Alternatives / Fasthosts AI Receptionist
Fasthosts AI Receptionist or While You Work: which suits your business?
Fasthosts, the UK web hosting company, sells an AI receptionist in three packages: Lite at £39 a month with 30 calls and then 49p a call, Plus at £69 with 100 calls and then 39p a call, and Unlimited at £99 with unlimited calls. All three are before VAT. Calendar booking into Google Calendar, Outlook, Cal.com or Calendly starts on Plus, CRM connections are on Unlimited, every package handles calls in more than 30 languages, and every new customer gets the first month free and can cancel online at any time. It is the same product its sister company IONOS sells, at the same prices.
Prices checked on fasthosts.co.uk on 1 November 2026. Always confirm current prices with each provider.
Price at a glance
Fasthosts AI Receptionist price compared with While You Work
| Fasthosts AI Receptionist | While You Work | |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly price | Lite £39, Plus £69, Unlimited £99, before VAT | Starter £39, Pro £69, Business £129 a month + VAT |
| What the price covers | 30 calls on Lite, 100 on Plus, unlimited on Unlimited | 50, 150 or 400 calls, each counted once up to 10 minutes |
| Going over | 49p a call on Lite, 39p on Plus | Extra calls at 60p, 50p or 40p + VAT |
| Trial | One month free on every package | 7-day free trial with no card, then a 14-day money-back guarantee once you pay |
The short answer
A month free and unlimited calls at £99 are strong, and Fasthosts suits a business that already hosts with it, takes a lot of calls, or wants bookings written into its calendar on the call. While You Work wins if you take between about 50 and 400 calls a month and want to know the bill in advance: 50 calls for £39 against 30, and 150 for £69 against 100, each counted once up to 10 minutes. You also get a receptionist set up for your trade rather than a general assistant, website chat on Pro, and a greeting that tells callers plainly it is an automated assistant for your business. Above about 210 calls a month the Fasthosts Unlimited package costs less than our Pro plan with extra calls.
Side by side
Fasthosts AI Receptionist and While You Work compared
| Fasthosts AI Receptionist | While You Work | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | £39, £69 or £99 a month before VAT (£46.80, £82.80 or £118.80 including VAT) | Starter £39, Pro £69 or Business £129 a month + VAT. The first 50 UK businesses get Pro for £49 a month + VAT for their first 12 months, then £69 |
| How you pay | Monthly package plus a charge per call over the allowance, billed month by month | Flat monthly plan with a set number of calls, then a set price for each extra call. A call counts once however long it lasts, up to 10 minutes |
| Calls included | 30 calls then 49p a call (Lite), 100 calls then 39p a call (Plus), unlimited (Unlimited), all before VAT | 50 calls on Starter, 150 on Pro, 400 on Business, each counted once up to 10 minutes; extra calls 60p, 50p or 40p + VAT |
| Who answers | AI receptionist with 2 voices on Lite and 8 on Plus and Unlimited, in English and more than 30 other languages | AI receptionist with a separate script and set-up form for each kind of business |
| Hours | 24/7 | 24 hours a day, 365 days a year |
| Trial | One month free on every package | 7-day free trial with no card, up to 30 calls or 60 minutes, then a card keeps the line or it stops. Once you pay, a money-back guarantee: cancel within 14 days of your line going live for a full refund |
| Contract | None, cancel online at any time | None, cancel any time |
| After the call | Email summary after every call, call history, no recordings kept | Details by email a minute after the call on every plan, and on Pro and Business a text straight away for urgent calls, which can also be put through to your phone |
| Call transfer | Call forwarding to staff on every package | Urgent calls put through to your phone on Pro and Business, if you switch it on |
| Booking | Google Calendar, Outlook, Cal.com and Calendly from the Plus package | Booking links sent to callers on Pro (£69 + VAT); booking into your diary on the call, with your deposit link, on Business (£129 + VAT) |
| Website chat | A website call button on Unlimited; no chat listed on its AI Receptionist page | AI website chat that answers like your receptionist on Pro and Business; AI email replies on Business |
| App | Not listed on its AI Receptionist page | The app opens in your phone browser; notifications are coming. Details by email on every plan and by text on Pro and Business |
| Type of service | AI receptionist from a web hosting company | AI receptionist |
Choose Fasthosts AI Receptionist if
- You already host your website or email with Fasthosts
- You take more than about 210 calls a month and want the £99 unlimited package
- You want a whole month free before you pay
- Your callers speak languages other than English
Choose While You Work if
- You want more calls for the same money: 50 for £39 and 150 for £69, both + VAT
- You want a receptionist set up for your trade, asking for the postcode and how urgent the job is
- You want website chat from the same receptionist on Pro
- You want callers told plainly, in a British voice, that they are speaking to your automated assistant
Switching
How to switch in three steps
Check your notice
Look at your current provider’s terms for any notice period or unused credit.
Tell us about your business
A short form for your kind of business: hours, area, services and what callers should be told.
Change your divert
Point divert-on-no-answer at your While You Work number. Your callers keep ringing the same number.
Want the full picture on UK prices? Read how much a call answering service costs in the UK. And how ours works: the While You Work AI receptionist.
Other comparisons: Moneypenny, ReceptionHQ, Jodie, Cyberstaff, Answer.co.uk, Face For Business, Answer4u, IONOS AI Receptionist, The Answer Centre, Vocalenda, Team Connect, AnswerConnect.
Questions
Fasthosts AI Receptionist alternative FAQs
How much does the Fasthosts AI Receptionist cost?
On 1 November 2026 Fasthosts listed three packages: Lite at £39 a month with 30 calls and then 49p a call, Plus at £69 a month with 100 calls and then 39p a call, and Unlimited at £99 a month with unlimited calls. All three are before VAT, so £46.80, £82.80 and £118.80 a month with VAT. Every package starts with a month free.
Is Fasthosts the same as the IONOS AI Receptionist?
The packages, prices, call allowances and per-call charges match the IONOS AI Receptionist exactly, and the two companies are part of the same group. Pick whichever you already have an account with; the receptionist is the same.
Is Fasthosts cheaper than While You Work?
For the first month, yes, because it is free. After that, at the same price we include more calls: 50 for £39 against 30, and 150 for £69 against 100, all before VAT. A business taking 60 calls a month pays £53.70 + VAT on the Fasthosts Lite package and £45 + VAT on our Starter. Above about 210 calls a month the Fasthosts Unlimited package is cheaper than our Pro plan with extra calls.
Can I keep my own number with either?
Yes. Both work by diverting your existing number. Fasthosts gives you a dedicated number to forward to; with While You Work you dial one short code on your mobile so calls you do not pick up within 20 seconds come through to your receptionist.
Sources, checked 1 November 2026: Fasthosts AI Receptionist page and packages. Fasthosts AI Receptionist is a trademark of its owner. While You Work is not connected with Fasthosts AI Receptionist.
See what it does with your own missed calls
Start a free 7-day trial with no card, or ring 01202 144997 and hear our own receptionist answer. Priced per call, not per minute: Starter £39 and Pro £69 a month plus VAT, with a 7-day trial first and a 14-day money-back guarantee once you pay.