Frequently asked questions
What is an AI shopping agent?
It's an assistant that does the research part of buying something. Instead of returning links for you to sift, it works out what separates a good product from a bad one in that category, what a fair price is, and which specific options suit your case — then points you at listings worth buying. rubyshopper researches and recommends; it never makes a purchase for you.
Is rubyshopper free?
During the beta, yes. Every new account starts with free credits, and the short survey inside the app adds 100 more. No card is charged while the beta is running.
How does it decide what a fair price is?
It researches what that class of product actually sells for and what drives the price differences inside it, then judges a listing against that baseline. That's the difference between a real deal and a big discount off a list price nobody ever pays.
Does it take affiliate commission?
No. No brand or retailer pays to be recommended, and nothing is ranked by commission. When Ruby says skip it, there's no revenue riding on the answer.
What kinds of purchases is it best at?
First-time buys in a category you don't know — a snowboard setup, espresso gear, a road bike. Electronics whose spec sheets are confusing on purpose: laptops, monitors, headphones. Anything where fit matters, once your sizing profile is filled in. Gifts with a hard budget. And quick "is this actually a good deal?" checks on a listing you've already found.
How is this different from asking a general chatbot?
A general assistant answers from memory and will happily invent a model number. Ruby is built for one job: it researches against current information, works to a budget you set, weighs real listings, and tells you what to skip. It also remembers your sizing, so recommendations are fitted to you rather than to a hypothetical average buyer.
What data do you store?
Your account, your chats and kits, an optional sizing profile, and your credit balance. No ad trackers, no data sales, one cookie — the one that keeps you signed in. The text of your requests goes to OpenAI to generate the brief. The full policy lives in the app under Settings → Data & privacy.
What happens when the beta ends?
Paid plans open then. The survey in the app asks what a fair price would be, and those answers genuinely shape it — including a standing offer of a free year for anyone whose suggested feature we build.