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First Deploy vs Ruby
Checked October 4, 2026. Ruby’s plan structure below comes from Ruby’s plans and pricing page. The dollar range for receptionist minutes comes from Ruby’s own 2026 cost guide, because the middle minute prices on the plans page did not render as text when that page was read. This page does not fill those gaps with a guess.
First Deploy is an AI after-hours desk for trade shops, built by AgentHive Inc in Palm Coast, Florida. Setup is $1,750. The desk is $250 a month from go-live. Ruby is a live virtual receptionist. Those are different ways to cover the phone.
Side by side
| First Deploy | Ruby | |
|---|---|---|
| Who it’s for | HVAC, plumbing, electrical, roofing, pest, landscaping, and auto or truck repair shops that miss after-hours calls. | Ruby’s plans page names legal, home services (roofers, plumbers, HVAC, landscapers, and contractors), business services, healthcare, financial services, and freelancers. |
| How it answers | An AI voice line. It takes the caller’s details, books the job, and sends the follow-up. | Live receptionists. The plans page says “24/7 live answering,” including after hours, weekends, and holidays, and “100% live, personalized communication” on the bundled plans. |
| Pricing model | $1,750 once, then $250/month per company. Not metered by the minute. | Receptionist minutes per month. Their cost guide says plans start at $250 for 50 minutes and go up to $1,725 for 500 minutes. Chat is a separate plan. |
| Setup | $1,750, with $875 (50%) to start. One leak goes live this week on a written plan. | The plans page says there are no additional or hidden fees for activation, onboarding, setup, or customization. |
| Contract | Monthly desk from go-live. Cancel any time; when the month is off, the line goes dark. See pricing. | The pages read on October 4, 2026 do not state a minimum term or an overage rate. Larger plans say to talk to sales. |
How Ruby answers
Ruby’s plans page describes trained virtual receptionists. Coverage is 24/7, including nights, weekends, and holidays. Listed features include scheduling, lead qualification and intake, payment collection, outbound calls, and 24/7 Spanish and bilingual answering. HIPAA-compliant service is listed as available. Optional AI enhancements (transcripts, sentiment, assisted call flows) are “at no extra cost.” The person on the call is still what they lead with.
Home services are named on that page: “Roofers, plumbers, HVAC, landscapers, and contractors.” That overlaps First Deploy’s shops. Ruby sends a receptionist. First Deploy sends the AI desk.
Pricing model, from their pages
Receptionist plans are sold as minutes, not as a flat “answer every call” fee. The plans page shows four minute sizes:
- 50 minutes a month, described as a fit for startups.
- 100 minutes a month, described as a fit for one-person businesses.
- 200 minutes a month, described as a fit for small businesses.
- 500 minutes a month, described as a fit for larger and growing businesses. The price printed next to this tier on the plans page was $1,725.
Ruby’s cost guide, on ruby.com, states the range in one sentence: plans start at $250 per month for 50 minutes and go up to $1,725 per month for 500 minutes, with larger plans available. The 100-minute and 200-minute dollar amounts were not in the text returned from the plans page on October 4, 2026, so they are not repeated here.
Live chat is separate: $143 for 10 chats, $335 for 30, and $520 for 50. Added onto a receptionist plan, the page lists $115, $268, and $416, and calls that a 20% savings. Ruby says the only difference between plans is the number of minutes or chats.
Ruby’s $250 buys 50 receptionist minutes. First Deploy’s $250 is the monthly desk after a $1,750 setup, and it is not a minute bundle. A shop past 50 minutes is on a larger Ruby plan. The top step they publish is $1,725 for 500 minutes.
Setup
Ruby’s plans page says there are no additional or hidden fees for activation, onboarding, setup, customization, or “coverage during certain periods.” It also says a dedicated sales person will help build the plan. First Deploy charges the $1,750 setup on purpose: that is the work of writing one leak and putting it live. The monthly $250 starts after that, at go-live.
When Ruby is the better choice
Ruby is the better choice if you want a person on the call, including at night, on weekends, and on holidays, without a separate night rate. Their plans page says answering is live. It is also the better choice if you need bilingual live answering, HIPAA-compliant service, payment collection, or outbound calls. Those are on their feature list. So is website chat, at the prices above.
Their cost guide describes another fit: someone already at a front desk for walk-ins, with Ruby covering the calls that desk cannot take. First Deploy fits a trade shop that wants one night leak installed and then left on a flat monthly desk, without buying minutes.
Our price
Setup is $1,750. Start with $875 or pay in full. Then $250 a month per company from go-live. Details and checkout are on the pricing page. Also see First Deploy vs Smith.ai, First Deploy vs Goodcall, and what an after-hours answering service costs.
Sources
- Ruby plans and pricing, read October 4, 2026.
- Ruby, “Virtual vs. traditional receptionist cost comparison”, read October 4, 2026. This is the page that states $250 for 50 minutes and $1,725 for 500 minutes.
- First Deploy pricing.