Ruby Receptionist Pricing 2026: Plans, Overage Rates and How Minutes Are Counted

Ruby starts at $250/month (50 minutes), and 100 three-minute calls a month cost $1,160 on its cheapest plan for that volume (prices checked October 26, 2026). What moves the bill is the minute: Ruby rounds every call up to a full one, and counts hold time and the work after the caller hangs up.

Ruby receptionist pricing plans

Prices checked against each vendor's own pricing page on October 26, 2026.

Our arithmetic: each vendor's cheapest published plan for that volume plus its published overage, at 3-minute calls. Taxes, setup fees and add-ons are not included. How we price.

Ruby's pricing page shows four of these plans: 50, 100, 200 and 500 minutes. The other six, and every overage rate, are in Ruby's help center, which lists the minutes each plan suits, such as "0-76 receptionist minutes" for the 50-minute plan (rubyhelpcenter.helpjuice.com, read October 26, 2026).

Every plan carries the same features. The pricing page: "The only difference between our plans? The number of receptionist minutes" (ruby.com/plans-and-pricing, read October 26, 2026). Live chat is a separate plan, at 20% off when bundled with a receptionist plan.

What Ruby costs at 50, 100, 200 and 300 calls

100 three-minute calls are 300 minutes. Our math takes $720/month for 200 minutes and bills the other 100 minutes at $4.40 a minute: $1,160 in all, less than any other plan with its overage at that volume.

Ruby's own figure for call length is shorter than ours: "On average, a typical inbound call results in around 2 receptionist minutes." (rubyhelpcenter.helpjuice.com, read October 7, 2026) At 2 minutes, 100 calls are exactly the 200 minutes in the 200-minute plan. Pick a plan from last month's billed minutes, not your call count.

How Ruby counts a minute

• Billing unit: Per minute
• Rounding: 60 seconds, rounded up per call
• Time billed beyond the call: Hold time and after-call work; talk after a transfer not billed
• Spam and short calls: Opt-in robocall filter not billed
• Setup fee: No setup fee on the pricing page; the terms allow setup or activation fees
• Contract: 30-day contract that renews automatically
• Trial: No trial; money-back within 21 days or 500 minutes

The terms set the rounding: "Receptionist Minutes are calculated and billed in 60-second increments and calls are rounded up to the next 60-second mark." (ruby.com/terms, read October 7, 2026) The help center gives the example: "if a call is ten-seconds long, it will be billed as 60-seconds."

Three kinds of time beyond the conversation count. Hold time: minutes include "time the caller is on hold" (billing basics, read October 7, 2026). After-call work: "any time a receptionist spends completing any information on your call after the caller has hung up" (terms). And outbound call assists, including the follow-up email.

Some calls cost nothing. Calls sent to your after-hours voicemail are not billed, calls you place from the Ruby app are not billed, and robocalls caught by the filter do not count. The filter is opt-in: "Ruby is happy to activate our complimentary Robocall Filtering feature at your request." (rubyhelpcenter.helpjuice.com, read October 7, 2026) A live solicitor who reaches a receptionist is screened, and Ruby does not say that time is free.

What Ruby connects to

Ruby's pricing page advertises "5000+ integrations" without listing them (read October 26, 2026). The cells above show what we could verify for each tool; the full grid is at which receptionists write to Clio, HubSpot, Jobber and more.

Fees, contract and trial

• Setup fee: none on the pricing page: "There are no additional or hidden fees for activation, onboarding, setup, customization, or coverage during certain periods." The terms still require "fees for any additional options, initial setup, or activation, as applicable" with the first payment, without naming any.
• Card payments: "payments made by credit card will incur a 3.0% surcharge" (terms). Debit, ACH and check carry none.
• Contract: "the duration of your contract with Ruby ('Customer Contract') is 30 days", renewing every 30 days (terms).
• Cancelling: contact Ruby "before your next invoice date"; the cancellation takes effect at the end of the current period, and "there are no refunds or credits for partially used periods" (terms).
• Trial: none. A money-back guarantee runs "within 21 days of your purchase, or before your usage exceeds 500 receptionist minutes/50 billable chats, whichever occurs sooner" (help center, read October 7, 2026).
• Your number: you can port it away if the account is in good standing; Ruby may reassign numbers "not ported back within three months after termination" (terms).

