A virtual receptionist in the UK can be a human answering bureau, an AI line, or a mix. Human bureaux often land around £100–£300 a month for a small-business bundle. AI lines are usually a flat monthly fee. Trade Line is an AI receptionist for local trades. Basic £39 a month, 80 calls included. Premium £79 a month, 200 calls included. Premium+ £149 a month, 500 calls included. Extra calls are 80p each on every plan. 14-day free trial. No contract. Prices on this page exclude VAT.
The useful comparison is not the headline fee on its own. It is what an answered call includes, what happens when you go over that number, and whether evenings, weekends and the first month are extra. A trade usually wants the phone answered while they are on a job, then a text with the name, the number and the address.
| Plan | Price | Included |
|---|---|---|
| Basic | £39 a month | 80 calls included |
| Premium | £79 a month | 200 calls included |
| Premium+ | £149 a month | 500 calls included |
| Quoted | priced to the work | high volume or more than one line |
Basic £39 a month, 80 calls included. Premium £79 a month, 200 calls included. Premium+ £149 a month, 500 calls included. Extra calls are 80p each on every plan. 14-day free trial. No contract. Prices exclude VAT. The quoted row is for a firm with high volume or more than one line. It is not a fourth published price.
Virtual receptionist pricing compared
These are Trade Line’s three published plans. The cost per call is the monthly price divided by the calls included. It is a way to compare the plans with each other, not a fee you pay on every call. Extra calls, above the allowance, are 80p on every plan.
| Plan | Price | Calls included | Cost per included call | Extra calls |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basic | £39 a month | 80 | 49p | 80p |
| Premium | £79 a month | 200 | 40p | 80p |
| Premium+ | £149 a month | 500 | 30p | 80p |
Basic at £39 is about 49p for each of the 80 included calls. Premium at £79 is about 40p across 200 calls. Premium+ at £149 is about 30p across 500 calls. A firm that rarely passes 80 answered jobs a month is usually on Basic. A firm that answers overflow all day, or covers several vans, is more likely on Premium or Premium+. Going over the allowance does not change the plan. Those calls are 80p each until you choose a larger one.
Day, evening and weekend cover is on every plan. There is no live transfer on Basic. Premium+ can add a live transfer if you want the caller put through. Job details go by text and email on every plan. You keep your existing number and divert overflow, unanswered or after-hours calls. The public demo line is not your number.
What affects the price
Two firms can both say “virtual receptionist” and send very different bills. These are the differences worth checking before you compare a monthly figure. This page does not quote other companies’ prices. Ask them yourself, then put the answers next to the table above.
Per-call charging and per-minute charging
Some lines charge for every minute the caller stays on the phone. A long “where are you based” conversation then costs more than a short one. Others charge per call, or include a bundle of calls and charge only after that. Trade Line includes a set number of answered calls, then charges 80p for each extra answered call. An answered call is an inbound job we take and pass to you. Sales calls and wrong numbers that we end quickly do not count, so a minute-long nuisance call is not the same as a job sheet.
Per-minute charging can look cheap on a short test call and grow once real customers describe a leak, a lockout or an MOT. Trade Line’s allowance is a count of answered calls, not a pile of minutes.
Set-up fees
A set-up fee is a one-off charge before the line answers anyone. It sometimes covers a number, a script, or a person loading your greeting. It is easy to miss because it is not in the monthly price. Trade Line does not charge a set-up fee. You tell us the greeting, the hours, the work you take and the work you do not. The line is live within 24 hours of a complete application. The 14-day trial starts when that working divert number has been sent, not when you open an account.
Out-of-hours charges
Evenings and weekends are when a lot of trade enquiries arrive, and they are also when some answering services add a surcharge or a smaller allowance. A price that looks low for “office hours” can double once you ask for 6pm or Saturday. On Trade Line, day, evening and weekend cover is included on Basic, Premium and Premium+. There is no extra out-of-hours rate. If you only want the line after you have left site, you still use the same plan. You are not moved onto a night tariff.
