UK AI receptionists compared (2026)
Eleven UK phone answering options for trades and small businesses, side by side. AI and human. Every price below was read from the provider’s own website on 19 September 2026, and the links are at the bottom of the page.
Written by TradeBoost AI Ltd, which makes Aria, one of the services listed. We have tried to be fair. If a detail here is wrong or out of date, email hello@pipeiq.co.uk and we will correct it.
AI or a real person?
There are two broad kinds of service. AI receptionists use a computer voice to answer, take the caller’s details and text or email them to you. They tend to be cheaper per month and several answer day and night.
Human answering services use trained receptionists, usually in a UK call centre. A person can handle an upset customer, a tricky question or an unusual request in a way AI may not. They usually cost more, and some only cover set hours unless you pay for more.
Neither is right for everyone. If most of your calls are “can you come and look at my boiler?”, AI may be enough. If your calls are often complicated or sensitive, a human service may suit you better.
The comparison table
Prices are the entry-level figures each provider publishes. “VAT not stated” means the page we checked did not say whether VAT is included.
| Provider | Who answers | Entry price (as published) | What that includes | Hours | VAT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aria (TradeBoost AI, us) AI | AI | Starter £59/mo | 500 call minutes a month, then 10p a minute. UK number. Texts the caller a booking link. 14 days free, card required. | 24/7 | VAT not stated |
| Answered247 AI | AI | £49/month | 250 minutes, then 10p per extra minute. Dedicated UK number. 7-day free trial, no card needed. | 24/7 | VAT not stated |
| JobCatch AI | AI | From £39.99/mo after a 7-day free trial | Voice AI plus WhatsApp AI on the same number. UK number included. No per-minute charges. | 24/7 | VAT not stated |
| Powered Now Receptionist AI | AI | Speech £29/mo; Speech + Text £39/mo | An add-on to a Powered Now plan (from £28/month excluding VAT). Keep your existing number. | 24/7 | Add-on: VAT not stated. Base plans exclude VAT. |
| TradeMore (by Checkatrade) AI | AI | Pro £50/month | 75 AI calls and 150 AI communications a month, plus job software. No overage fees currently charged. | Not stated on pricing page | Excludes VAT |
| Team-Connect AI | AI | Starter £9.99/mo; Lite £19.99/mo | Starter: 1 UK number, 50 incoming minutes, no AI minutes listed. Lite: 2 numbers, 250 incoming and 30 AI minutes. | Not stated on pricing page | VAT not stated |
| Moneypenny AI Human | AI or people | AI: from £25 a month. People: price on request. | AI receptionist works 24/7. Human service is quoted to your needs. Smaller human schemes have a 3-month minimum. | 24/7 (AI) | VAT not stated |
| Face For Business Human | People | Taster plan from £49 p/m | UK personal assistants, “no bots”. Core business hours on Taster. 7-day free trial. | Core hours (Taster); evenings and weekends from £115 p/m | VAT not stated |
| Pocket Receptionist Human | People | Starter £75/month | 30 calls, then £2.99 per call. UK-based receptionists. Month-to-month. 7-day free trial. | 08:00–20:00 (24/7 offered separately) | VAT not stated |
| LineKeeper AI | AI | Price on request | Calendar booking, UK data residency, a choice of UK voices. | 24/7 | n/a |
| Sophiie AI | AI | Price on request | Answers, qualifies and books jobs. Also helps with quotes and invoices. | 24/7 | n/a |
| Elyos AI AI | AI | Price on request | Daytime and out-of-hours AI agents for field service businesses, linked to your job booking platform. | Daytime and out of hours | n/a |
Price on request means the provider did not publish a price on its website when we checked. We have not guessed one. Plans, prices and features change, so always check the provider’s own page before you buy.
Strengths and things to check
Answered247
Good at: a simple flat price of £49 a month including 250 minutes, 24/7 answering, a dedicated UK number, email summaries, no contracts or setup fees, and a 7-day trial with no credit card needed.
Check: extra minutes are 10p each, so a busy month costs more.
JobCatch
Good at: 24/7 voice AI plus WhatsApp AI on the same number, a UK number included, no per-minute charges and no contract, from £39.99 a month after a 7-day free trial.
Check: the price is a “from” price, so confirm what your plan includes.
Powered Now Receptionist
Good at: a low add-on price (Speech £29/mo, Speech + Text £39/mo) if you already use Powered Now for quotes and invoices. You keep your existing number and there is no setup fee. Powered Now describes it as “Unlimited calls answered, 24/7”.
Check: it is sold as an add-on to a Powered Now plan, and those plans start at £28 a month excluding VAT. Powered Now says full integration with its app is “coming next month”.
TradeMore (by Checkatrade)
Good at: job management software with an AI receptionist built in, from a well-known UK trade brand. Pro is £50 a month (or £500 a year) with 75 AI calls and 150 AI communications a month. It says it does not currently charge overage fees.
Check: AI is counted per call, not per minute, and the free plan has no AI features. Prices exclude VAT.
Team-Connect
Good at: low entry prices and a range of plans, from Starter at £9.99 a month (one UK number and call divert) up to Enterprise at £199.99 with 750 AI minutes and 24/7 human backup.
Check: the cheaper plans include few or no AI minutes (Starter lists none; Lite has 30). AI minute add-ons start at £34.99 for 150 minutes.
Moneypenny
Good at: a UK firm that offers both an AI receptionist (from £25 a month, working 24/7) and trained human receptionists. It is a strong option if you want a person on the line.
Check: human answering is quoted to your needs, so there is no published price. Smaller human schemes (150 minutes and below) have a three-month minimum contract, and larger ones need 6 or 12 months.
