A Ruby Receptionists alternative for plumbing contractors
Ruby is a live virtual receptionist service billed by the minute bundle: $250 a month for 50 minutes, $395 for 100, $720 for 200, and $1,725 for 500, with no setup or activation fees. Smart Lead Recovery is an AI receptionist for plumbing companies at $500 to set up and $500 a month for unlimited calls. On Ruby's own rates that means their 100 minutes bundle undercuts us and their 200 minutes bundle does not — so the answer turns entirely on how much your phone actually rings.
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What Ruby does better.
Ruby has been doing this for a long time and is very good at the human part. Their receptionists are trained, consistent, and genuinely pleasant to reach — which is the entire product, and it is not a small thing when the caller has water coming through a ceiling.
Their pricing is also honest in a way this market often is not. No activation fee, no onboarding fee, no setup fee, no surcharge for after-hours coverage, and the same feature set on every plan regardless of what you pay. You are buying minutes, and that is all you are buying.
And at low volume they are cheaper. Fifty minutes for $250 is less than we charge, and if your phone genuinely rings that little, that is the right purchase.
The two, side by side.
Ruby figures are from their published pricing page, checked July 2026. Minute-to-call conversions assume a 2.5-minute average, which is typical for a service intake call.
| Capability | Ruby | Smart Lead Recovery |
|---|---|---|
| Who answers | Live human virtual receptionists | Riley, an AI trained on your plumbing business |
| Entry price | $250 a month for 50 minutes | $500 a month, unlimited |
| At 100 minutes (~40 calls) | $395 | Yes:$500 |
| At 200 minutes (~80 calls) | $720 | Yes:$500 |
| At 500 minutes (~200 calls) | $1,725 | Yes:$500 |
| How it bills | Per minute bundle | Yes:Flat monthly fee, no minute meter |
| Setup fee | Yes:None | $500 one-time, for building it around your shop |
| Books the job on your calendar | Partly:Scheduling is available as an optional feature | Yes:Books into your dispatch software as standard |
| Knows your prices and service area | Partly:From the script and intake rules you supply | Yes:Trained on your answers, and says so when it does not know |
| An upset or unusual caller | Yes:A trained person, which is better | Partly:Takes details and hands the call to you |
Which one fits your shop.
Stay with Ruby if your volume is low and you want a person on the phone. At 50 minutes a month they cost less than we do, their pricing has no hidden edges, and a human receptionist is a better experience for a caller in a genuine panic.
Move if the meter is the problem. A plumbing company running 200 minutes a month — about 80 calls, which is unremarkable for two or three trucks — pays $720 with Ruby and $500 with us. At 500 minutes it is $1,725 against the same $500.
The second difference is what the call produces. Ruby will schedule if you turn scheduling on; booking straight into ServiceTitan or Jobber is the default here rather than an option, because for a plumbing shop the appointment is the whole point of the call.
Also worth reading: what we cost, the Smith.ai comparison, and how this compares to hiring someone.
The things people ask.
Ruby publishes four virtual receptionist bundles: $250 a month for 50 minutes, $395 for 100, $720 for 200 and $1,725 for 500, with larger plans on request. There are no activation, onboarding or setup fees, and every plan includes the same features. Checked July 2026.
For a plumbing company at ordinary volume, yes. We are $500 a month flat with no minute limit, which beats Ruby's 200-minute bundle at $720 and their 500-minute bundle at $1,725. At their 50- and 100 minutes bundles Ruby is cheaper, so the honest answer depends on your call volume rather than on which company you ask.
Ruby offers scheduling as an optional feature included in their plans, along with bilingual answering and client intake. Whether it fits how your dispatch runs is worth asking them directly — the difference here is that booking into ServiceTitan, Jobber or Housecall Pro is the default behaviour rather than something to switch on.
Usually the bill in a busy month. Minute bundles cost most exactly when the phone is working hardest, which is a strange incentive when your goal is more calls. The second reason is what happens after the call: a message still needs someone to act on it, and at 1 AM that someone is you.
Ring the demo line at the top of this page and talk to it as though you were a customer. That costs you a minute and tells you more than any comparison table, including this one.
Don’t take our word for it. Call it.
Ring the demo line and ask it something awkward. Sixty seconds will tell you more than any sales call.