Smith.ai (human-staffed plans) runs $300 to $2,100 a month for 30 to 300 calls, about $7 to $10 per call. Ruby runs $250 to $1,725 a month for 50 to 500 minutes, about $3.45 to $5.00 per minute. They cost the same when calls average about 2 to 2.5 minutes: shorter calls favor Ruby, longer calls favor Smith.ai. A dedicated full-time receptionist through VirtuHire US runs $1,200 to $2,400 a month, which buys the same as roughly 127 to 335 Smith.ai calls. Above about six calls a business day, the dedicated seat is usually cheaper, and it can dispatch, schedule and follow up between calls. Answering services still win on 24/7 coverage and very low volume.
Disclosure: VirtuHire US publishes this guide, and we sell dedicated receptionists, not an answering service. Competitor prices are copied from their own pricing pages and dated; where a provider does not publish something, we say so rather than guess.
Smith.ai vs Ruby vs VirtuHire US, side by side
| Smith.ai | Ruby | VirtuHire US | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What you buy | Shared answering service | Shared answering service | One dedicated full-time receptionist |
| Pricing model | Per call | Per minute | Flat monthly rate |
| Monthly cost | $300 to $2,100 (30 to 300 calls) | $250 to $1,725 (50 to 500 minutes) | $1,200 to $2,400, no per-call charge |
| Effective unit cost | ~$7 to $10 per call | ~$3.45 to $5.00 per minute | Falls as your call volume rises |
| Coverage | 24/7 | 24/7 | Your US business hours or an evening shift; one person, one shift |
| Where answerers are based | US (advertises "no overseas agents") | Not stated on pricing page | South Africa, native English, recruited for your US hours |
| Work between calls | Call handling and intake | Call handling, scheduling, intake | Dispatch, scheduling, CRM updates, quotes, follow-ups |
| Knows your business over time | Shared team, per-account instructions | Shared team, per-account instructions | Yes, the same person every day |
| Fees and guarantees | No setup fee, 30-day money-back | No setup or onboarding fees | No recruitment fee, 30-day replacement |
Short version: Smith.ai and Ruby are the better buy for low volume or true round-the-clock answering. VirtuHire US is the better buy once you take more than about six calls a business day and want someone who also runs the work behind the calls.
What Smith.ai charges
Smith.ai prices its human-staffed receptionist plans by the number of calls handled each month, with a per-call overage above the plan. Prices below are from Smith.ai's published pricing page, checked October 4, 2026. Smith.ai also sells cheaper AI-first plans; this guide compares only the human-staffed plans.
| Plan | Calls included | Monthly price | Effective per call | Overage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starter | 30 | $300 | $10.00 | $11.50 per call |
| Basic | 90 | $810 | $9.00 | $10.50 per call |
| Pro | 300 | $2,100 | $7.00 | $8.50 per call |
| Enterprise | Custom | Quoted | n/a | Quoted |
Smith.ai advertises live agents 24/7, a 30-day money-back guarantee, no setup fees and no overseas agents. If US-based answering matters to your business, that is a real reason to choose them.
What Ruby charges
Ruby prices its virtual receptionist plans by receptionist minutes per month. Every plan carries the same features; only the minutes change. Prices below are from Ruby's published pricing page, checked October 4, 2026. Ruby offers larger plans on request, and its pricing page does not publish a per-minute overage rate.
| Plan | Minutes included | Monthly price | Effective per minute |
|---|---|---|---|
| 50 minutes | 50 | $250 | $5.00 |
| 100 minutes | 100 | $395 | $3.95 |
| 200 minutes | 200 | $720 | $3.60 |
| 500 minutes | 500 | $1,725 | $3.45 |
Ruby includes 24/7 live answering, Spanish and bilingual call handling, scheduling and intake in every plan.
Per call or per minute: which is cheaper?
The two services bill differently, so the cheaper one depends on how long your calls run. Comparing similar plan sizes, Smith.ai at $9.00 per call (Basic) costs the same as Ruby at $3.60 per minute (200 minutes) when calls average 2.5 minutes. At the small and large ends the crossover is about 2 minutes ($10.00 per call vs $5.00 per minute; $7.00 per call vs $3.45 per minute).
- Short calls (quick questions, message-taking, transfers): per-minute billing usually comes out cheaper, so Ruby tends to win.
- Longer calls (intake, booking a job, qualifying a lead): per-call billing usually comes out cheaper, so Smith.ai tends to win.
Pull your average call length from your phone system before you choose. It decides more of the bill than the plan name does.
The third option: a dedicated receptionist
An answering service shares its agents across many businesses and bills you for the calls or minutes they handle. A dedicated receptionist works only for you, on your line, for your whole shift. Through VirtuHire US, a full-time South African receptionist runs $1,200 to $2,400 a month, all inclusive, recruited for your US hours, with payroll and compliance handled on our side as employer of record and no recruitment fee.
