Penny vs Ruby: 200 minutes for 99$, not 720$.
Ruby puts a trained receptionist on your line and bills for their time: 720$ a month for 200 minutes. Penny answers the same 200 minutes for 99$, books the job while the caller is on the line, and puts urgent calls through to you.
- 7 days free
- No card required
- Cancel anytime
What you’d pay each month
Penny Starter
99$
Ruby 200 minutes
720$
| Penny | Ruby | |
|---|---|---|
| Who answers | AI receptionist | Live receptionist |
| How minutes are counted | To the second | 30-second steps |
| 500 minutes a month | 199$ | 1,725$ |
Monthly billing, at about two minutes a call. Penny is 79$ a month billed yearly.
Where Penny pulls ahead
Every call answered, at a fraction of the cost.
A seventh of the price.
Ruby charges 720$ for 200 minutes and 1,725$ for 500. Penny charges 99$ and 199$ for the same minutes, billed monthly, with booking and transfers on both.
Billed to the second.
Ruby’s billing guide says calls are counted in 30-second steps, each one rounded up, with hold time included. Penny measures every call to the second, so a 40-second call is 40 seconds.
Spanish, and a hundred more.
Ruby handles Spanish and bilingual calls. Penny answers in English, Spanish and more than 100 other languages on every plan, and switches when the caller does.
Side by side
Penny and Ruby, line by line.
Where both do the job, we say so. Prices are monthly, in USD, as published on October 7, 2026.
| What matters to your business | Ruby720$Per month, 200 minutes | PennyFrom $99Billed monthly |
|---|---|---|
| Answers 24/7, weekends and holidays | Yes | Yes |
| Appointment scheduling | Yes | Yes |
| No setup fees | Yes | Yes |
| Who answers | Live receptionists | Penny, an AI receptionist |
| 200 minutes a month | 720$ | 99$ |
| 500 minutes a month | 1,725$ | 199$ |
| How minutes are counted | 30-second steps, rounded up | To the second |
| Languages | English, Spanish and bilingual | English, Spanish and 100+ more |
| Calls customers back for you | Yes | No |
| Takes card payments | Yes | No |
| Trying it first | 21-day money-back guarantee | 7-day free trial, no card |
Sources: Ruby pricing, Ruby billing FAQs, Ruby FAQs. Checked October 7, 2026.
Run the numbers
What you’d pay each month.
Pick how many calls you get. Ruby sells plans by the minute, so these line up with its 50, 100, 200 and 500-minute plans.
PennyStarter
99$
Ruby200 minutes
720$
Penny is 621$ a month cheaper. Billed yearly, Penny is 79$ a month.
Assumes calls average 2 minutes, the same estimate Penny’s plans use. Includes extra-minute charges where a plan runs over. Ruby prices from their pricing page, checked October 7, 2026.
Which one fits
An honest answer.
Pick Penny if
- You want every call answered without paying receptionist rates.
- Most of your calls are bookings, questions from your price list and messages.
- You’d rather pay for the seconds you use than 30-second steps.
- You want every call written up and searchable in one inbox.
Pick Ruby if
- You want a person on every call, without exception.
- You need customers called back or payments taken for you. Ruby’s receptionists make outbound calls and take card payments. Penny doesn’t.
Switching from Ruby
Try her before you cancel anything.
- 1
Start a trial
Try Penny free for 7 days, with up to 100 minutes. No card required.
- 2
Show her your business
Paste your website or your Google or Yelp listing. Penny reads your services, hours and service area, and you fix anything she got wrong.
- 3
Test her on your Penny number
Call it yourself and ask what your customers ask. Read the transcripts. Ruby keeps answering your real calls in the meantime.
- 4
Move your forwarding
When she handles calls the way you would, point your missed-call forwarding at Penny and cancel Ruby. Your business number stays the same.
Good questions
Penny vs Ruby, answered.
What owners ask when they’re choosing between Penny and Ruby.
Penny vs Ruby
Is an AI receptionist as good as a person?
For booking jobs, answering from your price list and taking messages, Penny does the job well. A person is better at unusual or delicate conversations, and some callers simply prefer one. Many owners let Penny answer and write rules for the calls she should put through to them.
Why is Penny so much cheaper than Ruby?
Ruby pays trained people to answer your calls, and their time is what you buy. Penny is software, so a minute of her time costs far less.
Does Penny call customers back?
No. Penny answers incoming calls: she books, transfers and takes messages. Calling people back stays with you.
Can I try Penny before I leave Ruby?
Yes. Try Penny free for 7 days, with up to 100 minutes. No card required. Call your Penny number, read the transcripts, and keep Ruby until you’re sure.