How much does Ruby cost in 2026?
Ruby costs $250 a month for 50 receptionist minutes, $395 for 100 minutes, $720 for 200 minutes and $1,725 for 500 minutes. Every plan includes 24/7 live answering, with no setup or activation fees and no long-term contract. Minutes over your plan are billed at your plan's overage rate, which Ruby does not list on its pricing page.
| Ruby plan | Monthly price | Receptionist minutes | Cost per included minute |
|---|---|---|---|
| 50 minutes | $250 | 50 | $5.00 |
| 100 minutes | $395 | 100 | $3.95 |
| 200 minutes (most popular) | $720 | 200 | $3.60 |
| 500 minutes | $1,725 | 500 | $3.45 |
Ruby's receptionists are live people, and Ruby adds optional AI features to every plan at no extra cost. According to Ruby's billing FAQ, receptionist time is rounded up per call, so even a 10-second call counts against your minutes. Ruby also sells live website chat from $143 a month for 10 chats, or $115 when you add it to a receptionist plan.
For a side-by-side of Ruby's live answering and PepperSend's AI chat and text-back, see PepperSend vs Ruby.
How much does Smith.ai cost?
Smith.ai's live receptionist plans cost $300 a month for 30 calls, $810 for 90 calls and $2,100 for 300 calls, with overage of $11.50, $10.50 and $8.50 per call. Its AI Receptionist has a free plan with 25 calls a month ($3.00 per call after that) and paid plans from $150 a month for 75 calls. Both are sold month to month.
| Smith.ai plan | Type | Monthly price | Calls included | Extra calls |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free | AI | $0 | 25 | $3.00 |
| Pro | AI | $150 / $270 / $500 | 75 / 150 / 300 | $2.50 / $2.30 / $2.17 |
| Enterprise | AI | $500 / $800 | 300 / 500 | $2.17 / $2.10 |
| Starter | Live human | $300 | 30 | $11.50 |
| Basic | Live human | $810 | 90 | $10.50 |
| Pro | Live human | $2,100 | 300 | $8.50 |
Smith.ai bills by the call, not the minute. Its live plans have no setup fee, do not charge for spam calls as long as your forwarded line passes caller ID, and offer 10% off for a 12-month subscription. Several features cost extra per call on the live plans, such as appointment booking ($1.50) and call recording with transcription ($0.25). The AI Receptionist can hand complex calls to Smith.ai's live agents and needs 30 days' notice to cancel.
Compare Smith.ai with PepperSend feature by feature on PepperSend vs Smith.ai.
How much does Rosie cost?
Rosie costs $49 a month for 250 minutes (Professional), $149 a month for 1,000 minutes (Scale) and $299 a month for 2,000 minutes (Growth), with two months free on annual billing. Every plan has a 7-day free trial and can be canceled anytime. Rosie's terms say that if you go over your minutes, Rosie automatically moves you up to a higher plan.
| Rosie plan | Monthly price | AI minutes | Per included minute | Highlights |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Professional | $49 | 250 | about 20 cents | 24/7 answering, appointment links by text, spam detection, website chat widget |
| Scale | $149 | 1,000 | about 15 cents | Professional plus calendar booking, live and warm transfers, texts to callers during the call |
| Growth | $299 | 2,000 | about 15 cents | Scale plus waterfall transfers, custom agent training, white-glove onboarding |
Rosie answers in English and Spanish on every plan and bills minutes in 60-second increments, rounded up. Website texting is a separate add-on at $50 a month for 25 conversations, then $1 per conversation. Rosie's minute bundles are cheap per minute if most of your volume is voice calls.
See where each product fits on PepperSend vs Rosie.
How much do PATLive and Abby Connect cost?
PATLive, which answers only with live US receptionists, starts at $49 a month pay as you go at $2.99 per minute, or $99 a month for 50 minutes with extra minutes at $2.29. Abby Connect starts at $165 a month for 50 Abby Minutes, and an AI-answered minute counts as half an Abby Minute, so the same plan covers up to 100 AI minutes.
