Wakeman vs Ruby
An AI built for the trades, or a person on every call: price, emergencies and Jobber, side by side.
Comparison · PATLive
PATLive vs Wakeman: live receptionists, or an AI built for the trades
Wakeman is an AI receptionist built only for home-service trades. PATLive is a 24/7 live answering service; it says it “does not use AI to answer calls”. Plans run from $49 a month pay as you go to $349 for 200 minutes, and up.
- Facts from each company’s own pages
- Checked November 2, 2026
At a glance
| Wakeman | PATLive | |
|---|---|---|
| Who answers | An AI, which says so up front | A person, 24/7 |
| Plans | From $49 a month, 100 minutes | From $49 a month, 0 minutes; $99 for 50 |
| Dangerous calls | Safety steps, then it tries your on-call phone | Emergency dispatch, not described |
| How you start | Free for 14 days or 500 minutes | A 14-day free trial |
The full table, and where each fact comes from, is below.
Side by side
| Wakeman | PATLive | |
|---|---|---|
| Who answers | An AI, which says so at the start of every call | A person, 24/7; it says it doesn’t use AI to answer calls |
| 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. | Pay as you go $49 (0 min) · $99 (50 min) · $189 (100) · $349 (200) · $479 (300) · $759 (500) a month, larger plans to 5,000 minutes; plus taxes and fees |
| What is counted | Minutes: each call is rounded up to the next whole minute | Minutes a receptionist is live on your call; notes and wrap-up aren’t billed. 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 | $1.49–$2.99 a minute by plan |
| 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 | Emergency dispatch is listed on every plan; how it works isn’t 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 | A person answers every call |
| Software it connects to | Jobber, built in on Pro and Max. Housecall Pro is not generally available yet | Lists Jobber with HubSpot, Salesforce, Google Calendar, Zapier and others; ServiceTitan and Housecall Pro aren’t on its pricing page |
| Languages | English | Bilingual for Spanish-speaking callers, at no extra cost |
| 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 | No contracts; cancel any time, by phone or online |
| 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 | A 14-day free trial on any plan |
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.
- PATLive pricing — plans, overage, billing, trial, contract, Spanish, integrations
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 PATLive if
- Every caller must reach a person, whatever the call. Wakeman is an AI; PATLive is people on every call.
- Many of your callers speak Spanish. Wakeman answers in English only; PATLive answers Spanish-speaking callers at no extra cost.
- 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 PATLive cost compared with Wakeman?
PATLive’s live answering is $49 a month with no minutes included and $2.99 a minute, $99 for 50 minutes, $189 for 100 and $349 for 200, with extra minutes at $1.49–$2.99 by plan, plus taxes and fees (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 PATLive use AI to answer calls?
No. PATLive’s pricing page says it does not use AI to answer calls: a live receptionist takes each one. Wakeman is the other way round: an AI answers every call and says so, and when a caller needs a person it puts them through to your own on-call phone, then the owner’s.
More comparisons
Wakeman vs AnswerConnect
A 24/7 live answering service priced by quote, next to an AI receptionist for the trades with its price on the page.
Best AI receptionists for contractors
Every option for contractors on one page, with prices from each vendor’s own page.
Somebody’s always awake.
Try it on your own phone tonight. About ten minutes, and $0 today.
Hear it answer