The best AI receptionists in the UK in 2026, compared with sources
There is no single best one: it depends on the channels you need, your budget and where your data lives. Zatio, from £69 a month ex VAT, is the one with phone, WhatsApp and web chat in every plan; Fasthosts starts at £39 for phone only, and Moneypenny prices by quote.
How we chose
The same criteria for every provider, with each company’s own website as the only source.
Published prices only
Every price comes from the provider’s pricing page, checked on 15 October 2026, with a link. What isn’t published is said so.
UK numbers and markets
Providers selling to UK businesses, in pounds where they publish them. US providers are included where UK lists cite them, with their currency.
Channels, not just calls
Whether WhatsApp and web chat are included, sold separately or not offered. It is what changes the bill most.
Trial and data location
What trial or guarantee they give and, where published, where data is stored and which certifications they hold.
The list, by best for
No ranking: each one suits a different need. Zatio is on the list under the same rules as everyone else.
Zatio: best for businesses that want phone, WhatsApp and web chat in one plan
Entry price: £69 a month ex VAT (400 voice minutes and 300 conversations). Channels: Phone, WhatsApp (official API) and web chat, the same assistant in every plan. Trial: 14-day trial and a 60-day guarantee. Market and data: UK and Spain; data in the EU (Stockholm), calls transcribed and not recorded.
Fasthosts AI Receptionist (IONOS group): best for phone only on the smallest budget
Entry price: £39 a month for 30 calls, then per call; unlimited calls £99. Channels: Phone only. Trial: 1 month free. Market and data: UK; GDPR, calls not recorded.
BT Business AI Receptionist: best for businesses that already buy their phone lines from BT
Entry price: Not published; sold as bundles from 100 to 14,000 minutes. Channels: Phone only. Trial: Demo. Market and data: UK; data location not published.
Moneypenny AI Receptionist: best for an AI with human receptionists behind it
Entry price: By quote (no plan prices on its pricing page). Channels: Phone; live chat is a separate service. Trial: Demo numbers by sector. Market and data: UK; GDPR, audit logs.
Hey Jodie: best for a flat fee for unlimited calls (unverified)
Entry price: £49 a month, unlimited calls (unverified: taken from a third-party list, not confirmed on its own site). Channels: Phone (unverified). Trial: Not checked. Market and data: UK (unverified).
ainora, AI receptionist cost UK 2026 (third-party list), checked 15 October 2026
Aircall AI Voice Agent: best for teams that already run a cloud phone system with several seats
Entry price: $30 a month per licence, minimum 3 licences; AI voice agent $0.49 a minute pay as you go or $0.35 in a bundle. Channels: Phone; WhatsApp as an add-on of $10 a licence. Trial: Not seen. Market and data: UK, France, Spain; HIPAA and GDPR terms on Enterprise.
Synthflow: best for enterprise contact centres with their own CRM and SIP
Entry price: From $30,000 a year. Channels: Phone. Trial: No self-service trial. Market and data: Enterprise; DPA and MSA.
Smith.ai AI Receptionist: best for US firms that want a free tier and SMS follow-up
Entry price: Free for 25 calls; Pro $150 a month, priced per call. Channels: Phone and SMS (no WhatsApp). Trial: Free plan. Market and data: US; data location not seen.
Rosie: best for a US-style app with a mobile app for the owner
Entry price: $49 a month for 250 minutes. Channels: Phone; web chat from the Scale plan. Trial: 7 days. Market and data: US (English and Spanish); data location not seen.
Goodcall: best for paying per customer rather than per minute
Entry price: $79 a month for 100 unique customers. Channels: Phone. Trial: Free demo agent. Market and data: US; SOC 2 and HIPAA.
Comparison table
Monthly prices as published, ex VAT unless stated.
| Provider | Entry price | Channels | Trial | Market and data |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zatio | £69 a month ex VAT (400 voice minutes and 300 conversations) | Phone, WhatsApp (official API) and web chat, the same assistant in every plan | 14-day trial and a 60-day guarantee | UK and Spain; data in the EU (Stockholm), calls transcribed and not recorded |
| Fasthosts AI Receptionist (IONOS group) | £39 a month for 30 calls, then per call; unlimited calls £99 | Phone only | 1 month free | UK; GDPR, calls not recorded |
| BT Business AI Receptionist | Not published; sold as bundles from 100 to 14,000 minutes | Phone only | Demo | UK; data location not published |
| Moneypenny AI Receptionist | By quote (no plan prices on its pricing page) | Phone; live chat is a separate service | Demo numbers by sector | UK; GDPR, audit logs |
| Hey Jodie | £49 a month, unlimited calls (unverified: taken from a third-party list, not confirmed on its own site) | Phone (unverified) | Not checked | UK (unverified) |
| Aircall AI Voice Agent | $30 a month per licence, minimum 3 licences; AI voice agent $0.49 a minute pay as you go or $0.35 in a bundle | Phone; WhatsApp as an add-on of $10 a licence | Not seen | UK, France, Spain; HIPAA and GDPR terms on Enterprise |
| Synthflow | From $30,000 a year | Phone | No self-service trial | Enterprise; DPA and MSA |
| Smith.ai AI Receptionist | Free for 25 calls; Pro $150 a month, priced per call | Phone and SMS (no WhatsApp) | Free plan | US; data location not seen |
| Rosie | $49 a month for 250 minutes | Phone; web chat from the Scale plan | 7 days | US (English and Spanish); data location not seen |
| Goodcall | $79 a month for 100 unique customers | Phone | Free demo agent | US; SOC 2 and HIPAA |
“Unverified” = a figure from a third-party list that we could not confirm on the provider’s own site.
