Comparison
Juney vs Ruby: price, people and who each one suits
Ruby is a human answering service: live receptionists answer every call, 24/7, and plans are sold by the minute, from $250 a month for 50 minutes. Juney is an AI answering service (an AI receptionist) that you set up and run in a phone app: $49 a month for 150 minutes, then top-ups of 100 minutes for $20.
The short answer: pick Ruby if your callers expect a real person, speak Spanish, or need a receptionist to take payments or detailed intake. Pick Juney if you mainly need calls answered, jobs booked and urgent callers put through: at 75 calls a month it's $49 against Ruby's $720.
Juney and Ruby at a glance
| Compared on | Juney | Ruby |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | AI answering service in a phone app | Human receptionists |
| Entry price | $49 a month for 150 minutes | $250 a month for 50 minutes |
| Billing | By the minute: a monthly allowance, then top-ups | Per minute (human receptionists), in 60-second increments |
| Past the allowance | Top-ups: $20 per 100 minutes, no expiry | Not published |
| Free trial | 7 days with 50 minutes | Money-back guarantee for first-time customers (21 days or 500 minutes) |
| Contract and fees | No contract, no setup fee | No long-term contract or setup fees; canceling takes effect at the end of the billing period |
| Set up and run on | A phone app for iPhone and Android; no web dashboard | Native iPhone and Android app for calls, routing and settings |
| Booking | Books, moves and cancels in Google Calendar, on every plan | Scheduling available |
| Putting callers through | Puts urgent callers through to a number you choose, on every plan | Yes, by live receptionists |
| Live people | No live receptionists; Ring me first rings you in the Juney app | Yes: human receptionists on every call |
| Rings you before the AI answers | Yes. Ring me first rings you in the Juney app for about 15 seconds | Ruby-hosted number: rings you, then Ruby; own carrier: no-answer forwarding |
| Your number | Keep your number and your provider; calls are forwarded | Forward all calls, or on busy/no answer, from your carrier; or use a Ruby-hosted number |
| Languages | English, with American, British or Australian voices | English; Spanish bilingual service (its FAQ gives both 24/7 and weekday hours) |
| Countries | United States, United Kingdom, Australia and Canada | US, Canada and the US Caribbean |
| Texts | Calls only: it sends booking links and follow-ups by text | Calls and texts in the app |
| CRM | None | Lists 5,000+ integrations on its pricing page |
From each service's own pages, checked October 22, 2026. “Not stated” means we didn't find it, not that the answer is no. Sources on Ruby's site: Pricing, FAQs.
What would you pay each month?
| Service | 30 calls (60 min) | 75 calls (150 min) | 150 calls (300 min) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Juney | $49 | $49 | $89 |
| Ruby | $395 | $720 | $1,725 |
US dollars a month, as of October 22, 2026. Calls average 2 minutes and each bill uses the cheapest plan for that month, before tax and carrier charges. A note under a price means that plan doesn't both book and put callers through.
Which should you pick?
Pick Ruby if…
- Your callers expect a person. Ruby's receptionists answer every call live; Juney is AI only, and callers know they're speaking with your AI assistant.
- Callers speak Spanish. Ruby includes Spanish bilingual service at no extra cost, though its FAQ gives both 24/7 and weekday hours for it, so confirm the hours with Ruby. Juney speaks English only.
- A call needs judgment or paperwork. Ruby's receptionists can take payments, run client intake and make outbound calls for you. Juney answers questions, books, takes messages and puts callers through.
- You want live chat on your website as well. Ruby's receptionists also answer website chats, from $143 a month for 10 chats. Juney handles calls only.
Pick Juney if…
- Cost matters more than a human voice. At 30, 75 and 150 two-minute calls Juney is $49, $49 and $89; Ruby is $395, $720 and $1,725.
- You want jobs booked into your calendar. Juney books, moves and cancels in Google Calendar while the caller is on the line. Ruby offers scheduling, after checking your calendar system fits its guidelines.
- You'd rather set it up yourself, today, from your phone. Juney's setup is in the app and includes a test call you make yourself before any customer reaches her; Ruby's call handling is arranged with its staff.
- Your business is in the UK or Australia. Juney works with business numbers in the US, UK, Australia and Canada; Ruby serves the US, Canada and the US Caribbean.
How do Juney and Ruby differ?
