Fasthosts AI Receptionist or Zatio: calls only, or calls, WhatsApp and website chat?
Fasthosts AI Receptionist answers your calls and is priced per call. Zatio answers calls, WhatsApp and your website chat with one assistant and is priced per minute. Here’s how they compare, using only what each company publishes.
In short
Fasthosts AI Receptionist
A call-answering AI from a well-known UK hosting brand, with a low entry plan, an unlimited-calls plan, a month free and self-service set-up.
Zatio
One AI assistant for your phone, WhatsApp and website chat, trained on your website, with live transfer to your team.
Who each suits
Calls only and a tight budget: Fasthosts Lite starts lower. Customers who also message you on WhatsApp or your website: Zatio covers all three in one plan.
Side by side
Checked on 10 October 2026 against each company’s own pages. Numbers in brackets link to the sources below.
| Feature | Zatio | Fasthosts AI Receptionist |
|---|---|---|
| Channels | Phone, WhatsApp and website chat, same assistant, in every plan[2] | Phone calls, with summaries by email; website calling function on Unlimited. WhatsApp and website chat not listed[1] |
| Billing unit | Per minute of voice; chat and WhatsApp per conversation[2] | Per call[1] |
| Plans | Essential £69, Professional £129, Growth £259 a month, plus VAT[2] | Lite £39, Plus £69, Unlimited £99 a month. VAT: the page’s note on VAT at 20% is ambiguous; confirm with Fasthosts[1] |
| Included usage | 400, 1,000 or 2,000 voice minutes, plus 300, 1,000 or 3,000 chat and WhatsApp conversations a month[2] | Lite 30 calls, Plus 100 calls, Unlimited unlimited calls a month[1] |
| Extra usage | £0.10 a minute beyond your plan; we email you at 80% and 100% and never cut a call[2] | Lite £0.49 a call, Plus £0.39 a call beyond the allowance[1] |
| Unlimited option | No unlimited plan; Growth includes 2,000 minutes[2] | Yes, Unlimited at £99 a month[1] |
| Free trial | Free 14-day trial, no card, plus a test call from our home page[3] | 1 month free on all plans[1] |
| Contract | Month to month, no minimum term[2] | No long-term contract; cancel online[1] |
| Set-up | Self-service from your website in about 10 minutes, no set-up fee; optional done-for-you set-up, £179 one-off[2] | Self-service, live in under 15 minutes[1] |
| Passing calls to your team | Live transfer to your team when you set it up; your team gets the summary and transcript[4] | Depending on the package: forwards to a contact or takes a message[1] |
| Booking | Microsoft Bookings, Calendly and Cal.com[4] | Appointment scheduling on Plus and Unlimited, with systems such as Calendly[1] |
| CRM | CSV export and signed webhook (Make, Zapier, n8n, Zoho Flow)[4][5] | Unlimited: API integrations with HubSpot, Salesforce and Zendesk[1] |
| Languages | British English, Polish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Dutch and Spanish[3] | English and more than 30 other languages[1] |
| Data | EU (Stockholm), GDPR[3] | EU data centres, GDPR[1] |
| Call recording | Calls are transcribed, not recorded[4] | Calls not recorded; audio deleted after the conversation[1] |
Per call vs per minute
Calls and minutes are different units, so the allowances can’t be compared directly. Fasthosts counts calls, whatever their length. Zatio counts voice minutes, and chat and WhatsApp conversations separately.
A simple way to compare: calls covered by Zatio ≈ included minutes ÷ your average call length. At 2 minutes a call, Essential’s 400 minutes cover about 200 calls; at 4 minutes, about 100. Fasthosts Lite covers 30 calls and Plus 100, whatever their length.
As a rule of thumb, per-call pricing suits fewer, longer calls, and per-minute pricing suits many short calls. Check your phone bill for your real average before deciding.
Channels
Fasthosts AI Receptionist answers phone calls and emails you summaries; its Unlimited plan adds a website calling function. Its page doesn’t list WhatsApp or website chat. Zatio answers calls, WhatsApp and your website chat with the same assistant in every plan.
Passing a call to a person
Depending on the package, Fasthosts forwards the call to a contact or takes a message. Zatio transfers the call live to your team when you set it up, and your team gets the summary and transcript.
Trial and contract
Fasthosts offers 1 month free on all plans, with no long-term contract and online cancellation.
Free 14-day trial with no card, including 30 voice minutes and 100 chat conversations. Your phone number and WhatsApp go live when you add your card. Zatio is month to month with no minimum term.
When Fasthosts is the better fit
There are good reasons to choose it:
Calls only, lowest entry price
Fasthosts Lite is £39 a month with 30 calls, the lower published entry price of the two.
Lots of calls
Unlimited gives unlimited calls for £99 a month.
A longer trial
Fasthosts offers a month free on every plan.
More languages and native CRM links
Fasthosts lists English and more than 30 other languages, and API integrations with HubSpot, Salesforce and Zendesk on Unlimited.
Questions
Does Fasthosts AI Receptionist answer WhatsApp?
Its product page doesn’t list WhatsApp or website chat (checked 10 October 2026). Zatio answers WhatsApp and website chat in every plan.
Per call or per minute: which suits me?
It depends on your call length. Divide the included minutes by your average call length: at 2 minutes a call, Zatio Essential’s 400 minutes cover about 200 calls. Fasthosts counts calls whatever their length. Fewer, longer calls favour per-call pricing; many short calls favour per-minute pricing.
Can I keep my number with both?
Yes. With both you keep your number and forward calls.
Is there a free trial?
Free 14-day trial with no card, including 30 voice minutes and 100 chat conversations. Your phone number and WhatsApp go live when you add your card. Fasthosts offers 1 month free on all plans.
Where is data stored?
Both state EU data storage and GDPR compliance. Zatio stores data in Stockholm and transcribes calls without recording them; Fasthosts says calls aren’t recorded and audio is deleted after the conversation.
Can it transfer to my team?
Zatio transfers calls live to your team when you set it up, with the summary and transcript. Fasthosts forwards to a contact or takes a message, depending on the package.
Sources, checked on 10 October 2026
- Fasthosts, AI Receptionist: https://www.fasthosts.co.uk/spark/ai-receptionist
- Zatio, pricing: https://zatio.io/pricing
- Zatio, home page: https://zatio.io/
- Zatio, product: https://zatio.io/product
- Zatio, integrations: https://zatio.io/integrations
Fasthosts is a trademark of its owner. This page is independent and not endorsed by Fasthosts. Fasthosts’ details come from its own website, checked on 10 October 2026, and may change. If anything is out of date, email hello@zatio.io.
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