---
title: "How Much Does an AI Receptionist Cost per Month in the UK? (2026 Prices)"
description: "An AI receptionist in the UK costs from £10 a month plus 85p a call to £249 a month on published entry plans; most start at £19.99 to £99 a month, and done-for-you plans at £200 to £350 a month plus a one-time setup fee. Published £ prices from 14 providers, billing units, VAT, overage, setup fees, contracts and live demos, plus a worked example against a human answering service. Checked 11 October 2026."
url: "https://ainora.lt/blog/ai-receptionist-cost-uk-2026"
published: "2026-10-11"
updated: "2026-10-11"
author: "Justas Butkus"
---

Last Updated: 2026-10-11

# How Much Does an AI Receptionist Cost per Month in the UK? (2026 Prices)

> **TL;DR (prices checked 11 October 2026)**
>
> On prices published by UK providers and checked on 11 October 2026, an AI receptionist costs from £10 a month plus 85p a call (Answer.co.uk) to £249 a month (Intavia Lite) for an entry plan. Most entry plans start between £19.99 and £99 a month: Team-Connect £19.99, Moneypenny from £25, RingCentral AIR £32, IONOS and Fasthosts £39, Flamingo Digital from £40, Hey Jodie and Ringmere £49, Whoza £59, Norango £69.95 and ARROW £99. Done-for-you plans run £200 to £350 a month plus a one-time setup of £500 to £750 (My AI Voice Agent). The headline price is only half of it: the billing unit (flat, per call, per minute or per booked job), the overage rate, VAT and whether the plan books on the call decide what you pay. AInora is priced individually, after a call.

## How Much Does an AI Receptionist Cost per Month in the UK?

**The cost of an AI receptionist** is what a business pays a provider each month for software that answers its phone calls, handles routine questions and books or passes on the enquiry. In the UK, published entry prices checked on 11 October 2026 run from **£10 a month plus 85p a call** to **£249 a month**, with most entry plans starting at £19.99 to £99 a month and done-for-you plans at £200 to £350 a month plus a one-time setup fee. Higher-volume plans reach £1,249 a month (Intavia Scale, 2,600 minutes).

The range is wide because the providers do not sell the same unit. Some charge a flat fee with unlimited minutes, some count calls, some count minutes, one counts booked jobs, and some quote. Some entry plans only take messages and book from a higher tier. For which providers to shortlist and how they differ beyond price (UK numbers, booking, lead callbacks, languages, demos), see [the best AI receptionist and phone answering services for UK small businesses](https://ainora.lt/blog/best-ai-receptionist-uk-2026).

> **Who wrote this, and the conflict**
>
> AInora sells an AI receptionist too, so we have an interest in this question. That is why every competitor figure below links to the provider's own pricing page with the date we read it, "Not stated" means we did not find a figure, and AInora's row says only what we publish: AInora is priced individually, after a call.

## Which Pricing Models Do UK AI Receptionist Providers Use?

Five models cover the published UK offers. The same month of calls costs very different amounts in each, so work out which one you are being sold before you compare figures. These are other providers' models, as each publishes them (checked 11 October 2026):

