How much does a 24-hour answering service cost?
Most UK small businesses spend £30 to £200 a month, according to Team Connect’s 2026 pricing guide. Pay-as-you-go human services charge about £0.99 to £2.50 per answered call, and many add 25% to 50% for evening, weekend and bank holiday calls. Flat-rate AI receptionists cost about £10 to £200 a month, answer 24/7 at the same rate and can book appointments.
Key takeaways
- ✓Most UK small businesses spend £30 to £200 a month on call answering.
- ✓Pay-as-you-go human services charge about £0.99 to £2.50 a call; check what counts as a “call”.
- ✓Many human services add 25% to 50% for out-of-hours calls; some, like Answer.co.uk, include 24/7 at no extra cost.
- ✓AI receptionists cover 24/7 as standard and can book appointments.
- ✓Decide what should happen with urgent calls at 2am before you choose a service.
- ✓Test it yourself: ring your own number at 10pm on a Sunday.
Ring your own business number at 9pm tonight. What happens? A 24 hour call answering service exists so that call gets picked up, by a person or an AI receptionist, instead of going to voicemail. Below is what a phone answering service costs in the UK, and what you get for the money.
If the answer right now is voicemail, you’re not alone. Most people don’t leave one. They hang up and ring the next business on Google. For trades with emergency work, clinics with anxious patients and anyone taking bookings, the evening is often when people finally have time to call.
What an out-of-hours answering service does
When you can’t answer, calls go to someone, or something, that can. At the simplest level they take a message. Better services answer questions, book appointments and put genuine emergencies through to you.
Phone answering service cost: what a 24 hour service costs
| Type | Typical cost | Examples |
| Human, pay as you go | £0.99–£2.50 per answered call | ReceptionHQ from £15 a month + £1.35 a call; Answer.co.uk £2.20 a call, no monthly fee |
| Human, monthly bundle | £20–£95+ a month before extra calls | AnswerConnect £45–£245 depending on minutes |
| Out-of-hours on human plans | Often +25% to 50%, or a higher tier | Answer.co.uk and ReceptionHQ MyReceptionist include 24/7 with no surcharge |
| AI receptionist, flat rate | About £10–£200 a month | 24/7 at the same price; can book appointments |
For a business taking 40 calls a month, Sayora’s comparison works out at about £70 with ReceptionHQ pay as you go, £88 with Answer.co.uk and £205 with AnswerConnect’s entry plan. Prices change, so check each provider’s current list before you sign.
Look carefully at what counts as a call. Some services charge for spam calls, wrong numbers and calls that ring for three seconds. Others round every call up to the next minute.
Human team or AI?
A human answering service is reassuring for sensitive calls, like distressed patients or complaints. It costs more, and at 3am you’re usually getting a message, not a booking. We compare the two in detail in virtual receptionist costs.
An AI receptionist answers instantly, never has a queue, and can check your diary and book the slot. It works best when most calls are routine: bookings, prices, opening hours, “can you come out to…”.
Many businesses use AI for everything and have it pass urgent or unusual calls straight to a person.
Plan your 2am call now
Decide what counts as urgent before you set anything up. A burst pipe or a patient in severe pain might need a call to your mobile. A price question can wait until morning. A good service follows your rules, not its own.
Questions to ask before you sign
- 1What happens when two calls come in at once?
- 2How do I get messages, and how quickly?
- 3Can it book directly into my diary?
- 4What happens with genuine emergencies?
- 5Am I charged for spam and wrong numbers?
- 6Is there a minimum contract?
- 7Where are call recordings stored, and for how long?
Start with the calls you’re missing
You don’t need 24-hour cover if nobody calls at night. Check your phone log for missed calls by hour. Most businesses find a cluster at lunchtime, late afternoon and early evening. That’s where cover pays for itself first.
We can set up a 24/7 virtual receptionist that answers out of hours, books appointments and texts you anything urgent. See how it fits with never missing a call, or read what an AI receptionist costs.
We’ll look at when your calls come in and which cover would catch the ones you’re missing.
Get your free checkFrequently asked questions
How much does an answering service cost per month?
Most UK small businesses spend £30 to £200 a month. Pay-as-you-go human services charge about £0.99 to £2.50 a call, and flat-rate AI receptionists about £10 to £200 a month.
What is out-of-hours call answering?
A service that answers your business calls in the evenings, at weekends and on bank holidays, so customers reach someone instead of voicemail.
Can an answering service book appointments?
Some can if they have access to your diary. AI receptionists connected to your booking system usually book directly.
Will callers know it isn’t me?
They should. Good services answer in your business name and say who they are. AI receptionists should say the caller is speaking to an assistant.
What happens with emergency calls at night?
You set the rules. Urgent calls can be put through to your mobile or flagged by text straight away.
Sources
- Telephone answering service costs UK: 2026 guide — Sayora
- Answering Service Pricing UK 2026 — Team Connect
- UK GDPR guidance and resources — Information Commissioner’s Office
Co-Founder, ShiftDeploy
Muhammad Ali is a co-founder of ShiftDeploy and a full-stack engineer. He builds the AI receptionists, WhatsApp automation and booking systems that help clinics, trades and local service businesses answer every enquiry.