A receptionist
you can afford.
Moneypenny is the UK’s most-trusted human-answered call service. Its UK prices are quoted on request, not published. Qenn is an AI receptionist that also handles your back office - from £49/month. Both will answer calls when you’re on the tools. Here’s the honest comparison.
The short version.
Pick Moneypenny if
- • You want a real human voice on every call - high-value clients, professional services feel.
- • You need them to transfer calls to your mobile or schedule complex appointments live.
- • Budget isn’t a constraint - you’re happy to get a quote and pay for a people-first service.
Pick Qenn if
- • You’re a UK tradesperson and paying for a human answering service is a stretch.
- • You want the same number to handle quotes, invoices, and customer comms - not just calls.
- • Your customers prefer WhatsApp anyway, and your calls are mostly lead capture.
Side by side.
| What | Qenn | Moneypenny |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | £49/mo | Not published. Quoted on request (checked October 2026). |
| Answers calls | Yes - AI phone (60/120/250 min by tier). | Yes - human UK-based receptionist. |
| Answers WhatsApp messages | Yes - primary channel. | No. |
| Drafts quotes from photos | Yes. | No. |
| Drafts invoices from voice notes | Yes. | No. |
| Chases late invoices | Yes - polite drafts you approve. | No. |
| Customer record memory | Yes - every customer, every prior job and price. | Limited - call notes only. |
| Hours of availability | 24/7. | 24/7 on higher plans. |
| Human voice on calls | No - AI voice. | Yes - UK-based human. |
| Live call transfer | No. | Yes. |
| Xero / QuickBooks push | QuickBooks and Xero. | No. |
| Setup time | About an hour - onboarding by WhatsApp. | Days - bespoke setup with an account manager. |
| Per-business identity | Your business name + avatar in WhatsApp profile. | Receptionist answers in your business name. |
| Free trial | First month free. | Free trial offered. |
The price honesty.
Moneypenny is excellent. Real UK receptionists, twenty-five years of pedigree, the kind of service that makes a small business sound bigger than it is. For a solicitor or a high-end consultancy where the call quality is the product, it’s the right tool.
For a UK joiner or builder, the maths is harder. Moneypenny does not publish UK prices (we checked its UK site in October 2026), so you get a quote before you know the cost. Most of the inbound to a tradesperson is lead capture: photo of the job, postcode, name, number. That can be done well by an AI on WhatsApp from £49/month, and the same tool also handles the quoting, the invoicing, and the customer memory.
The trade-off you’re making with Qenn: no live human voice on the call, and no in-the-moment call transfer. If you need either of those, Moneypenny is the right tool. If you don’t, you may be paying for something you could replace with an AI plus an admin assistant in one.
Try Qenn first.
First month free. If you find you really do need a human voice, you can still go to Moneypenny - but most tradespeople find they don’t.