Alternatives / Answer.co.uk
Answer.co.uk runs a pay-as-you-go human answering service at £2.20 a call plus VAT for new customers, with a £25 minimum credit and no monthly fee. Its AI receptionist has a Lite plan at £10 a month plus 85p a call, and bundles of 50 calls for £30, 200 for £120 and 500 for £300 a month, with extra calls at 85p.
Prices checked on answer.co.uk on 16 October 2026. Always confirm current prices with each provider.
The short answer
Choose Answer.co.uk if you want pay-as-you-go with no monthly fee, or a very low-volume AI plan. Choose While You Work if you want a monthly plan with a set number of calls, a receptionist set up for your kind of business, and the details sent to you in a minute.
Side by side
| Answer.co.uk | While You Work | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Human: £2.20 a call plus VAT, £25 minimum credit. AI: £10 a month plus 85p a call, or 50 calls for £30 a month | Starter £39, Pro £69 or Business £129 a month + VAT. The first 50 UK businesses get Pro for £49 a month + VAT for their first 12 months, then £69 |
| How you pay | Per call, or AI call bundles | Flat monthly plan with a set number of calls, then a set price for each extra call. A call counts once however long it lasts, up to 10 minutes |
| Who answers | Human receptionists, or the AI receptionist | AI receptionist with a separate script and set-up form for each kind of business |
| Hours | 24/7 | 24 hours a day, 365 days a year |
| Trial | Check the website | Money-back guarantee: cancel within 14 days of your line going live for a full refund |
| Contract | Pay as you go | None, cancel any time |
| After the call | Message by email, optional SMS at 10p each | Details by email a minute after the call on every plan, and on Pro and Business a text straight away for urgent calls, which can also be put through to your phone |
| Type of service | Human receptionists, plus an AI receptionist | AI receptionist |
| Available | Now | Taking new customers now. Each line switches on as soon as the set-up form is finished, usually within minutes |
Switching
Look at your current provider’s terms for any notice period or unused credit.
A short form for your kind of business: hours, area, services and what callers should be told.
Point divert-on-no-answer at your While You Work number. Your callers keep ringing the same number.
Want the full picture on UK prices? Read how much a call answering service costs in the UK.
Other comparisons: Moneypenny, ReceptionHQ, Jodie, Cyberstaff, Face For Business, Answer4u, IONOS AI Receptionist, The Answer Centre, Vocalenda, Team Connect, AnswerConnect.
Questions
Answer.co.uk’s human pay-as-you-go service is £2.20 a call plus VAT for new customers, with a £25 minimum credit. Its AI receptionist starts at £10 a month plus 85p a call.
For a few calls a month, often yes. At 50 calls a month, human pay-as-you-go at £2.20 plus VAT is £110 plus VAT, against £39 plus VAT on While You Work Starter. Answer.co.uk’s AI bundle of 50 calls for £30 a month costs less than our Starter plan.
It depends on how many calls you miss. For a small business that wants every missed call answered and the details sent to them in a minute for a set monthly price counted per call, not per minute, While You Work starts at £39 a month plus VAT for 50 calls, with Pro at £69 plus VAT for 150. Choose Answer.co.uk if you want pay-as-you-go with no monthly fee, or a very low-volume AI plan. Choose While You Work if you want a monthly plan with a set number of calls, a receptionist set up for your kind of business, and the details sent to you in a minute.
Sources, checked 16 October 2026: Answer.co.uk pay-as-you-go call answering, Answer.co.uk AI virtual receptionist. Answer.co.uk is a trademark of its owner. While You Work is not connected with Answer.co.uk.
Starter £39, Pro £69 and Business £129 a month, plus VAT. The first 50 UK businesses get Pro for £49 plus VAT for their first 12 months. No contract, and cancel within 14 days of your line going live for a full refund.