Side by side
When a live answering service is the better choice
Callers need a human
If your callers are upset, grieving, or in a sensitive situation, a trained person may be the right voice.
Calls need judgment calls
Complicated intake with lots of exceptions is where people still do better.
You want a person to make outbound follow-ups
Some services call your leads back for you with a real person on the line.
The math
Live answering is priced by the minute or the call. As of September 2026, Ruby’s plans start around $250 a month for 50 minutes (ruby.com), and Smith.ai’s receptionist plans start around $300 a month for 30 calls (smith.ai). Check their sites for current prices.
- Ruby, entry plan
- Around $250 a month for 50 minutes (ruby.com, September 2026)
- Smith.ai, entry plan
- Around $300 a month for 30 calls (smith.ai, September 2026)
- FrontDesk Talk, Small Talk plan
- $99 a month for 200 minutes of Talk Time
- FrontDesk Talk, Real Talk plan
- $199 a month for 450 minutes of Talk Time, plus booking and texting
Smith.ai also offers an AI-first option. Other answering services often charge several hundred dollars a month once you add minutes. Extra Talk Time on FrontDesk Talk is $0.45 a minute.
Questions
Is AI as good as a person?
For most small business calls, like hours, prices, booking, and messages, it does the job well and never puts anyone on hold. For sensitive or complex calls, a person is still better.
Can I switch from my answering service?
Yes. Point your forwarding at FrontDesk Talk instead of the service. It takes about a minute.
Can I use both?
Yes. Some businesses use FrontDesk Talk for routine calls and transfer tricky ones to a person.
Sources, checked September 2026: Ruby pricing; Smith.ai pricing. Prices and features change, so check their sites for current details. Names are used only to compare; we aren't affiliated with them.
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