Honest comparison · June 2026
Short answer: Ruby is a long-established virtual receptionist service staffed by real humans, priced per minute ($250/month for 50 minutes up to $1,725/month for 500 minutes, as of June 2026 per their pricing page). RAMELO's Ava is an AI receptionist with flat monthly pricing ($349–$1,399, public) that answers unlimited concurrent calls 24/7 and books the real open calendar slot live on the call. Humans vs. AI is the real choice here — and it's a legitimate one.
| Ava (RAMELO) | Ruby | |
|---|---|---|
| Published pricing | $349 / $699 / $1,399 per month — public, flat tiers | Per-minute plans: $250/mo (50 min), $395/mo (100 min), $720/mo (200 min), $1,725/mo (500 min) (as of June 2026, per ruby.com/pricing) |
| Setup | One-time setup from $499 (done-for-you: we build, tune, and launch) | No activation/onboarding/setup fees (per their page, June 2026) |
| Books the appointment live, on the call | Yes — books the real open calendar slot live, on the call | Scheduling and payment collection available across tiers — done by their human receptionists (per their page, June 2026) |
| 24/7 coverage | Yes — 24/7, nights, weekends, holidays | Yes — 24/7 live answering incl. weekends & holidays (per their page) |
| Try it before you talk to sales | Yes — public demo line you can call right now (books a real slot on a demo calendar) | Consultation/sales flow; no public always-on demo line listed on the page we checked |
| Built for | Med-spas & aesthetic clinics first; any appointment-based front desk (early access) | 100% human receptionists (optional AI enhancements), broad horizontal incl. legal & healthcare; bilingual; HIPAA option |
| Track record & reviews | Launched June 2026 — no public reviews yet (we say so honestly; see /reviews) | Long track record (well-known brand), years of public reviews |
Pick Ruby if your callers need a live human voice — sensitive calls, complex intake, or simply your clientele's preference — and your call minutes are modest. Pick Ava if you miss calls in bursts and after hours, want the call to end in a booked appointment, and want a flat predictable bill. Honest framing: this is humans vs. AI, and both are valid answers to different problems.
Call the demo line, ask her a hard question, ask her to book a time.
+1 (650) 489-4915Honesty note: this is Ava's demo line — she books a real open slot on a demo calendar, so you can hear exactly how live booking works before you buy. Pricing & setup — call Mateo: +1 (650) 628-8717 · hello@ramelo.ai · Pricing