Is Line a good alternative to Aircall?

Yes, for a UK team of one to ten whose customers text or WhatsApp. Line gives you SMS and WhatsApp on one UK number in a shared inbox, an AI receptionist, and monthly billing with no three-licence minimum. Aircall fits better for a CRM-led sales or support team that needs call recording, queues, a power dialler and over 250 integrations.

How much does Aircall cost in the UK?

Aircall Essentials costs £30 a licence a month on monthly billing or £25 on a yearly plan, and Professional costs £55 or £40, excluding VAT. Both need at least three licences, so the smallest Essentials bill is £90 a month. A one-user AI Voice Agents plan costs £95 a month or £76 on a yearly plan.

Does Aircall have a minimum number of users?

Yes. Essentials and Professional need at least three licences, and Enterprise needs 25. The AI Voice Agents plan includes one user. Line has no minimum: Starter includes two seats, and Pro and Business have unlimited seats.

Can I cancel Aircall at any time?

Only at the end of a term. Every Aircall plan renews automatically for the same length unless you give written notice at least 30 days before the renewal date, and Aircall does not refund or pause plans. On a monthly plan with ten seats or fewer, the Owner can cancel in the dashboard under Plan.

How long does it take to move a number from Aircall?

Aircall does not charge to port a number out, and your new provider runs the move. Keep Aircall active and paid until it completes, because moving numbers does not cancel the subscription. Moving a UK number to Line usually takes a few weeks.

Can I export my texts from Aircall?

No. Aircall's help centre says text messages cannot be exported from the dashboard or the API. Call logs export as CSV, and recordings, voicemails and contacts come through a request to support.

Does Line record calls like Aircall?

No. Line does not record calls. It records and transcribes voicemails, and keeps a transcript of the calls the AI receptionist answers. If you must record calls, Aircall fits better.

Line vs Aircall

Line vs Aircall: which suits a small UK team?

Aircall is a phone system for sales and support teams of five or more, with over 250 integrations and a mature AI voice agent, sold in packs of three licences. Line is built for smaller UK teams: texts and WhatsApp on your business number in one shared inbox, an AI receptionist, and monthly billing with no minimum seats. Pick Aircall for CRM-led teams. Pick Line for a small team that texts customers.

Prices and features checked 3 October 2026

Try Line Jump to the comparison

LBLaura Bennett07700 900321 · calls, SMS and WhatsApp

Do you have any slots for a cut and colour on Saturday?
WhatsApp · 21:06
Internal note
Assigned to Hannah. She does colour on Saturdays.
Hi Laura, Hannah here. I have 10:30 or 2pm on Saturday. Which suits?
WhatsApp · Hannah · 08:05
10:30 please!
WhatsApp · 08:09
Inbound call, answered by the AI receptionistSaturday 09:12 · team busy
No problem. I have let Hannah know you are running ten minutes late.
Molly, AI receptionist

Line or Aircall: the short answer

Choose Line if

You are a team of one to five and do not want to pay for three licences
You want WhatsApp and SMS on your number without a per-seat add-on
You want to pay monthly with no automatic yearly renewal
You want an AI receptionist included in the plan, not billed per minute

Choose Aircall if

Your sales or support team lives in HubSpot, Salesforce, Zendesk or Pipedrive
You need call recording, queues, warm transfer and call whispering
You want a power dialler and outbound campaigns
You want an AI voice agent that works in 38 languages and acts inside other systems

Line vs Aircall at a glance

Published UK prices and features, checked against Aircall's own pages.

