Comparison
AI receptionist vs hiring someone
A receptionist costs between £900 and £2,600 a month once you count everything. The question is whether the phone is really a full-time job.
Context
The honest starting point
The honest comparison is not "which is better" — a good receptionist is better than any AI at the things humans are good at. It is whether the volume and nature of your calls justifies a salary, and what happens outside their contracted hours.
A part-time receptionist in the UK costs roughly £900 to £1,400 a month including employer National Insurance and pension. Full-time is £1,900 to £2,600 depending on region. They cover their contracted hours, answer one call at a time, and take holiday.
Side by side
The comparison
| Hiring (part-time) | Hiring (full-time) | AI receptionist | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost | £900–£1,400 | £1,900–£2,600 | From £497 all-in |
| Hours covered | ~20/week | ~40/week | 168/week |
| Evenings & weekends | No | No | Yes |
| Simultaneous calls | 1 | 1 | Unlimited |
| Holiday & sick cover | Your problem | Your problem | None needed |
| Recruitment & training | 4–8 weeks | 4–8 weeks | 2–3 weeks build |
| Handles walk-ins & admin | Yes | Yes | No |
| Genuine human judgement | Yes | Yes | Escalates to you |
| Full transcript of every call | No | No | Yes |
Verdict
So which should you pick?
If you need someone at a desk anyway — greeting patients, handling post, doing admin — hire. The phone is the smallest part of that role. If the only reason you are considering a hire is that calls go unanswered, an AI receptionist covers three times the hours for a third of the cost, and never takes a Tuesday off.
Plans
One plan, everything included
Website, AI, automation and ongoing management in a single monthly fee. No contracts — 30 days' notice.
Plan 01
Starter
Sole traders & micro businesses
£750 setup
+ £297/month
- ✓3–5 page professional website
- ✓AI chatbot trained on your business
- ✓Lead capture + instant alerts
- ✓Automated enquiry follow-up
- ✓Missed call text-back
- ✓Online booking & monthly reporting
Most popular
Plan 02
Growth
Established SMEs, 2–10 staff
£1,500 setup
+ £497/month
- ✓Everything in Starter
- ✓5–8 page website with live chat
- ✓AI voice receptionist — 200 mins/mo
- ✓Full lead & sales pipeline
- ✓Client onboarding automation
- ✓Invoice chasing & weekly reporting
Plan 03
Full Managed
Busy SMEs & scaling businesses
£2,500 setup
+ £897/month
- ✓Everything in Growth
- ✓Unlimited page website
- ✓AI voice receptionist — 400 mins/mo
- ✓Staff onboarding automation
- ✓Social scheduling & knowledge base
- ✓Priority support & strategy calls
All plans include hosting, edits, updates and ongoing management. Cancel any time with 30 days' notice. Full pricing details →
FAQ
Common questions
That is the most common setup we build. Your receptionist handles the desk and the calls they can take; the AI takes overflow, out-of-hours and the routine bookings, so nothing hits voicemail and nobody is overwhelmed at 9am.
On our plans it is included from Growth at £1,500 setup plus £497 a month, with 200 minutes included, rising to 400 minutes on Full Managed. That fee also covers the website, chatbot, lead pipeline and management.
Far less than they mind an unanswered phone. Callers care about being helped quickly. Anyone who wants a person can ask, and the AI escalates immediately.
More comparisons
Keep weighing it up
⚖️
AI Automation Agency vs DIY Tools
The tools are genuinely cheap. The question is whether you are the right person to be configuring them at 10pm on a Sunday.
Read more →
⚖️
Swift Solution vs Enterprise AI Agencies
Enterprise AI consultancies are good at what they do. They are simply not built for a business with nine staff and a van.
Read more →
⚖️
AI Chatbot vs Live Chat
Live chat is excellent when someone is actually there. The problem is that in a small business, nobody reliably is.
Read more →
⚖️
Swift Solution vs Hey Jodie
Hey Jodie is a good product and, for a lot of businesses, the cheaper answer. The comparison only gets interesting once you count the things it does not do.
Read more →
⚖️
Swift Solution vs Smith.ai
Smith.ai is one of the most polished receptionist services anywhere. The two things to check before a UK business signs up are the currency and the per-call maths.
Read more →
⚖️
Swift Solution vs Goodcall
Goodcall gives you unlimited minutes for the price of a phone contract. What it does not give you is anyone who will build it, watch it, or fix it.
Read more →
⚖️
Swift Solution vs My AI Front Desk
On paper this is the closest match to what we do. The difference is who does the work.
Read more →
⚖️
Swift Solution vs Moneypenny
Moneypenny answers your phone with a real person, and does it very well. Whether that is worth the per-minute bill depends entirely on what your calls are like.
Read more →
⚖️
Swift Solution vs alldayPA
alldayPA is one of the more affordable ways to get a UK human answering your phone. The per-minute charge on top is the part to do the maths on.
Read more →
⚖️
Swift Solution vs Ringmere
Ringmere is the closest thing on this list to a direct competitor: UK-built, priced in pounds, and genuinely good. Here is where it wins and where it does not.
Read more →
⚖️
Swift Solution vs AnswerConnect
AnswerConnect promises "always people, not bots". That is a real commitment, and for some businesses it is worth every penny of the per-minute bill.
Read more →
⚖️
Swift Solution vs Rosie
Rosie is well-built and cheap. The two things a UK buyer should check first are the currency on the bill and which plan actually books appointments.
Read more →
⚖️
Moneypenny Alternatives UK
People look for a Moneypenny alternative for one of three reasons: the per-minute bill, wanting AI instead of a person, or wanting more than just the phone answered. Which one you are decides the answer.
Read more →
⚖️
alldayPA Alternatives
alldayPA is an established, affordable way to get a UK human answering your phone. The reasons people look elsewhere are the per-minute meter and wanting more than a message taken.
Read more →
⚖️
Best AI Receptionist for Tradesmen UK
A trade does not need a receptionist that sounds impressive. It needs one that answers while you are under a floor, books the job into your diary, and texts you the address.
Read more →
⚖️
Best AI Receptionist for Dentists UK
A dental practice does not have a phone problem at 3pm. It has one at 8:45 on a Monday, when four lines ring at once and the team is checking in a waiting room.
Read more →
⚖️
Best AI Receptionist for Estate Agents UK
In estate agency the enquiry is not the prize — being first to it is. A vendor ringing three agents on a Saturday morning books a valuation with whoever picks up.
Read more →
⚖️
Hey Jodie Alternatives
Hey Jodie is one of the best-value AI receptionists in the UK. Most people looking for an alternative want one of three things it does not do.
Read more →
⚖️
Best AI Receptionist for Vets UK
A veterinary phone line is two jobs on one number. Most calls are routine — repeat prescriptions, booking a booster, checking opening hours. A few are frightened owners with an animal in trouble, and those cannot wait in a queue.
Read more →
⚖️
Best AI Receptionist for Salons UK
A salon phone rings loudest at the worst possible moment — mid-colour, hands full, a client in the chair. The call goes to voicemail, the caller books somewhere else, and nobody ever knows it happened.
Read more →
⚖️
Best AI Receptionist for Restaurants UK
A restaurant phone rings hardest during service, when the floor is full and nobody can get to it. The booking rings out, the table stays empty, and the covers are simply lost.
Read more →
⚖️
Best AI Receptionist UK (2026)
Most "best AI receptionist" lists are written by one of the companies on the list. So is this one — so here is the version that tells you when to pick someone else.
Read more →