By Matt Horner ·
Updated ·Prices checked on moneypenny.com·11 min read
Moneypenny is a UK call answering service with human PAs and an AI receptionist. It gives "from" prices of £55 a month for weekday message taking and £49 for its AI, but every full plan is quoted, standard PA hours are 8:30am to 6pm on weekdays, and plans have a 3 to 12-month minimum term.
Why people look for a Moneypenny alternative
Full plans are quoted, so you cannot compare costs without a sales call.
Each call is rounded up in 30-second blocks, and minutes over your plan cost extra.
Small plans have a 3-month minimum, then 1 month's notice; bigger plans need 6 or 12 months.
Quick comparison: the best Moneypenny alternatives
Starting prices are the cheapest published plan, checked on each vendor's own site.
Moneypenny quotes each plan. These are the figures it does publish for UK customers, before VAT.
Message Taking (team of PAs)
Calls answered 9am to 5pm on weekdays; out of hours they go to voicemail.
Weekday answering
From £55
Shown on some versions of the page
24/7 answering
+£35 a month
From, depending on minute plan
Minutes over plan
Per minute
Rate not published
Telephone Answering (dedicated PA)
Quote only. Free one-week trial.
Standard hours
Quote
8:30am to 6pm, Mon to Fri
Evenings and weekends
Quote
To 8pm; Sat 9-5, Sun 10-4
24/7
Quote
Excludes public holidays
Moneypenny AI receptionist
Answers 24/7. Quoted per business; no trial.
AI plans
From £49
Shown on some versions of the page
Setup
One-off fee
Amount not published
Hand-off to a PA
Extra plan
Needs a Telephone Answering plan
Also worth knowing
Each call rounded up in 30-second blocks (under 5 seconds free)
Unused minutes do not roll over
Transfers to you: 7p a minute to landlines, 21p to mobiles
AI changes after the first month: £70 an hour
Prices can rise once a year on 30 days' notice
From moneypenny.com/uk (message taking, telephone answering and AI receptionist pages) and its UK terms (last updated 20 August 2026: sections A 1.2, A 2.1, A 4.2.1, A 4.3, A 4.4.1, H 2.5, H 2.8, H 8.1, 8.3, 8.6), checked 21 October 2026. All prices exclude VAT.
What Moneypenny reviews say
Themes from public customer reviews, set against what Moneypenny's UK plans include.
Moneypenny's own website says it holds a 4.8 out of 5 rating from over 1,200 independent reviews.
What customers praise
Friendly, professional receptionists
Many reviewers say the receptionists are friendly and polished, and several say callers assume they have reached someone in the office.
Message taking calls are answered 9am to 5pm on weekdays as standard.
Named account managers, quick fixes
Reviewers often name the PA or account manager who set them up, and say changes and problems are sorted quickly, often within a day.
Telephone Answering gives you a dedicated PA; Message Taking uses a team of PAs instead.
Cover for overflow and out of hours
Owners say it catches the calls they cannot get to at busy times, evenings and weekends, and some credit it with winning extra work.
On message taking, 24/7 answering costs from £35 a month on top of the plan.
What customers criticise
Messages not always accurate
Some say small details slip through, from misspelt caller names to wrong contact details, and one says PAs did not follow the script given.
Its terms say calls may be recorded, but it does not guarantee that every call is.
Bills higher than expected
Several critics say timed billing made it dearer than expected, citing a move away from a fixed fee, long calls and a bill well above the quote.
Timed plans round each call up in 30-second blocks, and minutes over the plan are charged.
Hard to leave cleanly
A few former customers describe invoices after they closed the account, direct debits that were hard to stop, or a disputed final bill.
Plans of 150 minutes or less have a 3-month minimum, then 1 month's notice to close.
Themes are paraphrased from public customer reviews and comments about Moneypenny read on 21 October 2026, and reflect individual experiences. The rating above is Moneypenny's own published claim, checked the same day.
The 7 best Moneypenny alternatives
Best flat-price alternative
1. Jodie
Best for: Trades and small firms that want every call answered 24/7 for one published monthly price.
Jodie is an AI receptionist that answers every call 24/7, takes the details and sends you a summary straight away. Every plan has unlimited minutes, so a busy month costs the same as a quiet one.
A price you can see. £49 a month on Basic with unlimited minutes, up to 1,000 calls a month. No quote, no sales call.
Live in minutes. Sign up, forward your business number and Jodie starts answering. No briefing period, no setup fee.
