Early bird: £49 a month, kept while you stay. 34 places left. See pricingEarly bird: £49 a month. 34 places left. See pricing

Moneypenny alternative

Looking for a Moneypenny alternative? Meet Sayora.

Moneypenny offers UK-based PAs on a quote, and an AI receptionist from £49 a month. Sayora is an AI receptionist trained on your business that sends you each lead as the call ends, for one flat £49 a month with no contract. Want a person on every call? The other options are below.

Train your receptionist

£49/mo. No contract. Keep your existing number.

Why people switch

Why businesses look past Moneypenny.

Moneypenny does what it does well. These are the reasons people still come looking for something else.

  • You want one flat, predictable price, not a bespoke human-service quote or an AI price advertised only as 'from'.
  • You want unlimited minutes instead of requesting a quote for the full AI cost.
  • You want a person on every call, with a price you can check before you ring anyone. Moneypenny prices its PAs on a quote.
  • You'd rather not sign up for months. Moneypenny's PA service has a three-month minimum on schemes up to 150 minutes, and six or twelve months on larger ones.
Side by side

Moneypenny vs Sayora.

Moneypenny Sayora
Price MoneypennyAI from £49 a month, with the full price on a quote; PAs priced on a quote SayoraFlat £49/mo, unlimited minutes
Setup fee MoneypennyNot mentioned on its pages; ask whether the quote includes one SayoraNone
Contract MoneypennyPAs: three months minimum up to 150 minutes, then a month's notice; six or twelve months on larger schemes. AI: no term stated SayoraMonth to month, cancel any time
Free trial MoneypennyA free trial of the PA service; demo lines to call for the AI Sayora7 days free from signup, with no card
24/7 cover MoneypennyAI answers 24/7, with its receptionists there 24/7 to take over Sayora24/7, included
Who answers MoneypennyUK-based PAs, or AI with a person to hand over to SayoraAI trained on your business
Handover to a person MoneypennyThe AI hands over to a Moneypenny receptionist or your own team SayoraNo transfer: Sayora takes the details and sends them to you to call back
Lead to you MoneypennyCall summaries by email, text or both, plus transcripts SayoraLead summary by text or email when the call ends
AI disclosure & UK CLI MoneypennyNot stated on its AI page; ask how its AI introduces itself SayoraTells callers it's AI when they first call; Ofcom-compliant caller ID

Moneypenny's UK AI page said “Get started from £49 a month” when checked on 28 October 2026, as it did on 16 October (it showed £25 on 6 September). Its structured data, which search engines read, still says £25, so a search result may show that figure; this page uses the price Moneypenny's own page shows. PA pricing, the free trial and contract terms are from its telephone answering and virtual receptionist pages. Sayora's £49/mo is its published price.

What the whole market charges, with sources, is in our UK answering service cost guide.

Sources
An honest take

Different tools, different jobs.

We'd rather you pick the right fit than the wrong one. Here's the honest split. And if the category is new to you, start with what an AI receptionist actually does.

Moneypenny is the better choice if…

  • You specifically want human receptionists, a trained team answering in your name, with the warmth and judgement of a real person.
  • You want your own receptionist, in a team of five who all know your business, from a UK company that's answered calls since 2000.
  • You want a human safety net: when its AI can't help, it hands the caller to a Moneypenny receptionist or your own team.

Sayora is the better fit if…

  • You want one flat, predictable £49/mo with unlimited minutes, no quote, no per-call meter, no setup fee.
  • You want to be live the same day, month-to-month, with no minimum term.
  • You're happy to call people back. Sayora doesn't transfer calls. Instead, Sayora takes the details, sends each enquiry by text or email, books callers into a supported calendar and tells new callers it's AI.
Other options

More Moneypenny alternatives, and who each suits.

Sayora isn't the only option. If you'd rather have a person on every call, or AI on different terms, here are the others worth a look, each with the job it does best. Prices are from each provider's own site, checked 28 October 2026 (ReceptionHQ 29 October 2026).

  • AnswerConnect

    Human

    Real people answer every call, 24/7, on published minute bundles: from £45 a month for 25 minutes, then £1.85 a minute.

    Best for: A person on every call, with a price you can check before you ring anyone.

    Sayora vs AnswerConnect →

  • JAM

    Human

    UK-based receptionists around the clock, with bespoke handling, call transfers, order taking and appointment booking. Prices start at £35 a month; the rest is on a quote.

    Best for: Calls that need tailored handling or a transfer to your team.

