Best AI Receptionists in London (2026): 10 Compared

The best AI receptionist for a London business depends on what you need answered and how much you want to set up yourself. For cheap, self-serve call answering, Fasthosts (£39/month ex VAT) and Sayora (£49/month early-bird) stand out; for a done-for-you AI front desk covering phone, WhatsApp, web chat and email, DeskAgent (from £85/month, Phone Agent £125/month) and UpZilo (£99/month plus setup, 12-month agreement) are the closest fits; and Moneypenny (from £49/month) is the long-established option with real UK receptionists behind the AI.

Disclosure: this article is written by DeskAgent, which is one of the 10 options below. We have tried to be fair - every competitor fact comes from that provider's own website, checked on 27 October 2026, and we include honest downsides for DeskAgent too. Prices change, so check each provider's site before you buy.

Which AI receptionist should you choose?

• Our pick for a done-for-you AI front desk across phone, WhatsApp, web chat and email: DeskAgent (that's us)
• Best for real UK receptionists behind the AI: Moneypenny
• Best low-cost self-serve phone answering: Fasthosts AI Receptionist
• Best self-serve option built for UK trades: Sayora
• Lowest add-on price if you use bOnline phones: bOnline AI Receptionist
• Best for answering plus marketing from one company: UpZilo
• Best for teams that want a full cloud phone system: CloudTalk
• Best if you already use RingCentral: RingCentral AI Receptionist
• Best for a bespoke, CRM-integrated build: Softomate Solutions
• Best self-serve tool with the widest channel list: My AI Front Desk

How do the 10 AI receptionists compare?

Provider	Best for	Starting price (as published)	Channels	Setup	UK focus
DeskAgent	Done-for-you AI front desk for UK service businesses	£85/month (Web or Inbox Agent); Phone Agent £125/month; no contract	Phone, WhatsApp, web chat, email	Done for you	Yes - London-built, UK service businesses
Moneypenny	AI with real UK receptionists as backup	From £49/month (VAT not stated; quote for your plan)	Phone	Done for you	Yes - UK company
Fasthosts	Cheap self-serve call answering	£39/month ex VAT (30 calls, then £0.49 per call)	Phone	Self-serve	Yes - UK provider
Sayora	Self-serve answering for UK trades	£49/month early-bird (£79/month after)	Phone, texts to callers	Self-serve	Yes - UK trades
bOnline	Businesses on a bOnline phone plan	£10/month add-on to a bOnline plan	Phone	Self-serve	Yes - London-based VoIP provider
UpZilo	Done-for-you answering, optionally with marketing	£99/month + £299 setup; 12-month agreement (100 phone minutes)	Phone, WhatsApp, web chat, Instagram, Messenger	Done for you	Yes - UK service businesses
CloudTalk	Teams wanting a full cloud phone system	€0/month (50 minutes, first month); AI Voice Agents add-on from €99/month; excl. taxes	Phone (AI agents)	Self-serve or white-glove	Partial - UK numbers, London office
RingCentral	Existing RingCentral customers	UK price not published	Phone	Self-serve	Partial - UK add-on only
Softomate Solutions	Bespoke builds wired into your CRM	From £8,000 one-off ex VAT, plus care from £499/month	Phone (custom builds)	Built for you	Yes - London (Stanmore)
My AI Front Desk	Self-serve multi-channel AI	Free plan; paid from $99/month	Phone, SMS, WhatsApp, email, chat	Self-serve	No UK information published

Prices are as published on each provider's own website on 27 October 2026. Where a provider says whether VAT is included, we have said so.

1. DeskAgent

DeskAgent is a London-built 24/7 AI front desk for UK service businesses. Four agents - Phone, WhatsApp, Web and Inbox - answer every enquiry in the business's own name, qualify the job and send the owner a summary by email and WhatsApp. They share one brain, so customers don't have to repeat themselves, and the owner runs everything from WhatsApp through DeskAgent HQ. Each agent is built, trained and tested for the business before it goes live.

Best for: UK service businesses that want calls, WhatsApp, web chat and email answered by one agent that is set up for them.

Pricing (as published): Web Agent £85/month, Inbox Agent £85/month, Phone Agent £125/month, WhatsApp Agent £125/month, Full DeskAgent (all four plus HQ) £285/month. The 3-month pilot is a one-off £500 for the full build and three months live, then £285/month if you keep it. No contract; single agents have no separate setup fee. See pricing.