Line and Aircall compared feature by feature
Feature	Line	Aircall
Price	From £4 a month with one UK number, plus 5p a minute for calls you make and 8p a text	Essentials £30 a licence a month, or £25 on a yearly plan. Minimum 3 licences
Smallest bill	£4 a month plus usage, for one UK number	£90 a month on Essentials monthly, or £95 for the one-user AI Voice Agents plan
Contract	Monthly. No contract and no setup fee	Every plan renews automatically unless you give 30 days' written notice. No refunds
Texts on a UK number	Yes. Two-way SMS on UK 07 numbers, on every plan	From UK 07 numbers only, to UK numbers only, once support switches it on. No published price
WhatsApp	Yes, on the same number and in the same inbox	£8 a seat a month, plus Meta's message fees and an Aircall fee of about 20% on templates
Shared inbox	Calls, voicemails, texts, WhatsApp, web chat and email in one thread per customer	Shared inbox for calls, texts and WhatsApp, with assign and comment
AI answering	AI receptionist answers calls in a British voice. Included on Pro and Business, an add-on on Starter	AI Voice Agent: 50 free minutes a month, then 37p a minute. 38 languages, actions in other systems
AI call notes	Transcripts of voicemails and of calls the AI receptionist answers	Transcripts on every plan. Summaries an £8 add-on on Essentials, included on Professional
Call handling	Opening hours, ring groups, forwarding and voicemail. No call recording, call transfer or call queues	Call menus, queues, ring groups, call recording, warm transfer and conference calls on Essentials
Apps and hardware	iPhone app and web app. No desk phones	Windows, Mac, iOS and Android apps, web in Chrome only. Desk phones cannot transfer or hold
Integrations	REST API and webhooks. Google and Microsoft calendars for the AI receptionist	Over 250, including HubSpot, Salesforce, Zendesk and Pipedrive
Moving your number in	Request it in Settings. UK moves usually take a few weeks	Free. UK ports take up to 6 weeks, by support ticket
999 calls	Does not carry 999 calls. Dial 999 from the phone's own dialler	From the desktop app. The mobile apps pass 999 calls to the phone's own dialler
Free trial	Free demo call with the AI receptionist. No free trial	7 days, no card, up to 100 call minutes
Support	Live chat, email, WhatsApp and phone, in UK working hours	An AI chatbot first. Only owners, admins and supervisors can reach a person. Hours not published

Aircall pricing UK (2026)

Aircall sells three team plans priced per licence, with a minimum of three licences, and a one-user plan built around its AI voice agent.

Aircall UK plans, per user a month, excluding VAT
Plan	Monthly billing	Yearly contract	What it adds
AI Voice Agents	£95	£76	One user and one number, with 250 AI voice agent minutes a month. A flat price, not per licence.
Essentials	£30	£25	Minimum 3 licences. 1,000 UK outbound minutes per user, SMS where supported, shared inbox, call menus, queues, recording, transcripts, 250+ integrations.
Professional	£55	£40	Minimum 3 licences. Unlimited UK calls, AI summaries, power dialler, whisper and barge, live monitoring, Salesforce.
Enterprise	Quote	Quote	Minimum 25 licences. Unlimited global calls, SSO, priority support.

What the headline price leaves out

WhatsApp costs £8 a seat a month, plus Meta's fees and an Aircall fee of about 20% on template messages. From October 2026, replies beyond 1,000 a month per number are charged too.
AI summaries cost £8 a licence a month on Essentials. The AI voice agent costs 37p a minute after 50 free minutes a month.
Calls forwarded to a mobile are billed as two calls, and every call is rounded up to the next full minute.
Extra numbers cost £5 a month. UK text prices are not published.
You cannot remove licences during a term, and Aircall can raise fixed prices with 30 days' notice, even in the first term.

Is Line cheaper than Aircall?

For a team of one to five, Line costs much less. Aircall's smallest team bill is £90 a month for three Essentials licences on monthly billing, before WhatsApp at £8 a seat or AI summaries at £8 a licence. Line starts at £4 a month, its Pro and Business plans have no per-user charge, and WhatsApp and the AI receptionist sit inside the plan. For a team of ten or more that needs a power dialler and CRM integrations, Aircall gives more for the money.

Price your own team

People who need a phone

Calls per person

200 minutes and 50 texts a month each

Billing

Prices

Line£60.25 /mo£723 a year · Pro
Aircall£150 /mo£1,800 a year

Seat prices are each provider's published price for the plan a small team would buy, with UK calls included up to the provider's fair use limit. Line charges a plan fee plus the calls and texts you use. Handsets, extra numbers and add-ons are not included.

Can one person use Aircall?

Only on the £95 a month AI Voice Agents plan. Aircall's Essentials and Professional plans need at least three licences. Line starts at one number for one person, and Starter includes two seats.

