cyberstaff

The best ReceptionHQ alternatives for UK businesses in 2026.

ReceptionHQ greets your callers with real people and folds 24/7 into the plan — yet only weekday daytime sits with a UK team, while evenings, weekends and overflow travel overseas, and one receptionist can still only hold one caller at a time. To help you feel confident that nobody slips through, we weighed the leading alternatives on coverage, handling several callers at once and genuine review scores, so the right fit for the way your phone actually rings becomes easy to see.

John Oberlin-Harris

Written by John Oberlin-Harris

CRO, Cyberstaff

Last updated 16 July 2026

The quick verdict

When easy-going, pay-as-you-go human cover at a gentle entry price is what you are after, ReceptionHQ will serve you perfectly well. But if your real worry is a missed call — and you want every ring, day or night, weekend or rush hour, picked up by one UK service that never leaves a caller waiting — that peace of mind is exactly what an AI receptionist is made to give you. For most UK trades and SMBs that reassurance is Cyberstaff, from £30 a month with 24/7 built in, UK around the clock, and as many callers as ring at once all answered together.

Why businesses look beyond ReceptionHQ

Easy-going cover, with one quiet catch: the UK promise clocks off at 5:30pm.

Only weekday daytime is UK-based

Once evening, the weekend or a busy spell arrives, your calls pass to Australian and US teams, so out-of-hours callers are met by overseas accents.

One human, one call at a time

A single receptionist can only hold one caller at once, so when calls bunch up the rest are left queuing or sent through to voicemail.

Per-call overage on top

Any call past your bundle adds roughly £1.10, and several of the features you would lean on are charged as extras.

Add-ons stack up

Call diversion, voicemail-to-email and IVR each sit at around £10 a month on top of whatever plan you are on.

Lower review scores

ReceptionHQ trails its peers on Trustpilot, with billing and cancellation the worries customers raise most.

What to look for in an alternative

Reassurances worth pinning down before you move.

  1. 1

    UK cover around the clock. Every hour kept at home, not just the daytime with the rest sent overseas.

  2. 2

    Unlimited simultaneous calls. Nobody left holding when a handful of callers ring at the very same moment.

  3. 3

    Flat, predictable pricing. No per-call surprises and no monthly add-ons quietly piling up.

  4. 4

    Clean billing and easy cancellation. The two things ReceptionHQ customers wish had gone more smoothly.

At a glance

ReceptionHQ and six alternatives, side by side.

Provider From Overage 24/7 Setup Min term Rating Notes
Cyberstaff Customisable AI £30/mo £0.30/min ✓ Included Included Rolling monthly 4.6 Trustpilot
Reception HQ Virtual Receptionist (My Assistant) £99/mo £1.10/min ✓ Included From £20 Rolling monthly 3.2 Trustpilot
Moneypenny Customisable AI £99/mo £2.20/call ✓ Included £250 4 months 4.8 Trustpilot Some changes chargeable @ £70/hour
Moneypenny Virtual Receptionist £282/mo £2.25/min +£150/mo Included 4 months 4.8 Trustpilot
AnswerConnect Virtual Receptionist £168.75 £1.75/min ✓ Included £49.99 Rolling monthly 4.9 Trustpilot Transcripts @ +£30/mo, Transfer @ +£30/mo
AllDayPA Virtual Receptionist £123 £1.34/min ✓ Included Included 3 months 4.8 Trustpilot
JAM Virtual Receptionist £109.60 £1.15/min ✓ Included Included 4 months 4.6 Trustpilot + post call transcription costs
Face for Business Inclusive Minutes Plan · Virtual Receptionist From £189/mo Not stated Not available Included 4 months 5.0 Verified Trusted No charge for sales/nuisance calls

Based on 100 minutes/50 calls minimum using cheapest published/quoted plan. As of June 2026. Trustpilot ratings used where found, otherwise first ranking independent review site from Google search with ≥5 reviews.

The alternatives, ranked

Six ReceptionHQ alternatives, with a fair, honest word on each.

1

Cyberstaff AI

Best for: Small businesses looking for instant set up, great support and market leading pricing

From £30/mo

100 mins then £0.30/min

A UK based AI receptionist that configures a bespoke AI receptionist based on a 1 minute website scan. Rated Excellent on Trustpilot with great reviews and a growing list of integrations, but newer on the block.

