You are under a sink, the phone buzzes on the tailgate, and the caller is already dialing the next name on the list. A virtual receptionist is the usual fix, and the phrase covers more than one kind of product. This page sorts them out.
What a virtual receptionist is
The classic version is remote staff. They work somewhere else, they pick up when your number rings, and they greet callers with your company name. Ruby describes trained, US-based receptionists for calls and chat. Smith.ai describes live answering around the clock. You never see them, and the caller usually cannot tell.
They take a message, answer from the script you gave them, and some will book a visit or send the caller on to you. A newer kind of virtual receptionist is software. It answers a call or a text with an AI instead of a person. Both are sold under the same two words, which is why prices and promises look so different from one search result to the next.
How Ruby and Smith.ai bill
Prices read October 2026 on each company's own pages. Plans change, so get a quote in writing. The wider picture is on our AI receptionist pricing page.
| Service | What is counted | Published price | Extras to ask about | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ruby | Receptionist minutes in a monthly plan. | $250 a month for 50 minutes up to $1,725 for 500. | Live chat is billed apart, $143 to $520 a month, or bundled at 20% off. Extra minutes are charged at your plan's rate. | Ruby pricing |
| Smith.ai live | Answered calls in a monthly block. | $300 a month for 30 calls, $810 for 90, $2,100 for 300. | Booking a visit adds $1.50 a call. Text and email follow-up are priced extras. | Smith.ai live plans |
Both are month to month, and neither lists a setup fee. Ruby covers 24/7/365, holidays included. First-time Ruby customers can ask for a refund within 21 days or before 500 minutes or 50 chats, whichever comes first. Smith.ai lists a money-back guarantee for new live-plan clients, capped at $1,000 with overage left out, and it bills through the current cycle if you cancel. Our Ruby page and Smith.ai page have the full rows.
One made-up month, priced both ways
This is a made-up example, not a forecast. Say a shop gets 25 calls in a month and each runs about two minutes. That is 50 minutes in all, which sits exactly on Ruby's $250 plan. On Smith.ai the 25 calls fit inside the 30-call block at $300, and if every call ends in a booking, $1.50 each adds $37.50. Push the same shop to 35 calls and it passes Smith.ai's 30-call block. We cannot price the same jump at Ruby, because its in-between plans are not on the pages we checked. Put your own call log through it before you trust any number here. The missed call calculator weighs a plan against the jobs you lose.
Where an AI virtual receptionist fits a trade shop
Our view, and we sell one: a trade owner mostly loses jobs in a narrow place. The phone rings while both hands are busy, the caller does not leave a message, and the next shop gets the job. A remote person solves that if you pay for a person to sit on your line. An AI solves it by replying to every call, text and form within seconds, with no per-minute charges. The what is an AI receptionist guide goes through how that works, and the best AI receptionist comparison lists the other AI products and what they cost, while AI answering service vs live puts a person and software side by side on price, on what each call ends with and on where each one still wins.
We make SvarKlar, so weigh this part with that in mind. Frederik, the founder, sets it up and runs it for your shop. SvarKlar answers your calls, and a caller you missed gets a text within seconds. Each reply sorts out the job and books the visit or the callback. You choose whether replies send themselves or wait for your okay, and whether they carry your name. Ask it straight and it says it is an AI. It does not dispatch, and it is not a person on a headset. $295 a month. Setup free. Cancel any time.
Where a person still wins
A fair comparison needs a row where the other side comes out ahead. These are the cases where we would send you to a live service.
| When this matters | Person on the line | AI employee |
|---|---|---|
| A caller must reach a voice | Every call is answered by someone who speaks, on any plan. | Text is the default at SvarKlar today, so a voice-only caller is better served by a live plan. |
| A caller is upset or unsure | A trained person can listen and judge the tone on the spot. | It sorts the job and passes odd cases to you, but it cannot match a calm human voice. |
| Your call volume is low and steady | A small plan covers it, and the bill follows what you use. | $295 a month is the same in a slow month and a busy one. |
| Volume jumps without warning | Each extra minute or call can raise the bill. | Replies go out in seconds however many arrive, with a review if use changes a lot. |
Questions to ask before you sign
- What does a caller hear on a gas smell or a carbon monoxide alarm? The first words should tell them to get out and call the gas company or 911 from outside. Ask for the wording in writing. At SvarKlar the reply opens that way once you set your emergency rules in the Portal.
- Is the plan counted in minutes or calls, and what does the next one past your limit cost?
- Who is on the line, where do they work, and are they trained on trades like yours?
- Can they book a visit on your calendar, and is that an extra charge?
- How do you leave, and what do you owe for the month you cancel in?
Then call your own number from a phone that is not yours, and listen to what a stranger hears.
Questions
What does a virtual receptionist cost?
On the plans we checked in October 2026, Ruby runs $250 to $1,725 a month and Smith.ai live runs $300 to $2,100. An AI employee from SvarKlar is $295 a month with free setup. Your call count decides which meter costs less.
Is a virtual receptionist a real person?
Often, yes. Ruby and Smith.ai both sell remote human staff. The words also cover AI products, so ask the vendor in plain terms who or what answers.
Can a virtual receptionist book jobs?
Some can. Smith.ai charges $1.50 a call for booking, and Ruby says its receptionists book and manage appointments. Ask whether the booking lands on your own calendar.
Will callers know it is not my office?
A live service answers under your business name, so most will not notice. SvarKlar says it is an AI if a caller asks.
Missed calls cost a trade shop more than a monthly plan does. Book a call to get started or see all comparisons.
Sources
- Ruby plans and pricing, checked October 2026
- Ruby FAQs, checked October 2026
- Ruby live receptionists, checked October 2026
- Ruby money-back guarantee terms, checked October 2026
- Smith.ai live receptionist plans, checked October 2026
- Smith.ai money-back guarantee terms, checked October 2026