No minimum term. 7 days free with no card, then month to month. Moneypenny plans start at 3 months.
From £49/month
Basic £49, Professional £99, Premium £199. Unlimited minutes
on every plan, 7 days free.
Not for you if: Skip Jodie if you want a human PA on every call. Moneypenny, Jam or AnswerConnect fit better there.
Sarah wants a quote to replace a 15-year-old combi boiler at her house in Headingley. It is losing pressure every few days. She would like a callback today after 3pm.
Collected Information
Callback number
07700 900412
Name
Sarah Holloway
Address
14 Cardigan Road, Headingley, LS6 3AG
Job type
Boiler replacement (combi)
A captured call in the Jodie app: who called, what they need and how to reach them.
"Jodie has blown me away with the way she speaks to customers. It's so natural that most people don't even realise they're talking to an AI."
Moneypenny vs Jodie
What you gain and what you give up on each side.
Jodie
Moneypenny
Published price
£49, £99 or £199 a month, all published
"From" prices on some pages; full plans quoted
Who answers
Jodie, an AI receptionist
UK PAs, Moneypenny AI, or both
How you pay
Flat monthly fee, unlimited minutes
Minute or call bundles, 30-second rounding, overage
24/7 cover
Included on every plan
PAs 8:30am-6pm weekdays as standard; more is extra
Human backup
Transfers to your own phone (Professional, £99)
AI hands off to you, or to a PA on a second plan
Minimum term
None, cancel any month
3, 6 or 12 months, then 1 or 3 months' notice
Setup
Live in minutes, no setup fee
PA briefing; one-off setup fee on AI plans
Free trial
7 days, no card needed
One week on PA answering; none on AI
Published price
Jodie
£49, £99 or £199 a month, all published
Moneypenny
"From" prices on some pages; full plans quoted
Who answers
Jodie
Jodie, an AI receptionist
Moneypenny
UK PAs, Moneypenny AI, or both
How you pay
Jodie
Flat monthly fee, unlimited minutes
Moneypenny
Minute or call bundles, 30-second rounding, overage
24/7 cover
Jodie
Included on every plan
Moneypenny
PAs 8:30am-6pm weekdays as standard; more is extra
Human backup
Jodie
Transfers to your own phone (Professional, £99)
Moneypenny
AI hands off to you, or to a PA on a second plan
Minimum term
Jodie
None, cancel any month
Moneypenny
3, 6 or 12 months, then 1 or 3 months' notice
Setup
Jodie
Live in minutes, no setup fee
Moneypenny
PA briefing; one-off setup fee on AI plans
Free trial
Jodie
7 days, no card needed
Moneypenny
One week on PA answering; none on AI
Moneypenny figures from moneypenny.com/uk and its UK terms, checked 21 October 2026. Moneypenny prices exclude VAT. Jodie Basic includes unlimited minutes under a fair-use limit of 1,000 calls a month. Jodie AI Limited is not connected with Moneypenny.
Other Moneypenny alternatives worth a look
Where each one is the better pick, and what it costs. Prices checked on each vendor's
site.
Best for human-only 24/7 cover
2. AnswerConnect
Answered by: Humans
£45/month
Advertised entry price; what it includes is behind a form. Checked Oct 2026 on answerconnect.co.uk.
Best for: Businesses that never want a caller to reach an AI.
AnswerConnect answers with people only, around the clock, and adds live chat, appointment booking and order handling.
Strengths
+
24/7/365 cover by people, never bots
+
Live chat, booking and order handling too
Weaknesses
-
Plans only shown after you enter your details
-
No trial or contract terms on the site
Pick it over Jodie if: Human-only answering matters more to you than seeing the full price first.
Advertised entry price with 24/7 included; minutes and overage are quoted. Checked Oct 2026 on jam.co.uk.
Best for: Businesses that want people on the phone around the clock at a low entry price.
Jam is a long-running UK call answering service. It advertises 24/7 human answering from £35 a month on 30-day rolling terms, and handles complex call flows such as engineer callouts.
Strengths
+
24/7 human answering at no extra cost
+
30-day rolling plans you can pause
Weaknesses
-
What £35 includes is only on a quote
-
No free trial
Pick it over Jodie if: You want a person on every call, 24/7, for the lowest advertised price.
AI Free plan, then $3.00 a call; AI Pro is $150 for 75 calls. Billed in USD. Checked Oct 2026 on smith.ai.
Best for: Low-volume businesses happy to pay in US dollars.
