Comparison
Ruby alternatives: 6 options compared
The main reason to look past Ruby is in its plans: live receptionists billed by the minute cost a lot, $720 a month at 75 two-minute calls (October 2026). The complaints on its Trustpilot page are mostly about minutes too, from spam using them up to being told to move to a bigger plan. The question is how much of the human touch you need to keep.
Below, six alternatives with what each would cost at that volume, who each suits, and the catch. Smith.ai is the one that still offers live receptionists; the rest are AI answering services, which cost a fraction of Ruby's price but put no person on the line.
The alternatives at a glance
| Service | Best for | Entry price | At 75 calls | Books and puts calls through at that price? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Juney | Answering and booking for a fraction of the price | $49 a month for 150 minutes | $49 | Yes |
| Smith.ai | Keeping a person in reach for less | Free for 25 calls | $150 | Yes |
| Rosie | Spanish and an app, on an AI plan | $49 a month for 250 minutes | $49 | Booking links by text; no booking or transfers |
| Goodcall | Long calls without a minute meter | $79 a month for 100 different callers | $79 | Yes |
| Beside | An app-first service that also answers texts | $29 a month for 30 calls | $99 | Yes |
| Upfirst | Many languages, billed per call | $24.95 a month for 30 calls | $59.95 | Yes |
US dollars a month, from each service's own pricing page (checked October 22, 2026). 75 calls of 2 minutes, on the cheapest plan for that month, before tax and carrier charges.
Why do people look for a Ruby alternative?
Ruby's service is well reviewed: 4.5 out of 5 from 853 reviews on Trustpilot (October 2026), with praise for friendly, professional receptionists. The complaints that come up are about minutes: spam and robocalls using them up, being told to move to a bigger plan, and some calls connecting to silence.
The billing explains most of it. Every call is rounded up to the next minute and hold time counts, so a call of a minute and ten seconds uses two. Extra minutes are charged at a rate Ruby doesn't publish, which pushes busy businesses to the next plan: $395, then $720, then $1,725.
When to stay with Ruby: your callers expect a real person, you need Spanish answered by a person, or receptionists take payments, run intake or make calls for you. None of the AI services below do those things the same way.
The 6 alternatives
Juney: best for answering and booking for a fraction of the price
It replaces Ruby's receptionists with AI, at a different scale of price: $49 a month for 150 minutes, then top-ups of 100 minutes for $20, so 75 two-minute calls cost $49 where Ruby's plan for them is $720. Both count minutes and both run from a phone app, but Juney's app is also where you set it up, with no scripts to arrange with staff. Choose Ring me first and the Juney app rings you for about 15 seconds on Juney's timer. It also works with UK and Australian numbers.
The catch: no live receptionists, English only, Google Calendar only, and no payments or intake by a person.
Smith.ai: best for keeping a person in reach for less
Smith.ai is the closest step down from Ruby that keeps a person in reach: its Hybrid plans let AI answer most calls and pass the ones that need a person to live receptionists, from about $2.50 a call, and its human plans start at $300 a month for 30 calls. AI-only plans start free for 25 calls; the $150 in the table is the AI-only bill at 75 calls. Spanish is included, and it links to Clio, Salesforce and HubSpot.
The catch: billed per call, with 30 days' notice to cancel AI and Hybrid plans, and no phone app like Ruby's.
Rosie: best for spanish and an app, on an AI plan
Rosie keeps two things Ruby customers like: callers are answered in English or Spanish on every plan, and there's a native iPhone and Android app for calls and settings. It's $49 a month for 250 minutes, so 75 calls cost $49, and you can use your carrier's no-answer forwarding to send it missed calls.
The catch: it's AI, its $49 plan doesn't book or transfer (both start at $149), and going over your minutes moves you up a plan.
Goodcall: best for long calls without a minute meter
Goodcall suits a business whose Ruby minutes went on long calls. It has no minute meter: it counts different callers, $79 a month for 100 different callers, so a long quote call costs no more than a quick question. A month of 75 calls from about 60 people is $79. Bookings go into Google Calendar, transfers try up to three people, and it can pick up missed calls through your carrier's no-answer forwarding.
The catch: AI only, English only, and a demo agent where Ruby offers first-time customers their money back.
Beside: best for an app-first service that also answers texts
Beside is run from a phone app, as a Ruby account is, but AI takes the calls instead of receptionists, and it replies to inbound texts too. A flat price replaces Ruby's minutes: $29 for 30 AI-answered calls, or $99 with no cap, so a 75-call month is $99 against $720. Its app can ring you before the AI answers, and it links to HubSpot, Salesforce and other CRMs.
The catch: no people at all, US and Canadian lines only, and the $29 plan bills from the first day.
Upfirst: best for many languages, billed per call
Upfirst trades Ruby's people for AI in 35+ languages, where Ruby offers English with Spanish bilingual service. It bills per call, not in 60-second increments: $24.95 a month for 30 calls, so 75 calls cost $59.95, and spam, silent calls and calls under 15 seconds don't count, which helps if junk calls were eating your Ruby minutes. It books into Google, Outlook, Calendly, Acuity, Square or Clio, and its overflow setting takes calls your carrier forwards when you don't answer.
The catch: AI only, and set up on the web with no app.
Which Ruby alternative should you pick?
- You still want a person on some calls: Smith.ai's Hybrid plans.
- You want the calls answered and booked for the least money: Juney, set up on your phone, with Ring me first ringing you in the Juney app.
- Your callers speak Spanish: Rosie, or Smith.ai.
- Your calls run long: Goodcall, with unlimited minutes.
- Spam was eating your minutes: Upfirst, which doesn't bill spam or very short calls.
AI vs Human Answering Service Cost compares human and AI plans call by call, and What's the Best AI Answering Service for a Small Business in 2026? weighs the AI options on seven checks.
How do you switch from Ruby?
- Look up last month's minutes in the Ruby app, then price each option at that volume.
- Start the new service's trial while Ruby is still answering.
- Test it with the calls your receptionists handle most: a booking, a price question, an urgent job, an upset customer.
- If Ruby hosts your ported number, move it to a carrier first; otherwise change your forwarding to the new service.
- Watch the first week's call notes and fix anything it got wrong.
- Cancel Ruby by phone or email; it takes effect at the end of the billing period.
Frequently asked questions
What's a cheaper alternative to Ruby Receptionists?
Any AI answering service costs far less. At 75 two-minute calls (October 2026), Ruby costs $720; Juney costs $49, Upfirst $59.95 and Goodcall $79. None of them puts a person on the line.
Is there a Ruby alternative with live receptionists?
Smith.ai has human receptionist plans and Hybrid plans where AI answers most calls and live receptionists take the rest. Juney, Rosie, Goodcall, Beside and Upfirst are AI only.
Can I still answer my own calls if I leave Ruby?
Yes. Juney and Beside can ring you in their apps. Rosie, Goodcall and Upfirst can receive all forwarded calls, or use carrier no-answer forwarding if you want to answer before them, as with Ruby on your own carrier.
Can I keep my number if I leave Ruby?
Yes. If you forward your number to Ruby, point the forwarding at the new service. If Ruby hosts your number after a port, port it back to a carrier first; Juney works by forwarding, so customers keep ringing the same number.