- **Flat monthly fee, unlimited or fair-use calls.** Hey Jodie charges £49, £99 or £199 a month with unlimited minutes ([heyjodie.com](https://heyjodie.com/en-gb/pricing)); IONOS and Fasthosts have an unlimited tier at £99. Predictable, but the features (booking, transfers) sit on the higher tiers.
- **Monthly fee with included calls, then a price per call.** IONOS and Fasthosts: £39 for 30 calls, then £0.49 a call ([ionos.co.uk](https://ionos.co.uk/momentum/ai-receptionist)); Answer.co.uk: £10 a month plus £0.85 a call, or bundles of 50, 200 and 500 calls ([answer.co.uk](https://www.answer.co.uk/ai-virtual-receptionist-service/)); My AI Voice Agent: up to 250 calls on its £200 plan, then 50p a call ([myaivoiceagent.co](https://www.myaivoiceagent.co/pricing)). A short call and a long call cost the same; a wrong number costs the same as a booking.
- **Monthly fee with included minutes, then a price per minute.** Ringmere: £49 with 150 minutes, then £0.25 a minute ([ringmere.com](https://ringmere.com/pricing)); RingCentral AIR: £32 with 100 minutes, then £0.40 ([ringcentral.com](https://www.ringcentral.com/gb/en/pricing/ai-receptionist.html)); ARROW: £99 with 150 minutes ([aiphonecalls.co.uk](https://aiphonecalls.co.uk/pricing)); Intavia: £349 with 650 minutes, then £0.54 ([intavia.ai](https://www.intavia.ai/pricing)); Norango and Team-Connect count "AI minutes" with paid top-ups. Long calls cost more; a busy month moves you into overage.
- **Per booked job.** Whoza charges £59 a month with 10 booked jobs and 100 call-handling minutes included, then £4.50 per extra job ([whoza.ai](https://whoza.ai/pricing)). You pay for outcomes rather than calls, so ask how a "job" is counted.
- **Setup fee plus monthly, or a quote.** My AI Voice Agent adds a one-time setup of £500, £750 or £1,000 to its £200, £350 or £500 plans; Norango lists integrations from £295 one-time. Moneypenny says "Get started from £25 a month" and builds the price around what you need after a call ([moneypenny.com](https://www.moneypenny.com/uk/ai-receptionist/)).

## What Prices Do UK AI Receptionist Providers Publish?

AInora first, then the other providers in alphabetical order. Every competitor cell is taken from the provider's own pricing or product page on 11 October 2026, in pounds, with VAT exactly as the provider states it. The "Live demo in the browser" column records whether the provider's site lets you talk to its receptionist in the browser: yes, no, or what you have to do first.

| Provider | Published price | VAT | Billing unit and overage | Setup fee | Contract and trial | Live demo in the browser | Checked |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| AInora | Priced individually, after a call | n/a | n/a | n/a | Trial depends on the project; agreed after a consultation | Yes, no sign-up | 2026-10-11 |
| Answer.co.uk (AI) | £10/mo + £0.85 a call; £30 (50 calls); £120 (200); £300 (500) | Not stated for AI plans | Per call; extra calls £0.85; live-agent transfer extra (fee not published) | £25 minimum deposit on Lite | Monthly, cancel anytime; free test call | No (test call by phone) | 2026-10-11 |
| ARROW | £99/mo with 150 minutes | Not stated | Minutes; overage not published | Not stated | "No contracts"; live in 7 days | No (UK test-call line by phone) | 2026-10-11 |
| Flamingo Digital | From £40.00/month | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Book a demo | 2026-10-11 |
| Hey Jodie | £49, £99 or £199/mo; Enterprise from £500 | Excludes applicable taxes | Flat, unlimited minutes; booking from £99 | None | Month to month; 7-day trial, no card | Sign-up needed (trial) | 2026-10-11 |
| Intavia | Lite £249/mo; Essential £349 (650 min); Growth £749 (1,500); Scale £1,249 (2,600) | Not stated | Minutes; extra £0.54, £0.50 or £0.48; Lite passes bookings to your team | Not stated | Not stated | Book a demo | 2026-10-11 |
| IONOS / Fasthosts | £39/mo (30 calls); £69 (100 calls); £99 (unlimited) | IONOS: excludes VAT | Per call; extra £0.49 or £0.39 | Not stated | Cancel anytime; 1 month free | No (demo line by phone) | 2026-10-11 |
| Moneypenny (AI) | From £25/mo; priced around your needs | Not stated | Quote | Not stated | Discovery call, then quote | No (sector demo lines by phone) | 2026-10-11 |
| My AI Voice Agent | £200/mo (250 calls); £350 (750); £500 (unlimited, fair use 2,000) | Excludes VAT at 20% | Per call; extra calls 50p; calls over 10 seconds count | £500, £750 or £1,000 one-time | Month to month, 30 days' notice | Book a demo | 2026-10-11 |
| Norango | £69.95/mo (60 AI min); £189.95 (200); £299.95 (500); Enterprise from £499 | Not stated | AI minutes; extra 40p to 60p; live-agent time £1.50 to £2.00 a minute | Integrations from £295 one-time | 15% off billed yearly; 30-day free trial | Yes ("Talk to Jessica" on the homepage) | 2026-10-11 |
| RingCentral AIR | £32 per account/mo with 100 minutes | Not stated | Minutes; extra £0.40, billed in 30-second steps | Not stated | Add-on to a RingCentral phone plan | No (audio samples) | 2026-10-11 |
| Ringmere | £49/mo (150 min); £99 (240); £249 (700) | Excludes VAT | Minutes; extra £0.25 (£0.20 on Pro) | Not stated | Month to month; 7-day trial, card needed | Sign-up needed (free account, up to 5 minutes) | 2026-10-11 |
| Team-Connect | £19.99/mo (£14.99 on annual), 30 AI min; £79.99 (250); £199.99 (750) | Not stated | AI minutes; top-ups £34.99 for 150, £99.99 for 500 | Not stated | No contract, cancel anytime | No (demo video) | 2026-10-11 |
| Whoza | £59/mo (10 booked jobs, 100 min); £125 (20 jobs, 300 min); £230 (40 jobs, 700 min) | "No VAT charged" | Per booked job; extra jobs £2.25 to £4.50; extra minutes £20 per 100 | Not stated | No contract; 7-day free trial on Starter | Yes, no sign-up ("Talk to Katie") | 2026-10-11 |

