What Ruby publishes
We opened ruby.com/plans-and-pricing on September 22, 2026. The visible virtual receptionist plans are minute bundles. The only difference they describe between plans is how many receptionist minutes you get. Features they list on every plan include 24/7 live answering, including after hours, weekends, and holidays, plus scheduling, bilingual answering, and client intake as available options. They also say there are no additional fees for activation, onboarding, setup, customization, or coverage during certain periods.
| Visible plan | Published price | Included |
|---|---|---|
| Receptionist minutes | $250/month | 50 minutes. They label this for startups. |
| Receptionist minutes | $395/month | 100 minutes. They label this for one-person businesses. |
| Receptionist minutes | $720/month | 200 minutes. |
| Receptionist minutes | $1,725/month | 500 minutes. |
Source: ruby.com/plans-and-pricing, September 22, 2026. Plans above 500 minutes are offered as a conversation with sales. No dollar is printed for those, so none is printed here. Chat is a separate product on the same page: $143/month for 10 chats, $335 for 30, $520 for 50. Adding chat to a receptionist plan is listed at $115, $268, and $416, which they call a 20% savings.
What we will not pretend
- Ruby is a live person product. Calling it “just an answering machine” would be false. Their page is explicit that receptionists are real people, with AI transcripts and assistant-supported call flows listed alongside.
- Scheduling is on their feature list. We do not claim Ruby cannot book. We claim a nail salon should compare a monthly minute bundle with a phone trained on gel, dip, fill, and acrylic.
- Their pricing page does not print the per-minute rate past the bundle. Their FAQ says extra minutes follow the plan’s per-minute rate. The dollar is not on the pricing page, so it is not in this table.
- A five-minute call on the $250 plan is 10% of the month’s minutes. That is arithmetic, not an insult.
What that means on a nail floor
$250 a month is $3,000 a year for 50 minutes a month, before any minutes past the bundle. A shop in the middle of a set does not experience “50 minutes.” It experiences a ringing line. If those minutes are spent on “what time do you close” and the chair is never written, the bundle did the greeting and missed the job. The booking version of a salon line is an answering service that books.
Smith’s public card is a different monthly shape — per call, not per minute. It is quoted on Smith AI pricing. Both competitors together: virtual receptionist pricing.
Bukkii, if the job is the nail phone
AIVA is not a Ruby clone with a lower minute rate. It is software on the shop line. $200 one-time. No monthly plan fee. No free trial. She answers, books the service, and texts. Checkout can stay on the POS you already run. We do not claim a native Vagaro webhook. Nail salons · phone during a service · deposits and SMS.
Two offers: the phone, or the book
AIVA — $200 one-time
AIVA is the phone. She answers the shop line, books gel, dip, fill, acrylic, and the rest of the menu, and texts the appointment. $200 one-time. No monthly plan fee. No free trial. Included on that payment: a dedicated number, training, calendar setup, forwarding, 100 voice minutes, and 1,500 SMS. After that, usage is $0.35/min voice and $0.035 per SMS. Get AIVA — $200.
Calendar — $20/month
Calendar is the booking website plus Google Reserve. $20/month. Unlimited staff. Unlimited customers. It does not answer the phone. Get Calendar — $20/mo. Both cards are on pricing.
If you wanted live receptionists and a minute plan, use Ruby’s page and their sales line — we are not hiding it: the pricing page lists 844-311-7829. If you wanted the chair booked without that monthly plan, Get AIVA — $200. If you only wanted Google booking, Get Calendar — $20/mo.
FAQ
What is Ruby receptionist pricing on the live page?
On ruby.com/plans-and-pricing, checked September 22, 2026, the visible virtual receptionist plans are $250/month for 50 minutes, $395/month for 100 minutes, $720/month for 200 minutes, and $1,725/month for 500 minutes. Larger plans are “talk to us,” with no dollar on the page.
Does Ruby publish an overage rate?
The pricing page we checked does not print a per-minute price for minutes past the bundle. Their FAQ says extra minutes are billed at the plan’s per-minute rate. Because that dollar is not on the pricing page, this article does not invent it.
Is Ruby a fit for a nail salon?
Ruby is a live virtual receptionist: 24/7 answering, and their page lists scheduling, bilingual answering, and intake as available features. If you want human receptionists on a minute bundle, that is their product. If you want a nail phone that books gel, dip, fill, and acrylic without a monthly receptionist plan, AIVA is $200 one-time.
How much is Bukkii instead?
AIVA is $200 one-time. No monthly plan fee. No free trial. Calendar is $20/month for a booking website and Google Reserve, with unlimited staff and unlimited customers, and it does not answer the phone.
What do Ruby’s chat plans cost?
On the same pricing page, standalone live chat is $143/month for 10 chats, $335/month for 30 chats, and $520/month for 50 chats. Adding chat onto a receptionist plan is listed at $115, $268, and $416 for those chat counts, which they describe as 20% off.