Contracts
A 12-month contract makes a low monthly price harder to leave if the line is wrong for the work. Ask whether you can cancel, and when a cancellation takes effect. Trade Line has no contract. You can stop. After the trial, the published monthly fee applies and cancellation takes effect at the end of the billing period. Card payments are taken by Stripe. The trial itself is free. You do not start it by creating a login or by sending the setup form.
What an answered call is
An answered call is an inbound job we take and pass to you. Sales and wrong numbers we end quickly do not count. That matters when you are comparing an 80-call plan with a bundle that counts every ring, including people selling insurance. If a caller has a leak, a dead consumer unit, a lockout or an MOT, that is a job. If they hang up once they hear it is a trade line, it is not.
The job sheet is the name, the number, the address, what they need, and how urgent it is. You decide the questions. The line does not invent a price. You get the message by text, email, or both.
Human bureau, AI, or hiring someone
A human answering bureau puts a person on the line. That can suit long, awkward calls. It usually costs more once evenings and weekends are added. You are paying for someone’s time, so the price moves with the hours you want covered and with how long callers talk.
An AI line answers when you cannot — on a job, in the van, or after hours — and sends you the job sheet. Trade Line is that kind of line, built for plumbers, electricians, roofers and other local trades. It uses your company name, your greeting and your rules. It is not a national call centre and it is not a sales desk. For how the line sounds, see the AI receptionist page, or call the demo number on this site.
Hiring even a part-time receptionist is about £1,200+ a month once wages are in. That person can only cover the hours they work. A monthly line covers the phone when nobody in the firm can pick up.
Hidden costs to ask any provider
Ask about setup fees, overage, after-hours surcharges, contract lock-in, and SMS fees. Those extras are where a cheap-looking line gets dear. Also ask whether VAT is already in the price.
Trade Line has no contract. Extra calls are 80p each on every plan. Day, evening and weekend cover is on every plan. Texts for job sheets are part of the service, not a separate SMS bundle. You keep your existing number. The divert number we issue is for your firm. It is never the public demo line.
One recovered appointment
A booked job around here is often £180–£400. Basic is £39 a month, 80 calls included. One appointment you would otherwise have missed usually pays for the month. A lockout, a no-heat call or a small roof leak is often worth more than the whole plan. The line does not create that job. It stops the caller ringing the next firm because you were on a roof, under a ramp, or halfway through a test.
If you already answer every call yourself, you do not need this. If the phone rings out while you work, the monthly cost is the price of those missed conversations. Use Premium or Premium+ when 80 answered jobs a month would not be enough.
Where we work
Nuneaton-based. Serving trades across the West Midlands and the wider UK. Local colour: Nuneaton, Coventry, Bedworth, Hinckley, Atherstone and the rest of Warwickshire. In-person setup is available. The price is the same across the UK. The line answers in your company name. The price does not change by trade.
14-day free trial
No contract. Every plan starts with 14 days free. Your trial starts when your line is live and we have sent your working divert number, not when you create your login. Start the trial, then add a card in Client login (Stripe). Or call +44 2475 420171 or email tradelinereceptionist@gmail.com. See pricing.
See pricingQuestions on virtual receptionist cost
- How much does a virtual receptionist cost?
- Trade Line starts from £39 a month: £39 a month for 80 calls, £79 for 200 calls, or £149 for 500 calls. Extra calls are 80p each.
- How much does a virtual receptionist cost per month in the UK?
- Trade Line’s monthly prices in 2026 are Basic £39, Premium £79 and Premium+ £149, excluding VAT. Each price includes a set number of answered calls: 80, 200 or 500. There is a 14-day free trial, and the trial starts when the line is live, not when you create a login.
- Is an AI receptionist cheaper than a call answering service?
- It often is, because you are not paying a person to sit on the phone. A call answering service that uses staff usually costs more for the same evening and weekend cover. An AI line such as Trade Line is a flat monthly fee plus 80p for any call over the allowance. It will not suit every long, awkward conversation. It does suit a trade that needs the job, the address and a number while they are on site.
- Are there set-up fees or contracts?
- Trade Line has no set-up fee and no contract. You can cancel. Extra calls are 80p on every plan, with no separate evening or weekend surcharge. Prices on the site exclude VAT. Card payments are taken by Stripe after the line is live.