Guides · Updated 2026-10-17
AI receptionist cost in the UK at 20, 50 and 100 calls
An AI receptionist costs a UK small business anything from £0 to a few hundred dollars a month, and the headline price tells you little on its own. AI receptionist cost depends on how the service counts usage (calls, minutes or unique callers) and how many calls you send it. This page works out the monthly bill at 20, 50 and 100 calls for eight services, from the prices in our tools data, so you can compare like with like.
Prices checked: on each provider's own pricing page on 15 October 2026, and re-checked on 17 October 2026 (linked under Sources). Most of these services are American and price in US dollars; we haven't converted them, because the rate you pay depends on your card. Moneypenny and Powered Now price in pounds. Check VAT and the current price before you sign up.
Published prices
| Service | Cheapest paid plan | How it counts | Over the allowance | Free option |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Smith.ai | Pro $150 a month for 75 calls | Per call | Free plan: $3.00 a call after 25; Pro: $2.50 a call after 75 | Free plan: 25 calls a month |
| Upfirst | Starter $24.95 a month for 30 calls ($20 billed annually) | Per call | Starter $1.50 a call; Premium $1; Pro 75¢; Scale 70¢ | 14-day free trial |
| Rosie | Professional $49 a month for 250 minutes ($41 billed annually) | Per minute | Not in our data; Scale is $149 for 1,000 minutes | 7-day free trial |
| Goodcall | Starter $79 a month for 100 unique customers | Per unique caller | 79¢ per extra unique customer | Free demo agent; you pay to connect a number |
| Frontdesk | $99 a month for 200 minutes ($79 billed annually) | Per minute | 25 credits ($0.25) a minute from 1,000 included credits, then $10 per 1,000 | None listed |
| Moneypenny | From £49 a month | Quote for your needs | No allowance published | None |
| Powered Now AI receptionist | £29 a month add-on (£39 with texts) | Add-on to a Powered Now plan (from £28 a month excl. VAT) | Not in our data | 14-day free trial of Powered Now |
| Jobber AI Receptionist | $29 a month add-on | Add-on to a Jobber plan (Core from $49 a month, or $29 billed annually) | Not in our data | 14-day free trial of Jobber |
The monthly bill at 20, 50 and 100 calls
We priced each volume on the cheapest plan or combination for that number of calls, paying monthly. For the per-minute services we assumed an average call of 3 minutes. That's an example, not an industry figure: check your phone's call log for your own average and adjust. For Goodcall we assumed every call is from a different customer, which is the most expensive case.
| Service | 20 calls a month | 50 calls a month | 100 calls a month |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smith.ai | $0 (Free plan) | $75 (Free plan: 25 extra calls at $3) | $212.50 (Pro: 75 calls for $150, then 25 at $2.50), against $225 on the Free plan |
| Upfirst | $24.95 (Starter) | $54.95 (Starter: 20 extra calls at $1.50) | $69.95 (Premium: 10 extra calls at $1) |
| Rosie (3-minute calls) | $49 (Professional, 60 of 250 minutes) | $49 (Professional, 150 of 250 minutes) | $149 (Scale: 300 minutes is over Professional's 250) |
| Goodcall | $79 (Starter) | $79 (Starter) | $79 (Starter covers 100 unique customers) |
| Frontdesk (3-minute calls) | $99 (60 of 200 minutes) | $99 (150 of 200 minutes) | $114 (100 extra minutes at $0.25: 1,000 included credits, then $15 of top-up) |
| Moneypenny | From £49 | From £49 | From £49 (ask for a quote at your volume) |
| Powered Now | £28 plan + from £29 add-on = from £57, excl. VAT | From £57 | From £57; check the add-on's allowance |
| Jobber | $49 Core + $29 add-on = $78 | $78 | $78; check the add-on's allowance |
Cost per call at 50 calls a month
Dividing the bill above by 50 calls, paying monthly:
| Service | Monthly bill | Cost per call |
|---|---|---|
| Rosie (3-minute calls) | $49 | about $0.98 |
| Upfirst | $54.95 | about $1.10 |
| Smith.ai | $75 | $1.50 |
| Goodcall | $79 | about $1.58 |
| Frontdesk (3-minute calls) | $99 | about $1.98 |
At low volumes Smith.ai's free plan wins outright: it stays cheaper than Upfirst up to 36 calls a month ($33 against $33.95). From 37 calls, Upfirst is the cheaper of the two per-call services. Per-minute plans look cheap when calls are short and get expensive when callers want to talk through a fault. Goodcall's flat $79 suits busier firms whose customers ring more than once, because repeat callers don't count again.
