How much does an AI receptionist cost in the UK?
Most UK businesses pay between £30 and £500 a month for an AI receptionist, and voice agents that connect to your systems cost more. This guide explains how providers charge, what you get at each price, how it compares with a person or an answering service, and how to work out whether it pays for itself.
The short answer
One widely read 2026 UK pricing guide, from the web host Fasthosts, puts entry level AI receptionists at around £30 to £100 a month and more capable plans, with booking, integrations and higher call volumes, at around £100 to £500 a month. Custom built voice agents usually carry a setup cost of £2,000 to £4,000 or more on top of a monthly fee.
At OptiFlow, Lite starts at £49 a month with unlimited calls. The Voice Agent, which quotes, checks stock, takes orders and sends secure pay links, starts at £1,500 a month.
How providers charge
Flat monthly plans
One price each month for a set level of service, which makes it easy to budget for. Check what happens if you go over any call or minute limit.
Included calls or minutes
Most providers include a number of calls or minutes each month and charge for anything over. Size your plan on your busiest month, not your average one.
Setup and integration
Some providers charge to set up the agent, train it on your business and connect it to your diary, CRM or order system. Others include it. Ask before you compare prices.
What you get at each price
Around £30 to £100 a month
Answers every call in your business name, handles common questions, takes messages and books simple appointments. Right for sole traders and small teams whose main problem is missed calls.
Around £100 to £500 a month
More calls, more detailed call handling, links to booking systems and CRMs, several numbers or locations and better reporting.
Voice agents connected to your systems
Quotes from live prices, checks stock, takes orders and sends secure pay links. This is where it starts to win sales rather than just catch calls. The OptiFlow Voice Agent starts at £1,500 a month.
Compared with a receptionist or an answering service
At the National Living Wage of £12.71 an hour, a full time receptionist on 37.5 hours a week costs £24,785 a year in pay alone. Add employer National Insurance and the minimum workplace pension contribution and it is just over £28,000, before holiday cover, sick days, recruitment and training. That buys 37.5 hours of cover in a week that has 168.
The same Fasthosts guide puts traditional call answering services at around £50 to £200 or more a month, usually priced per call or per minute. They take good messages, but the job still waits until you call back.
An AI receptionist does not replace a good member of staff. It takes the calls they cannot get to: the second line ringing, the lunch hour, evenings and weekends.
Costs people forget to check
Overage charges
The price of each extra call or minute once you pass your plan limit.
Contract length
Whether it is monthly rolling or a fixed term, and the notice you need to give to leave.
Setup fee
Whether onboarding, training and testing are included or charged separately.
Integrations
Whether your diary, CRM or order system connects as standard or costs extra.
Your phone number
Most services work by forwarding your existing number. Check that you keep your number and your handsets.
Handover
How the agent passes a caller to a person, and whether transfers cost extra.
Will it pay for itself?
Work it out from the calls you miss, not from the software price. Here is an example with simple round numbers. Swap in your own.
Say you miss eight calls a week. If one in four of those callers would have booked a job worth £150, you are losing two jobs, or £300, a week. That is about £1,300 a month. If an AI receptionist at £49 a month wins back even one of those jobs a week, it has paid for itself many times over.
For merchants and trade suppliers the sum is about orders, not appointments. If the phones are busiest at 7am and on Saturdays, a voice agent that quotes and takes the order is worth far more than one that takes a message.
What OptiFlow charges
OptiFlow Lite, from £49 a month
Answers every call 24 hours a day, answers questions, books appointments straight into your diary and captures every name and number. Unlimited calls.
Voice Agent, from £1,500 a month
Everything a receptionist does, plus quotes from live pricing, live stock checks, orders by phone and secure pay links. Includes the web widget, on a 90 day pilot with a conversion guarantee.
Virtual receptionist and answering service costs
If you are comparing a virtual receptionist or a call answering service, the cost usually depends on how many calls you get: per call, per minute or a monthly bundle. Published UK guides put traditional answering services at about £50 to £200 or more a month. Ask about the cost of the extras too: transfers, texts, out of hours calls and set up. Our pay as you go guide shows how to compare per call pricing with a flat fee.
Questions people ask
Is an AI receptionist cheaper than a human receptionist?
Yes, by a wide margin. A full time receptionist on the National Living Wage costs just over £28,000 a year once employer National Insurance and pension are added. Entry level AI receptionists cost from a few hundred pounds a year and answer around the clock. Most businesses use one alongside their team rather than instead of it.
Do AI receptionists charge per call?
Some do. Many plans include a set number of calls or minutes each month and charge for extra use, while others are a flat monthly price. OptiFlow Lite includes unlimited calls.
Are there setup fees?
It depends on the provider. Simple plans are usually quick to switch on, while voice agents that connect to your business systems involve a setup project. Ask for the total first year cost in writing before you sign.
What does the Voice Agent add over a basic AI receptionist?
A basic receptionist answers, books and takes messages. The Voice Agent is connected to your business systems, so it can quote from live prices, check stock, take an order and send a secure pay link while the caller is still on the line.
How much does a call answering service cost in the UK?
Traditional services typically cost about £50 to £200 or more a month, depending on your call volume and the pricing model. AI receptionists start from around £30 to £100 a month.
See what it would cost you
Tell us how many calls you get and what they are about, and we will show you the right plan and what it could pay back.
Related reading: What is an AI receptionist, AI receptionist for UK businesses, AI receptionist use cases by industry, What is an AI voice agent.