Pros

• Four channels with one shared brain, including WhatsApp and email
• Done for you: built and tested on your services, prices and areas
• Run from WhatsApp with DeskAgent HQ - no dashboards or logins
• Published prices, no contract, unlimited inbound calls on the Phone Agent

Cons

• A newer company than the long-established names on this list
• Done-for-you setup takes days rather than minutes: under a week for Web and Inbox, under two weeks for Phone and WhatsApp
• No free trial - instead you get a free 30-minute demo with an agent built for your business
• Costs more than the cheapest phone-only tools

Book a free DeskAgent demo

2. Moneypenny AI Receptionist

Moneypenny is a UK answering company headquartered in Wrexham and founded in 2000. Its AI Receptionist answers calls first, and real Moneypenny receptionists can step in - for example when the AI cannot answer or a caller asks for a person. Onboarding is guided by a Solutions Architect, and Moneypenny says it can have you live "in days, not weeks".

Best for: Businesses that want a trusted UK brand with human receptionists behind the AI.

Pricing (as published): From £49 a month, according to its AI Receptionist page. Moneypenny does not say whether VAT is included or what the starting plan covers, so ask for a quote.

Pros

• Real UK receptionists as backup to the AI
• Done-for-you onboarding
• Call summaries by email, text or both; integrations listed include HubSpot, Salesforce and Calendly

Cons

• Only a starting price is published - what it includes needs a quote
• The AI Receptionist is phone-only
• Contract terms for the AI service are not published (its human answering schemes have minimum terms and notice periods)

Visit Moneypenny AI Receptionist · DeskAgent vs Moneypenny, side by side

3. Fasthosts AI Receptionist

Fasthosts, a long-running UK web host, offers a self-serve AI Receptionist: you add your website, pick a voice, link a calendar, test and switch it on, which Fasthosts says takes under 15 minutes. You keep your existing number through call forwarding.

Best for: Sole traders and small teams who want cheap call answering they can set up themselves.

Pricing (as published): Lite £39/month (30 calls, then £0.49 per call), Plus £69/month (100 calls, then £0.39 per call), Unlimited £99/month. Fasthosts states all prices exclude VAT at 20%. No long-term contract and a 1-month free trial.

Pros

• Clear published pricing in pounds
• Free first month and no long-term contract
• Call data hosted in EU data centres; calendar links with Google, Outlook, Cal.com and Calendly

Cons

• Phone only
• Per-call charges above the Lite and Plus allowances
• Appointment scheduling is not on Lite, and CRM integrations are Unlimited-only
• Self-serve - you build and maintain it yourself

Visit Fasthosts AI Receptionist · DeskAgent vs Fasthosts, side by side

4. Sayora

Sayora is a Scottish company (Sayora Ltd, built in Edinburgh) offering a self-serve AI phone answerer aimed at UK tradespeople such as plumbers, electricians, roofers and heating engineers. It builds the agent from your website and Google listing, texts confirmations to callers and alerts you by text or email.

Best for: UK tradespeople who want low-cost, self-serve call answering.

Pricing (as published): £49/month on the early-bird Pro plan, with unlimited minutes; Sayora says new accounts after the early bird pay £79/month. Sayora says it is not VAT-registered. No contract; 7-day free trial (card needed).

Pros

• Built around UK trades
• Unlimited minutes on the early-bird plan
• No contract; UK numbers or divert your existing calls

Cons

• Phone only
• The £49 price is an early-bird offer
• The call allowance after the early bird is not published
• Self-serve on the Pro plan

Visit Sayora

5. bOnline AI Receptionist

bOnline is a London-based business phone (VoIP) provider in Grosvenor Gardens. Its AI Receptionist is an add-on to a bOnline phone plan that answers calls from the first ring, 24/7, in 25+ languages, and it is included in bOnline's AI Hero plan.

Best for: Small businesses already on - or happy to move to - a bOnline phone line.

Pricing (as published): £10/month as an add-on to any bOnline plan (plans are priced separately, for example "AI for Business Calls" from £19.95 per user per month + VAT). AI Hero, which includes the AI Receptionist, is from £29.95 per user per month + VAT. Free trial with no card.

