What’s included
- 30 natural AI voices
- A knowledge base built for your business
- CRM and calendar connections
- Unlimited concurrent calls, with no busy signal
Answering service comparison
Ruby and Smith.ai alternatives: AI receptionist vs live answering
Compare live and AI answering options, including Lithium Marketing’s receptionist configured and managed for your service business.
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2010Lithium Marketing, established in 2010
$10M+Over $10 million in Google ad spend managed
Businesses
we’ve worked with
Businesses we’ve worked with
- Willard Power Vac
- Sarkinen Plumbing
- Robinson Restoration
- Town & Country Glass
- Dixie Glass
- Byers Septic Service
- F&W Fence Co.
- Drake’s 7 Dees
- Rickabaugh Construction
- Hillsview Building
- Dozer Dave
- Mt. Hood Pro Painting
- On-Target Landscape
- Atiyeh Bros Carpet
- Lovett
- Westmore Construction
- Northwest New Homes
- Porter Sealcoating & Paving
- RescueHero Restoration
- Panda Plumbing
- Biermann Plumbing & Heating
- Ballistic Junk Removal
- Smart Doors LLC
- Peak Performance Roofing
- Deluxe Heating & Cooling
- Lifetime Exteriors
- Bruce Johnson Construction
- Madrone Painting
- Smart Tree Service
- Premier Gutter Cover
- NW Pacific Electric
- Universal HVAC
- Lenny Martin Painting
- Next Level Decks & Exteriors
- Prodan Construction
- Smooth Rollin’ Sealcoating and Paving
- Lovett Restoration
- Greenlight Titles
- G.W. Hartley IV
- Advanced Coatings
- Thomson Equipment
- MyADU
At a glance
Three ways to get your phones answered.
Ruby sells live receptionist plans, Smith.ai sells AI and human-staffed plans, and Lithium Marketing sells an AI receptionist.
Who answers
- Ruby (as published on its pricing page)
- Live answering around the clock, with optional AI enhancements available in all plans at no extra cost
- Smith.ai (as published on its AI receptionist and pricing pages)
- AI-first or human-first plans. Its AI FAQ says AI-initiated escalation to a human has no fee; live agent involvement for information verification or scheduling is a per-call add-on.
- Lithium Marketing
- An AI receptionist that can transfer a call to a real person
Monthly price
- Ruby (as published on its pricing page)
- 50 minutes $250; 100 minutes $395; 200 minutes $720; 500 minutes $1,725
- Smith.ai (as published on its AI receptionist and pricing pages)
- AI: Free $0 (25 calls; optional overages $3.00 a call); Pro $150 ($2.00 a call); Enterprise $500 ($1.67 a call). Human: Starter $300 (30 calls); Basic $810 (90 calls); Pro $2,100 (300 calls)
- Lithium Marketing
- $179 a month, fully managed
Who sets it up
- Ruby (as published on its pricing page)
- Not stated on its pricing page
- Smith.ai (as published on its AI receptionist and pricing pages)
- AI Pro: “Set it up yourself with dedicated support.” AI Enterprise: “We build and run a custom solution for you.”
- Lithium Marketing
- Lithium Marketing sets it up and runs it, and it goes live in days
Setup fees
- Ruby (as published on its pricing page)
- Its pricing page says there are “no additional or hidden fees for activation, onboarding, setup, customization, or coverage during certain periods.”
- Smith.ai (as published on its AI receptionist and pricing pages)
- “No setup fees”
- Lithium Marketing
- No setup fee
Contract
- Ruby (as published on its pricing page)
- Not listed on its pricing page
- Smith.ai (as published on its AI receptionist and pricing pages)
- “Month-to-month, no contract on self-serve plans”
- Lithium Marketing
- No contract, cancel anytime
Per minute and per call
What Ruby and Smith.ai plans work out to.
Lithium Marketing divided each published monthly price by its included minutes or calls. These are effective costs at full use of the allowance, before overages or add-ons.
- a minute on Ruby’s 50-minute plan
- $5.00
- a minute on Ruby’s 50-minute plan
- a minute on Ruby’s 500-minute plan
- $3.45
- a minute on Ruby’s 500-minute plan
- a call on Smith.ai’s human Starter plan (30 calls)
- $10.00
- a call on Smith.ai’s human Starter plan (30 calls)
- a call on Smith.ai’s human Pro plan (300 calls)
- $7.00
- a call on Smith.ai’s human Pro plan (300 calls)
Live answering
When a live receptionist is the better fit.
A live receptionist
If most of your calls need a person’s judgment, such as sensitive intake or complicated scheduling, a live service is built for that. Ruby’s plans and Smith.ai’s human plans both offer it.
Try the calls your business receives
Listen to a sample call and compare it with the questions your customers ask. Decide which conversations can follow your business’s instructions and which need a person’s judgment.
Our AI receptionist
What Lithium Marketing’s AI receptionist does.
It answers every call 24/7 in your brand voice, answers common questions, qualifies the lead, books appointments and sends follow-up texts.
Call the demo and ask a question your customers ask.
Hear it yourself: call (503) 766-5964Our AI receptionist answers.
See how the AI receptionist worksFAQ
Receptionist questions before you choose.
Still curious?
Call (503) 766-5964 or email [email protected].
Does Ruby offer larger plans than the ones shown?
Ruby’s pricing page says larger offerings are available by speaking with its team. Ask Ruby for the price and included minutes for the volume your business needs.
Can I change a Smith.ai human receptionist plan?
Smith.ai’s human receptionist pricing page says you can change plans at any time by emailing its support team. It says billing for the replacement plan starts the following month.
Can an AI receptionist handle text messages too?
Lithium Marketing’s AI receptionist handles text and picture messages (SMS and MMS) as well as phone calls.
Do I get a recording of each call?
Lithium Marketing’s AI receptionist includes call recordings and transcripts, so you can play back a call or read what was said.
Ruby and Smith.ai are trademarks of their owners. Lithium Marketing is not affiliated with either company. Prices and terms come from their public websites and can change, so confirm them with each company.
Free action plan
Hear the AI receptionist, then talk to DJ.
Call (503) 766-5964 to hear the AI receptionist, or book a 30-minute strategy call with DJ.
What we’ll cover
- What’s working (and what isn’t) in your current marketing
- Site and funnel gaps that are costing you leads
- Local SEO and paid traffic opportunities
- Simple tracking and KPIs to measure success
(503) 766-5964
[email protected]
2000 NE 42nd Ave Ste D Unit 2370, Portland, OR 97213
Prefer to pick a time? Book a 30-minute call with DJ