Comparison guide
AI phone answering for UK restaurants: every option compared (2026)
If you run a restaurant in the UK and you're looking at AI to answer your phone, you've probably noticed something: almost every option is American. US pricing, US integrations, US accents.
We built With Moshi because we experienced this gap firsthand. Here's an honest comparison of every option available to UK restaurant owners in 2026.
The quick comparison
| With Moshi | Slang.ai | Loman.ai | Hostie.ai | Alayic | OpenTable Voice AI | Moneypenny | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Based in | London, UK | New York, US | US | US | UK | San Francisco, US | Wrexham, UK |
| Starting price | £89/mo | $399/mo | $199/mo + $149 setup | $199/mo | £49.99/mo | Contact sales | £99/mo + £250 setup |
| Setup fee | None | None | $149 | None | None | Unknown | £250 |
| Contract | None | Unknown | Unknown | Unknown | None | OpenTable subscription required | Monthly |
| Free trial | 25 calls free | Demo only | Demo only | Yes | Test calls | Contact sales | No |
| ResDiary integration | Yes | No | No | No | Enterprise only | No (OpenTable only) | No |
| Collins integration | Yes | No | No | No | No (OpenTable only) | No | No |
| UK GDPR | Yes | US data only | US data only | US data only | Yes | Depends on provider | Yes |
| Voice cloning | Yes (Pro) | No | No | No | No | Depends on provider | N/A (human) |
| British voices | Yes | US only | US only | US only | Yes | Depends on provider | Yes (human) |
| Best for | UK independents | US full-service | US phone ordering | US multi-channel | UK takeaways | OpenTable restaurants | Premium businesses |
The US options: powerful but not built for you
Slang.ai ($399-599/mo)
The US market leader. Impressive technology, strong integrations with OpenTable and SevenRooms, and a claimed 96% guest satisfaction rate. But at $399/month (roughly £315), it's priced for multi-location US restaurant groups. No UK booking system integrations. No British voices. Your data stays on US servers.
Loman.ai ($199-399/mo + $149 setup)
Strong on phone ordering and POS integration (Toast, Square). Their instant demo call experience is genuinely impressive. But again, entirely US-focused. No ResDiary, no Collins, no UK voices. The $149 setup fee adds friction.
Hostie.ai ($199-599/mo)
The most feature-complete US option with unified call, text, email, and Instagram DM handling. Excellent SEO content and case studies. But no UK booking systems, no GBP pricing, and US-hosted data.
The UK options
Alayic (£49.99-99.99/mo)
The closest UK competitor. Good product, no-contract pricing, and genuine UK presence. But their focus is takeaway ordering, not sit-down restaurant bookings. ResDiary integration is only available on their enterprise tier. If you're a takeaway, Alayic is worth considering. If you're a sit-down restaurant taking reservations, the integration gap matters.
Moneypenny (£99-699/mo + £250 setup)
The incumbent. Real humans answering your phone. Trusted by thousands of UK businesses. But expensive: £399/month for 250 calls, plus a £250 setup fee. Their AI product can't be purchased standalone - you must bundle it with human answering. For many independent restaurants, the cost is prohibitive.
Collins Call AI
Part of The Access Group (which also owns ResDiary). Solid product, but only available to existing Collins customers. If you're not already on Collins, this isn't an option.
PolyAI
London-headquartered, enterprise-grade voice AI. Powers some of the UK's biggest restaurant groups. But minimum contracts are likely six figures. Designed for chains with 100+ locations, not independent restaurants.
The platform play: OpenTable Voice AI
OpenTable Voice AI (contact sales)
In 2026, OpenTable launched a Voice AI marketplace – but they didn't build the technology themselves. Instead, they partnered with third-party providers (Slang, Loman, PolyAI, Bonnie, Maple, Sadie) and let restaurants choose from a menu of voice AI options.
The advantage is obvious: seamless integration with OpenTable's reservation system. The voice AI books directly into the system the restaurant already uses. No middleware, no SMS workarounds.
The catch: you need to be an OpenTable customer first, and OpenTable charges per-cover fees that many UK independents find prohibitive. There's no public pricing for the Voice AI add-on, and the "contact sales" flow signals enterprise positioning. If you're an independent restaurant that doesn't use OpenTable, this isn't for you.
What it does prove: voice AI for restaurants is now a mainstream category. If OpenTable is investing here, the market is real.
Aires (free booking system + pay-as-you-use AI)
A newer UK entrant taking an interesting approach: a completely free reservation system (competing directly with ResDiary and Collins) with optional AI phone, WhatsApp, and email concierge as pay-as-you-use add-ons. Built by a restaurateur, which shows in the product focus.
The value proposition is compelling: ditch your booking system fees entirely, get AI voice answering on top. Open APIs and full data ownership are genuine differentiators against the established platforms.
The question marks: how mature is the voice AI? How natural does it sound? And can a free product sustain the infrastructure costs that voice AI demands? Worth watching, especially if you're unhappy with your current booking system and want to switch everything at once.
The gap: The market is maturing fast, but most options still require you to either commit to enterprise pricing or use a US product that doesn't understand UK restaurants. Moshi is the only UK-native platform that combines AI phone answering with a full booking system, guest CRM, table management, floor plan builder, loyalty programme, ticketed events, online ordering, email marketing, Stripe deposits, staff assignments, VAT invoices, and analytics – 51 features, from £89/month.
What actually matters for a UK restaurant
After speaking with restaurant operators across London, these are the factors that actually drive the decision:
- Does it sound right? A US-accented AI answering a London restaurant feels wrong. British voices are non-negotiable.
- Does it handle bookings? Moshi includes its own booking system with table management, online widget, guest CRM, and deposit collection. No need for a separate platform.
- Is my data safe? UK GDPR requires call recordings and personal data to be handled with care. US-hosted services create compliance risk.
- Can I afford it? Independent restaurants run on thin margins. £89/month is a different conversation to $399/month.
- Can I try before I commit? No contract, no setup fee, and a genuine free trial removes all the risk.
The numbers that matter
Industry research suggests that up to 43% of restaurant phone calls go unanswered during busy periods. Of those callers, research indicates most won't try again. For a restaurant averaging 30 missed calls per week at £40 per booking, that's potentially £25,000+ per year in lost revenue.
At £89/month, an AI phone agent pays for itself if it captures just two or three extra bookings per month.
Who should use what
- UK independent restaurant, sit-down: With Moshi. Built for this exact use case.
- UK takeaway: Alayic. Purpose-built for phone ordering.
- Already on OpenTable: OpenTable Voice AI. Seamless integration, but enterprise pricing.
- Want phone + bookings in one: With Moshi. 51-feature platform: booking, CRM, floor plan, loyalty, events, ordering, deposits, analytics, referrals, messaging, 15-language widget, AI chatbot, reputation management. No separate platform needed.
- US restaurant group: Slang.ai or Loman.ai. Strong US integrations and proven at scale.
- UK restaurant chain (50+ locations): PolyAI or Collins Call AI. Enterprise-grade, enterprise-priced.
- Premium business needing human touch: Moneypenny. Real humans, premium price.
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