Pros

• The lowest published add-on price on this list
• UK data hosting
• Works with your number; calendar links with Google, Apple and Outlook

Cons

• Needs a bOnline phone plan
• Phone only
• Call allowance and trial length are not published
• Number transfers usually take 10 to 20 days

Visit bOnline AI Receptionist · DeskAgent vs bOnline, side by side

6. UpZilo

UpZilo describes itself as UK based and sells "Growth Systems" for service businesses. Its Respond 24/7 AI receptionist is a done-for-you service that replies across phone, WhatsApp, website chat, Instagram and Messenger, sold on its own or alongside websites, SEO and ads. It targets trades and service firms including builders, plumbers, roofers, clinics and removals companies, and shows a removals case study on its site.

Best for: Service businesses happy with a 12-month agreement, or that want answering and marketing from one company.

Pricing (as published): £99/month plus a £299 one-time setup fee on a 12-month agreement, including up to 300 digital conversation sessions and 100 incoming AI telephone minutes a month.

Pros

• Done-for-you managed service with a published price
• Wide channel list, including WhatsApp, Instagram and Messenger
• Can be combined with websites, SEO and ads

Cons

• 12-month agreement and a £299 setup fee
• 100 incoming AI phone minutes a month included, so check that against your call volume
• Launch typically takes 2 to 6 weeks, according to UpZilo
• Data hosting location not published

Visit UpZilo · DeskAgent vs UpZilo, side by side

7. CloudTalk AI Receptionist

CloudTalk is a cloud phone system for sales and support teams, with offices including London. Its AI agents answer calls on top of the phone system, and it offers UK numbers.

Best for: Teams that want a full cloud phone system with AI answering on top.

Pricing (as published): AI Receptionist €0/month with 50 minutes for your first month; AI Voice Agents add-on "€99 starting from 200 minutes/month"; phone plans from €25 per user per month billed annually. Prices exclude taxes. Note that CloudTalk's FAQ quotes a different starting price, so check its pricing page.

Pros

• Full phone system with 95+ integrations
• UK numbers and a London office
• 14-day free trial with no card

Cons

• Priced in euros, with minutes capped by tier
• Starting price differs between its own pages
• AI agents are phone-only

Visit CloudTalk AI Receptionist

8. RingCentral AI Receptionist

RingCentral's AI Receptionist answers and routes calls with a summary for your team. In the UK it is available as an add-on to RingCentral's phone service rather than on its own.

Best for: Businesses already using RingCentral phones.

Pricing (as published): UK price not published - RingCentral asks you to contact an account representative. (Its US page lists a standalone plan from $49/month with 100 minutes.)

Pros

• Big, established phone provider
• Self-serve setup in the RingCentral portal
• RingCentral says it does not use your data to train its AI models

Cons

• UK availability is as an add-on only
• No published UK price
• Phone only

Visit RingCentral AI Receptionist

9. Softomate Solutions

Softomate Solutions is a London development firm based in Stanmore that builds custom AI voice agents: answering inbound calls, qualifying callers, booking appointments and running outbound follow-up, with results recorded in your CRM. It also sets up AI receptionists on GoHighLevel.

Best for: Businesses that need a bespoke voice agent wired into their own systems.

Pricing (as published): Bespoke voice agent development from £8,000, with optional monthly care from £499/month; a focused GoHighLevel receptionist setup from £2,000 plus a monthly package from £99 plus usage. Softomate quotes these excluding VAT.

Pros

• Fully bespoke builds and CRM integration
• London-based team
• Transparent published starting prices

Cons

• High upfront cost compared with subscription tools
• Licences, hosting and usage are extra
• Better suited to complex needs than a small business wanting quick cover

Visit Softomate Solutions

10. My AI Front Desk

My AI Front Desk (Frontdesk) is a self-serve AI that handles voice, SMS, WhatsApp, email and chat from one setup, which it says takes about five minutes.

Best for: Hands-on owners who want one self-serve AI across many channels.

Pricing (as published): A free plan with limited minutes; Business-in-a-Box from $99/month ($79/month billed annually), including 200 voice minutes; extra usage through credits. No contracts and a 7-day free trial.

Pros

• The widest published channel list among the self-serve tools here
• A free plan, no contract and a free trial

Cons

• No UK-specific information published
• Priced in US dollars
• Usage beyond the monthly allowance is paid through credits

Visit My AI Front Desk

Which other AI receptionists did we look at?

