Ruby Receptionists built its name on real, friendly humans answering your phone — and that human touch comes at a human price. Once the monthly bill climbs past a few hundred dollars, a lot of small businesses go looking for a Ruby alternative that still catches every call. Here's an honest look at what Ruby costs in 2026, where its live receptionists are still worth it, and where a low-base, pay-per-use AI receptionist like ReadyToTalk is the far cheaper option.
The quick answer
Ruby bills by live receptionist minutes. Its plans run from about $250/month for 50 minutes up to $1,725/month for 500 minutes — roughly $3.45–$5.00 per minute — with overage above your bundle. ReadyToTalk is the low-cost alternative: $39/month base plus pay-per-use ($0.20–$0.25/minute of AI answering), well under $1 a minute, with no four-figure plans. If you need 100% live human receptionists, Ruby wins. If you want every call answered at a low, transparent price, RTT does.
What Ruby Receptionists costs in 2026
Ruby's virtual receptionist plans are bundled by minutes of live receptionist time; go over and you pay a per-minute overage (figures below are from ruby.com at the time of writing — check their site for current numbers):
| Ruby plan | Price | Effective per-minute |
|---|---|---|
| 50 minutes | ~$250 / mo | ~$5.00 / min |
| 100 minutes | ~$395 / mo | ~$3.95 / min |
| 200 minutes | ~$720 / mo | ~$3.60 / min |
| 500 minutes | ~$1,725 / mo | ~$3.45 / min |
The catch with minute bundles is the same one you get with per-minute answering services: a busy month is also your most expensive month, and every minute of a slow, spammy, or wrong-number call still comes off the bundle. See the full breakdown in our answering service pricing guide.
Where Ruby is still the right pick
Credit where it's due. Ruby is the established name in 100% live, human virtual reception, with well-trained receptionists, a polished mobile app, and options like HIPAA-compliant service, bilingual live answering, and client intake. If your calls genuinely need a real person handling nuanced, judgment-heavy conversations — and you're willing to pay live-agent rates for it — Ruby earns its higher price.
Where ReadyToTalk wins
ReadyToTalk is AI-only, and it leans into that: no live-agent labor means no per-minute human bill. For the core job most businesses hire a receptionist for — answer every call 24/7, understand the caller, answer common questions, route the call, and capture who called and why — RTT does it for a low base plus cheap per-minute usage.
- $39/month base — a dedicated number plus white-glove setup, not a minute bundle.
- $0.20–$0.25/minute of AI answering — pay only for what you use, no four-figure plans, no per-agent markup.
- White-glove setup included (free through our first 50 customers), no credit card to try it, no long-term contract.
- Understands and answers in 30+ languages, 24/7.
ReadyToTalk vs. Ruby at a glance
| ReadyToTalk | Ruby Receptionists | |
|---|---|---|
| Billing model | Low monthly base + per-minute usage | Live-minute bundles |
| Entry price | $39 / mo | ~$250 / mo (50 min) |
| Per-minute cost | $0.20–$0.25 (AI) | ~$3.45–$5.00 (live human) |
| Who answers | AI | Live human receptionists |
| Setup fee | None (white-glove included) | None advertised |
Weighing more than two options? Our best AI receptionists compared guide lines up the main players side by side, and the virtual receptionist pricing guide covers the human-service math in detail. Cross-shopping the AI options? Compare our Goodcall alternative and Smith.ai alternative.
Which one should you choose?
If you need real people handling open-ended, high-stakes calls and you're comfortable paying live-agent rates, stay with Ruby. If you mostly need every call answered, qualified, and routed — without a per-minute human meter running or a four-figure monthly plan — a $39/month base plus low per-minute usage is the cheaper Ruby alternative. Run your own numbers through the ROI calculator to see where you land.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best Ruby Receptionists alternative?
For low-cost call answering, ReadyToTalk — $39/month base plus low per-minute usage ($0.20–$0.25/min) versus Ruby's $250–$1,725/month live-minute bundles. Ruby is the better fit only if you specifically need 100% live human receptionists.
How much does Ruby Receptionists cost?
As of 2026, Ruby's plans run about $250/month for 50 minutes up to $1,725/month for 500 minutes — roughly $3.45–$5.00 per receptionist minute, with per-minute overage above your bundle. Check ruby.com for current pricing.
Is there a cheaper alternative to Ruby?
Yes — an AI receptionist avoids the live-agent labor cost. ReadyToTalk is $39/month base plus low per-minute usage ($0.20–$0.25/min), well under $1 a minute, with no setup fee and no credit card to try it.
The real question isn't which service is cheapest on paper — it's whether every call really needs a live human on the meter. Hear what your AI receptionist sounds like — $39/month base, no credit card needed.