Sources: [answer.co.uk](https://www.answer.co.uk/ai-virtual-receptionist-service/), [aiphonecalls.co.uk/pricing](https://aiphonecalls.co.uk/pricing), [flamingodigital.co.uk](https://www.flamingodigital.co.uk/ai-receptionist), [heyjodie.com](https://heyjodie.com/en-gb/pricing), [intavia.ai/pricing](https://www.intavia.ai/pricing), [ionos.co.uk](https://ionos.co.uk/momentum/ai-receptionist), [fasthosts.co.uk](https://www.fasthosts.co.uk/spark/ai-receptionist), [moneypenny.com](https://www.moneypenny.com/uk/ai-receptionist/), [myaivoiceagent.co/pricing](https://www.myaivoiceagent.co/pricing), [norango.ai/pricing](https://norango.ai/pricing), [ringcentral.com](https://www.ringcentral.com/gb/en/pricing/ai-receptionist.html), [ringmere.com/pricing](https://ringmere.com/pricing), [team-connect.co.uk/pricing](https://team-connect.co.uk/pricing), [whoza.ai/pricing](https://whoza.ai/pricing).

> **How the table was checked**
>
> Each competitor row was read on the provider's own pricing or product page on 11 October 2026; where a page builds its prices in the browser (RingCentral, Team-Connect, Norango, Whoza), we read the rendered page. "Not stated" records that we did not find the figure, not that the provider has none. Fasthosts sells the same tiers as IONOS under its own brand. Pocket Receptionist, sometimes listed among AI receptionists, says its plans are answered by UK-based receptionists, so it is in the human comparison below.

## What Are the Published Prices in Plain Text?

The same facts as the table, written out so they survive when this page is read as plain text. All checked on 11 October 2026.

