How much does an AI receptionist cost in the UK?
Updated · By Roman M., co-founder of AutomateX
An AI receptionist answers your business phone in a natural voice, day and night. It answers questions, books appointments and sends you a summary of every call. Prices in the UK vary a lot, mainly because two very different things are sold under the same name: cheap self-serve apps you set up yourself, and receptionists built and looked after for you. This guide sets out typical prices for both, what changes them and how they compare with a person.
The short answer
An AI receptionist set up for you usually costs a one-off build fee of about £250 to £2,500, then about £100 to £400 a month, depending on your calls and what it needs to do. Self-serve apps start from about £10 a month, but you set them up yourself and they mostly take messages. Both are far cheaper than a receptionist, who costs roughly £2,000 a month or more full time.
Typical UK AI receptionist prices in 2026
Self-serve apps (you set them up)
- Basic call answering app
- About £10 to £100 a monthOff-the-shelf plans from phone and hosting companies with a set number of calls. Mostly takes messages; you write and test the script yourself.
- Pay per call
- A small monthly fee plus roughly 50p to £1 a callCheap if you get few calls. Check what a busy month would cost before you sign up.
Set up for you
- One-off build fee
- About £250 to £2,500Someone writes the script, loads your services and prices, connects your diary and systems and tests it before callers hear it.
- Monthly fee
- About £100 to £400 a monthRunning costs, call minutes, monitoring and small updates. Rises with your number of calls and how much it does.
Rough guides drawn from published UK price guides (listed at the end), excluding VAT. Providers change prices often, so check before you buy. Self-serve apps are shown for comparison; AutomateX only builds receptionists set up for you.
AI receptionist vs a human: cost compared
The main reason businesses switch is cost and cover. A person can only take one call at a time and works set hours. An AI receptionist answers every call straight away, at any hour.
| Option | Typical cost | Cover |
|---|---|---|
| AI receptionist set up for you | About £100 to £400 a month, plus a build fee | 24/7, answers every call at once, never off sick |
| Self-serve AI answering app | About £10 to £100 a month | 24/7, but mostly message taking; you set it up |
| Human answering service | About £50 to £500 a month | Usually office hours; often charged per call or per minute |
| Part-time receptionist | Roughly £800 to £1,200 a month | Set hours only; holiday and sickness to cover |
| Full-time receptionist | Roughly £2,000 a month or more with employer costs | Office hours; one call at a time |
An AI receptionist is not a full replacement for a good member of staff. It works best taking the calls nobody can get to: evenings, weekends, lunchtimes and the times you are on a job or with a client.
What changes the price
How many calls you get
Most plans include a set number of calls or minutes. Going over usually costs extra, so a cheap plan can become an expensive one in a busy month.
What it needs to do
Taking a message is simple. Booking into your real diary, answering questions about prices and services, and qualifying new enquiries takes more set-up.
The systems it connects to
Connecting to Google Calendar, a booking system, a CRM or your job management software adds set-up work but saves you typing it all in later.
How natural it sounds
Better voices and faster replies cost more to run. A cheap voice that sounds robotic can put callers off.
Who sets it up
With a self-serve plan you write the script and test it yourself. With an agency you pay for set-up, but it is built around your business and looked after for you.
Is it worth it?
Work out what a missed call costs you. If one new customer is worth £200 to you and you miss five calls a week, a receptionist that catches even a few of them pays for itself quickly. It is most worth it for businesses that miss calls while working: trades, clinics, salons, estate agents and solicitors.
It is less worth it if you get very few calls, or if every call needs a detailed conversation that only you can have.
Questions to ask before you buy
- How many calls or minutes are included, and what each extra one costs.
- Whether it can book into your real diary or only take messages.
- What happens to urgent calls: can it put them through to you?
- Whether you keep your own phone number.
- Whether calls are recorded and transcribed, and where that data is kept (look for UK GDPR compliance).
- Who changes the script when your prices or opening hours change, and whether that costs extra.
- The minimum contract length and the notice needed to cancel.
An AI receptionist from AutomateX
We are a small UK team based in Cambridgeshire. We set up your AI receptionist for you: we write its greeting and script, load your services and prices, connect it to your diary and keep it up to date. You keep your number, and every call ends with a summary sent to you. The same assistant can also answer chat on your website and WhatsApp. Not sure which you need? Read AI chatbot vs AI receptionist.
Our prices start from a £249 build fee plus £100 a month for a simple set-up that answers calls, takes details and sends you a summary. Every plan includes a fair allowance of call minutes. The more minutes you need and the more it does, such as booking into your diary or connecting to your CRM, the more the build and monthly fee. We confirm the price after a free call, before any work starts. We do not offer £10-a-month self-serve plans.