7 best virtual receptionist services for UK businesses in 2026

A virtual receptionist answers your business calls when your team can't. In the UK that now means one of two things: a live, remote receptionist who picks up on your behalf, or an AI receptionist that answers, books and routes calls on its own. Several services now offer both.

This guide compares seven options available to UK businesses, with pricing checked in October 2026, so you can match the right one to your call volume, budget and tech stack.

TL;DR

The best virtual receptionist depends on who should answer: a person, an AI, or both. Live services in this guide start from £15 a month, with per-call or per-minute charges once you exceed your bundle. AI receptionists answer 24/7, cost less per call, and hand complex or sensitive calls to your team.

• Best premium live + AI: Moneypenny, for brand-sensitive firms that want a dedicated UK team.

• Best quote-based live answering: alldayPA, for businesses that want a human team with per-call or per-minute billing.

• Best AI receptionist inside your phone system and CRM: Aircall, for teams that want calls answered, booked and logged in the tools they already use.

• Best flat-rate AI for small businesses: Hey Jodie, for tradespeople and local firms that want unlimited minutes.

• Best AI + human backup for legal intake: Smith.ai.

• Best 24/7 live answering with web chat: AnswerConnect.

• Best budget message-taking: ReceptionHQ.

Virtual receptionist services compared

What are the best virtual receptionist services in the UK?

Each service below is grouped by the job it does best. Prices are monthly list prices in GBP and usually exclude VAT.

1. Moneypenny

Moneypenny is one of the UK's best-known answering brands, offering dedicated live receptionists alongside an AI receptionist.

Founded in Wrexham in 2000, Moneypenny assigns a small team of receptionists who learn your business, and now sells an AI receptionist for routine calls. It's the premium choice for firms where the voice on the phone is part of the brand.

Best for: Law firms, estate agents and professional services that want a recognisably premium front desk.

Key features:

• Dedicated receptionist team: A small UK-based team learns your business and callers.

• AI receptionist: Handles routine calls, with the option to bring in the human team.

• Live chat: Website chat handled by the same team.

Pricing:

• AI receptionist: From £49/month, with full pricing by quote.

• Live receptionists: Quote-based. Moneypenny doesn't publish a UK rate card.

Watch out for: Pricing is opaque until you request a quote, and 24/7 cover and human backup for the AI can cost extra.

2. alldayPA

alldayPA is a UK live answering service that prices by quote, with per-call or per-minute billing.

Its receptionists answer in your business name, take messages and transfer calls. It suits businesses that want a human team rather than the lowest flat fee.

Best for: Small and mid-sized UK firms that want a human team and are comfortable with a contract.

Key features:

• Live receptionists: Calls answered in your company name.

• Flexible billing: Per-call or per-minute billing, agreed in your quote.

• Call transfers: Callers put through to the right person.

Pricing: Quote-based. alldayPA doesn't publish a rate card.

Watch out for: Pricing isn't published, and third-party reviews report minimum contract terms, so confirm the term before you sign.

3. Aircall

Aircall's AI receptionist answers every call, books appointments on the call and routes callers to the right teammate with full context, all inside the phone system and CRM your team already uses.

Most answering services stop at taking a message. Aircall's AI receptionist resolves the request when it can, then logs the call, transcript and outcome in your CRM. When a caller needs a person, it transfers them to your team with the full conversation attached, so no one repeats themselves.

It's one of several AI voice agents on the platform. Teams can add an AI Sales Agent to qualify inbound leads, an AI Support Agent to resolve common questions, or an AI Order Agent for ecommerce order calls.

Best for: Sales and support teams that want an AI receptionist connected to their CRM, helpdesk and intelligent routing, not a separate answering service.

Key features:

• Natural conversation and intelligent routing: Callers say what they need in their own words, no phone menu, and the AI resolves the request or routes the call with context.

• Appointment booking and reminders: Schedules, reschedules and cancels appointments on the call, and rings ahead to confirm attendance.

• 38 languages: Answers in the caller's language at any hour.

• CRM logging: Verifies the caller, updates records and logs every call in tools like HubSpot, Salesforce and Zendesk.

• Set up in minutes: Start from a template, add your business information and knowledge sources, and go live without IT.