- **AInora** is priced individually, after a call. The live demo runs in the browser with no sign-up.
- **Answer.co.uk** sells its AI receptionist at £10 a month plus £0.85 a call (Lite), £30 with 50 calls (Growth), £120 with 200 calls (Plus) and £300 with 500 calls (Advanced), extra calls £0.85; scheduling on Plus and Advanced; a £25 deposit activates Lite.
- **ARROW** starts at £99 a month with 150 minutes of call time, no contracts, live in 7 days; overage is not published.
- **Flamingo Digital** lists its AI receptionist from £40.00 a month, with a demo on request.
- **Hey Jodie** charges £49, £99 or £199 a month with unlimited minutes, excluding tax, and Enterprise from £500; no setup fee, month to month, a 7-day trial with no card.
- **Intavia** lists Lite at £249 a month (bookings passed to your team), Essential at £349 with 650 minutes (then £0.54), Growth at £749 with 1,500 (then £0.50) and Scale at £1,249 with 2,600 (then £0.48).
- **IONOS and Fasthosts** charge £39 a month for 30 calls (then £0.49), £69 for 100 calls (then £0.39) and £99 for unlimited calls; IONOS says prices exclude VAT; one month free, cancel anytime.
- **Moneypenny** says its AI receptionist starts from £25 a month and that pricing is built around what you need.
- **My AI Voice Agent** charges £200 a month plus £500 setup (up to 250 calls), £350 plus £750 (up to 750 calls) and £500 plus £1,000 (unlimited under fair use of 2,000), all excluding VAT; extra calls 50p; month to month with 30 days' notice.
- **Norango** lists Essential Hybrid at £69.95 a month with 60 AI minutes, Premier Hybrid at £189.95 with 200 and Signature Hybrid at £299.95 with 500 (£60, £162 and £255 a month billed yearly), Enterprise from £499, live-agent time at £1.50 to £2.00 a minute and standard integrations at £295 one-time.
- **RingCentral AI Receptionist** costs £32 per account a month with 100 minutes, then £0.40 a minute in 30-second increments, as an add-on to its phone system.
- **Ringmere** charges £49 a month with 150 minutes, £99 with 240 and £249 with 700, excluding VAT; extra minutes £0.25 (£0.20 on Pro); month to month; a 7-day trial with a card.
- **Team-Connect** charges £19.99 a month (£14.99 on annual) with 30 AI minutes and 2 UK numbers, £79.99 with 250 AI minutes and £199.99 with 750; AI minute packs from £34.99 for 150; no contract.
- **Whoza** charges £59 a month with 10 booked jobs and 100 minutes, £125 with 20 jobs and 300 minutes, and £230 with 40 jobs and 700 minutes; extra jobs £2.25 to £4.50; extra minutes £20 per 100; "No VAT charged"; a 7-day free trial on Starter.

## How Does an AI Receptionist Compare with a Human Answering Service on Price?

A human answering service puts a person on the line, usually to take a message; an AI receptionist answers itself, and on most plans books the appointment during the call. These are the human services whose prices we could read on their own sites on 11 October 2026:

| Human answering service | Published price | Billing unit | Hours and terms |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Answer.co.uk (human, pay as you go) | £2.20 a call plus VAT (new customers) | Per call, no duration limit | 24-hour answering; pay as you go |
| Moneypenny (human receptionists) | Not published; quote | Priced around your needs | Quote after a call |
| Pocket Receptionist | £75/mo (30 calls); £145 (60); £230 (100); £635 (300) | Per call; extra calls £2.99 | 08:00 to 20:00 on these plans; month to month; 7-day free trial |
| Smith.ai (human, US) | $300/mo (30 calls); $810 (90); $2,100 (300) | Per call; $11.50 over 30 on Starter | Month to month |

Sources: [answer.co.uk](https://www.answer.co.uk/ai-virtual-receptionist-service/), [moneypenny.com](https://www.moneypenny.com/uk/ai-receptionist/), [pocketreceptionist.co.uk/pricing](https://www.pocketreceptionist.co.uk/pricing), [smith.ai/pricing](https://smith.ai/pricing), checked 11 October 2026.

**A worked example.** Take a hypothetical small business that gets **100 calls a month, averaging about 3 minutes** (300 minutes). Using only the published prices above, this is what each plan would cost for that month. It is arithmetic on public price lists, not a quote from anyone, and VAT is shown as each provider states it.

| Provider and plan | Calculation | Monthly cost | What the plan does on the call |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Answer.co.uk human, pay as you go | 100 calls × £2.20 | £220 plus VAT | A person takes a message |
| Pocket Receptionist Pro (human) | £230 includes 100 calls | £230 | A person answers, 08:00 to 20:00 |
| Hey Jodie Basic / Professional | Flat, unlimited minutes | £49 / £99, excl. tax | Booking from the £99 plan |
| IONOS or Fasthosts, middle tier | £69 includes 100 calls | £69, excl. VAT (IONOS) | Scheduling on the £69 Fasthosts Plus plan |
| Ringmere Starter | £49 incl. 150 min + 150 min × £0.25 | £86.50, ex VAT | Books on every plan |
| RingCentral AIR | £32 incl. 100 min + 200 min × £0.40 | £112, plus the RingCentral phone plan | Booking listed as coming soon |
| Team-Connect Business Pro | £79.99 incl. 250 AI min + one 150-minute pack at £34.99 | £114.98 | Books appointments (stated) |
| Answer.co.uk AI Plus | £120 includes 200 calls | £120 | Scheduling on Plus |
| Whoza Growth | £125 includes 300 minutes and 20 booked jobs | £125, no VAT charged | Calendar sync; you pay per booked job above 20 |
| My AI Voice Agent Starter | £200 includes up to 250 calls | £200 excl. VAT, plus £500 setup once | Google Calendar booking |
| Intavia Essential | £349 includes 650 minutes | £349 | Bookings in the practice system |

