Compare
Step Into AI vs Moneypenny
Both are UK businesses that answer calls you cannot. Moneypenny is known for people answering your phone. Step Into AI is an AI receptionist joined to your enquiries and quotes. Checked 7 November 2026.
We make Step Into AI, so read this with that in mind. We have tried to be fair. The facts about Moneypenny come from their website, which we read on 7 November 2026. Their services change, so check with them before you decide.
Moneypenny is a long-established UK telephone answering and live chat company with a large UK team. Their website shows people answering calls and chats for you, plus AI receptionist options. Step Into AI does not employ receptionists. Our receptionist is an AI, and it tells every caller so.
At a glance
The options side by side
Moneypenny
Suits: UK businesses that want people answering their calls and chats in their name
Strengths
- People answering your phone, with the judgement and warmth a person brings
- A long-established UK company with a large UK team
- Live chat answered by people as well as calls
- AI receptionist options too, their website shows
- Suits businesses of many sizes, from small firms to large ones
Trade-offs
- Pricing is by quote; their homepage does not show a price
- Their focus is answering and passing on the call; what happens to the enquiry afterwards is up to you or your other systems
- We could not see a self-serve free trial on their homepage
Typical cost: Their website shows pricing by quote. We did not see a price on their homepage.
Step Into AI
Suits: UK owner-run service businesses that miss calls while working and want each enquiry recorded, followed up and quoted in one place
Strengths
- The AI receptionist answers 24/7 in your business name, takes the details and books visits
- Every call is recorded and summarised and saved as an enquiry with a next step
- Quotes, follow-ups and approvals in the same place
- Prices on the page in pounds, month to month
- Free for 7 days with no card
Trade-offs
- It is an AI, not a person, and some callers will always prefer a person
- It only answers from the business knowledge you give it and approve; anything else becomes a callback
- It takes the details so your team can ring back
- Support is UK business hours, Monday to Friday
Typical cost: Never Miss an Enquiry: £249 a month (founding price £199), ex VAT, with a business number, website chat, 300 call minutes and 1,000 texts.
Detail
Side by side
Moneypenny facts are from their website on 7 November 2026.
| What matters | Moneypenny | Step Into AI |
|---|---|---|
| Who answers the phone | People, with AI options | An AI receptionist that says it is an AI |
| Live chat on your website | Yes, answered by people | Yes, AI website chat on Never Miss an Enquiry |
| Where it starts in the enquiry journey | The phone ringing | The phone ringing, a chat, an email or a form |
| Where it stops | Passing on the call or message | The quote and booking; jobs and invoices on Complete Operations |
| Enquiry list, follow-ups and quotes included | No | Yes |
| Price shown on the website | By quote | Yes, £69, £249 (£199 founding) and £329 a month |
| Free trial without a card | Not shown on their homepage | 7 days, no card |
| Contract | Ask them | Month to month |
| UK or US | UK | UK |
Who each is for
Moneypenny suits a business that wants a person on the line. That might be a law firm, a clinic or a company whose callers expect a human voice. Step Into AI suits a small UK service business, such as a plumber, roofer or salon, where the phone rings while everyone is working and the enquiry needs to turn into a quote.
Where each starts and stops
Both start when the phone rings. Moneypenny's job, as their website describes it, is answering well and passing the call or message on. Step Into AI keeps going. The call becomes an enquiry with a recording, a summary and a next step. The caller gets a text. Follow-ups, the quote and the booking happen in the same place. On Complete Operations it carries on to the job, the visit and the invoice.
How pricing is shown
Moneypenny prices by quote, so you fill in a form or speak to them. Step Into AI shows its prices on the website: £69, £249 (£199 founding price) and £329 a month, ex VAT, with call minutes and texts included. You can try the receptionist free for 7 days with no card. The 7 days start when your trial number is working.
What Moneypenny does well
They have answered phones for UK businesses for a long time, with a large UK team. A good person can calm an upset caller, spot something unusual and use judgement. They also offer live chat answered by people, and AI options for businesses that want them. If you want people, they are an established choice.
When Moneypenny is the better choice
- You want a person to answer every call, without exception.
- Your callers are often upset, vulnerable or have complex problems that need judgement on the first call.
- You already have systems for enquiries, quotes and jobs, and only need the phone answered.
- You want callers put through to your team.
When Step Into AI is the better choice
- You miss calls because you are up a ladder, with a client or driving.
- You want every call saved as an enquiry, with a recording and summary, not a message to retype.
- You want follow-ups and quotes in the same place as the call.
- You want a fixed monthly price shown in pounds, month to month.
Our recommendation
If a person on every call matters most, talk to Moneypenny. If you want every call answered and turned into an enquiry that is followed up and quoted, try Step Into AI free for 7 days. Keep your number and divert it to us, so you can hear it on your own calls first.
Questions people ask
Does Step Into AI have people answering calls?
No. The receptionist is an AI. It says at the start of each call that it is an AI and that the call is recorded. Your own team is the human layer: they ring back from the enquiry, which has the details, a recording and a summary.
Can I keep my number?
Yes. You divert your existing number to the business number we give you. There is no porting and no new phone system.
How much does Moneypenny cost?
Their website shows pricing by quote. We did not see a price on their homepage, so ask them for a quote based on your call numbers.
Does Moneypenny offer an AI receptionist too?
Their website shows AI receptionist options alongside people. Ask them what it includes and what happens to the enquiry after the call.
When was this page checked?
Checked 7 November 2026. If something here is out of date, tell us and we will correct it.
Resources
Related guides
AI receptionist vs human receptionist: an honest comparison
Cost, coverage, quality, consistency and what happens after the call, compared fairly. Where a person wins, where the AI wins, and the hybrid most service businesses end up with.
Can I keep my business number with an AI receptionist?
Yes. You divert your existing number to the local number the receptionist answers, so customers keep ringing the number they know. Which calls to send, what to check first, and how to stop.
Hear it answer a call.
Book a demo and we will ring the receptionist together, with your script.