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Updated 2026-06-20 · UK pricing in £
Agent Networks vs Aircall
Aircall is a phone system. We're the agent that answers it. If you're choosing between buying more handsets and a 24/7 AI receptionist, this is for you.
What clients see when AI answers the phone instead of voicemail
247
after-hours calls answered last week across composite — not sent to voicemail
12s
median ring-to-answer time vs the industry "ring 4 times then voicemail" default
£612
saved per month vs a 6-seat Aircall Essentials plan (composite, Growth tier)
Composite of 5 UK trades + clinic clients on CLOSER Growth tier, 90-day window to 2026-05-31.
Side-by-side: what each actually does
| Capability | Aircall | Agent Networks |
|---|---|---|
| Cloud PBX / business phone numbers | ✓ Excellent | ◐ We provide a number; PBX features lighter |
| Call routing + IVR | ✓ Drag-and-drop builder | ✓ Built into reception agent |
| Voicemail-to-text | ✓ Yes | ✓ + we reply within 60s |
| Answers calls when no human is free | ✗ Goes to voicemail | ✓ AI receptionist answers + acts |
| Books appointments live on the call | ✗ Routes to human | ✓ End-to-end with calendar |
| Takes a deposit on the call | ✗ Out of scope | ✓ Stripe link sent + paid mid-call |
| Replies on WhatsApp/IG/email too | ◐ Limited (SMS yes) | ✓ Full multi-channel |
| Per-seat pricing | ✗ Yes ($40–$70/seat/mo) | ✓ Flat fee (£329–£849/mo) |
| Per-minute UK 020 outbound | ✗ Yes — bill grows with volume | ✓ Bundled, no per-minute |
| UK data residency | ◐ EU region available | ✓ UK-hosted |
| Salesforce / HubSpot CRM sync | ✓ Native | ✓ Native (via Forge) |
| You still need a human to answer | ✗ Yes | ✓ No (or yes — your choice per hour-of-day) |
Pricing as of 2026-06-20 from aircall.io/pricing and our own /closer/pricing.
Where Aircall genuinely wins
- Best-in-class as a phone system. If what you need is a cloud PBX with rich IVR builders, supervisor whisper, call recording on every seat — Aircall is genuinely the right tool. We're not a PBX.
- Direct outbound dialling at scale. If you have a sales team making 100+ outbound calls/day each, Aircall's dialler tooling beats ours. We're inbound-first.
- Trusted brand on procurement forms. If your finance team needs a name they've seen before on G2, Aircall has the reputation gravity. We're newer.
Aircall gives you better tools for people to make calls. We give you an agent that doesn't need to.
Where we win
- The phone gets answered at 11pm without a person there. Aircall sends it to voicemail. We answer it, book the survey, log it in your CRM. By the time you're back at the desk Monday, the work is on your calendar.
- No per-minute UK 020 outbound bills. Aircall Essentials is $40/seat/mo plus per-minute UK calling. We bundle reasonable outbound into the flat fee.
- One agent handles the whole flow. Call answered → calendar checked → booking confirmed → deposit taken → SMS confirmation sent. Aircall hands you the call. We hand you the booking.
Pricing snap
Aircall Essentials
$40/seat/mo
≈ £32/seat/mo at current FX
3-seat minimum: ≈ £96/mo
For 6 seats: ≈ £192/mo
Plus: per-minute UK outbound + Pro features at $70/seat
From aircall.io/pricing, 2026-06-20. Real billed total depends on outbound volume — we've seen UK trades clients double their bill at quote-chase peaks.
CLOSER Growth Most chosen
£849/mo flat
3 seats: £849/mo
6 seats: £849/mo
Includes: UK reception number, voice training, multi-channel, end-to-end booking, deposit handling
Full CLOSER pricing →
Switching from Aircall?
We can run alongside your existing PBX for a 14-day trial. Forward your out-of-hours calls to our number, see the bookings in your inbox by morning.
Agent Networks is not affiliated with or endorsed by Aircall SA. All Aircall product names and pricing referenced here are from aircall.io on 2026-06-20.