Three things show up once the numbers are in. The two human services land at £220 to £230 for this month, and the AI plans at £49 to £349, but the cheapest AI plans take a message where the dearer ones book the appointment, so compare plans that do the same job. The billing unit decides the winner: at 100 short calls a per-call plan is cheap, at 100 long calls a flat plan is. And the human option buys a person on the line, which some callers and some calls need. Many businesses keep people for those calls and let the AI take the overflow, the evenings and the routine bookings, so the team serves more customers without adding a shift. For the same question priced in US dollars, see [AI vs human receptionist cost](https://ainora.lt/blog/ai-vs-human-receptionist-cost-comparison).

## Which Costs Sit Outside the Headline Price?

- **VAT.** Ringmere, Hey Jodie, IONOS and My AI Voice Agent publish prices excluding VAT or tax; Whoza says no VAT is charged; most of the others do not say. Compare like with like.
- **Overage.** Above the allowance: £0.25 a minute at Ringmere, £0.40 at RingCentral, £0.54 at Intavia Essential, £0.49 a call at IONOS and Fasthosts, £0.85 at Answer.co.uk, 50p at My AI Voice Agent. ARROW does not publish its overage.
- **How a call or minute is counted.** IONOS and Fasthosts count every call, however short; My AI Voice Agent counts answered calls over 10 seconds; RingCentral bills in 30-second increments.
- **Setup and integrations.** Hey Jodie charges no setup fee; My AI Voice Agent charges £500 to £1,000 once; Norango lists standard integrations at £295 one-time and custom ones at £495 plus £150 a month; Answer.co.uk asks for a £25 deposit on Lite.
- **Features locked to higher tiers.** Booking starts at £99 on Hey Jodie, £69 on Fasthosts and £120 on Answer.co.uk; Ringmere's 30+ languages start at £99; Team-Connect's multilingual AI starts at £79.99.
- **Transfers to a person.** Answer.co.uk charges extra for live-agent transfers without publishing the fee; Norango bills live-agent time at £1.50 to £2.00 a minute.
- **Your phone system.** RingCentral AIR is an add-on, so the RingCentral phone plan is a cost on top if you are not already on it.
- **Notice periods and cards.** My AI Voice Agent asks for 30 days' notice; Ringmere's trial needs a card, Hey Jodie's does not.

## How Much Does AInora Cost?

AInora is priced individually, after a call. To scope it for your calls, [book a call](https://ainora.lt/contact?from=blog-ai-receptionist-cost-uk-2026). Before that, you can talk to the AInora agent in your browser on the [AI receptionist UK page](https://ainora.lt/ai-receptionist-uk), no sign-up.

## How Should You Compare AI Receptionist Prices Before You Sign?

- **Price your own month, not the plan.** Take last month's calls and average length and run them through each provider's unit, as in the example above.
- **Check what the plan does on the call.** Message, transfer or a booking in your diary, and on which tier.
- **Ask for the overage rate, VAT and setup fee in writing,** and how a call or minute is counted.
- **Check the number.** Can you keep your existing number by forwarding, or is a new UK number included?
- **Ask what happens to new enquiries.** A missed-call text is not a callback. If your leads arrive by web form or property portal, ask whether the provider calls them back, and how fast.
- **Read the contract.** Month to month, notice period, minimum term, trial with or without a card.
- **Hear it first.** A live conversation tells you more than a rate card; our [guide to testing an AI voice agent](https://ainora.lt/blog/how-to-test-an-ai-voice-agent-before-you-buy) lists the checks. Sector examples: [UK trades](https://ainora.lt/ai-answering-service-trades-uk) and [UK estate and letting agents](https://ainora.lt/ai-receptionist-estate-agents-uk); for Ireland, see [AI receptionist Ireland](https://ainora.lt/ai-receptionist-ireland).