- PATLive: 100 minutes for $189, 200 minutes for $349 and 500 minutes for $759 a month, with extra minutes from $2.09 down to $1.79. No contracts, a 14-day free trial, and you pay only for time a receptionist is live on the call. Taxes and fees are extra.
- Abby Connect: 100 Abby Minutes for $329, 200 for $599 and 500 for $1,380 a month. Overage is billed at your plan's Abby Minute rate. Month to month, no setup fee, and a free trial on every plan.
What do other AI receptionists cost?
Most AI receptionists publish entry prices between $29 and $199 a month. Dialzara starts at $29 for 60 minutes, Goodcall at $79 for 100 unique callers, My AI Front Desk at $99 for 200 voice minutes ($79 billed annually), and PickupBell charges a flat $199 for unlimited calls.
- Dialzara: Business Lite $29 (60 minutes, $0.48 per extra minute), Business Pro $99 (220 minutes, $0.45), Business Plus $199 (500 minutes, $0.40) and Business Elite $349 (1,000 minutes, $0.35). No setup fee, no long-term contract.
- Goodcall: Starter $79 (100 unique callers, then 79 cents each), Growth $129 (500, then 26 cents) and Scale $299 (2,000, then 15 cents). A caller who rings five times in a month counts once, and minutes are never metered.
- My AI Front Desk: one plan that answers calls, $99 a month or $79 billed annually, with 200 voice minutes, 100 web chats and 400 texts. Extra voice minutes use 25 cents of credit each from a 1,000-credit monthly pool, and auto-reload adds 1,000 credits for $10.
- PickupBell: one flat plan at $199 a month with unlimited calls and minutes, no overage and no contract. It is built for HVAC and plumbing businesses.
If you want a plain-language overview of what these tools do on a call, read our AI receptionist guide.
Per-minute vs per-call vs flat pricing: which is cheaper?
Per-minute pricing (Ruby, PATLive, Abby Connect, Rosie, Dialzara) favors short calls. Per-call pricing (Smith.ai) favors long calls, because a 10-minute call costs the same as a 1-minute call. Flat or per-caller pricing (PickupBell, Goodcall) keeps your bill predictable, but you pay the same in a slow month.
Here is one extra 4-minute call, priced after you have used your plan's included time:
| Service and plan | Overage rate | Cost of a 4-minute call | Cost of a 10-minute call |
|---|---|---|---|
| PATLive, 50-minute plan | $2.29 per minute | $9.16 | $22.90 |
| Smith.ai Starter (live) | $11.50 per call | $11.50 | $11.50 |
| Smith.ai Pro, 75 calls (AI) | $2.50 per call | $2.50 | $2.50 |
| Dialzara Business Pro (AI) | $0.45 per minute | $1.80 | $4.50 |
| PepperSend AI voice | $0.40 per minute | $1.60 | $4.00 |
PepperSend bills differently for its main channels. Website chat is not metered at all, and missed-call text-back is billed per text at $0.03, so a missed call that turns into a 6-text conversation costs $0.18 in texts. AI voice is optional and billed at $0.40 per minute.
Which AI receptionists cost under $100 a month?
Based on published prices in October 2026, AI receptionist plans under $100 a month include Smith.ai's free plan (25 calls), Dialzara Business Lite ($29 for 60 minutes) and Business Pro ($99 for 220 minutes), Rosie Professional ($49 for 250 minutes), Goodcall Starter ($79 for 100 callers) and My AI Front Desk ($99, or $79 billed annually). PepperSend Pay-as-you-go is $15 a month plus usage.
The headline price matters less than what it includes. Sixty minutes covers about 20 three-minute calls, so a busy shop can outgrow a low-cost plan quickly. Check the overage rate before you pick the cheapest tier.
An honest note on voice. If you mainly want AI to answer phone calls by voice, a minute bundle such as Rosie's 250 minutes for $49 costs less per minute than PepperSend's $0.40 AI voice rate. PepperSend is built around AI website chat and missed-call text-back, where the usage costs are small: chat is included, and 1,000 texts on Pay-as-you-go add $30 to the $15 base.