Best for each case
Trades: plumbers, electricians, heating
Calls while you are on a job and quotes over WhatsApp with a photo. Zatio covers all three channels with one assistant.
Dental and private clinics
First appointments and price questions out of hours, booked into Microsoft Bookings, Calendly or Cal.com.
Estate agents
Viewing requests by phone and WhatsApp at any hour, each one qualified and passed to the negotiator.
Law firms
Qualify the enquiry before it reaches a fee earner, with the details in the dashboard. Smith.ai lists legal software such as Clio among its integrations.
WhatsApp included
Zatio includes it in every plan on the official API. Aircall adds it per licence; none of the other providers on the list publishes it on the pages checked.
Smallest budget, phone only
Fasthosts from £39 for 30 calls is the lowest published entry on the list, with unlimited calls at £99.
Where Zatio is not the best choice
We would rather say it here than have you find out later.
Phone only on the smallest budget
If you only want calls answered and want to spend the least, Fasthosts starts at £39 for 30 calls (checked 15 October 2026). Zatio starts at £69 with WhatsApp and web chat included, which you would not need.
Human backup
If you want real receptionists behind the AI, Moneypenny offers escalation to its own UK team. Zatio hands over to your own team.
Spanish sector integrations
If you also trade in Spain and live in Doctoralia, CoverManager or Booksy, Diga lists them as integrations. Zatio connects by signed webhook (Make, Zapier, n8n) and CSV.
What none of them do
Know what your website doesn’t say
They all answer from the information you give them. If your prices, areas and hours are out of date, none of them will guess.
Replace a person’s judgement
Complaints, negotiations and sensitive cases still need someone on your team. The difference is how well they hand over.
Get it right every time
None of them is right 100% of the time. Ask what each does when it doesn’t know something: Zatio says so and passes it to your team.
How to test one in a week
Day 1: your information
Check your website has hours, areas, services and rough prices. That is what the assistant will read.
Days 2 to 5: real or test calls
Ring it yourself with the 10 questions you hear most, and ask someone outside the business to do the same. Watch how it hands over what it doesn’t know.
Days 6 and 7: the dashboard
Read the summaries and transcripts. If you can’t tell in 30 seconds what each caller wanted, it is not the one.
Sourced comparisons and the fact sheet
AI receptionists in the UK
BT Business, Fasthosts, Moneypenny and Zatio, cell by cell, with sources.
Zatio vs Moneypenny
One to one, using only what each company publishes.
Zatio vs Fasthosts
Per call or per minute, and what each includes.
Zatio vs Smith.ai
A US AI receptionist with a free tier, compared for a UK business.
Zatio facts
The citable fact sheet: plans, trial, languages, data and what Zatio does not do.
Zatio pricing
From £69 a month excluding VAT, with 400 voice minutes, plus WhatsApp and website chat.
Questions
What is the best AI receptionist in the UK?
It depends on what you need. For phone, WhatsApp and web chat in one plan, Zatio. For phone only on the smallest budget, Fasthosts (£39). For an AI with human receptionists behind it, Moneypenny. For a cloud phone system with several seats, Aircall. For enterprise contact centres, Synthflow.
How much does an AI receptionist cost in the UK?
Going by their own pages, checked on 15 October 2026, Fasthosts starts at £39 a month for 30 calls (unlimited £99), BT Business does not publish a monthly fee and Moneypenny prices by quote. Zatio is £69, £129 or £259 a month ex VAT with 400, 1,000 or 2,000 voice minutes plus WhatsApp and web chat included.
Which AI receptionist includes WhatsApp?
Zatio includes WhatsApp in all 3 plans on the official WhatsApp Business API, with Meta’s conversation fees passed through at cost. Aircall offers it as an add-on of $10 a licence. Fasthosts, BT Business, Moneypenny, Smith.ai, Rosie, Goodcall and Synthflow do not list it.
Which one keeps data in the EU or UK?
Zatio stores data in the EU (Stockholm), transcribes calls without recording them and signs a DPA. Fasthosts states GDPR compliance and that calls are not recorded; Moneypenny states GDPR and audit logs. The US providers on the list (Smith.ai, Rosie, Goodcall) do not state a data location on the pages checked.
Do they tell callers they are an AI?
Zatio says it is an AI at the start of every new conversation. For the others, check the provider’s page or ask on a test call: it was not stated on every pricing page we checked.
Can I try one for free?
Fasthosts gives 1 month free, Smith.ai a free tier of 25 calls, Rosie 7 days and Goodcall a free demo agent. With Zatio, Free 14-day trial with no card, including 30 voice minutes and 100 chat conversations. Your phone number arrives when your plan starts, and you connect WhatsApp yourself from your dashboard.
Zatio in your industry
How Zatio works in each industry: what it asks, what it books and what it passes to your team.
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