Voicemail, an answering service or an AI receptionist
After hours, one of three things picks up your phone.
Two different kinds of service. The plans in the first table are staffed by people. VoiceDog is an AI receptionist. Prices are set beside each other as the companies publish them; they are not a like-for-like comparison.
Answering services staffed by people
Everything in this table comes from the company’s own pricing page, linked in each row, and was read on the date shown. Prices change: check the page before you decide.
| Company and plan | Price | Included | Past the plan | Source and date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ruby, 50 minutes | $250 a month | 50 minutes | Not stated on the page | ruby.com pricing, as of |
| Ruby, 100 minutes | $395 a month | 100 minutes | Not stated on the page | ruby.com pricing, as of |
| Ruby, 200 minutes | $720 a month | 200 minutes | Not stated on the page | ruby.com pricing, as of |
| Ruby, 500 minutes | $1,725 a month | 500 minutes | Not stated on the page | ruby.com pricing, as of |
| Smith.ai, Starter | $300 a month | 30 calls | $11.50 a call | smith.ai pricing, as of |
| Smith.ai, Basic | $810 a month | 90 calls | $10.50 a call | smith.ai pricing, as of |
| Smith.ai, Pro | $2,100 a month | 300 calls | $8.50 a call | smith.ai pricing, as of |
Ruby counts minutes and Smith.ai counts calls, so the two are not measured in the same unit.
Ruby’s page describes live answering around the clock and says optional AI enhancements are available in all its plans at no extra cost.
Smith.ai’s page describes live-staffed answering around the clock, and lists an Enterprise plan with no published price. It also sells AI-first and hybrid services on pages this one does not cover.
VoiceDog, an AI receptionist
These are the prices on our own pricing page. They may change before launch.
| Plan | Price | Included |
|---|---|---|
| Solo | $49 a month | 100 minutes |
| Solo Plus | $129 a month | 400 minutes |
| Team | $199 a month | 500 minutes |
| Team Plus | $449 a month | 1,500 minutes |
Extra minutes stay off unless you switch them on, and then stop at a monthly limit you set.
Your first month is free. Choose a plan and add a payment method to start. Nothing is charged until your trial ends, and we remind you 7 days and 3 days before. Cancel any time before then and you pay nothing. Each business, and each card, gets one free trial.
It tells every caller it’s a digital assistant, says it’s an AI when asked, and can put a caller who asks for a person through to the phone you choose; if nobody answers, it offers to take a message.
Where each one fits
Voicemail costs nothing extra. It fits a business whose evening callers can wait and do leave messages.
An answering service fits a business whose callers must talk to a person, or that needs things an AI should not do. Our receptionist answers only from the facts you approve, and speaks English only today.
An AI receptionist fits a business that misses calls after hours or on a job, wants the job booked and a record of every call it answers, and whose callers accept an AI that says so.
About this page
Ruby and Smith.ai are trademarks of their owners. VoiceDog is not affiliated with them. What we say about each comes from its own pricing page, read on the date shown, and we read those pages again at least every 90 days.
If a company named here says something on this page is wrong, write to support@voicedog.ai. We correct or remove it within 2 business days.