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AI receptionist tools for builders in the UK

Most builders miss calls because they're on a job, up a ladder or driving. An AI receptionist answers, takes the name, address and problem, and sends you a summary by text or email. Some also book the visit. For building work, the calls you most want to catch are the urgent ones, like an extension or a loft conversion enquiry.

Prices checked on each provider's own page on 14 October 2026. Prices change, so the source link is next to each one.

The options, with prices

Tool	Price and free plan	UK notes and source
Moneypenny AI Receptionist A UK answering company offering an AI receptionist with the option of real receptionists.	From £25 a month according to its AI Receptionist page, priced to your needs; no call or minute allowance published. Human answering is by quote. No free plan.	UK company. Source, checked 14 October 2026
Upfirst An AI receptionist that answers, summarises and transfers calls and books appointments.	Starter: $24.95 a month for 30 calls ($20 billed annually), then $1.50 a call. Premium: $59.95 for 90 calls. Pro: $159.95 for 300 calls. 14-day free trial. No free plan; 14-day free trial with all features.	US company, priced in dollars. Source, checked 14 October 2026
Smith.ai AI Receptionist An AI receptionist that answers calls 24/7, qualifies leads and books appointments, with live human backup available.	Free: 25 calls a month, then $3.00 a call. Pro: $150 a month (75 calls, about $2.00 a call). Enterprise: from $500 a month. 25 calls a month with 24/7 answering, recordings, transcripts, summaries and calendar booking.	US company, priced in dollars; confirm UK number support. Source, checked 14 October 2026
Rosie An AI answering service that takes messages, sends booking links and, on higher plans, books and transfers calls.	Professional: $49 a month for 250 minutes. Scale: $149 a month for 1,000 minutes. Growth: $299 a month for 2,000 minutes. 7-day free trial. No free plan; 7-day free trial.	Confirm UK number support before signing up. Source, checked 14 October 2026
Goodcall An AI phone agent billed per unique customer rather than per minute.	Starter: $79 a month for 100 unique customers, then 79¢ each. Growth: $129 for 500. Scale: $299 for 2,000. Build and test a demo agent free; you pay when you connect a number.	US company, priced in dollars. Source, checked 14 October 2026
Frontdesk (My AI Front Desk) Phone answering plus web chat, two-way text, a simple CRM and automations in one plan.	Business-in-a-Box: $99 a month, or $79 a month billed annually, including 200 voice minutes. No free plan listed.	US company, priced in dollars. Source, checked 14 October 2026
Jobber Job management for service businesses: quotes, scheduling, invoicing and payments, with an AI Receptionist add-on.	Plans at $49, $139 and $199 a month ($29, $99 and $149 billed annually). Add-ons: Receptionist $29, Pipeline $49, Marketing $99 a month. Free trial, no card required. No free plan; free trial without a card.	Confirm UK pricing and support. Source, checked 14 October 2026

What to check before you choose

Whether it can give you a UK phone number or forward from your existing mobile. Several of these tools are US-based and price in dollars, so confirm UK numbers and call forwarding before you pay.
How it's billed: per call, per minute or per unique customer. Compare it against your real monthly call volume.
Whether it can transfer urgent calls to you live, or only take messages.
Where call recordings and transcripts are stored, since you'll be handling customer data under UK GDPR.

A prompt to start with

Paste this into ChatGPT or Claude, or use it as the instructions for an AI receptionist, filling in the parts in brackets:

You answer the phone for [business name], a building business in [area]. Ask for the caller's name, address and postcode, phone number, what the problem is and how urgent it is. If they mention an extension or a loft conversion enquiry, mark it URGENT. Don't quote prices. Say someone will call back within [time].

Free tools for builders

Price a job with the quote and VAT calculator (20%, 5%, 0% and reverse charge), or work out your day rate.

Questions

What's the cheapest receptionist option for builders?

Smith.ai lists a free plan with 25 calls a month, then $3.00 a call. Moneypenny's UK AI Receptionist page says from £25 a month. Prices were checked on each provider's page on 14 October 2026.

Are these prices in pounds?

Not all of them. Where a provider only publishes US dollar prices, we show dollars, so check the checkout price in pounds before you sign up.

Do you get paid if I sign up?

Some links may become affiliate links in future, and we'll label them when they do. It doesn't change what we list or how. See how we make money.

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