Wakeman vs Ruby
An AI built for the trades, or a person on every call: price, emergencies and Jobber, side by side.
Comparison · Abby Connect
Abby Connect vs Wakeman: receptionists and AI for any business, or an AI built for the trades
Wakeman is an AI receptionist built only for home-service trades. Abby Connect answers with US-based receptionists, an AI receptionist, or both, from $164 a month for 50 Abby Minutes. Two minutes with its AI count as one Abby Minute.
- Facts from each company’s own pages
- Checked November 2, 2026
At a glance
| Wakeman | Abby Connect | |
|---|---|---|
| Who answers | An AI, which says so up front | People, an AI, or both |
| Plans | From $49 a month, 100 minutes | From $164 a month, 50 Abby Minutes |
| Dangerous calls | Safety steps, then it tries your on-call phone | Not described on its pricing page |
| How you start | Free for 14 days or 500 minutes | Free for 14 days or 500 Abby Minutes |
The full table, and where each fact comes from, is below.
Side by side
| Wakeman | Abby Connect | |
|---|---|---|
| Who answers | An AI, which says so at the start of every call | Human receptionists, an AI, or both; you can switch at any time |
| Plans | Starter $49 (100 min) · Pro $149 (500 min) · Max $399 (1,500 min). Every plan answers day and night; any plan can be set to answer only while you are closed. | Starter $164 (50 Abby Minutes) · Essential $329 (100) · Professional $599 (200) · Growth $1,380 (500) a month; Enterprise is custom |
| What is counted | Minutes: each call is rounded up to the next whole minute | Abby Minutes: a minute with a person is 1, two minutes with the AI are 1. Rounding isn’t stated |
| Over your allowance | $0.45 / $0.35 / $0.29 a minute by plan, published, with a monthly spending limit you set | Billed at your plan’s Abby Minute rate; no per-minute figure is published |
| Urgent calls | Gas, carbon monoxide, a downed power line, fire or smoke, a medical emergency, a child or pet locked in a car, water near electrics, a structural collapse, major flooding and sewage inside: safety steps, then Wakeman tries your on-call phone during the call. No heat, no cooling or a leak that can’t wait is urgent and texted at once. A safety net, not 911 | Not described on its pricing page |
| A person when needed | Puts the caller through to your own people: your on-call phone, then the owner’s if nobody picks up. It does this on a dangerous call, a complaint or an angry caller, or when someone asks for a person twice. The AI answers every call; there’s no call center | Human receptionists on the plans that use them; on a mixed call each part is billed at its own rate |
| Software it connects to | Jobber, built in on Pro and Max. Housecall Pro is not generally available yet | “1000+ integrations”, field-service systems among them; Jobber, ServiceTitan and Housecall Pro aren’t named on its pricing page |
| Languages | English | English and Spanish |
| Built for | Home-service trades only: plumbing, HVAC, electrical, roofing, restoration and their neighbours | Businesses of every kind |
| Contract | No minimum term; cancel in the billing portal. The first month’s payment is refunded in full if you ask within 30 days | Month to month; move up a plan at any time |
| How you start | Free for 14 days or 500 minutes, whichever comes first. You pick a plan at sign-up; nothing is charged until the trial ends, and you can change the plan or cancel before then | Free for 14 days or 500 Abby Minutes; you choose a plan and enter a payment method, $0 due today |
Where these facts come from · checked November 2, 2026
Checked November 2, 2026. Prices and policies change; the links are the authority, not this page.
- Abby Connect pricing — plans, Abby Minutes, AI and human, languages, contract
- Abby Connect free trial — length, card, what is included
Which one you need
Choose Wakeman if
- You run a 2–15 truck plumbing, HVAC or electrical shop and want a receptionist built only for the trades.
- A gas smell or water near electrics at 2am should get safety steps written in advance, while Wakeman tries your on-call phone during the call.
- You want the price on the page and a free trial before you pay: 14 days or 500 minutes, $0 today.
- You’re happy for an AI to answer, as long as it says so and puts the caller through to your own on-call phone when they need a person.
Choose Abby Connect if
- You want a receptionist on some calls and an AI on others, from one company. Wakeman is AI only; Abby Connect sells both.
- Many of your callers speak Spanish. Wakeman answers in English only; Abby Connect answers in English and Spanish.
- Your business isn’t a home-service trade. Wakeman is built only for the trades.
Common questions
Comparing more than two? Every option for contractors, on one page.
How much does Abby Connect cost compared with Wakeman?
Abby Connect’s plans are $164 a month for 50 Abby Minutes, $329 for 100, $599 for 200 and $1,380 for 500; a minute with a receptionist uses one Abby Minute and two minutes with its AI use one (checked November 2, 2026). Wakeman’s plans are Starter $49, Pro $149, Max $399 a month with minutes included and a published price for each extra minute, free for 14 days or 500 minutes, with nothing charged until the trial ends.
Does Abby Connect have an AI receptionist?
Yes. Abby Connect sells human receptionists, an AI receptionist, or both on one plan, and you can switch between them. Wakeman is an AI only, built for home-service trades: it answers every call, says so at the start, and puts a caller who needs a person through to your own on-call phone, then the owner’s.
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