The difference is not only price. Between calls a dedicated receptionist can dispatch jobs, book appointments, update your CRM, send quotes and chase follow-ups, and they learn your pricing and your customers over time.
When a dedicated receptionist costs less
The table shows how much answering-service capacity the same monthly budget buys. Smith.ai figures use the cheapest plan-plus-overage mix for each budget; the per-day figure assumes about 21.7 business days a month.
| Monthly budget | Smith.ai buys about | Per business day | Dedicated receptionist |
|---|---|---|---|
| $1,200 | 127 calls (Basic + 37 overage calls) | ~6 calls | Full-time, one shift |
| $2,400 | 335 calls (Pro + 35 overage calls) | ~15 calls | Full-time, one shift |
On minutes, Ruby's largest published plan (500 minutes for $1,725) sits inside the same price band and covers about 8.3 hours of talk time a month. A full-time receptionist is on your line for a full working month, about 170 hours at 40 hours a week.
Rule of thumb: below about six calls a business day, an answering service is usually cheaper. Above that, a dedicated receptionist usually costs the same or less, and does more.
When an answering service is the better choice
- Low volume. A few calls a day costs less on a starter answering plan than on any full-time hire.
- True 24/7 coverage. Smith.ai and Ruby answer around the clock. One dedicated receptionist covers one shift. We recruit for evening shifts too, but overnight and weekend coverage takes more than one person.
- You want US-based agents. Smith.ai advertises no overseas agents. If that matters to you, it is a legitimate reason to pay their rate.
- Bilingual answering on day one. Ruby includes Spanish and bilingual handling in every plan.
Many businesses combine the two: a dedicated receptionist during business hours and an answering service for after-hours overflow.
How we built this guide
Smith.ai prices are from its human-first receptionist pricing (smith.ai/pricing/receptionists) and Ruby prices from its virtual receptionist plans (ruby.com/plans-and-pricing), both checked in a browser on October 4, 2026. Per-call, per-minute, crossover and break-even figures are our arithmetic from those published prices. VirtuHire US receptionist rates are our own current band. Both providers change plans from time to time, so verify current pricing directly before you budget against it.
Frequently asked questions
How much does Smith.ai cost?
Smith.ai's human-staffed receptionist plans run $300 a month for 30 calls, $810 for 90 calls and $2,100 for 300 calls, with overage of $8.50 to $11.50 per call and custom enterprise pricing (checked October 4, 2026). That works out to about $7 to $10 per call.
How much does Ruby cost?
Ruby's virtual receptionist plans run $250 a month for 50 minutes, $395 for 100 minutes, $720 for 200 minutes and $1,725 for 500 minutes, with larger plans on request (checked October 4, 2026). That works out to about $3.45 to $5.00 per minute.
Is Smith.ai or Ruby cheaper?
It depends on call length. Smith.ai bills per call and Ruby bills per minute, so they cost about the same when calls average 2 to 2.5 minutes. Shorter calls usually come out cheaper on Ruby; longer calls usually come out cheaper on Smith.ai.
When is a dedicated receptionist cheaper than an answering service?
Usually above about six calls a business day. A dedicated full-time receptionist through VirtuHire US runs $1,200 to $2,400 a month, which buys the same as roughly 127 to 335 Smith.ai calls, and the receptionist can dispatch, schedule and follow up between calls.
How does VirtuHire US compare to Smith.ai and Ruby?
Smith.ai and Ruby are shared answering services billed per call or per minute, with 24/7 coverage. VirtuHire US places one dedicated, native-English receptionist from South Africa who works your US hours for a flat $1,200 to $2,400 a month and handles dispatch, scheduling and follow-up between calls. Above about six calls a business day, the dedicated seat usually costs less.
Is VirtuHire US an answering service?
No. VirtuHire US places a dedicated full-time employee who works only for your business, recruited for your hours and your phone system, with payroll and compliance handled as employer of record. An answering service shares its agents across many businesses.
Can a dedicated offshore receptionist cover after hours?
They are recruited for your US hours, including evening shifts. One person covers one shift, though, so true 24/7 coverage needs either more people or an answering service for overnight and weekends.
Does VirtuHire US charge a placement fee?
No. There is no recruitment or placement fee. One monthly rate covers payroll, tax, HR and compliance as employer of record, with a 30-day replacement if the receptionist is not a fit.
Related reading
- Virtual receptionist cost in 2026: answering service vs US in-house vs dedicated offshore.
- Offshore virtual receptionist: what the dedicated seat covers.
- Receptionist and scheduling for home services: phones, booking and dispatch.
- HVAC virtual assistants: answering, dispatch and follow-up for HVAC companies.
- VirtuHire US pricing: the full role-by-role rate band.
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