What answering
services actually cost.
Most of this market won't tell you until you're on a sales call. Here's what each one publishes, with sources.
What we found
The price is the hardest thing to find.
We went to every competitor's own pricing page. Half of them don't have one.
Two publish nothing
Moneypenny and alldayPA both quote on request.
One publishes "from"
Without saying how many calls that covers.
One is $30,000 a year
Which answers the question, at least.
Side by side
Published prices, checked.
Every figure read off their own page on 9 August 2026.
| Service | What they publish | Model |
|---|---|---|
| RedAgents | £29/mo for 100 mins · £69 for 300 · £115 for 600 | AI · flat monthly |
| Moneypenny | No price published — quote on request | Human receptionist team, UK |
| ReceptionHQ | From £15/mo (MessageExpress), £16 (MyReceptionist), £30 (MyAssistant, MyDiary) — excl. VAT | Human receptionist team, UK |
| Smith.ai | $300/mo for 30 calls · $810 for 90 · $2,100 for 300 · overage $8.50–$11.50 per call | Human + AI receptionists, US |
| alldayPA | No price published | Human team, UK |
| Retell AI | $0.07–$0.31 per minute, pay as you go | A developer platform. You build and maintain the agent yourself. |
| Synthflow | Enterprise contracts from $30,000 a year | Priced for enterprises, not for a plumber with one phone line. |
Sources: Moneypenny · ReceptionHQ · Smith.ai · Retell AI · Synthflow. Figures as published on 9 August 2026; prices change, so check before you decide.
30 minutes free. No card.
Straight answer
There's exactly one thing we're not.
We're not a person. Everything people assume follows from that — depth, tone, patience — is a setting you control.
Not “short calls only”
How long it stays on a call is up to you.
Not a fixed script
Its manner and knowledge are yours to edit, any time.
But it isn't a human
If that matters in itself, buy the human team.
One at a time
Compared individually.
FAQ
Questions, answered.
Why won't most answering services publish a price?
Usually because pricing depends on call volume, and they'd rather scope it on a call than lose you to a number on a page. It's a legitimate way to sell. It does mean you can't compare without giving someone your details first.
Are these prices current?
Every figure here was read off the company's own public pricing page on 9 August 2026, and each one links back to that page so you can check it yourself. Prices move — if you spot one that's out of date, tell us and we'll fix it.
Which is actually best?
It depends on whether you're buying a person or an outcome. It's a common assumption that AI can only cope with short, simple calls — with ours, how it sounds, how much it knows and how long it stays on a call are all settings you control and can change in seconds. What a human team gives you that no setting can is a human being. If that matters to you in itself, buy the human team; if what you want is every call answered, at any hour, for a published price, that's us.
Can I try RedAgents without cancelling what I have?
Yes. You get 30 minutes free with no card, and you can hear it answer on a real UK number in about a minute. Nothing stops you running both while you decide.