• Agent Performance dashboard: Tracks resolution, goal completion and transfer rates, and flags fixes ranked by impact.

Integrations: 250+ native integrations, including HubSpot, Salesforce, Zendesk, Shopify, Calendly and Stripe.

Pricing (UK):

• With an Aircall phone plan: Plans from £25/licence/month (billed annually), including 50 free AI Voice Agent minutes every month plus 100 at sign-up.

• AI Voice Agents on their own: £76/month minimum, no Aircall phone system needed.

• Usage beyond free minutes: £0.37/minute up to 2,500 minutes, then £0.29/minute.

• Bundles: £130 for 500 minutes, £550 for 2,500 minutes, custom rates from £0.14/minute above 10,000 minutes.

See the full Aircall pricing page for phone system plans.

Results from teams already live: SJWD Water District handles 90% of after-hours calls automatically, and Aircall measured 95% caller satisfaction across 18,000 AI routing calls.

Watch out for: Per-minute billing means long calls cost more, and standalone use has a monthly minimum. Clear transfer rules keep complex calls short and with your team.

4. Hey Jodie

Hey Jodie is a UK AI receptionist with flat monthly pricing and unlimited minutes, built for small businesses and trades.

Jodie answers calls 24/7, captures job details and sends them on by text or email. Flat pricing makes costs predictable for businesses with busy, unpredictable phones.

Best for: Tradespeople, estate agents and local businesses that want AI answering without a per-minute meter.

Key features:

• Unlimited minutes: Every plan includes unlimited call minutes.

• Job capture: Collects caller details and sends notifications.

• Free trial: Seven days free, with no setup fees.

Pricing:

• Basic: £49/month

• Professional: £99/month

• Premium: £199/month, with integrations via Zapier

• Enterprise: From £500/month

Watch out for: It's a standalone AI answering tool, so there's no phone system, call centre tooling or native CRM integration behind it.

5. Smith.ai

Smith.ai combines an AI receptionist with North America-based live receptionists, so routine calls stay automated and sensitive calls reach a person.

The AI answers first, handles FAQs and intake, and escalates to a human when a call needs judgement. It's popular with law firms for its intake tools and Clio integration.

Best for: Legal and professional services firms that want detailed intake with a human safety net.

Key features:

• Lead intake and qualification: Custom intake questions screen callers before they reach you.

• Legal-specific add-ons: Conflict checks, payment collection and third-party intake forms.

• Free AI tier: Test the AI receptionist before paying.

Integrations include: HubSpot, Salesforce, Clio and Zapier.

Pricing (billed in USD):

• AI Receptionist: Free for 25 calls/month, Pro from $150/month for 75 calls, Enterprise from $500/month.

• Live receptionists: From $300/month for 30 calls.

Watch out for: Billing is in US dollars and live receptionists work from North America, which can matter for UK callers and accents.

6. AnswerConnect

AnswerConnect provides 24/7 live receptionists who answer calls and web chats on your behalf.

Receptionists handle routing, appointment booking and lead qualification, with call logs and recordings in a client portal.

Best for: Businesses that want round-the-clock live answering plus website chat.

Key features:

• 24/7 live answering: Calls answered day and night.

• Appointment booking: Receptionists schedule and manage appointments.

• Client portal: Call logs, transcripts and recordings on web and mobile.

Pricing: From £45/month. Full plans are shown after you submit your details.

Watch out for: Per-minute billing above your bundle adds up quickly in a busy month.

7. ReceptionHQ

ReceptionHQ offers low-cost live answering plans, from simple message-taking to call transfers and diary management.

Its tiered plans let small businesses start with message-taking and add transfers, lead capture or appointment booking as they grow.

Best for: Sole traders and small businesses that mainly need messages taken professionally.

Key features:

• Message-taking: Calls answered in your business name, with messages sent by email or text.

• Call transfers: Callers put through to you when you're available.

• Appointment scheduling: Bookings and cancellations managed in your diary.

Pricing:

• MessageExpress: From £15/month

• MyReceptionist: From £16/month, with call transfers

• MyAssistant and MyDiary: From £30/month

Watch out for: Plans are low-cost entry points, and per-call charges apply on top as volume grows.

