Summary
A clinic should choose a human answering service when it wants a live person on every call, and AI when it wants every enquiry answered and carried through to a booking on the patient's record. Ruby offers live answering 24 hours a day, from $250 a month for 50 minutes on 9 November 2026, and it lists HIPAA-compliant services. Smith.ai sells an AI receptionist from a no-charge tier of 25 calls a month up to $500 a month. Both are strong at picking up the phone. Wai works at a different point in the day. Calls, email, web forms and WhatsApp reach the same thread on the patient's record, a missed call receives a drafted text, and every reply is approved by a person on your team. Anything clinical goes to a doctor. Many clinics do well with a blend. Count last month's calls by hour and purpose, then choose the cover that turns the most enquiries into booked, cared-for patients.
Each rival detail comes from that company's own page, read 9 November 2026. 12
See it in your clinicYou can be running this week. No procurement, no minimum term. A 7-day trial, then one published price.
Request a demo| Option | Who answers | Beyond the call | Published price, read 9 November 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ruby | Live receptionists, 24 hours a day | Scheduling, payment collection, voicemail | $250 for 50 minutes, $395 for 100, $720 for 200, $1,725 for 500 |
| Smith.ai AI Receptionist | AI, with human plans by consultation | Calls by monthly tier | No charge for 25 calls, Pro $150, Enterprise $500 a month |
| Wai | Drafted replies approved by your team | Email, web forms, WhatsApp, calls, booking and deposits on 1 record | Studio priced per location after a demo |
2 models of cover
A live service bills by the minute, so cost follows call length. Ruby's plans ran from $250 for 50 minutes to $1,725 for 500 minutes when read.1 An AI service bills by call, and Smith.ai listed Pro at $150 a month and Enterprise at $500.2
The older comparison in answering service or AI receptionist goes deeper, and the AI receptionist entry defines the term.
The call log decides
Pull 1 month of calls and sort them by hour and purpose. Booking changes and routine questions suit automation, and urgent or sensitive calls need a person at once.
After-hours enquiries and missed-call follow-up cover the 2 moments that matter most. Staff judgement stays with every clinical concern.
The whole enquiry on Wai
Wai brings email, web forms, WhatsApp and calls into 1 thread per patient, drafts each reply for your team to approve and gives missed calls a drafted text.3 Anything clinical has already gone to a doctor by the time the team reads it.4
Studio is priced per location after a demo and includes enquiries and bookings around the clock.5
Bring last month's call log. We show how each enquiry would be handled.
Request a demoFrequently asked questions
Is an AI receptionist better than an answering service?
Each has strengths. A live service suits clinics wanting a person on every call, and AI suits high volumes of routine enquiries that should end in a booking.
How much does a medical answering service cost?
Ruby listed $250 a month for 50 minutes and $1,725 for 500 minutes on 9 November 2026.1
How much does an AI receptionist cost?
Smith.ai listed a no-charge tier of 25 calls, Pro at $150 and Enterprise at $500 a month on 9 November 2026.2
Who handles a clinical question on a call?
What happens to a missed call?
On Wai, a missed call is given a drafted text for the team to send.3
Can we use both?
Yes. Many clinics use live cover for urgent calls and software for routine enquiries and follow-up.
Sources
- Pricing, read 9 November 2026
- AI Receptionist pricing, read 9 November 2026
- The clinic platform, read 9 November 2026
- Wai Studio, the front desk and back office, read 9 November 2026
- Pricing, read 9 November 2026
Give every caller a reply that feels personal
Bring one real clinic day and we will walk through it on your own workflows. We reply within 24 hours.
Partner with us
See it on your own patients, then build it with us
Thirty minutes on your own patients, doctors and rules, in your market. We reply within one working day, and the clinics that partner with us early shape what we build next.
See what Wai does between the visits