    Sayora vs JAM →

  • alldayPA

    Human

    Real people answer 24/7 and send your messages by text and email, and one package also covers email, live chat and social media. You choose per-call or per-minute billing, on a quote.

    Best for: One team for your phones and your other inboxes.

    Sayora vs alldayPA →

  • ReceptionHQ

    Human

    UK receptionists with 24/7 cover included. Message-taking starts at £15 a month plus £1.15 a call, both plus VAT, with no long-term contract. Its 7-day free trial runs on MyReceptionist.

    Best for: A few calls a month, where a message is all you need.

  • IONOS AI Receptionist

    AI

    AI with a monthly call allowance: £39 a month plus VAT covers 30 calls, then 49p a call. Calendar booking starts on the £69 plan, and you can cancel any time.

    Best for: A low call volume and a bill you can work out in advance.

  • ARROW

    AI

    An AI receptionist its team builds for you after an onboarding call, live within 7 days. From £99 a month with 150 minutes, and no contract.

    Best for: Having someone else set it up, much as Moneypenny's Solutions Architects do for its AI.

  • Smiledog

    AI + human

    A Canadian service with Canadian-based receptionists and a managed AI option, designed for businesses across Canada and the US and priced in dollars. Its locations page doesn't mention the UK.

    Best for: Callers in Canada or the US. For UK callers, Moneypenny is the UK-based one of the two.

Comparing AI receptionists? Our guide to AI receptionists in the UK sets them side by side on booking, human fallback, setup and price.

Sources for this list
Fair questions

Moneypenny and its alternatives, answered.

What are the best alternatives to Moneypenny?

It depends who you want answering. For a person on every call, look at AnswerConnect (published minute bundles from £45 a month), JAM (tailored handling and transfers), alldayPA (calls plus email, live chat and social media) or ReceptionHQ (message-taking from £15 a month plus £1.15 a call, plus VAT). For AI, IONOS starts at £39 a month plus VAT for 30 calls, ARROW's team builds the receptionist for you from £99 a month, and Sayora is a flat £49 a month with no contract.

How much does Moneypenny cost?

Moneypenny's UK site advertises its AI receptionist from £49 a month (checked 28 October 2026), with the full price on a quote. Its PAs are priced on a quote too, based on your call volumes and hours of cover, and its pages don't mention a setup fee. Sayora is a flat £49 a month with unlimited minutes and no setup fee, so your bill doesn't move with your call volume.

Smiledog or Moneypenny: which suits a UK business?

Moneypenny, if your callers are in the UK. Both offer live receptionists and an AI option, but Smiledog is a Canadian company: its receptionists are based in Canada, its services are designed for businesses across Canada and the US, and it prices in dollars. Its locations page names Canada and the US and doesn't mention the UK. If your callers are in Canada or the US, Smiledog's published prices are easier to compare than a quote.

Is Sayora a good alternative to Moneypenny?

If you want a flat-priced AI receptionist that's live the same day with no contract, yes. Sayora answers the calls you forward, day or night, captures the caller's details, screens cold sales calls and sends you the lead by text or email when the call ends, for £49 a month. Sayora doesn't transfer calls, so if callers sometimes need a person mid-call, Moneypenny's AI with its receptionists behind it, or a human service, fits better.

Does Sayora use real people like Moneypenny?

No. Sayora is AI by design and tells callers it's AI when they first call. Sayora answers the same way every time and, rather than hand calls to a person, takes the details for your team to call back. If you want human receptionists, or AI with a person behind it, Moneypenny offers both.

Can Sayora answer 24/7 like Moneypenny?

Yes. Whenever you forward your calls to it, Sayora answers around the clock, every day, included in the £49/mo. Moneypenny's AI also works 24/7 and can hand selected calls to its receptionists or your own team.

Will I be tied into a contract?

Not with Sayora: it's month to month, and you can cancel any time in the portal or by email. Moneypenny's PA service has a three-month minimum on schemes up to 150 minutes, then a month's notice; larger schemes need six or twelve months, with three months' notice. Its AI page doesn't state a term, so ask before you sign.

Check the work and the bill

See how Sayora works

The enquiry inbox, current limits and a reusable trial checklist.

 Compare complete bills

Published human and AI charges at the same call volumes.

 Explore the wider shortlist

Choose a service by the work your callers need it to do.

 Already have an answering service?

What changes when you switch to Sayora, and how to run both before you cancel anything.

See what Sayora does for your business.

Start a free week, hear Sayora answer your real calls, and you decide.

Train your receptionist

£49/mo. No contract. Cancel any time.

Compare all answering services → See Sayora's telephone answering service →