AI receptionist pricing in the UK has finally stabilised. A year ago, a single provider could quote £50/month one week and £600/month the next because nobody knew what the market should pay. In April 2026, there is a clear mid-market — roughly £99 to £299/month for a working AI phone answering service — with sensible cheap options below and enterprise tools above.
This guide compares the main options in the UK market: Moneypenny AI, Smith.ai, Team-Connect, AIReceptionists, Flamingo Digital, The VOIP Shop, and our own Hand On Web voice setup. You'll see exact pricing, what's really included at each tier, where the hidden costs are, and which providers actually deliver a UK accent that doesn't feel like a ChatGPT demo.
First — check the maths for your business
What missed calls are costing you each month
Tweak the numbers to match your business. Assumes 23% of calls go unanswered (BT Business research, 2025).
This is an estimate from the figures you enter, not a result we promise. Compare it with the £9.99–£299/month AI receptionist options below.
The at-a-glance comparison
| Provider | From | Model | UK accent | Booking | CRM sync | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team-Connect | £9.99/mo | AI-only | Sole traders, micro-business | |||
| The VOIP Shop | £25/mo | AI + VOIP | Teams already on VOIP | |||
| AIReceptionists.io | £49/mo | AI-only | Single-location SMEs | |||
| Flamingo Digital | £99/mo | AI-only | Service businesses, managed | |||
| Hand On Web (ours) | £99/mo | AI-only, custom | Dental, legal, professional services | |||
| Smith.ai | $255/mo (~£200) | Hybrid AI + human | US-facing firms, legal | |||
| Moneypenny AI | £249/mo+ | Hybrid AI + human | Mid-market, brand-sensitive | |||
| AllDayPA | £99/mo (human) | Human call centre | Businesses that want humans only |
= included · = optional / limited · = not included. VAT excluded. US providers converted to GBP at 0.79.
What an AI receptionist actually costs
Strip out the provider names and UK AI receptionist pricing falls into three bands. Basic templated tools start under £100 a month (the £9.99 to £99 options in the table above). For a managed or custom setup that answers calls, books appointments and syncs your CRM, budget roughly £99 to £400 a month. Our own plans are £99, £199 and £349 a month, plus a one-off £149 setup. Add a human backup team and you're into £500 to £2,000 a month.
| Option | Typical price | Per year | What you get |
|---|---|---|---|
| AI-only receptionist | £99–£399/mo | £1,188–£4,788 | Every call answered at once, 24/7, appointment booking, CRM sync |
| Hybrid AI + human backup | £500–£2,000/mo | £6,000–£24,000 | AI answers first; a human picks up overflow and complex calls |
| Full-time human receptionist | ~£1,850–£2,350/mo | £22,000–£28,000 + overheads | One person, business hours only, one call at a time |
Monthly figures exclude VAT. One-off setup fees sit on top. Salary is gross UK pay before employer NI, pension, holiday and sickness cover.
Is an AI receptionist cheaper than a human receptionist?
Every call answered at once, out of hours included. No holiday cover to arrange.
Salary before employer NI, pension and holiday. One person, business hours, one call at a time.
On paper, yes, and it's not close. Add employer National Insurance, pension, holiday and cover for sick days and a receptionist's real cost clears £30,000 a year. A year of AI-only cover, out of hours included, runs a fraction of that.
The honest caveat is judgement. For a counselling line, legal intake or an awkward complaint, a person reads the room in a way software can't yet, which is why the hybrid tier exists. If you want a hand working out which fits your call patterns, get in touch, or compare them side by side in our AI vs human receptionist guide.
Deep dive — each provider in plain English
Team-Connect — the £9.99 entry point
Genuinely cheap, genuinely basic. You get a UK number, a scripted AI that answers with your business name, basic FAQ handling, and email notifications of missed calls. No CRM sync, no calendar booking on the base plan. Good if you're a sole trader who wants someone picking up while you're on site — not good if you're trying to capture leads with any sophistication.
The VOIP Shop — £25/mo bundled with phone lines
Attractive if you already need a VOIP system. The AI receptionist sits on top of your existing numbers and handles overflow or out-of-hours. Strong engineering, weak customer-facing docs. Expect to spend 2–3 hours on the phone with their team during setup.
AIReceptionists.io — £49/mo sweet spot
Our most-recommended entry-level option for UK SMEs in 2026. Includes Google Calendar booking, HubSpot sync, SMS fallback, and a half-decent admin panel. British Siri-quality voice. Only real weakness is that scripts are templated — if you need bespoke conversation flows you'll outgrow it quickly.