Face For Business
Good at: every call answered by a trained personal assistant rather than AI, no long-term contracts and a 7-day free trial. Taster starts from £49 a month for core business hours. Inclusive Minutes starts from £115 a month and adds evening and weekend support.
Check: calls are charged by the second, and prices are “from” figures.
Pocket Receptionist
Good at: UK-based human receptionists with clear per-call plans (Starter £75 a month for 30 calls), no per-minute charges, month-to-month terms and a 7-day free trial.
Check: calls beyond your allowance cost £2.99 each. Standard cover is 08:00–20:00, and 24/7 is offered separately.
LineKeeper
Good at: 24/7 answering with booking straight into your calendar, a natural British voice with 19 UK voices to choose from, and UK data residency.
Check: no price is published on its website. Price on request.
Sophiie
Good at: answers 24/7, qualifies the lead and books the job, and can also help with office jobs such as quotes and invoices.
Check: no price is published on its website. Price on request.
Elyos AI
Good at: built for field service and trade firms, with separate daytime and out-of-hours AI agents that link to your job booking platform.
Check: no price is published on its website, and you book a demo to get one. Price on request.
Where Aria fits, honestly
Aria is our AI receptionist. These are the facts from our Aria page:
- Starter, £59 a month: answers calls 24/7, including nights, weekends and bank holidays. It takes the caller’s name, number and job details, texts you when a lead comes in, and texts the caller a booking link so they can pick a time themselves. It includes 500 call minutes a month, then 10p a minute.
- Pro, £250 a month: also books directly into your Google Calendar, live on the call.
- Multi-Site, £449 a month: up to 3 locations, each with its own UK number. Extra locations are £99 a month each, up to 10 in total.
- All plans: a real UK phone number, live in about 5 minutes, no setup fee, cancel anytime, and SMS from 10p. You get 14 days free, but a card is required to start. Every plan also builds you a free one-page website.
Where others may suit you better:
- Aria is new, and we do not have customer reviews to show you yet.
- It is AI, not a person. If your calls are often complicated or sensitive, a human service such as Moneypenny, Face For Business or Pocket Receptionist may be a better fit.
- Starter does not book into your calendar live on the call. That needs Pro at £250. Several rivals list calendar booking or lower entry prices.
- Our pricing page does not mention links to job software such as Powered Now, TradeMore or the platforms Elyos AI works with.
- Answered247 lets you trial without a card. Aria asks for one.
The best test is to hear it yourself. Have Aria ring you and judge the call.
Five questions to ask yourself
- How many calls do you miss a month, and how long are they? Minute-based plans (Aria, Answered247, Team-Connect) and call-based plans (TradeMore, Pocket Receptionist) work out very differently. Our cost guide works through an example. Not sure how many you miss? Try our free missed-call check.
- Do you need a person? If yes, look at Moneypenny, Face For Business or Pocket Receptionist.
- Do you need jobs booked on the call? Check which plan includes live calendar booking. It is not always the entry plan.
- Do you already use job software? If you use Powered Now or TradeMore, their built-in receptionist may be simplest.
- What is the real monthly cost? Check VAT, extra minute or call charges and minimum contract length before you commit.
Aria pages for your trade: plumbers, electricians and heating engineers.
Common questions
What is an AI receptionist?
It is software that answers your business phone with a natural-sounding voice, talks to the caller, takes their details and passes them to you, usually by text or email. Some can also book the job into a calendar. It is not a person, so it suits routine enquiries better than complex or sensitive calls.
Is an AI receptionist better than a human answering service?
Not always. A trained human receptionist can handle unusual, emotional or complicated calls that AI may struggle with. AI services tend to cost less per month and many answer around the clock. Several UK providers, including Moneypenny, offer both. Pick based on the kind of calls you get.
How much does an AI receptionist cost in the UK?
On the providers' own pages, checked 19 September 2026, published entry prices ranged from £9.99 a month (Team-Connect Starter, which lists no AI minutes) to £59 a month (Aria Starter). Some are add-ons: Powered Now's receptionist sits on top of a Powered Now plan. LineKeeper, Sophiie and Elyos AI do not publish prices. Most providers do not say whether their prices include VAT. See our UK phone answering cost guide for the full breakdown.
Can I keep my existing phone number?
Usually, yes. Most services work by forwarding your existing number to them when you cannot answer. Some, such as Answered247 and Aria, also give you a UK number. Check the details with each provider before you sign up.
Which AI receptionist is best for tradespeople?
There is no single best choice. It depends on how many calls you get, whether you need live calendar booking, whether you already use job software such as Powered Now or TradeMore, and whether you would rather a human answers. Use the table on this page to shortlist two or three, then try their free trials where offered.
Related pages
Sources, checked 19 September 2026
Every competitor price and feature above was read from these pages on 19 September 2026. Prices change, so please check the live page before you buy.
- Aria (TradeBoost AI Ltd): https://pipeiq.co.uk/aria
- Answered247: https://answered247.co.uk/
- JobCatch: https://www.jobcatch.co.uk/
- Powered Now Receptionist: https://powerednow.com/receptionist/
- Powered Now plans: https://powerednow.com/pricing/
- TradeMore by Checkatrade: https://trademore.uk/pricing-and-usage-guide
- Team-Connect: https://team-connect.co.uk/pricing
- Moneypenny AI receptionist: https://www.moneypenny.com/uk/ai-receptionist/
- Moneypenny telephone answering: https://www.moneypenny.com/uk/telephone-answering-service/
- Face For Business: https://ffb.co.uk/answering-service-pricing/
- Pocket Receptionist: https://www.pocketreceptionist.co.uk/pricing
- LineKeeper: https://linekeeper.ai/
- Sophiie: https://www.sophiie.ai/
- Elyos AI: https://elyos.ai/