The main difference is people against AI, and the price follows from it. Both answer around the clock, both have a native app, and offer different ways to take calls before they answer. They differ on who answers, how minutes are counted, and how you set them up.
Live receptionists against an AI receptionist
Ruby's receptionists are real people, trained to answer in your business's name, take messages, schedule, put calls through to you wherever you are, and handle Spanish-speaking callers. Ruby uses AI behind the scenes to support them, at no extra cost, but a person is on every call. That's what you pay for, and for a law office, a clinic or a business whose regulars hang up on a machine, it can be worth it.
Juney is AI. She answers in your business name using what she learned from your website and your own answers, books into Google Calendar, texts a booking link, takes messages, and puts urgent callers through to a number you choose. There's no staffed backup behind her.
How each counts minutes
Ruby bills receptionist minutes in 60-second increments, rounding each call up, so a 10-second call counts as a full minute. Hold time counts; time after a call is put through to you or your voicemail doesn't. Go over your plan and the extra minutes are billed at that plan's own rate, which Ruby doesn't publish; its app alerts you at 85% and 100% of your minutes.
Juney's plan is 150 minutes, then top-ups of 100 minutes for $20, bought in the app, and calls you answer yourself, or from numbers you've blocked, don't use any.
Taking the call yourself first
As of October 2026, Ruby's help asks owners to use busy or no-answer forwarding on their own carrier, so the carrier controls when calls go to Ruby. A Ruby-hosted number can ring you and roll over to Ruby through its app or portal (Ruby help, January 2025). Juney forwards all calls and Ring me first rings you in the Juney app for about 15 seconds. Can I Still Answer My Own Calls With an AI Answering Service? covers how that works.
Setting it up
Ruby's onboarding team works out your call handling with you, and the Ruby app (4.8 out of 5 from 338 ratings on the App Store, October 2026) covers calls, messages, availability and routing afterwards. Juney is set up in the app in a few minutes: she reads your website, you check what she learned, choose what she does for each kind of call, call her yourself to hear her, then forward your calls.
How do the bills add up?
Ruby's plans are $250 for 50 minutes, $395 for 100, $720 for 200 and $1,725 for 500. Because its overage rates aren't published, we price the smallest plan that covers the month: $395 at 30 two-minute calls, $720 at 75 and $1,725 at 150. That's about $9.60 a call at 75 calls, before rounding.
Juney is $49 at 30 and 75 calls and $89 at 150, where 300 minutes takes two $20 top-ups on top of the 150 included. AI vs Human Answering Service Cost prices human and AI plans side by side.
How do you switch from Ruby to Juney?
- Try Juney before you call Ruby. Her 7-day free trial has 50 minutes of answering, and Ruby's receptionists keep taking your calls while you set her up and test her.
- Set Juney up in the app. Link your website, check her answers, and call her yourself to hear how she handles a booking and an urgent job.
- Check where your number lives. If you used carrier busy or no-answer forwarding for Ruby, cancel those rules first. If Ruby hosts your number after a port, move it back to a carrier, because Juney works by forwarding and doesn't port.
- Move your calls and choose who rings first. Follow Juney's carrier steps to forward all calls and check the line. Turn on Ring me first if you'd like the app to ring you.
- Give Ruby notice. Cancel by phone or email; it takes effect at the end of the billing period.
Frequently asked questions
Is Ruby an AI receptionist?
No. Ruby is a human answering service: live receptionists answer every call, with AI tools supporting them behind the scenes. Juney is an AI answering service, with Ring me first, which rings you in the Juney app.
Is Ruby more expensive than Juney?
Yes, by a wide margin. With two-minute calls in October 2026, Ruby costs $395 at 30 calls, $720 at 75 and $1,725 at 150, against Juney's $49, $49 and $89. Ruby's price pays for a person on every call.
How does Ruby count minutes?
In 60-second increments, with each call rounded up, so a 10-second call is billed as a minute. Hold time counts. Minutes past your plan are billed at the plan's own overage rate, which Ruby doesn't publish (October 2026).
Does Juney have live receptionists like Ruby?
No. Juney has no staffed backup. Ring me first rings you in the Juney app for about 15 seconds before she answers, so you take the calls you're free for, and she can put urgent callers through to a number you choose.
Can I try Ruby before committing?
Ruby offers first-time customers a full refund if they cancel within 21 days or before using 500 minutes, whichever comes first. Juney has a 7-day free trial with 50 minutes and no contract.
