Looking for a Moneypenny alternative for your trade?
Moneypenny is one of the UK's best-known answering services. If you're a plumber, electrician, builder or roofer weighing it up, here's how CallVest compares, using Moneypenny's own website.
Checked 11 November 2026. Spotted something out of date? Email hello@callvest.co.uk.
| CallVest | Moneypenny | |
|---|---|---|
| Built for | UK trades only: plumbers, heating engineers, electricians, builders, roofers, scaffolders | Every sector. Legal, property, care, hospitality and automotive are named; trades aren't |
| Who answers | Vesty, an AI receptionist trained on trade calls | UK receptionists, or their AI receptionist |
| Price | Published: Text Back £19, Receptionist £69, Full Office £119 a month | AI receptionist from £49 a month, then tailored. Receptionists by quote |
| Contract | Monthly, cancel any time | Minimum 3 months on plans up to 150 minutes; 6 or 12 months on bigger plans |
| Hours | 24/7 included in every plan | Receptionists 8:30am to 6pm as standard; evenings, weekends and 24/7 cost more. AI answers 24/7 |
| Free trial | 14 days, no card (30 days for founding customers) | Free trial; one week on receptionist answering |
| Setup | Done for you, free, within a week. Changes free, same day | Two to five working days for a simple setup, with their team |
| Emergencies | Gas smells, CO alarms, sparking sockets and leaks get safety advice and are flagged urgent to you | Not mentioned on their UK pages |
| Books the job | Into your own diary: Google, Outlook, iCloud and more | Books appointments; Calendly and CRMs such as HubSpot and Salesforce shown |
| Your customer | Gets a booking confirmation, a reminder, and a link to change or cancel. Can send photos before you arrive | Not mentioned |
| What you get | Job card by text and in the CallVest app, with the call recording and customer photos | Call summary by email or text |
| Leads from Checkatrade, Bark, MyBuilder | Texted back within about a minute | Not mentioned |
| Real person or card payments on calls | No | Yes |
Pick Moneypenny if…
you want a real person answering your calls, need card payments taken on the phone, or run a bigger office with CRM systems.
Pick CallVest if…
you're a trade and want 24/7 answering at a published monthly price, no contract, jobs booked into your diary and emergencies handled properly.
Is Moneypenny good for tradesmen?+
Moneypenny is a well-known UK answering service with friendly receptionists and strong reviews. Its UK pages are aimed at sectors like legal, property and care, not trades. For a plumber, electrician or builder, the questions are whether it can book a job straight into your diary, spot a gas or electrical emergency, and cover evenings and weekends without costing more.
How much does Moneypenny cost?+
Moneypenny's AI receptionist starts from £49 a month and is then tailored to your call volume. Receptionist answering is by quote. Plans up to 150 minutes have a three-month minimum term, and bigger plans six or twelve months (Moneypenny's website, 11 November 2026). CallVest is from £19 a month, monthly, with prices on our homepage.
Does Moneypenny answer out of hours?+
Its receptionists work 8:30am to 6pm as standard, with evening, weekend and 24/7 cover at extra cost; its AI receptionist answers 24/7. Vesty answers 24/7 on every CallVest plan at no extra cost.
Can I keep my mobile number?+
Yes, with either. With CallVest you divert missed calls using a short code, so your phone still rings first.
Sources
- Moneypenny: AI Receptionist
- Moneypenny: Virtual Receptionist Service (prices, contract, hours FAQ)
- Moneypenny: How to get an AI receptionist (setup time)
Moneypenny is a trade mark of its owner. CallVest is not connected with or endorsed by Moneypenny.
Let Vesty take your next call.
14 days free. No card. No contract. Set up for you.