionist backup.
Smith.ai alternativeHead-to-head comparison
Smith.ai vs Ruby: AI receptionist or human receptionists?
Smith.ai suits businesses that want an AI receptionist billed per call, with human agents as backup. Ruby suits firms that want people answering every call and website chat, billed by the minute. InsertChat is the stronger third option: one AI front desk for calls, website chat, email, SMS, and WhatsApp, from $98 per month.
Smith.ai vs Ruby vs InsertChat at a glance
Smith.ai details checked on from Smith.ai’s public pricing page; Ruby details checked on from Ruby’s public pricing page. Prices are in USD as listed; vendors change plans, so confirm current terms with each linked source.
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| Compared | Smith.ai | Ruby | InsertChat |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Free, Pro, and Enterprise plans priced by calls per month Source | Receptionist plans by included minutes, and separate live chat plans by included chats Source | Pro, Growth, Scale, and Enterprise plans with monthly AI credits included. Annual billing costs ten monthly payments, paid upfront. Details |
| What is metered | Calls: $1.60 to $2.00 per included call on paid tiers; extra calls cost $3.00 on Free and $2.10 to $2.50 on paid tiers Source | Receptionist minutes (50 to 500 on listed plans) and chats (10 to 50) Source | AI credits from one monthly allowance. Use depends on the model, conversation length, knowledge processing, and tools; calls round up to whole minutes. Details |
| Channels | AI call answering; custom SMS branding on Pro Source | Phone calls and website live chat, with calls and texts from your business number Source | Website chat, phone, email, SMS, and WhatsApp in one shared inbox Details |
| Human handoff | Transfers calls to a live North America-based receptionist, day or night Source | Human service: people answer calls and chats; optional AI enhancements are free Source | Your own team takes over in the shared inbox with the full conversation, on every plan Details |
| Knowledge sources | Not verified | Not verified | Website URLs, documents, questions and answers, audio and video files, and product information (1,000 sources on Pro) Details |
| Booking | AI scheduling with Calendly and other calendars, from the Free plan Source | Scheduling is listed among the receptionist plan features Source | Books into the built-in calendar, Google Calendar, Outlook, Calendly, or Cal.com, automatically or after your team’s approval Details |
| Entry price | Free for 25 calls a month; Pro from $150 for 75 calls; Enterprise from $500 for 300 calls Source | Receptionist from $250 for 50 minutes; chat from $143 for 10 chats Source | Pro at $98/month, or $81.67/month billed annually, with 5,000 credits, 3 assistants, and 3 seats Details |
| Notable limits | Every answered call counts, with up to 10% removable as spam; cancelling takes 30 days’ notice Source | Listed receptionist plans run to $1,725 for 500 minutes, and chat plans to $520 for 50 chats Source | Additional phone numbers, SMS, WhatsApp, and other connected services can carry their own charges; analytics and reports start on Scale Details |
“Not verified” means our check did not confirm this detail. Ask the vendor before deciding.
How Smith.ai and Ruby compare
Two different products behind one search
Smith.ai’s AI Receptionist answers calls with AI and lists human-agent backup; this page uses the per-call plans on its AI Receptionist pricing page. Ruby is a human service: its receptionists answer calls and live chats, and its pricing page lists optional AI enhancements at no extra cost. The real decision is who picks up first, software or a person.
What 100 calls a month costs
Take 100 calls a month at about three minutes each, or 300 minutes. Smith.ai’s Pro plan covers 75 to 300 calls from $150, and each call past your plan costs $2.17 to $2.50, however long it lasts. Ruby sells receptionist minutes: $250 buys 50 ($5.00 a minute) and $1,725 buys 500 ($3.45 a minute). Even at that lowest listed rate, 300 minutes comes to $1,035. InsertChat Pro is $98 per month with 5,000 monthly AI credits shared by calls and written conversations, and calls round up to whole minutes.
Estimate your InsertChat usage
Phone first, or every channel
Smith.ai’s AI Receptionist covers voice and adds SMS and email on Pro. Ruby covers calls and website chat, with chat sold as its own plans from $143 for 10 chats. InsertChat answers calls, website chat, email, SMS, and WhatsApp from the same knowledge, and every conversation lands in one shared inbox.
When a caller needs a person
Smith.ai lists human-agent backup behind its AI. Ruby’s callers reach a person from the first ring. InsertChat hands off to your own team: rules send a conversation to people when a customer asks for one or the assistant is unsure, with the transcript and an AI summary attached. InsertChat does not transfer live calls, so let your phone ring first and have the AI answer when nobody picks up.
Booking and setup
Our check of both pricing pages did not confirm how either service books appointments, so booking reads “Not verified” in the table; ask each vendor. InsertChat books into the built-in calendar, Google Calendar, Outlook, Calendly, or Cal.com, automatically or after your team approves, with reminders 72 and 24 hours before. Setup is self-serve: add your website and documents, pick a voice, and forward your number in the US or Canada.
Smith.ai, Ruby, or InsertChat?
Choose Smith.ai if
- You want to start free: Smith.ai lists 25 calls at no cost, then $3 per extra call.
- You want a bill that counts calls, so a ten-minute intake costs the same as a quick question.
- You want human agents as backup to the AI receptionist.
Choose Ruby if
- Every caller should hear a person, never software.
- Your volume fits a minute bundle, from 50 to 500 minutes on Ruby’s listed plans.
- You want people on your website chat too, from $143 for 10 chats.
Choose InsertChat if
- You want one assistant answering calls, website chat, email, SMS, and WhatsApp, instead of a phone product plus a chat plan.
- You want a flat starting price: Pro is $98 per month with 5,000 monthly AI credits, 3 assistants, and 3 seats.
- You want appointments booked into the built-in calendar, Google Calendar, Outlook, Calendly, or Cal.com, with reminders before each one.
- You want to try it on real calls first: Pro comes with a 7-day free trial with 500 credits.
Compare each one with InsertChat
InsertChat vs Ruby
Human receptionists and live chat agents, priced by minutes and by chats.
Ruby alternative
InsertChat pricing
Pro, Growth, Scale, and Enterprise plans with monthly AI credits, from $98 per month, plus a usage estimator for your own call and chat volume.
See plans and pricingOn their listed entry prices, yes. Smith.ai’s AI Receptionist is free for 25 calls and its Pro plan starts at $150 for 75 to 300 calls, while Ruby’s receptionist plans start at $250 for 50 minutes and reach $1,725 for 500. Ruby prices a person on every call; Smith.ai prices an AI answer with human backup.
Ruby’s pricing page describes a human service where people answer calls and chats, with optional AI enhancements at no extra cost. Smith.ai’s AI Receptionist answers with AI first and lists human-agent backup. InsertChat answers with AI from your business knowledge and hands conversations to your own team.
If you want AI to answer first, yes: InsertChat answers calls, website chat, email, SMS, and WhatsApp, books appointments, and routes conversations to your team in a shared inbox. It does not provide human receptionists or transfer live calls, so keep a live service if every caller must reach a person.
Ruby sells live chat staffed by people, from $143 for 10 chats to $520 for 50. Smith.ai’s AI Receptionist pricing lists voice, with SMS and email from Pro. InsertChat’s AI answers website chat on every plan, in the same inbox as calls. InsertChat Pro is $98 per month with 5,000 monthly AI credits for calls and messages.
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