Ruby Receptionists alternative
The Ruby alternative that answers 24/7 for $19 a month.
Ruby's receptionists are excellent and cost about $5 a minute. Ody's receptionist is an AI that comes with the phone line, and never counts minutes.
7-day free trial on every plan · No per-minute charges · Ruby facts verified September 2026
THE QUICK ANSWER
Ruby is the premium human answering service: US-based receptionists, 24/7 on every plan in 2026, scheduling and payment collection included, a hosted business line, and a 20-year reputation with a Trustpilot score around 4.6. It is also the most expensive way to get a phone answered. Plans are $250 for 50 receptionist minutes, $395 for 100, $720 for 200 and $1,725 for 500, with overage of $3.30-5.40 a minute that isn't printed on the pricing page. Minutes round up to the next 60 seconds and include hold time and after-call wrap-up, downgrades are only allowed after three billing cycles, and card payments carry a 3% surcharge. Ody Starter is $19 per user per month with the number, unlimited US and Canada calling and texting, and an AI receptionist that answers 24/7, books appointments and texts callers back, no minutes counted. At 100 calls a month, Ruby costs about $1,160. Ody costs $19. Ruby is the right call when a client must hear a human; for everyone else, that is a lot of money for hold music.
PRICING
What you'll actually pay.
Ruby Receptionists (Call Ruby plans)
Ruby's 2026 card is $250 / $395 / $720 / $1,725 for 50 / 100 / 200 / 500 minutes (the older $235-1,640 card is gone). Overage is billed in arrears at $5.40 down to $3.30 per minute, and the public pricing page does not print those rates. Minutes are billed in 60-second increments rounded up, and billable time includes hold time and after-call wrap-up. No setup fee; 30-day auto-renewing contract, cancel by phone or email before the next invoice; downgrades only after three consecutive billing periods on a tier. Money-back guarantee: cancel within 21 days or 500 minutes, whichever comes first. 3% surcharge on credit-card payments.
Ody
One number per user included; extra local or toll-free numbers $5/mo each. Business texting needs one-time 10DLC registration ($20 setup + $4/mo per texting number, handled during onboarding). International calling is a $5/mo add-on with $5 of usage included. Plans are billed monthly or prepaid annually (annual saves up to 30%). Taxes apply; there are no per-minute charges and no AI credits.
Try for free →THE MATH
A firm that gets 100 answered calls a month (about 300 receptionist minutes)
Call Ruby 200 is $720 for 200 receptionist minutes plus 100 x $4.40 overage, assuming 3 minutes per call; Ruby rounds each call up to the next minute and bills hold and wrap-up time, so real usage runs higher. Call Ruby 350 at $1,210 flat is the alternative. Ody Starter is $19 for one user with unlimited AI answering, booking and text-back included. Taxes excluded for both.
SIDE BY SIDE
Ody vs Ruby, feature by feature.
Ruby Receptionists (Call Ruby plans) facts from their published pricing & docs, verified September 2026.
| Feature | Ruby Receptionists (Call Ruby plans) | Ody |
|---|---|---|
| Answering | ||
| Who answers | RubyUS-based humans | OdyYour AI receptionist, your team when you want |
| Coverage hours | Ruby24/7/365 included; bilingual and outbound assists weekdays 5am-6pm PT | Ody24/7, included |
| Books appointments | Ruby✓ | Ody✓ |
| AI texts back missed calls | Ruby— | Ody✓ |
| AI call summaries & transcripts | RubyAI transcripts and sentiment analysis included | OdyGrowth+ |
| What you pay | ||
| Pricing model | RubyPer receptionist minute | OdyPer user, flat |
| Starting price | Ruby$250/mo | Ody$19/user/mo ($15 annual) |
| Overage | Ruby$3.30-5.40/min, billed in arrears | OdyNone |
| Fees above list price | Ruby3% card surcharge; hold and wrap-up time billed | OdyTaxes only. No recovery or E911 line items |
| Contract | Ruby30-day rolling; downgrade only after 3 cycles | OdyBilled monthly or annually. Change plans in-app |
| Free trial | RubyNone; 21-day / 500-minute money-back | Ody7 days, every plan, full product |
| Phone system | ||
| Business phone system included | RubyHosted line + app; not a multi-user phone system | Ody✓ |
| Business texting (SMS/MMS) | RubyFrom your business number via the Ruby app | OdyUS & Canada, 10DLC handled |
| Phone number included | RubyRuby hosts your number or assigns one | Ody1 per user; extras $5/mo |
| Toll-free numbers | Ruby✓ | Ody✓ |
| Shared team inbox | Ruby— | Ody✓ |
| CRM integrations | RubyClio, Grow, Zapier and others | Ody43 integrations, every plan |
| Beyond the call | ||
| ChatGPT / Claude (MCP) | Ruby— | Ody✓ |
| Developer API & webhooks | Ruby— | OdyEvery plan |
| Analytics & reporting | RubyUsage alerts at 85% and 100% of minutes | OdyGrowth+ |
| Support | RubyCustomer Happiness team by phone and email | OdyEmail (Starter), live chat (Growth), phone + onboarding (Enterprise) |
WHY TEAMS SWITCH
Where Ody pulls ahead of Ruby.
Minutes are not the unit
Ruby bills every receptionist minute, rounded up, including hold time and the notes typed after the call, at $3.45-5.00 per included minute and $3.30-5.40 per extra one. Ody's AI receptionist is included in a per-user plan. Call length, call count and time of day change nothing on the invoice.
Everything Ruby includes, plus the phone
Ruby earns its price by including scheduling, payment links, intake and a hosted line with no add-on fees. Ody Starter includes scheduling, missed-call text-back, voicemail transcription, a shared inbox and 43 integrations, and it is the full phone system for your whole team, not a single hosted line.
Change your mind in the app
Ruby lets you downgrade only after three consecutive billing periods on a tier, adds a 3% surcharge for card payments, and you cancel by phone or email before the next invoice. With Ody you switch between Starter, Growth and Enterprise yourself, any time, in the app.
AN HONEST TAKE
Which one is right for you?
Your clients expect a warm human voice, your intake involves judgment calls an AI shouldn't make, or you want payment collection and HIPAA-compliant handling done by a person. Ruby's service quality is real, its 24/7 coverage is included, and its app doubles as a light business line for a solo professional.
You want calls answered around the clock, appointments booked and details captured, and you'd rather spend $19 than $1,160 to do it. Ody suits small firms, clinics, agencies and trades that lose calls to voicemail today and don't need a human on every one.
EVERYTHING INCLUDED
The whole phone system,
with the AI built in. One price.
Scroll through what every Ody workspace ships with: a number, calling and texting, a shared inbox, and a receptionist that never clocks out.
ChatGPT
Claude
CursorGo deeper, feature by feature.
All features →SWITCHING IS EASY
Move from Ruby without missing a call.
Start your free trial
Create your workspace in minutes. Every plan starts with a 7-day free trial | you get a live number, calling, texting, and your AI agent from day one.
Port your number free
Porting is free on every plan and your existing line keeps working the whole time | no downtime, no lost calls while the port completes.
Turn on the AI (or don't)
Set your hours and decide exactly when the AI answers | per number, per hour, per team. The rest of the time, it's the best softphone you've used.
Ruby runs on a 30-day auto-renewing contract; cancel by phone or email before your next invoice. If Ruby hosts your number, request the port to Ody (free on Ody's side) before you cancel so the line never goes dark. Ody plans are billed monthly or annually.
FAQ
Ody vs Ruby, answered.
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