Comparison
Voxipo vs a human answering service
Pick a human answering service such as Ruby, from $250 a month for 50 minutes, if callers need a person and calls forwarded to you; pick Voxipo if you want an AI agent that books into your calendar and calls back missed callers from your own verified number, quoted on your call volume.
Updated . Ruby and Smith.ai prices as of October 2026, from their own websites.
Price
Answering service prices as of October 2026
A human answering service puts trained receptionists on your line and bills by the minute or the call. An AI receptionist like Voxipo answers with software you configure. For a trades business, the questions are what each costs at your call volume and what happens to the calls nobody picks up.
| Plan | Monthly price | Included | Above the allowance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ruby Startup | $250 | 50 receptionist minutes | Not stated on the pricing page |
| Ruby One-person business | $395 | 100 minutes | Not stated on the pricing page |
| Ruby Small business | $720 | 200 minutes | Not stated on the pricing page |
| Ruby Larger or growing business | $1,725 | 500 minutes | Not stated on the pricing page |
| Smith.ai Starter | $300 | 30 calls | $11.50 a call |
| Smith.ai Basic | $810 | 90 calls | $10.50 a call |
| Smith.ai Pro | $2,100 | 300 calls | $8.50 a call |
Ruby's plans include 24/7 live answering, including after hours, weekends and holidays. Smith.ai's human receptionists work 24/7 and charge extra for some tasks, such as $1.50 a call for booking appointments and $1.00 a call for a dedicated Spanish line. For example, at two minutes a call, Ruby's 50-minute entry plan covers about 25 calls. Voxipo does not publish prices yet and quotes on your call volume. See how Voxipo pricing works.
Features
Feature by feature
| Voxipo | Human answering service (Ruby, Smith.ai) | |
|---|---|---|
| Who answers | An AI agent you configure. Each call opens with an AI and recording notice | Trained receptionists working from your instructions |
| Hours | 24/7 on calls that reach your Voxipo number | Both advertise 24/7 live answering |
| Billing | Quoted on call volume | Per minute (Ruby) or per call (Smith.ai) |
| Live call transfer | Not available yet. The agent saves the call details and your team calls back | Ruby lists flexible call forwarding. Smith.ai includes transfer destinations on each plan |
| Booking during the call | Google Calendar, Outlook, Cal.com and GoHighLevel, during the call | Smith.ai books for $1.50 a call. Ask your service which calendars it uses |
| Callback to missed callers | Calls missed callers back from your SMS-verified business number after a delay you set (30 seconds by default), between 8am and 9pm in the caller's time. Calls missed outside that window get no callback | Not listed on these pricing pages |
| Difficult calls | Stay with your team. The agent records what the caller says and follows your approved wording | A person can handle an upset caller or an unusual request |
| Record of the call | Recording, transcript, summary and a lightweight CRM of contacts and leads | Varies by service |
Where an answering service wins
- A person answers, which some callers prefer, especially when they are upset or the request is unusual.
- Calls can be forwarded or transferred to you: Ruby lists call forwarding, and Smith.ai includes transfer destinations on each plan.
- Spanish and bilingual call handling: Ruby lists it as available, and Smith.ai charges $1.00 a call for a dedicated Spanish line.
- Published prices you can check before you talk to sales.
Where Voxipo wins
- Calls back the people you miss from your own SMS-verified business number, after a delay you set (30 seconds by default).
- Books into Google Calendar, Outlook, Cal.com or GoHighLevel during the call.
- Keeps a recording, transcript and summary of each call it handles.
- You change the greeting, instructions, hours and knowledge yourself, and can hear the agent in your browser before going live.
Who should pick an answering service
Pick a human answering service if your callers expect a person, you need calls transferred to you, or many calls need judgment, such as complaints and emergency questions.
Who should pick Voxipo
Pick Voxipo if most of your calls are routine questions and bookings, your team can call back the few that need a person, and you want missed callers phoned back from your own number.
Questions
Voxipo vs a human answering service: FAQs
Is an AI receptionist cheaper than an answering service?
It depends on your volume. Ruby starts at $250 a month for 50 minutes and Smith.ai's human receptionists start at $300 for 30 calls, as of October 2026. Voxipo does not publish prices yet and quotes on your call volume, so compare both on the same week of calls.
Can Voxipo transfer callers to me like an answering service?
Live call transfer is not available in Voxipo yet. The agent saves the call with a transcript, summary and callback details so your team can call back.
What happens when a caller needs a person?
The agent records what the caller says, follows your approved wording, and saves the call so your team can call back. Safety, pricing and dispatch decisions stay with your staff.
Do answering services book appointments?
Some do, sometimes for a fee: Smith.ai's human receptionists charge $1.50 a call for booking as of October 2026. Voxipo books into Google Calendar, Outlook, Cal.com or GoHighLevel during the call.
Can I use an answering service and Voxipo together?
Only for calls nobody picks up. Your carrier's conditional forwarding sends a call on when the line is busy or unanswered, and it has no time-of-day setting, so a call the answering service answers never reaches Voxipo. A call the service forwards on to Voxipo may not trigger a callback, because it can arrive showing the service's number instead of yours, so test the route before you combine them.
Other comparisons
Voxipo vs RosieVoxipo vs GoodcallVoxipo vs My AI Front DeskVoxipo vs Smith.aiVoxipo vs GoHighLevel Voice AIVoxipo vs voicemailVoxipo vs hiring a receptionistFor trades businesses
AI receptionist for HVAC companiesAI receptionist for plumbersGoogle Local Services Ads charges for missed callsMissed call cost calculatorHear it before you choose
Talk to a Voxipo agent in your browser.
Call the demo agent as a customer would, then ask us for a quote based on your call volume.