Best AI Receptionists for UK Small Businesses (2026 Comparison)
Missed calls cost UK small businesses real money — most callers who reach voicemail simply ring the next business on Google. AI receptionists (also called AI virtual receptionists or AI answering services) fix that, but the market has gone from two options to twenty in eighteen months, and most "comparison" pages are written by whoever ranks first.
This one is too — we build Gasta, and we've put ourselves in the table. But every price below comes from the provider's own website, and where a competitor is genuinely the better fit, we say so.
The comparison at a glance
| Gasta← Our product | Team-Connect | AIAnswerPhone | Moneypenny AI | Smith.ai | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Entry price | £20/mo | £9.99/mo | £47/mo | ~£160/mo base + usage | ~£75/mo (30 calls) |
| Full AI voice receptionist | £100/mo | £29.99–£59.99/mo | £47+/mo | £160+/mo | £75+/mo |
| Setup fee | None | None | None | Managed onboarding | Managed |
| Contract | Cancel anytime | No contract | No contract | Monthly minimums, per-call billing | Monthly |
| Included minutes | Unlimited at every tier | Capped (100–500 min); unlimited only at £59.99 | Plan-dependent | Per-call/per-minute billing | 30 calls, then overages |
| Start small, upgrade later | Yes — 3-tier ladder | Plans by minutes | Single product | No | No |
| Missed-call text-back tier | Yes (£20) | No | No | No | No |
| AI text/SMS conversations | Yes (£50) | Add-on products | Chatbot add-ons | No | No |
| UK voice & UK numbers | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | US-focused |
| UK GDPR / UK data | Yes (ICO: ZC108828) | Yes | Yes (ICO: ZC065739) | Yes | US data handling |
| Human backup on calls | No — AI with live transfer to you | Live transfer only | No | Yes — trained receptionists | Yes — live agents |
| Mobile app | Yes — iOS App Store | Web dashboard | Web portal | Web + app | Web + app |
Prices from each provider's public website, July 2026.
Why we built the table this way
Most AI receptionists make you buy the whole thing on day one. Gasta is the only UK provider built as a ladder: start at £20/month with missed-call text-back (every caller you miss gets an instant text, so the lead never goes cold), add two-way AI text conversations at £50, and move to the full AI voice receptionist at £100 when you're ready. No setup fees at any tier, upgrade or cancel anytime.
That matters because the number one reason small business owners don't buy an AI receptionist is that they're not sure it'll work for their business. A £20 entry point with no contract is how you find out — without betting £160 a month on it.
The honest verdicts
Gasta
— best for UK small businesses that want to start smallBuilt in the UK for UK small businesses. The only provider with a genuine upgrade path from text-back to full voice AI, flat monthly pricing with unlimited minutes at every tier, no setup fees, and an iOS app so you see every captured lead on your phone. Unlimited minutes matters more than it sounds: every other provider in this table either caps your minutes or bills per call, so your busiest month — the one where the AI earns its keep — is also your most expensive. With Gasta, £100 is £100 whether the phone rings ten times or a thousand. If you want a human answering your calls, we're not it — Gasta is AI-first, with live transfer to your mobile when a caller needs you.
Choose Gasta if: you're a small business that misses calls while working, and you want to prove the ROI at £20 before going all-in.
Team-Connect
— best rock-bottom entry priceAt £9.99/month for 100 minutes, nobody is cheaper. Team-Connect is a VoIP and business landline company with an AI receptionist as one of many products — landlines, SMS marketing, email packages. If you want a phone system and an AI in one place, it's a sensible bundle. If you want a focused AI receptionist product, the sprawl works against it.
Choose Team-Connect if: you also need a business landline or VoIP setup and want everything from one supplier.
AIAnswerPhone
— solid focused alternativeA UK-built, ICO-registered AI answerphone from £47/month with WhatsApp, email and SMS alerts and 24-hour setup. A credible, focused product — the main difference is there's no lower-priced way in and no text-conversation tier.
Choose AIAnswerPhone if: you want a single voice product at mid-market pricing and WhatsApp alerts matter to you.
Moneypenny
— best if you need human backupThe UK's best-known answering service, with over two decades of reputation. Their AI Voice Agent sits on top of a Telephone Answering subscription from around £160/month, and their blended model routes complex or sensitive calls to trained human receptionists. For law firms, private healthcare and brand-sensitive businesses, that human layer is worth paying for.
Choose Moneypenny if: your calls are high-stakes enough that you need a human to step in, and the budget supports it.
Smith.ai
— best for US-facing firmsWell-regarded in the US legal market, with live North American agents backing the AI from ~$95/month. For a UK-only business, you're paying for US integrations you won't use, and the accent and number setup aren't built for UK callers.
Choose Smith.ai if: you serve US clients or run a US-facing legal practice.
What to check before choosing any AI receptionist
- 1
What happens on the calls it can't handle?
Ask every provider this. The good ones transfer live to your mobile with context, or take a message and text you instantly. The bad ones loop.
- 2
Where is your call data stored?
UK GDPR compliance and UK data storage matter, especially for clinics, legal and financial firms. Ask for the provider's ICO registration number.
- 3
Is the pricing flat or per-minute?
Per-minute and per-call billing turns a quiet month into a cheap one and a busy month into a shock. Flat pricing means your best month is also your most profitable.
- 4
Can you hear it before you buy?
Any provider confident in their AI will let you call it. You can call Gasta's right now on +44 7846 896837 — no signup, just ring it and have a conversation.
Frequently asked questions
How much does an AI receptionist cost in the UK?
Anywhere from £9.99 to £300+ per month. AI-first products cluster between £20 and £100 flat per month; managed and human-hybrid services like Moneypenny start around £160/month with usage billing on top.
Will callers know they're talking to AI?
Modern AI voices are natural enough that most callers don't notice on routine calls. What matters more is what the AI does: answering instantly, capturing the caller's details, and getting you the lead beats a delayed human answer every time.
Do I have to change my phone number?
No. With Gasta and most providers, you keep your number and divert missed or out-of-hours calls to the AI. Callers dial the same number they always have.
What's the difference between an AI receptionist and a virtual receptionist or answering service?
A virtual receptionist or answering service pays humans to pick up your calls, typically £150–£400/month with per-minute billing. An AI receptionist answers instantly, handles unlimited simultaneous calls, works 24/7, and costs a fraction of that. Many businesses now use AI for routine calls with live transfer to a human for anything complex.
Ready to stop missing calls?
Hear the AI for yourself — call +44 7846 896837 now. Then start with missed-call text-back for £20/month: no setup fee, unlimited minutes, cancel anytime.
Get started →