Pay-as-you-go and no-contract options
Every service in this guide that states its terms sells month to month, with no long-term contract; Goodcall's pricing page does not say. True pay-as-you-go plans with a low base fee are rarer: PATLive pay as you go ($49 a month plus $2.99 per minute), Smith.ai's free AI plan ($3.00 per call after 25 calls) and PepperSend Pay-as-you-go ($15 a month plus usage).
- Annual discounts: Rosie gives two months free on annual billing, My AI Front Desk takes 20% off, and Smith.ai takes 10% off its live plans for a 12-month subscription.
- Notice periods: Smith.ai's AI Receptionist asks for 30 days' notice to cancel. Ruby and Smith.ai's live plans end at the close of the current monthly billing period.
- Unlimited plans: PickupBell is the only service here that sells unlimited calls and minutes at a flat price ($199 a month). Goodcall never meters minutes but charges per unique caller.
PepperSend has no contract and no setup fee. Pay-as-you-go includes no texts or minutes, so a quiet month costs $15 plus whatever you used, and AI website chat is included either way.
When a live human receptionist is worth the price
A live receptionist is worth paying for when callers need a person: sensitive or emotional calls, detailed intake, taking payments over the phone, or callers who will hang up on any automated system. PepperSend is AI only and has no live human agents. If you need a person answering your phone, Ruby, Smith.ai, PATLive or Abby Connect is the right fit.
AI makes more sense when most conversations are routine: hours, prices, service areas, booking requests and "can someone call me back?" That is where a low monthly cost beats paying several dollars per receptionist minute. Many businesses also use AI only where people are hardest to staff, such as nights and weekends. Our after-hours answering guide covers that setup, and the virtual receptionist guide explains how live and AI services differ day to day.
About 30% of business calls go unanswered, and 80% of callers who reach voicemail never call back. Whichever service you choose, the goal is that nobody hits a dead end.
How much does PepperSend cost?
PepperSend Pay-as-you-go is $15 a month plus $0.03 per text and $0.40 per minute of AI voice, with no texts or minutes included. Inferno is $249 a month with 1,000 texts and 600 AI voice minutes included, then the same rates. AI website chat is included on both plans and is not metered, there is no setup fee, and you can cancel anytime.
Your website answers. You get the lead. Here is what the price covers:
- AI website chat: a chat bubble you add with one line of code, a hosted chat link and a QR code. It answers from your business info and collects the visitor's contact details. Learn more about AI website chat.
- Missed-call text-back: PepperSend works with any phone provider or cell carrier that supports call forwarding. Forward your unanswered and busy calls to your PepperSend number. You keep your number and your provider. Callers get a text from your PepperSend toll-free number, which is Toll-Free Verified.
- AI voice (optional): request it in your dashboard and PepperSend approves it. Billed at $0.40 per minute, or from Inferno's 600 included minutes.
- Straightforward AI: the AI identifies itself as an AI assistant and hands you the lead.
- Optional CRM integration: a $2,000 one-time custom add-on, available on either plan.
Full plan details are on the PepperSend pricing page.
How we checked these prices
Every price on this page comes from the vendor's own public pricing page, checked on October 10, 2026. Prices change often, so confirm with the vendor before you buy. Where a vendor does not publish a number, such as Ruby's overage rate, we say so instead of guessing.
- Ruby plans and pricing (overage and contract terms from Ruby's FAQ)
- Smith.ai receptionist pricing and Smith.ai AI Receptionist pricing
- Rosie pricing (overage rule from Rosie's terms of service)
- PATLive pricing
- Abby Connect pricing
- Dialzara pricing
- Goodcall pricing
- My AI Front Desk pricing
- PickupBell pricing
Not listed: AnswerConnect shows prices only after you submit a contact form. VoiceNation's pricing page redirected to Moneypenny's US pricing page when we checked. We could not load a pricing page for Southern Voices.