How we picked these services

We shortlisted services that appear most often in UK comparisons of "virtual receptionist" and "AI receptionist" searches, then compared them on four things:

• Who answers: AI, live person, or both.

• Published pricing: Every price was checked on each provider's own website in October 2026. Where a provider doesn't publish prices, we say so rather than guess.

• Integrations: Native CRM, helpdesk and calendar connections.

• Handoff to humans: How cleanly a call reaches your team when it needs to.

Aircall makes this list, so weigh our pick accordingly. We've placed it where it fits best, not first.

Should you choose an AI receptionist or a live virtual receptionist?

Choose an AI receptionist if most of your calls are routine: bookings, FAQs, routing and lead capture. Choose a live receptionist if your calls are emotional, high-value or need judgement every time. Many UK firms now use AI first and send exceptions to a person.

Read more on AI voice agents vs. human agents and what an AI voice agent is.

How much does a virtual receptionist cost in the UK?

Published plans in this guide range from £15 to £199 a month before usage charges, with quote-based live teams priced separately. The pricing model matters as much as the headline price:

To estimate your cost, multiply your monthly calls by your average call length, then compare that against each plan's included minutes, overage rate and minimum term.

What should you look for in a virtual receptionist service?

• Handoff quality: The caller should reach a person with full context, not start over.

• Integrations: Calls, transcripts and outcomes should land in your CRM and helpdesk automatically.

• Appointment booking: Look for live diary access, not just message-taking.

• Out-of-hours cover: Check whether evenings, weekends and bank holidays cost extra.

• Contract terms: Many UK services set minimum terms and notice periods.

• Data protection: Check encryption, access controls and how call data is handled under UK GDPR. Aircall's approach is on its security page.

• Overage terms: Check what happens when you exceed your plan, since that's where costs spike.

Answer every call with Aircall's AI receptionist

Missed calls are missed revenue. Aircall's AI receptionist picks up every call, books the appointment, logs it in your CRM and brings your team in only when a caller needs a person. New accounts get 100 free AI minutes at sign-up, plus 50 every month, with no long-term contract.

Hear how it sounds and set one up in minutes. See the AI receptionist.

Frequently asked questions about virtual receptionist services

What is a virtual receptionist?

A virtual receptionist is a remote service that answers your business calls. It can be a live person working off-site or an AI receptionist that answers, books and routes calls automatically. Both greet callers, take messages and transfer calls to your team.

What is the difference between an AI receptionist and a virtual receptionist?

A virtual receptionist is usually a live person answering remotely and billed by the minute or call. An AI receptionist is software that answers instantly, handles many calls at once, works 24/7 in multiple languages and costs less per call. It hands complex calls to your team.

What is the best virtual receptionist service in the UK?

It depends on what you need. Moneypenny is the premium live choice, alldayPA offers quote-based live answering, Aircall suits teams that want an AI receptionist connected to their phone system and CRM, and Hey Jodie suits small businesses that want flat-rate AI answering.

How much does a virtual receptionist cost per month in the UK?

Live virtual receptionists in this guide start from £15 to £45 a month for entry plans, with per-minute or per-call charges as volume grows. AI receptionists range from flat plans around £49 a month to usage-based pricing from about £0.29 to £0.37 per minute.

Is a virtual receptionist worth it?

Yes, for most small businesses that miss calls. A virtual receptionist costs a fraction of a full-time hire, answers outside office hours and captures leads that would otherwise go to voicemail. AI receptionists make the maths stronger for high call volumes.

What is the best virtual receptionist for solicitors?

Moneypenny and Smith.ai are strong fits for law firms: Moneypenny for a premium UK team, Smith.ai for legal intake tools and Clio integration. For professional services firms that want intake logged in their CRM automatically, an AI receptionist like Aircall's is worth testing.

Can an AI receptionist book appointments?

Yes. Aircall's AI receptionist checks your calendar and schedules, reschedules or cancels appointments during the call. It can also ring ahead to confirm attendance and reschedule no-shows.

Does an AI receptionist work with my existing phone system?

It can. Aircall's AI agents run through your existing Aircall numbers or the phone system you already have, so there's nothing to migrate or rip out.