Flat pricing, 24/7 included on every plan

Answers unlimited calls at once, no queue

No setup fee, cancel anytime

Reads your website and is live in under 60 seconds

Newer brand than the incumbents

Built for inbound, not large outbound campaigns

4.6 Trustpilot

The recent reviews for Cyberstaff are overwhelmingly positive, with users giving the company a 5-star rating for its AI receptionist service. Reviewers consistently praise the tool for sounding natural, saving them hours of admin work, and efficiently handling customer bookings and calls while they are busy.

2

Reception HQ Human

Best for: Businesses looking for a great value human agent option and 24/7 coverage included as standard

From £99/mo

100 mins then £1.10/min

UK receptionists handle the weekday calls, with offshore teams taking the after-hours shift so 24/7 comes built in, all billed by the second and free of any contract. A neat fit for overflow and seasonal spikes, though reviews do flag the odd billing and cancellation snag.

24/7 included, no after-hours surcharge

No lock-in, 7-day free trial

Per-second billing, no minute rounding and some of the lowest rates for human agents

Out of hours and surge calls are answered off shore

Small number of mainly negative reviews on Trustpilot

A human handles one call at a time

3.2 Trustpilot

The page currently has only one review, which gives the company a 1-star rating. The reviewer strongly advises against using the service, warning that receptionists mispronounced or incorrectly used their company name during a trial and offered no apology for the mistake.

3

AnswerConnect Human

Best for: Businesses wanting human receptionists with 24/7 included

From £168.75/mo

100 mins then £1.75/min

A long-standing human answering service that bundles round-the-clock and bilingual cover as standard, and carries the highest Trustpilot score in this field. The catch is per-minute pricing that mounts as volume grows and most plans have a £49.99 set up fee.

24/7 human cover included as standard

App to manage and integrations with many popular CRMs

Excellent 4.9 Trustpilot from over 200 reviews

Over 5 times the price of leading AI agent options and £49.99 set up fees

Per-minute rates are towards the higher end at £1.75/min

Transcripts and Transfers each come with a £30/month add on price

4.9 Trustpilot

Recent reviews for AnswerConnect UK are overwhelmingly positive, with customers highly praising the supportive customer service team, smooth onboarding processes, and quick, professional call handling. While the service is widely described as reliable and highly effective at filtering calls, a minor critique notes that it can be quite expensive.

4

AllDayPA Human

Best for: UK firms wanting a human team and willing to commit for long term

From £123/mo

100 mins then £1.34/min

A Manchester outfit that has been at it since 1999 and claim to cover a number of sectors including Business Support and Finance. Provides 24/7 service as standard.

UK-based human receptionists

Can handle web chat and email management as additional services

Strong 4.8 Trustpilot for staff friendliness

Pricing not published and sits behind a quote form

90-day notice period to terminate in the Terms and Conditions

Weaker review score on Google Reviews (3.7)

4.8 Trustpilot

Recent reviews for AllDayPA are overwhelmingly positive, with clients consistently praising the team's professional, reliable, and friendly call handling that seamlessly extends their own business operations. Reviewers frequently highlight their prompt communication, quick turnaround times, and exceptional long-term support spanning over many years.

5

Moneypenny Human or AI

Best for: Businesses wanting a hybrid human/AI service and willing to pay a premium for it

From £282/mo (human), £99/mo (AI)

100 mins then £2.25/min (human) or £2.20/call (AI)

One of the best-known UK answering services, with a strong name, a decent app and a hybrid human/AI service. But 24/7 costs extra, the included minutes are lower than others, overages are among the highest in the market and there's a minimum 4 month term.

Well-known UK brand with a polished app

High 4.8 Trustpilot score

Use of a dedicated group of agents

Overages high at £2.25 per minute

24/7 costs around £150/mo extra

Four month or longer contracts

4.8 Trustpilot

Recent reviews overwhelmingly praise Moneypenny for its exceptionally friendly, professional, and reliable staff, with many customers noting that the team acts as a seamless extension of their own business. While the feedback is highly positive, a rare minor complaint noted an issue with incorrect account settings that resulted in zero work being carried out.

6

JAM Human

Best for: Businesses wanting the longest-running UK human service at a reasonable price

From £109.60/mo

100 mins then £1.15/min

The longest-established answering service in the UK, running since 1977, with dedicated PA teams, 24/7 cover at no extra charge and a 4-month minimum (a 3-month minimum plus 30 days' notice).

Long UK track record, bespoke PA teams

24/7 included at no extra charge

Transparent pricing published online

Charges for type up time on top of calls

One team, not unlimited parallel calls

Premium versus AI on cost

4.6 Trustpilot

Recent reviews for JAM are largely positive, with customers frequently praising the professional call handling, efficient support team, and the service's role as a helpful extension of their business. While most users are satisfied, a few noted minor issues regarding setup, spam call filtering, and occasional delays in administrative processes like refunds.

