Comparison

Best AI receptionist UK 2026

Prices taken from each company's public pricing page on 3 September 2026. WiseCall prices exclude VAT. Fonio bills in euros, so we left it in euros.

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Search "AI receptionist UK" and you get a pile of roundups written by the people in them. This is just the published prices, and what you actually get.

WiseCall is in the table. We are not pretending otherwise.

Quick take

Hey Jodie is the cheapest unlimited-minutes plan, from £49 a month. Bookings and transfers are not on Basic.

IONOS is the cheapest metered starter: £39 a month excl. VAT for 30 calls, then 49p a call.

whoza is for UK trades, from £59 a month, billed around captured jobs.

Moneypenny is the one with a human behind the AI. They do not publish a price.

Fonio is a European product. Solo is €99 a month (€84 if you pay annually) for 1,000 minutes.

WiseCall starts at £99 a month on 30-day rolling, or £84.15 if you pay annually. A number is included, and the same agent is on phone, email, WhatsApp, live chat and SMS. 20 inbound AI calls to try it, no card. You can hear Ava answer a real call before you decide.

If the only thing you care about is the lowest headline price, we are not the cheapest. If you care whether a number is included and whether you need a separate phone system, we are the one built for that.

Prices

	WiseCall	Hey Jodie	Fonio	whoza	IONOS	Moneypenny
From	£99/mo rolling, or £84.15/mo billed yearly	£49/mo Basic	€99/mo Solo, or €84/mo billed yearly	£59/mo Starter	£39/mo excl. VAT	Quote
That plan includes	100 AI calls, plus email, WhatsApp, live chat and SMS	Unlimited minutes. Bookings and transfers from Professional (£99)	1,000 minutes, 1 number, 1 user	10 jobs and 100 minutes. Extra jobs £4.50	30 calls, then 49p each. One forwarding destination	Not published
Next plan up	Professional £199/mo (£169.15 yearly), 300 AI calls	Professional £99/mo	Team €299/mo (€254 yearly), 3,000 minutes	Growth £125/mo, 20 jobs	£69/mo, 100 calls then 39p each	Quote
Top published plan	Business £399/mo rolling, £339.15 yearly, 750+ calls	Premium £199/mo. Enterprise from £500	Scale from €499/mo (€424 yearly)	Pro £230 / Scale £399	All-Flat £99/mo excl. VAT, unlimited calls	Quote
Try it	20 free inbound AI calls, no card	7 days free, no card	30-day money-back	7-day trial on Starter	30-day money-back	Sales call
Contract	30-day rolling, or yearly at 15% off	Month to month	Monthly or yearly (15% off)	No contract	Subscription	Usually quoted with a term
Currency	GBP	GBP	Euros	GBP (not VAT registered)	GBP excl. VAT	GBP, quote
Phone line	Included. Dedicated number, or plug in your PBX.	Forward the number you already have.	Fonio number, or bring your own on Team and up	Forward. Summaries to WhatsApp	Forwarding, by plan	Your number. Human and AI products
Same agent on	Phone, email, WhatsApp, live chat, SMS	Phone. App to manage calls	Phone. WhatsApp is a separate plan	Phone, then WhatsApp	Phone	Phone, with a person on higher products
Built for	UK service businesses: dental, legal, property, trades, care	UK small businesses that want a flat bill	DACH first, selling into the UK	UK trades only	People already on IONOS	Firms that want a person on the line
Extra charges	Move plan if you outgrow the allowance	None on unlimited minutes	€15 per 100 extra minutes on Solo	Extra jobs, and 40p/min over the cap	Extra calls on the cheaper plans	Quote

Sources: WiseCall, Hey Jodie, Fonio, whoza, IONOS

WiseCall

Answers in your business name, asks the right questions, books or routes the next step, then sends your team a proper summary. Same knowledge on email, WhatsApp, live chat and SMS.

You do not need a phone system. We give you a number, or we connect the one you have. Dental can book eligible appointments into Dentally. It never gives clinical advice.

20 inbound AI calls to try it, no card. 30-day rolling, or 15% off yearly.

Skip us if you only want the cheapest unlimited minutes and you do not care about the phone system.

Hey Jodie

£49, £99 or £199. Unlimited minutes. 7 days free. Keep your number. Clean offer. Basic does not book or transfer.

Skip Jodie if you need WhatsApp and email on the same agent, or a UK number of your own rather than call forwarding.

Fonio

Austrian company, big in Germany and Austria, now hiring in London. Solo is €99 a month for 1,000 minutes. Team adds bring-your-own numbers and outbound campaigns. 30-day money-back.

Fine if you are happy paying in euros. Less fine if you wanted a UK receptionist product with a pound invoice.

whoza

For plumbers, heating engineers and builders. £59 a month for 10 jobs. You pay for work captured, not spam calls. Honest for someone on the tools.

Not for a dental practice or a law firm. They are not trying to be.

IONOS

£39, £69 or £99 excl. VAT on their UK page today, billed by call count, 30-day money-back. Fine as a cheap add-on if you already use IONOS. It is not a front desk with booking rules and a dedicated number.

Moneypenny

Everyone in the UK has heard of them. They have an AI receptionist now. The site still sends you to a quote. If the caller has to reach a person, start there.

Before you buy

Four things to check before you buy

1
Is a number included. For dental, care and legal this is a real question, not a slogan.
2
Do you also need a phone system. Forwarding a mobile is fine until you want overflow, a ported number, or routing to mobiles without a second supplier.
3
What happens on email and WhatsApp. Most of these products only answer the phone. Your customers do not only ring.
4
Is the price a cap or a meter. Unlimited minutes, per-minute extras, per-call extras and per-job billing feel very different at 80 calls a week.

Ours: phone system included, same agent across channels, 30-day rolling, published GBP price.

WiseCall and Fonio

Fonio is the well-funded European AI phone assistant. WiseCall is the UK one.

	WiseCall	Fonio
Home market	UK	Austria/Germany, UK launch in 2026
From	£99/mo rolling	€99/mo Solo
Try it	20 free inbound AI calls	30-day money-back
Phone	Included or your PBX	Fonio number, or bring your own numbers on Team and up
Channels	Phone, email, WhatsApp, live chat, SMS	Phone first, WhatsApp separate
Dental	Dentally, no clinical advice	Generic calendar, EU GDPR
Invoice	GBP excl. VAT	Euros

If you are a UK practice choosing between the two, it is whose number and whose invoice. Read the full WiseCall vs Fonio comparison.

Try it

Start with 20 free calls, no card. Then 30-day rolling, cancel with 30 days' notice.

Try 20 calls free Call Ava: 0113 522 2277

Prefer to dial in? +44 113 522 2277 or 0113 522 2277.

Pricing · Dental · Trades · Legal

FAQ

Questions

What is the best AI receptionist for UK businesses in 2026?

Depends what you need. Jodie if you want the cheapest unlimited minutes. whoza if you are a trade and want jobs in WhatsApp. Moneypenny if you need a human. WiseCall if you want a number included, billed in pounds, and the same agent on phone, email, WhatsApp, live chat and SMS.

Is an AI receptionist better than voicemail?

Yes, if you lose work when people hang up. Most callers do not leave a message. WiseCall vs voicemail

Is it cheaper than a human answering service?

Usually, and you can see the bill in advance. Human services quote, and often charge by the minute. WiseCall vs answering service

Do I need a phone system?

Not with WiseCall. A number is included. Already got a PBX? Connect that instead.

Can I keep my number?

Usually, by porting or forwarding. We confirm when we set you up.