Flamingo Digital — £99/mo managed
Different proposition: Flamingo builds and manages the AI for you. Monthly review call, script refinements, reporting. Paying for service rather than software. Our verdict: fair value if you're time-poor; pricey if you have someone internal who can manage the tool.
Hand On Web — from £99/month, custom-built per business
What we build ourselves. Custom conversation scripts tailored to your business, and a named person to call when you want to tweak anything. Starter is £99/month for 200 minutes. Professional (£199/month, 500 minutes) adds live transfer, calendar booking and SMS confirmations. Business (£349/month, 1,000 minutes) adds multiple numbers, CRM integration and priority support. Bespoke PMS integrations are quoted. Pitched at professional services (dental, legal, clinical, financial) where the cost of a mishandled call is high.
Full transparency: we built the AI receptionist service page on exactly this setup. Setup is a one-off £149, extra minutes are 25p, and it runs month to month with 30 days' notice. There is no free trial. Every plan has a 30-day money-back guarantee instead: Not happy in the first 30 days? We refund what you have paid.
Smith.ai — hybrid AI + human, US-first
Well-regarded in the US legal market. The "AI" here is primarily a routing and triage layer — actual callers still reach a human. For US-facing firms, strong. For UK-only firms, you're paying for features you don't use, and the accent fit is not always right.
Moneypenny AI — the premium hybrid
Moneypenny are the UK name in human virtual reception. Their AI product launched in 2024 and sits alongside their human service. Mid-market quality, mid-market price. Best for brand-sensitive businesses — law firms, estate agents, private healthcare — where you want a recognisably premium phone experience.
AllDayPA — traditional human call centre
Included because the question "should I use AI or a human service" comes up every conversation. AllDayPA is the well-known UK human option. Price is comparable to Flamingo's AI tier, but you're paying for human judgement — which for some industries (counselling, legal intake, complaints) genuinely matters.
The hidden costs nobody puts on their pricing page
Most "£49/month" plans include 250–500 minutes. Overages are usually £0.15–£0.40/min. Busy services can easily add £50/month to the base plan.
Porting your existing business number can be £25–£150 one-off. Some providers bundle, most don't.
Custom CRM or calendar integration often £200–£500 one-off. Ask before signing.
Some providers charge £30–£75 per "major" script edit. Worth asking what counts as "major".
Extended retention (90+ days) may be £10–£20/month add-on, needed for regulated industries.
A few providers charge more for evenings/weekends. Check the quote is inclusive.
Best fit by industry
Hand On Web or Flamingo. Needs PMS integration + appointment rules. Budget £99–£249/mo.
Moneypenny AI or Hand On Web. Confidentiality language + conflict-check triage matter. £199–£349/mo.
AIReceptionists.io or Team-Connect. Quick bookings, job-type routing. £49–£99/mo.
Hand On Web or Flamingo. Order lookups, returns triage, CRM sync. £99–£349/mo.
Moneypenny AI. Brand-sensitive market. £249+/mo.
Hand On Web custom. GDPR / NHS-data caution required. £199+/mo.
Team-Connect or VOIP Shop. Basic missed-call capture. £10–£49/mo.
AIReceptionists.io. Reservation booking critical. £49–£99/mo.
Our buying process (the order we recommend)
- Use the missed-call calculator above. If your annual revenue lost to missed calls is under £3,000, stop reading — Team-Connect at £10 is more than enough.
- Shortlist 2 providers based on price and industry fit. Book a 15-minute demo with each. Ask for a live call test, not a recorded one.
- Ask every provider one question: "How does the caller handoff to a human work, and what triggers it?" The quality of that answer tells you more than the pricing page.
- Use the first month as your test with your top choice, and read every call transcript personally. Check whether they offer a trial or a money-back guarantee; ours has a 30-day money-back guarantee.
- Keep your original phone line live for the first month. Forward it to the AI rather than cutting off. If anything breaks, you can revert in minutes.
Frequently asked questions
Want a live demo — on your actual business scenarios?
We'll set up a 10-minute test call on our AI, configured with your business name and two or three common questions your callers ask. No sales script, no obligation. If you decide to go with someone else after hearing it, that's fine.
Related reading
AI Receptionist UK — complete guide · How to choose an AI receptionist · Voice AI — complete guide
