Telephone answering service cost UK (2026): real prices
A UK telephone answering service is not sold at one price — it is sold on one of four billing models, and which model you are on decides your bill far more than the headline rate does. Those four are per call, per minute, a bundle with an overage rate, and a flat software licence (Odette is from £19/month) where you pay the underlying call costs yourself, at cost. Here is exactly where the money goes.
The three pricing models
| Model | Typical UK cost | Watch for |
|---|---|---|
| Per-call bureau (human PAs) | Monthly base fee plus a rate for every answered call | Bundles run out fast; out-of-hours surcharges; wrong numbers and hang-ups may be chargeable |
| Per-minute virtual receptionist | Monthly minimum plus a bundle of minutes | Per-transfer fees, overage rates, rounding each call up |
| AI receptionist (flat licence) | From £19/mo + usage at cost (~£30–£35/mo for a busy line, ~£50/mo all-in) | You connect your own phone number and voice accounts |
Why traditional services cost more
You are paying for human time. Every answered call is minutes of a PA’s shift, so the price scales with your call volume — and 24/7 cover means staffing nights and weekends, which is why it is usually a paid extra rather than part of the standard plan.
An AI receptionist has no shift cost. Odette answers every call, at any hour, simultaneously if needed — so the software is a flat licence and you pay the underlying call and voice costs directly, at cost, with no markup. See our transparent pricing.
A worked example
Do the sum with your own numbers. Take a typical month — say a trades business fielding around 100 calls totalling roughly 300 minutes — and run it against whatever the bureau actually quotes you per call or per minute, remembering that a busy month is the one that generates the overage. Then set that against Odette: on Solo, the £19 licence plus about £30 of at-cost usage is around £47 all-in, 24/7 included; on Pro, with roughly 200 minutes of transfers on top, about £82.
Also see: virtual receptionist costs and answering service vs hiring a receptionist.
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Start free trialFrequently asked questions
How much does a telephone answering service cost per month?
There is no single figure, because providers do not sell the same unit: some bill per call, some per minute, some sell a bundle with an overage rate above it — and 24/7 cover is often charged on top. Price your own busiest month against each model rather than comparing headline rates. AI answering services charge a flat software fee instead (Odette is from £19/month) with call costs paid directly to the providers at cost — about £30/month of usage for a busy line, so under £50/month all-in.
Are there hidden fees with answering services?
Watch for per-call charges after your bundle, out-of-hours surcharges, setup fees, per-transfer fees and minimum terms. Flat-rate AI services avoid most of these because the answering itself is automated.
What is the cheapest way to get calls answered professionally?
An AI receptionist is usually the cheapest professional option: a flat licence from £19/month plus usage at cost, with 24/7 answering included rather than charged as an extra.