Ruby Receptionists is what you'd hire if you wanted human-only service at any cost. RunBy is what you'd hire if you wanted human-quality call handling at flat-rate AI economics. One scales, one doesn't.
| Feature | Ruby Receptionists | RunBy |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Per-minute + monthly base | Flat monthly |
| Starter pricing | $285/mo (50 min) | $299/mo (unlimited) |
| Mid-tier pricing | $500/mo (300 min) | $299/mo (unlimited) |
| High-volume pricing | $815/mo + overages (500 min) | $799/mo (unlimited) |
| Per-minute overage | $5.95-$13/min | None - flat rate |
| Books appointments | Notes only, requires manual follow-up | Direct calendar integration |
| After-hours coverage | Growth tier only | All plans, 24/7 |
| Call routing delay | 6-12 seconds to live human | Instant answer, no handoff |
| Invoice follow-up | No | Automated sequences |
| Review requests | No | Auto-sent after jobs |
| Setup time | 5-7 business days | 48 hours |
| Free trial length | 7 days | 14 days |
Ruby Receptionists has been in the market since 2011. Their receptionists are US-based, trained professionals. If you want a human voice on every call—no AI, no scripts—Ruby delivers that consistently. Many owners like knowing a real person vetted each incoming call before any handoff happened.
For very small teams handling fewer than 20 calls per month, Ruby can cost less than RunBy upfront. If your call volume is predictable and low, the per-minute model doesn't punish you. Ruby also integrates with many major CRMs and phone systems, so migration is straightforward if you're already locked into that ecosystem.
Ruby also doesn't require any technical setup. They can listen to your voicemail system and start taking calls almost immediately. If your team has zero bandwidth for onboarding and prefers to throw the problem over the fence, Ruby's concierge model takes pressure off you.
The moment your business grows—from 50 calls to 200 calls per month—Ruby's per-minute model turns into a penalty. At 200 minutes per month, you'd pay $500 with Ruby. RunBy is $299 flat. You save $201 monthly, or $2,412 annually, with zero loss of features. At 500 minutes, Ruby costs $815 plus overages. RunBy caps at $799 for the Enterprise plan and never charges more. Growth becomes a revenue opportunity instead of a cost disaster.
RunBy's AI understands your business type on day one. You tell it you're a plumber, HVAC, electrician, or roofer—and it's trained on the workflows, terminology, and seasonal patterns of your vertical. Ruby Receptionists read scripts. They ask good questions, but they don't know that a condenser is a summer emergency or that you need to ask about single-stage vs two-stage systems. RunBy does.
RunBy also handles the full workflow. It doesn't just take messages. It books appointments directly into your calendar, sends invoice follow-up sequences, and requests reviews automatically after jobs complete. Ruby takes calls. You or your team manage everything else. If you're bootstrapped or lean on staff, that difference is enormous.
Setup is faster with RunBy. You're live in 48 hours vs 5-7 days with Ruby. If you need to start taking calls this week, RunBy wins. And pricing scales transparently. No per-minute surprises when you hit a seasonal surge.
Choose Ruby Receptionists if:
Choose RunBy if:
"Switching from Ruby was scary, but the cost savings alone justified it. Plus RunBy books our jobs automatically. We haven't had to manually confirm an appointment since we went live."
HVAC Service Owner, 8 techs
"RunBy knew to ask about emergency service when I got a winter spike. Ruby would have just taken the calls. The AI understands my business."
Electrical Contractor, 12 employees
"We're paying half what we paid for live receptionists and getting more features. The invoice follow-up alone has recovered over $10K in past-due balances."
Plumbing Company, 6 technicians
At 200 minutes per month, Ruby costs $285. RunBy is $299 flat, with no per-minute overage fees. At 400 minutes, Ruby jumps to $500. RunBy stays $299. The math flips decisively in RunBy's favor once your call volume grows.
Ruby Receptionists can note appointment requests, but doesn't integrate directly with your calendar. You or your team still have to manually confirm. RunBy books directly into your calendar with zero human follow-up.
Ruby Receptionists has a 6-12 second handoff to a live human. RunBy answers instantly—the caller hears the AI within one ring. For time-sensitive calls, that matters.
RunBy is live in 48 hours. Ruby Receptionists typically takes 5-7 business days. If you need to go live fast, RunBy wins. If you have time and prefer human-only service, Ruby is solid.
Ruby will jump from $285 to $815 with overages. RunBy stays $299. That's $516 per month in savings, or $6,200 per year—without sacrificing any features. Growth becomes profitable instead of cost-prohibitive.
Ruby serves everyone, but per-minute billing punishes growth. If you're doing $300K-$2M in annual revenue and expect to scale, the economics favor RunBy. Ruby is what you'd choose if you want human-only service at any cost.
Ruby offers a 7-day trial. RunBy offers a 14-day free pilot with live onboarding. You can run both in parallel to compare quality, turnaround, and fit for your team.
Start your 14-day free pilot with RunBy. Live in 48 hours. No credit card required.
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