Smith.ai is a US service selling AI, hybrid and human answering, all billed per call. Its AI plan is free for 25 calls a month, with live North American receptionists as backup.
Strengths
+
Free AI plan for up to 25 calls a month
+
Live receptionists can take over at any hour
Weaknesses
-
Billed per call in US dollars
-
Receptionists are North American, not UK-based
Pick it over Jodie if: You take only a few calls a month and AI is enough.
Moneypenny quotes every UK plan. Some versions of its pages show "from" prices of £55 a month for weekday message taking and £49 for its AI receptionist, and 24/7 message taking costs from £35 a month extra. Calls are billed in 30-second blocks and plans have a 3 to 12-month minimum. Jodie is £49, £99 or £199 a month, published.
What do Moneypenny reviews say?
Moneypenny reviews are mostly positive. UK customers praise friendly, professional receptionists, named account managers who fix things quickly, and reliable cover for overflow and out-of-hours calls. The criticism is less common but consistent: occasional message errors, timed bills that ran higher than expected, and invoices or direct debits hard to stop after cancelling.
Is Moneypenny any good?
Moneypenny is a well-reviewed choice if you want trained UK receptionists on your phones and are happy with timed billing. Full plans are quoted, 24/7 costs extra and small plans have a 3-month minimum. Check how extra minutes are billed before you sign, because cost is the most common complaint.
How much does Moneypenny AI cost?
Moneypenny quotes its AI receptionist per business; some versions of its page say "from £49 a month". Its terms add a one-off setup fee, a 3 to 12-month minimum term and charges for calls over your plan. Jodie also starts at £49 a month, with unlimited minutes, no setup fee and no minimum term.
Can Moneypenny AI pass calls to a person?
Yes. It can pass calls to you directly, or to a Moneypenny PA only if you also keep a Telephone Answering plan, and only in that plan's hours: 8:30am to 6pm on weekdays as standard. Jodie Professional, at £99 a month, transfers urgent calls to your own phone.
Does Moneypenny have a minimum contract?
Yes. Plans of up to 150 minutes have a 3-month minimum, then 1 month's notice. Plans of 250 to 1,000 minutes need 6 months and 1,500 or more need 12, both with 3 months' notice. AI plans follow the same bands. Jodie has no minimum term.
What is the cheapest alternative to Moneypenny?
Among human services, Jam advertises the lowest entry price, £35 a month with 24/7 included, and AnswerConnect starts from £45 a month; both quote the full plan. For AI, Smith.ai is free for 25 calls a month, then billed per call in US dollars. Jodie is £49 a month with unlimited minutes.
Moneypenny vs AllDayPA: what is the difference?
Both are UK human answering services that quote every plan. AllDayPA answers 24/7 as standard and lets you choose per-call or per-minute billing. Moneypenny's standard PA hours are 8:30am to 6pm on weekdays, with longer cover quoted, and its Telephone Answering plan gives you a dedicated PA.
Will my callers notice the switch from Moneypenny's PAs to AI?
Jodie sounds natural and is trained on your business, so most callers think they are speaking to your office. If a caller asks directly whether they are talking to a person, Jodie will not pretend to be human.
How to switch from Moneypenny to Jodie
Move from a Moneypenny PA or AI plan to one flat price. Run both for a week, then give notice under Moneypenny's terms.
Total time: Under 1 hour active, 5-7 days in parallel, then 1-3 months' notice
1
Start your 7-day Jodie trial
5 minutes
Sign up on the register page. No card needed. You get your Jodie phone number straight away.
2
Forward your business number to Jodie
10 minutes
Set conditional forwarding (busy, no answer or always) from your phone provider to your Jodie number.
3
Run both services in parallel for 5-7 days
5-7 days
Jodie picks up first and Moneypenny stays as backup. Listen to a few call recordings to confirm Jodie handles your calls: intake, messages and qualified hand-offs.
4
Check your Moneypenny minimum term and notice
Same day
Moneypenny's terms set a 3-month minimum on plans up to 150 minutes or calls, and 6 or 12 months on larger plans, then 1 or 3 months' notice. If Moneypenny supplies your number, ask how to keep it.
5
Give notice and keep the forward to Jodie
1-3 months' notice
Give Moneypenny notice as your terms require. When the final billing period ends, leave the forward to Jodie in place and make a test call.
Better fit than Moneypenny if you run
Moneypenny suits firms with a front-of-house brand to protect. If you just need every call answered without a meter running, these are the businesses Jodie is built for.