7

Face for Business Human

Best for: SMEs wanting UK PAs with per-second billing

From £189/mo

100 mins, overage not stated

UK-based virtual PAs, running since 2011, billed by the second with no setup fee. Evenings and weekends for an extra fee but not 24/7. A dedicated team rather than a call-centre queue, on a 4-month term.

Per-second billing, no rounding

No setup fee and no charges for sales/nuisance calls

Dedicated UK PA team, ISO 9001 accredited

Still per-time human pricing at volume and expensive minimum package of £115

No Trustpilot reviews found

24/7 coverage not available

5.0 Verified Trusted

Recent reviews overwhelmingly praise Face For Business for their professional, efficient, and friendly telephone answering service, noting that they act as a seamless extension of clients' teams. Many small business owners highlighted how the service prevents missed calls, saves time, and smoothly integrates with their existing setups.

Head to head

Cyberstaff vs ReceptionHQ, feature by feature.

Feature Cyberstaff ReceptionHQ
24/7 cover ✓ Included free Included
Pricing model Generous bundled minutes + lowest overage rates Bundled minutes + overage
Starting price From £30/mo From £30/month
Included minutes/calls 100 to 600 mins/mo 0 - custom
Per-minute overage 20p to 30p/min, same as contract rate £1.10/min
Setup fee £0 £20
Minimum contract Rolling monthly Rolling monthly
Calls at once ✓ Unlimited parallel Limited by staffing
Calendar and CRM booking ✓ Built in Google Calendar + others, no native Zapier
Call transcripts ✓ Included On request only
Time to go live Under 60 seconds 1-2 weeks if diary integration needed

Pricing in the real world

What you actually pay as call volume grows.

Flat AI pricing stays low while per-minute human services climb with volume. Below is each provider on its cheapest published or quoted plan, at three usage tiers.

Monthly mins/callsCyberstaff (AI)Reception HQ
100 mins (c. 50 calls) £30/mo +£0.30/min£99/mo +£1.10/min
300 mins (c. 150 calls) £75/mo +£0.25/min£265/mo +£1.10/min
600 mins (c. 300 calls) £120/mo +£0.20/min£505/mo +£1.10/min
Additional fees/notes Simple pricing inc. full transcripts and transfersSet up from £20 depending on complexity

Data from published plans or quotes provided by email as at June 2026.

The honest take

When ReceptionHQ is genuinely the kinder choice.

No comparison is worth your time if it pretends one tool wins every time. ReceptionHQ is the right answer when:

You want low-cost, flexible human cover. Its pay-as-you-go bundles at a gentle entry price sit comfortably with light or seasonal call volume.

You only need weekday daytime cover. When after-hours calls are a rarity for you, that overseas overflow hardly ever comes into view.

You want a real person to take messages. Friendly human message-taking with no lock-in and a light, low commitment.

You value granular per-call billing. The per-call and per-second options can suit very low, spiky volumes nicely.

Switching from ReceptionHQ

Move across without losing a single caller.

  1. 1

    Start free, no card needed

    Open your account and a new Cyberstaff AI number is waiting for you right away — and your existing number stays yours too. It quietly reads your website to learn your services and your area.

  2. 2

    Keep your number

    Point conditional forwarding from your existing business number over to Cyberstaff. Your customers keep dialling the number they already trust.

  3. 3

    Run both in parallel

    Leave ReceptionHQ running for 7 to 14 days while you listen in on calls and gently fine-tune the script and call flows until they feel right.

  4. 4

    Cancel when ready

    ReceptionHQ is month-to-month, so there is no long contract holding you back — once you are happy, switch over and cancel at your own pace.

How to choose

Pick by how your business actually takes calls.

Choose Cyberstaff

You want the calm of every call cared for in the UK 24/7, as many callers as ring at once all answered together, and a flat price with booking and transcripts already included.

Choose a human service

ReceptionHQ, AllDayPA or AnswerConnect feel right when every caller must reach a real person and your volume is light or seasonal.

Choose Smith.ai

You want trained human agents on the complex calls and deep US CRM workflows, and US hours sit fine with you.

Choose Synthflow

You are technical and happy to build and look after your own AI voice agent on a tight budget.

FAQ

ReceptionHQ vs Cyberstaff, answered.

Make the switch in under 60 seconds.

Start free and keep your number. Your AI receptionist is answering as your business in about 60 seconds.