Paying yearly
Three services publish a lower price for annual billing. At 20 calls a month: Upfirst Starter is $20 a month billed annually (against $24.95), Rosie Professional $41 (against $49) and Frontdesk $79 (against $99). Only commit for a year after a trial month has shown it works for your calls.
Costs the price list doesn't show
- Call forwarding. Most services work by forwarding unanswered calls to their number. Check what your mobile or landline contract charges to forward calls, especially to a non-UK number.
- A UK number. Several are US-built. Ask whether you get a UK number and whether callers hear a UK number when it rings back.
- Exchange rate and card fees. Dollar prices move with the rate, and your card may add a foreign transaction fee.
- VAT. Powered Now's prices exclude VAT; ask whether Moneypenny's quote includes it. Check how VAT is charged on the dollar-priced services at checkout.
- Setup time. You'll need an hour or two to write the script: your services, area, call-out policy and what counts as urgent.
Is it worth it for your business?
Compare the monthly bill with the profit on the jobs you'd win from calls you currently miss, not the job value. Using the example figures in our missed call cost calculator (a £450 job at a 30% margin), one job is £135 profit, so a £49 a month service pays for itself if it wins you one extra job every two or three months. Put in your own call counts, job value and margin, and the tool's monthly price, to see how many jobs it needs to save. If you rarely miss calls, a better voicemail and a text-back habit may be enough: see how to answer calls while on a job and missed-call text-back tools.
Emergencies and safety calls
If you do gas, electrical or emergency call-outs, write into the script what the receptionist must say and when it must pass the call to you straight away. It shouldn't book a reported gas leak for next week. The HSE's advice for a suspected gas leak includes calling the gas emergency freephone number, 0800 111 999 (HSE).
By trade
Each trade guide has a ready-made receptionist script to adapt: plumbers, heating engineers, electricians, builders, roofers, decorators, joiners, tilers, landscapers, cleaners, window cleaners, locksmiths, pest control, removals, garages and salons.
For features, not just price, see our picks of the best AI receptionists and the full AI receptionist comparison. For the rest of a trade's toolkit, see best AI tools for tradesmen.
Sources
Prices and allowances from each provider's pricing page, read 15 October 2026 and re-checked 17 October 2026: Smith.ai, Upfirst, Rosie, Goodcall, Frontdesk, Moneypenny, Powered Now, Jobber. Gas emergency advice: HSE domestic gas FAQs.
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FAQ
How much does an AI receptionist cost in the UK?
From £0 for a handful of calls. In our sums, using published prices checked on 15 October 2026, the services cost $49 to $99 at 50 calls a month and $69.95 to $212.50 at 100 calls. Smith.ai has a free plan for 25 calls a month, Upfirst starts at $24.95, and Moneypenny, a UK company, from £49 on a quote.
What is the cheapest AI receptionist?
Smith.ai's free plan, for up to 25 calls a month. For more calls, Upfirst was the cheapest per-call option in our sums: $54.95 at 50 calls and $69.95 at 100 calls a month.
Is an AI receptionist cheaper than a human receptionist?
On price, usually. The plans here cost tens of dollars or pounds a month, far less than employing someone. A human handles complicated or upset callers better; Moneypenny offers human answering as well as AI if you want both.
Do AI receptionists charge per call or per minute?
It depends on the service. Smith.ai and Upfirst charge per call, Rosie and Frontdesk per minute, and Goodcall per unique customer. Per-minute plans suit short calls; per-call plans suit longer ones.
Is an AI receptionist worth it for a tradesman?
Only if it wins more profit than it costs. With a £450 job at a 30% margin (£135 profit), one extra job a month covers the starting price of the pound-priced plans in our table. Count your missed calls for a week and use the missed call cost calculator to check.
Are there hidden costs?
Possibly: call forwarding charges on your phone contract, card fees on dollar prices, VAT, and overage charges if you go over the plan's calls or minutes.