Quotes from ruby.com/terms, read October 7, 2026, and the pricing page, read October 26, 2026, unless named otherwise.

The catch

1. Going over costs more than the minutes you prepaid. On every plan, Ruby's rate past the allowance is higher than the plan's own price per minute:

2. An upgrade sticks for three billing periods. "Upgrades are effective immediately and apply to the then-current monthly billing period and at least the subsequent two consecutive billing periods." (terms) If you upgrade after one busy month from the 100-minute plan to $720/month for 200 minutes, you pay that for at least three months.
3. Downgrades wait too. The help center: "Plan downgrades are eligible after three consecutive billing periods on the same plan" (read October 26, 2026). New accounts also get a "three-billing-cycle calibration window" before any of this applies.
4. Spanish at night is unclear. The pricing page lists "24/7 Spanish and bilingual call handling available" (read October 26, 2026). Ruby's FAQ says bilingual service is "available Monday to Friday, 5am to 6pm Pacific / 8am to 9pm Eastern" (ruby.com/faqs, read October 7, 2026). Ask which applies before you rely on Spanish at night.
5. Ruby's own advice for a capped bill is to stop forwarding. Its help center suggests you "un-forward your line from us once you get close to the amount of receptionist minutes you want to use" (tips article, read October 7, 2026). Calls after that point go wherever your line rings without Ruby.

Where Ruby is a good buy

Ruby charges nothing extra for nights, weekends or Spanish. Its help center: "There is no additional charge for utilizing Ruby's 24/7 service, although your usage of receptionist minutes will likely increase." (rubyhelpcenter.helpjuice.com, read October 7, 2026) Scheduling, intake, payment collection and outbound assists are on every plan, so the 50-minute plan buys the same service as the 2,500-minute one.

The rates also fall with volume. The 2,500-minute plan works out to $7,875 ÷ 2,500 min = $3.15/min. At 13 calls a day, $3,970.50 a month, Ruby still costs more than Smith.ai Virtual Receptionists at $2,865, which bills per call.

Ruby against other virtual receptionists

At 100 three-minute calls, Posh costs $630, Abby Connect $898 and Smith.ai Virtual Receptionists $915, each less than Ruby, and so does PATLive at $479. Every option priced against Ruby, AI receptionists included, is on Ruby alternatives, and the two-way splits are on Ruby vs Posh and Smith.ai vs Ruby.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does Ruby receptionist cost per month?

Ruby's plans run from $250/month for 50 minutes to $7,875/month for 2,500 minutes, read from its pricing page and help center on October 26, 2026. At 100 three-minute calls a month, the cheapest plan with overage costs $1,160.

What does Ruby charge for overage minutes?

Ruby charges $3.30 to $5.40 a minute, depending on the plan, and each plan's overage rate is higher than its included rate. On the 50-minute plan it is $5.40 a minute. Ruby does not move you up a plan automatically.

Does Ruby charge for hold time?

Yes. Ruby's help center says receptionist minutes begin when a receptionist receives the call and include the time the caller is on hold. Talk time after a transfer to you or your voicemail is not billed.

Does Ruby round calls up to a minute?

Yes. Ruby's terms bill in 60-second increments and round every call up to the next full minute. A 10-second call bills as one minute.

Does Ruby have a free trial?

No. Ruby offers a money-back guarantee instead, valid within 21 days of purchase or before 500 receptionist minutes, whichever comes first. Its terms say the guarantee may not be available to every customer.

Is Ruby a month-to-month contract?

Ruby's contract runs 30 days and renews automatically every 30 days. You can cancel before your next invoice date, effective at the end of the period, with no refund for unused days. An upgrade binds you to the higher plan for at least three billing periods.