Honest comparison
Conduit vs Ruby: human receptionists vs an AI front desk
Ruby is a US virtual-receptionist service staffed by people and billed by the receptionist minute: 50 minutes a month is $250/mo, 100 minutes $395, 200 minutes $720, 500 minutes $1,725, with a 21-day money-back guarantee for new customers (October 2026, per ruby.com; verified 2026-10-11). Minutes are billed in 60-second increments; the overage rate isn't published. Check their site for current pricing.
Prices verified 2026-10-11 · source: ruby.com/pricing
Side by side
The same nine questions, asked of both
- Entry price and what it includes
- Ruby$250/mo — 50 receptionist minutes
- ConduitSolo $79/mo — 150 minutes, 300 texts, every capability
- What happens past the allowance
- RubyBilled at your plan's overage rate (not published)
- ConduitMessage-taking; optional one-time packs; no overage billing, ever
- What counts against the allowance
- RubyEvery receptionist minute, in 60-second increments rounded up
- ConduitOnly a real person talking to the assistant; spam, robocalls and hang-ups under ten seconds are refunded
- Books into your calendar
- RubyScheduling on all plans, in the online calendar you already use
- ConduitEvery plan — two-way Google Calendar, capacity-aware, no double-booking
- Texting
- RubyCall and text from your business number through the Ruby app
- ConduitConfirmations, reminders, missed-call text-back, mid-call links — once carrier registration clears (we file and chase it)
- Emergency path
- RubyTrained people follow your call instructions
- ConduitPuts the caller through to you, then texts each emergency contact in turn until someone opens the alert
- Disclosure
- RubyPeople answer; AI features are optional enhancements
- ConduitEvery call opens with the AI-and-recording sentence; it can't be removed
- Owner visibility
- RubyAI-powered transcripts; messages relayed to you
- ConduitEvery recording and transcript in Calls; one briefing every morning; every lead written down
- Trial / guarantee
- RubyNo free trial; 21-day money-back guarantee or the first 500 minutes, whichever comes first
- ConduitNo trial; free setup; 30-day money-back on the first payment
Ruby pricing and features are read from their own published pages and were verified on 2026-10-11 (October 11, 2026). Plans change — check their site before deciding. Trademarks belong to their owners; named for identification only.
Ruby's receptionists are people, and some callers deserve a person — if that's your clientele, Ruby is the right buy and nothing on this page changes that. By the minute, people are expensive: 200 minutes a month is $720 at Ruby and inside Conduit Team's $149, and Conduit books into your calendar, texts the confirmation, and briefs you every morning on every plan, with a 30-day guarantee to Ruby's 21. Pick Ruby when the call itself needs human judgment; pick Conduit when most calls need an answer, a booked time, and a text.
Compare further: every comparison · the best AI receptionists, ranked honestly · what an AI receptionist costs · Conduit pricing
Questions
Common questions
How much more does Ruby cost than Conduit?
It depends on talk time — that's what per-minute billing means. Ruby's plans run from $250 a month for 50 receptionist minutes to $1,725 for 500 (October 2026, per ruby.com). Conduit Team is $149 for 350 minutes, and no plan bills an overage.
Won't my customers prefer a real person?
Some will, and Conduit is plain about it: every call opens with the AI disclosure, and a caller who wants you gets a message taken or, in an emergency, is put through. Most people calling a service business want an answer now and a booked time, and that is what the assistant is for.
Can I switch from Ruby to Conduit?
Yes. Your number stays yours: build your assistant free, pick a plan when you're ready, and point your call forwarding at your assistant's number. Forwarding is reversible, so switching back is pointing it back. Calls work from day one; texting switches on once carrier registration clears.
Prices on this page verified 2026-10-11 · Trademarks belong to their owners; named for identification only.