## Frequently Asked Questions

**How much does an AI receptionist cost per month in the UK?**

On prices published by UK providers and checked on 11 October 2026, an AI receptionist costs from £10 a month plus 85p a call (Answer.co.uk) to £249 a month (Intavia Lite) for an entry plan. Most entry plans start between £19.99 and £99 a month: Team-Connect £19.99, Moneypenny from £25, RingCentral AIR £32, IONOS and Fasthosts £39, Flamingo Digital from £40, Hey Jodie and Ringmere £49, Whoza £59, Norango £69.95 and ARROW £99. Done-for-you plans run £200 to £350 a month plus a one-time setup of £500 to £750 (My AI Voice Agent). AInora is priced individually, after a call.

**What is the cheapest AI receptionist in the UK?**

By published entry price on 11 October 2026: Answer.co.uk at £10 a month plus £0.85 a call, then Team-Connect at £19.99 a month (£14.99 on annual) with 30 AI minutes, and IONOS and Fasthosts at £39 a month for 30 calls. The cheapest plans usually take messages; booking on the call starts at £49 a month at Ringmere and higher on most other plans. Price your own call volume before you choose.

**Is an AI receptionist cheaper than a human answering service?**

Often, for the same number of calls. In a worked example of 100 calls a month averaging 3 minutes, published prices checked on 11 October 2026 put human answering at £220 plus VAT (Answer.co.uk pay as you go) or £230 (Pocket Receptionist, 08:00 to 20:00), and AI plans at £49 to £349 depending on the provider and whether the plan books on the call. A human service puts a person on the line, which some calls need, so many businesses use both.

**Do UK AI receptionist prices include VAT?**

Mostly not, or the provider does not say. Ringmere, Hey Jodie, IONOS and My AI Voice Agent publish prices excluding VAT or tax; Whoza says no VAT is charged; Answer.co.uk states plus VAT for its human service; most others do not state it. Checked 11 October 2026.

**Are there setup fees for an AI receptionist?**

Some providers charge one. My AI Voice Agent charges £500, £750 or £1,000 one-time depending on the plan; Norango lists integrations from £295 one-time; Answer.co.uk asks for a £25 deposit on Lite; Hey Jodie says it charges no setup fee. Checked 11 October 2026.

**How do AI receptionist providers bill: per call or per minute?**

Both, and more. Per call: IONOS and Fasthosts (£39 for 30 calls, then £0.49), Answer.co.uk (£0.85 a call), My AI Voice Agent (50p over the allowance). Per minute: Ringmere (£0.25 over 150 minutes), RingCentral AIR (£0.40 over 100), Intavia (£0.54 over 650). Flat with unlimited minutes: Hey Jodie (from £49). Per booked job: Whoza (£59 with 10 jobs). Quote: Moneypenny (from £25).

**How much does AInora cost?**

AInora is priced individually, after a call. You can talk to the AInora agent in your browser on the AI receptionist UK page before you book the call, no sign-up.

**Can I hear an AI receptionist before I pay?**

Often. On 11 October 2026 you could talk to an agent in the browser with no sign-up on AInora and Whoza, and Norango had a "Talk to Jessica" button on its homepage. Ringmere lets you talk to your own receptionist in the browser after a free account; Hey Jodie has a 7-day trial without a card; Answer.co.uk, ARROW, IONOS, Fasthosts and Moneypenny offer demo lines by phone; Intavia, Flamingo Digital and My AI Voice Agent book a demo.

## Related

- [Best AI Receptionist and Phone Answering Services for UK Small Businesses (2026)](https://ainora.lt/blog/best-ai-receptionist-uk-2026)
- [Best AI Answering Services for Small Business (2026 Comparison)](https://ainora.lt/blog/best-ai-answering-services-small-business-2026)
- [AI Receptionist UK](https://ainora.lt/ai-receptionist-uk)
- [AI vs Human Receptionist Cost Comparison](https://ainora.lt/blog/ai-vs-human-receptionist-cost-comparison)