Alternatives / ReceptionHQ
ReceptionHQ is a human answering service with published call bundles. Message-taking (MessageExpress) runs from £15 a month plus £1.10 a call, or £25 for 25 calls, £49 for 50 and £85 for 100. Call transfers (MyReceptionist) run from £16 a month plus £1.35 a call, or £36 for 25 calls, £60 for 50 and £110 for 100. Extra calls cost £1.10 to £1.30. All prices are plus VAT. It offers a 7-day free trial, 24/7 cover with no after-hours surcharge and no long-term contract.
Prices checked on receptionhq.co.uk on 16 October 2026. Always confirm current prices with each provider.
The short answer
Choose ReceptionHQ if you want a real person on every call, call transfers to your team, or you only miss a handful of calls a month. Choose While You Work if you miss more than about 35 calls a month, want extra calls at 60p or less rather than £1.10 or more, and want the details sent to you in a minute.
Side by side
| ReceptionHQ | While You Work | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | From £15 a month plus £1.10 a call, or bundles: 25 calls £25, 50 calls £49, 100 calls £85 (message-taking), all plus VAT | 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 | Monthly bundle of calls, extra calls £1.10 to £1.30 each | 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 | AI receptionist with a separate script and set-up form for each kind of business |
| Hours | 24/7, no after-hours surcharge | 24 hours a day, 365 days a year |
| Trial | 7-day free trial | Money-back guarantee: cancel within 14 days of your line going live for a full refund |
| Contract | None, rolling monthly | None, cancel any time |
| After the call | Message by email or SMS, call transfers on MyReceptionist | 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 | 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, Jodie, Cyberstaff, Answer.co.uk, Face For Business, Answer4u, IONOS AI Receptionist, The Answer Centre, Vocalenda, Team Connect, AnswerConnect.
Questions
On its website, ReceptionHQ message-taking starts at £15 a month plus £1.10 a call, with bundles of 25 calls for £25, 50 for £49 and 100 for £85. Call-transfer plans start at £16 a month plus £1.35 a call. All prices are plus VAT.
At low volumes, yes. 25 calls a month on MessageExpress is £25 plus VAT, against £39 plus VAT on While You Work Starter. At 50 calls it is £49 plus VAT against £39 on Starter, and at 100 calls £85 plus VAT against £69 on Pro, which covers up to 150 calls.
Yes, ReceptionHQ uses human receptionists. While You Work uses an AI receptionist, which picks up straight away, with a set number of calls for a monthly price.
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 ReceptionHQ if you want a real person on every call, call transfers to your team, or you only miss a handful of calls a month. Choose While You Work if you miss more than about 35 calls a month, want extra calls at 60p or less rather than £1.10 or more, and want the details sent to you in a minute.
Sources, checked 16 October 2026: ReceptionHQ pricing, ReceptionHQ MessageExpress plans, ReceptionHQ MyReceptionist plans. ReceptionHQ is a trademark of its owner. While You Work is not connected with ReceptionHQ.
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.