Guide · UK trades
Best AI receptionist for UK trades: five compared
There isn't one best AI receptionist for UK trades. There's the one that fits how you work. This page compares five on what each says on its own public pages, checked on 22 October 2026.
On this page
This page helps you find the best AI receptionist for UK trades. Everything about other companies on this page was checked on 22 October 2026 from each company's own public pages, linked below. Prices and features change. Check the provider's page on the day you buy. If we've got something wrong, tell us and we'll correct it within two working days.
We make TradiesMate, so we're not neutral. We've kept to what each company says about itself, used the same rows for everyone, and left out anything we couldn't find on a public page. Where a page doesn't say, the table says so.
How we compared them
We looked for the things that matter to someone on the tools:
- What callers hear, and whether it says it's an AI.
- What happens with urgent calls and emergencies.
- Whether it books jobs.
- Where the enquiry lands.
- What it costs, and what's counted.
We read these pages:
- CallEez pricing and home page
- Fasthosts AI Receptionist
- TradeCaller
- TradeRing
- TradiesMate: our AI receptionist and pricing pages
The table
| CallEez | Fasthosts | TradeCaller | TradeRing | TradiesMate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aimed at | Businesses of many kinds | Businesses of many kinds | Trades | Trades | UK trades |
| Entry price on its page | £19 a month, excl. VAT | £39 a month, excl. VAT | Not shown on the page we read | £89 a month, or £79 a month paid annually | £24 every 30 days is the cheapest plan. The AI receptionist is on Covered, £39 every 30 days |
| VAT | Excluded in the price shown | Excluded in the price shown | Not stated | Not stated | None added |
| What's counted | 50 minutes on the entry plan | 30 calls, then 49p a call | Not stated | Unlimited minutes, no per-call charges | 60 minutes of AI calls every 30 days |
| Free trial | 7 days, card required | 1 month | Free demo | 7 days, no card needed | Free while in beta on Covered |
| Contract | Cancel any time | Cancel online at any time | No contracts | Cancel any time | Cancel any time |
| Books appointments | Into a connected calendar | On higher plans, into a connected calendar | Not stated | Into your diary | Doesn't book. You confirm the time |
| Urgent calls | Transfers to the number you set | Call forwarding | Flags urgent situations to you | Not stated | Rings your mobile for what you mark as urgent |
| Gas and CO callers | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Gives 0800 111 999, never books |
| Says it's an AI | Not stated on the pages we read | Not stated on the page we read | Honest if a customer asks | Not stated on the page we read | Always, and says yes if asked |
| Call audio | Recordings and transcripts | Says it doesn't record calls | Not stated | Transcript saved | Doesn't record audio. Transcript only |
| Where details go | Email summary | Summary to your inbox | SMS summary | Text and email, plus a lead tracker | Your TradiesMate Inbox |
All figures from each company's own page, checked on 22 October 2026. "Not stated" means we didn't find it on the pages listed above, not that the product lacks it.
CallEez
CallEez lists Beginner at £19 a month (50 minutes, 20 texts), Growth at £89 (400 minutes, 100 texts) and Business at £159 (800 minutes, 200 texts), all excluding VAT. Top-ups are 28p a minute. It says every plan includes calendar booking, urgent-call transfer, texts and emails to callers, recordings and transcripts, and links through Make.
Fasthosts
Fasthosts lists Lite at £39 a month (30 calls, then 49p each), Plus at £69 (100 calls, then 39p each) and Unlimited at £99, all excluding VAT at 20%. Its page shows some reduced prices too; we've given the list prices. Scheduling into Google Calendar or Outlook is listed on Plus and Unlimited. It says calls aren't recorded or used to train AI, and that audio is held briefly in memory then deleted. It offers a one-month free trial.
TradeCaller
TradeCaller is aimed at trades. It says it answers 24/7, keeps your existing number, and texts you the caller's name, number, address and reason for calling. It says it's live within 48 hours and has no contract. Its FAQ says that if a customer asks directly whether it's an AI, the receptionist will be honest. The page we read doesn't show a monthly price, only that an annual subscription saves £189, so ask for a quote.
TradeRing
TradeRing is aimed at trades. It lists £89 a month, or £79 a month paid annually (£948 a year), with unlimited minutes and no per-call charges. It says its UK team sets up and tests your receptionist, books into your diary, and gives you a mobile lead tracker. It offers a 7-day free trial with no card.
TradiesMate
TradiesMate is job software for UK tradespeople, with an AI receptionist built in. Minimum is £24 every 30 days. Covered is £39 every 30 days with 250 texts, and half price for the first 30 days. Covered Team is £79. No VAT is added.
The AI receptionist is included in Covered and Covered Team, and free while it's in beta, with 60 minutes of AI calls every 30 days. When the minutes run out, callers get the text-back instead.
It says it's an AI, and takes the job, the postcode, the caller's name and when suits them. It doesn't book visits and it doesn't make up prices. For a gas smell or a carbon monoxide alarm, it gives 0800 111 999 and never books the call. It doesn't record call audio. The enquiry lands in your Inbox, where you quote, book and invoice.
Which is best for you?
It depends on what you need most.
- You want it to fill your diary. Look at the ones that book into a calendar.
- You want a flat price with no counting. Look at the ones with unlimited calls or minutes.
- You want a receptionist and nothing else. A stand-alone one may be simplest.
- You want the call, the quote and the invoice together. That's what TradiesMate is for.
- You want to confirm every visit yourself. Choose one that doesn't book, or switch booking off.
Before you choose
- Ring each one's demo line as a customer. Pretend your tap is leaking.
- Ask what it says on a gas or CO call. Get the answer in writing.
- Check what's counted. Minutes, calls or bookings.
- Add VAT if it isn't included.
- Check the trial end date.
For more on the sums, read how much an AI receptionist costs. To weigh it against a person on the phone, read AI receptionist or answering service.
Questions
Which is the cheapest?
On the entry prices we found, they start at different points and count different things, so the cheapest depends on how many calls you get. Work it out with your own call log.
Do all of them say they're an AI?
We only report what the pages say. Where a page didn't say, the table says "not stated". Ask each provider.
Why include TradiesMate on a list you wrote?
Because you'd expect us to. We've used the same rows for everyone and told you we make it.
How often is this updated?
Monthly, and within two working days of a correction. This page was checked on 22 October 2026.
Last checked 2 November 2026.
Questions this guide doesn't answer? Ask other UK tradespeople in the TradiesMate Community.