We also checked Smith.ai, Upfirst, Goodcall and Rosie, but none publishes UK coverage, so they are better suited to North American businesses. Synthflow is an enterprise voice platform with contracts starting at $30,000 a year, and PolyAI builds enterprise voice agents for large brands. For London firms that want a bespoke phone agent built for them, see our guide to the best AI phone agent builders in London.

How did we compare them?

We read each provider's own website on 27 October 2026 and recorded only what they publish: price, what the price includes, channels, setup model, contract terms, free trial, data protection and UK availability. Where a provider does not publish something, we say so rather than guess. We have not run paid trials of every product, so treat this as a shortlist and book a demo or trial before you decide. We will refresh the prices and this date every month.

How do you choose the right AI receptionist?

Work through these questions before you sign up for anything:

1. Which channels do your customers use? If enquiries arrive by WhatsApp, web chat and email as well as phone, a phone-only tool will still leave gaps.
2. Who sets it up and keeps it right? Self-serve tools are cheaper but you build, test and update them yourself. Done-for-you services do that for you.
3. How is it priced? Check whether you pay a flat fee or per call or minute, what happens above the allowance, whether VAT is included and whether there is a setup fee.
4. Is there a contract? Look for minimum terms and notice periods, especially on lower monthly prices.
5. Can you keep your number? Most work by forwarding calls, but some need you to move your number to their phone system.
6. How do urgent jobs reach you? Ask how emergencies are flagged and how fast you hear about them.
7. Will it be honest that it is an AI? UK customers increasingly expect to be told, and a good agent says so if asked.
8. Where is your data kept? Ask where calls and transcripts are stored, for how long and whether they are used to train AI models.

FAQ

How much does an AI receptionist cost in the UK?

Published prices for London businesses range from a £10/month add-on (bOnline, on top of a bOnline phone plan) and £39/month excluding VAT for 30 calls (Fasthosts Lite), through £49/month starting prices (Moneypenny, and Sayora's early-bird plan), £99/month plus a £299 setup fee on a 12-month agreement (UpZilo) and £125/month with no contract for DeskAgent's done-for-you Phone Agent, up to bespoke builds from £8,000 plus monthly care (Softomate Solutions). Watch for per-call or per-minute overage charges, VAT and whether you need a separate phone plan. Our AI receptionist pricing guide goes into more detail.

Is an AI receptionist UK GDPR compliant?

It depends on the provider, so ask before you sign up. Check where call data is stored, how long recordings and transcripts are kept, whether your data is used to train AI models and whether you get a data processing agreement. For example, Fasthosts says call data is hosted in EU data centres, bOnline says it uses UK data hosting and Sayora says it deletes call audio 90 days after each call. DeskAgent processes data in line with UK GDPR and explains how it handles call data in its privacy policy.

Can an AI receptionist use my existing phone number?

Usually, yes. Most AI receptionists, including DeskAgent, Fasthosts and Moneypenny, work by forwarding calls from the number you already have, so customers notice nothing different. Some phone-system providers ask you to move your number to them instead - bOnline says number transfers usually take 10 to 20 days.

Is an AI receptionist better than a telephone answering service?

An AI receptionist answers instantly at any hour for a flat monthly fee, asks the same qualifying questions every time and can usually handle several calls at once. A human answering service brings judgement and a personal touch, but often charges by the minute or call and may only take a message. Some providers, such as Moneypenny, combine the two. We compare every option, including your own night staff, in our guide to 24/7 answering services in the UK.

Which AI receptionist is best for a London trade or service business?

If you want to set something up yourself today and you mainly need calls answered, Fasthosts or Sayora are low-cost, self-serve options. If you are already on bOnline, RingCentral or CloudTalk phones, their add-ons are the simplest route. If you want calls, WhatsApp, web chat and email handled by one agent that is built and tested for you, look at done-for-you services such as DeskAgent or UpZilo. If you want real receptionists behind the AI, Moneypenny is the long-established UK option, founded in 2000.

Want to see DeskAgent on your own calls?

Ring +44 20 7101 0617 and our own Phone Agent will pick up, or message the same number on WhatsApp. If you want to see it built around your business, book a free 30-minute demo - we build a demo agent from your website before we speak. You can also compare DeskAgent side by side with Moneypenny, Fasthosts, bOnline and others.