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Ruby vs Smith.ai vs Lithium Marketing

Ruby and Smith.ai alternatives: AI receptionist vs live answering

Keep serving customers while your AI receptionist answers, qualifies and books, with Lithium handling the setup and ongoing management for $179 a month.

Talk with DJ about my calls Call our AI receptionist now (503) 766-5964
  • No setup fee
  • No contract
  • Cancel anytime
Smart Doors LLC garage door website homepage, built by Lithium Marketing
AIreceptionist user (Smart Doors LLC)
Google Partner badge Google PartnerView our Partners listing 5.0on Google · read our reviews
2010Lithium Marketing, established in 2010
$10M+Over $10 million in Google ad spend managed

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

Ruby alternatives and Smith.ai alternatives

Keep doing the job. Let us handle the receptionist.

You cannot finish a repair, talk with a customer and answer the next call at the same time. Getting help should take work off your plate.

Lithium Marketing’s AI receptionist is a managed alternative to Ruby and Smith.ai for service businesses. It answers around the clock, responds to common questions, qualifies inquiries and books appointments. We configure the voice, business knowledge and call handling, then manage the system for you.

That means you can get help with the phone without taking on another piece of software to maintain after hours. Tell us what you do, which customers you can help and when a call needs your team. We put those instructions into the setup.

The aim is a useful next step for the caller and less time playing dispatcher for you. A routine question can get an answer. A prospective customer can leave the details your team needs. A booking can reach your calendar.

Hear the service before you decide.

Call our live demo and ask about Lithium’s services. Listen for a useful answer and a sensible next step. Then talk with DJ about how we would configure it for your business.

Call (503) 766-5964 See the service and published terms

At a glance

Compare the price and the work included.

Human answering, supported AI software and a managed AI service serve different needs. Choose the arrangement that fits your calls and your day.

Ruby’s pricing page (opens in a new tab)Smith.ai’s AI pricing (opens in a new tab)Smith.ai’s human pricing (opens in a new tab)

Who answers

Ruby
Live human receptionists
Smith.ai
Separate AI receptionist and human receptionist plans
Lithium Marketing
An AI receptionist, with transfers to your team when your rules call for it

Starting monthly plans

Ruby
$250 for 50 minutes; $395 for 100 minutes. Larger plans available
Smith.ai
AI: Free for 25 calls; Pro from $150 for 75 calls; Enterprise from $500 for 300 calls. Human: from $300 for 30 calls
Lithium Marketing
$179, fully managed, with no setup fee

Setup and ongoing help

Ruby
Onboarding and personalized call handling; no extra setup or customization fee
Smith.ai
AI Pro: self-setup with onboarding and support. Enterprise: full-service setup and ongoing optimization
Lithium Marketing
Lithium configures your voice, business knowledge, call rules and connections, then manages the receptionist

Contract

Ruby
Confirm the cancellation requirements for the plan you choose
Smith.ai
AI FAQ: month to month with 30 days’ cancellation notice. An optional six-month plan is also offered
Lithium Marketing
No contract, cancel anytime

Prices and plan descriptions checked October 18, 2026. Compare the current quote, including usage and any add-ons, before committing. Lithium’s terms are on the AI receptionist service page.

Why owners reconsider their receptionist

An answered call should move the customer closer to getting help.

Call handling and cost recur in discussions about Ruby and Smith.ai. For your business, both need to work: the right instructions and a service you can justify.

Put your business knowledge into the first conversation.

A caller told your company does not offer a service may never reach your team to find out otherwise. Users of Ruby and Smith.ai describe callers being turned away for work their firms handled. That is a missed opportunity before your team gets a chance to help.

Lithium configures the receptionist around your services and call rules. The knowledge base gives it your business information; qualification and booking instructions help it collect the details and take the next step you need. Call recordings and transcripts let you inspect what happened.

Related experiences: Ruby user’s service-fit concern (opens in a new tab); Smith.ai user’s intake and routing experience (opens in a new tab). The latter also describes useful intake, integrations and a feedback process.

Buy the help your call mix needs.

Long conversations use more of a minute-based plan. Ruby’s billing includes hold time and post-call work, rounds to full minutes and adds overages when the allowance is exceeded. Smith.ai’s AI and human plans use call allowances, with extra-call charges.

Lithium’s offer puts setup and management in the hands of our team. If you want someone to configure and run the receptionist, that work is included in the $179 monthly service. There is no setup fee or contract, and you can cancel anytime.

Bring your call volume and the conversations you need handled. A free or lower-priced AI tier may suit a lighter workload. Choose Lithium when you want our team to configure and manage the receptionist for you.

Sources: Ruby billing guide (opens in a new tab); Smith.ai AI allowances (opens in a new tab); Smith.ai human allowances (opens in a new tab).

The Reddit discussions describe individual human-service experiences, not AI product failures or typical results. Participants differ on which provider suits them.

From a call to a useful next step

Fewer messages to sort out when you get back to the truck.

A name and a number can leave you starting from scratch. Your receptionist can gather the request, answer routine questions and help the customer move forward.

Connect the conversation to your workday.

Lithium configures CRM and calendar connections so the receptionist can qualify inquiries and book appointments as part of your process. Follow-up texts help continue the conversation after the call.

For a garage-door business, a caller may need to explain a repair. For a contractor, the next step may be gathering project details. Your services and booking rules guide the setup.

Already on the phones at Smart Doors LLC.

Lithium built Smart Doors LLC’s 25-page garage-door website, then added our AI receptionist to its phones.

You can choose the receptionist on its own. A website, SEO or advertising package is not required.

See Smart Doors in our portfolio

Hear it for yourself

Meet the receptionist before you put it on your phones.

Call our live AI receptionist. Have a conversation, ask a follow-up question and hear how it responds before booking a call with DJ.

Then bring us the calls that take the most time out of your day. Routine service questions, appointment requests and calls that need a person each deserve clear handling. DJ can discuss what the receptionist should do, which connections you need and where your team should take over.

You know your customers. We handle the setup and management that turn those instructions into a working receptionist.

Call (503) 766-5964 Talk through my setup with DJ

FAQ

Receptionist questions before you choose.

DJ Van Zanten

Still curious?

Call (503) 766-5964 or email [email protected].

How quickly can Lithium get my receptionist running?

The AI receptionist goes live in days. We configure it around your business information and call handling, including the CRM and calendar connections your setup needs. Bring your current phone setup and booking process to the first conversation.

Can the receptionist transfer a caller to my team?

Yes. Lithium’s AI receptionist can transfer calls to a real person using your business’s rules. Tell us which situations need your team and where those calls should go.

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.

Why pay Lithium if Smith.ai has a free plan?

Lithium’s price includes configuring and managing the receptionist for your business. Smith.ai’s free plan may suit a small call volume, and its Pro plan includes onboarding and support with self-setup. Choose according to the calls you need handled and the work you want someone else to manage.

Does Lithium supply a team of live receptionists?

No. Lithium supplies an AI receptionist. If your calls routinely require sensitive judgment from an outside human team, Ruby’s live service or Smith.ai’s human receptionist plans may be a better fit.

How can I tell whether an AI voice will suit my customers?

Call our live demo and have a conversation. Lithium has 30 natural AI voices to choose from. Listen for the pace and clarity you would want your customers to hear, then discuss the voice and business information for your own setup.

Do I have to replace my marketing agency to use the receptionist?

The AI receptionist is a separate Lithium service. You can discuss it without buying a website, SEO or advertising package. Tell us what your phone, calendar and CRM already do, then agree on the call handling and connections your business needs.

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

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