Aircall

Every Aircall user role needs a paid licence, and the team plans start at three licences, so Essentials costs at least £90 a month on monthly billing or £75 on a yearly plan. Add-ons such as WhatsApp bill per licence, even for unused licences.

Line

Line prices by plan, not by licence. Starter suits one or two people. Pro and Business have unlimited seats, so adding the person who covers Saturdays does not add a licence.

How much does WhatsApp cost on Aircall?

£8 a seat a month, plus Meta's message fees and an Aircall fee of about 20% on template messages. Line connects WhatsApp to your number with no per-seat add-on.

Aircall

Aircall connects WhatsApp through Meta's business platform after Meta verifies your business. Connecting a number that already used WhatsApp loses its old message history. Only licensed users can send.

Line

Connect WhatsApp from the Channels page using Meta's own sign-up. Customers message the number they already have, and WhatsApp threads sit next to calls and texts in the shared inbox.

Can Aircall send texts from a UK number?

Yes, from UK 07 numbers to other UK numbers, once support switches it on. Aircall does not publish a UK text price, and texts cannot be exported. Line texts from a UK 07 number on every plan.

Aircall

Aircall texting is one-to-one only. UK landline and call-menu numbers cannot text. Aircall's pricing table says to contact it for UK rates, while its footnote says 4,000 texts per user are included.

Line

Every Line plan includes a UK 07 number that calls and texts, from 8p a text. Replies land in the shared inbox in the same thread as that customer's calls.

SCSarah Collins07700 900123 · every channel, one thread

Inbound call, 4 minTuesday · answered by Dan
Missed callWednesday 18:20
Voicemail transcript
Hi, it's Sarah. Can you call me back about the quote for the bathroom?
Also free Friday morning if that's easier.
WhatsApp · 18:24
Thanks Sarah. Dan will call you at 9 tomorrow.
SMS · Jo

Is Line's AI receptionist like Aircall's AI Voice Agent?

Both answer calls. Aircall's agent is more advanced: 38 languages and actions inside systems such as Shopify and your CRM, billed at 37p a minute after 50 free minutes. Line's receptionist answers in a British voice, takes the details and leaves the transcript, and is included with Pro and Business.

Aircall

Aircall's AI Voice Agent handles FAQs, intake questions and in-call actions, with prepaid bundles from 500 minutes for £130. Outbound AI calls cost 1.1p an attempt on top.

Line

Switch the AI receptionist on, give it your hours, services and booking rules, and it answers when the team cannot. It is included with the Pro and Business plans and is an add-on on Starter.

THTom Hughes07700 900987 · answered by the AI receptionist

Inbound call, answered by the AI receptionist19:05 · after hours
Hartley Plumbing, you're through to Molly. How can I help?
Molly, AI receptionist
My radiator is cold at the top. Can someone look at it this week?
Caller
I can arrange that. What is your postcode, and is this the best number to call you back on?
Molly, AI receptionist
Callback request, logged by the receptionist
Radiator cold at the top. CF10. Prefers Thursday.

Is Aircall a contract?

Yes. Every Aircall plan renews automatically for the same length unless you give 30 days' written notice, with no refunds and no pause. Line is monthly with no contract.

Aircall

On a monthly plan with ten seats or fewer you can cancel in the dashboard, but the 30-day notice still applies to yearly plans. You cannot remove licences during a term, and moving your numbers away does not cancel the subscription.

Line

Line has no minimum term and no setup fee. You top up credit for calls and texts, and stop when you choose.

Rebuild your Aircall setup in Line

Each Aircall feature you rely on, and the Line workflow step that does the same job.

Aircall features and their Line equivalents
In Aircall	In Line
Ring groups and teams	Ring Members/GroupsRings everyone set to Available, at once or in turn, for the time you choose.
Business hours in Smart Flow	Time RuleSends calls down an Open hours or an Outside hours branch, using your business hours.
Voicemail and transcription	VoicemailRecords a message after your greeting, transcribes it and emails the team.
Forward to mobile	Forward CallsDials any number and shows your Line number as the caller ID.
Shared inbox, SMS and WhatsApp	Shared inboxCalls, texts, WhatsApp, web chat and email in one thread per customer, with assign, notes and mentions.
AI Voice Agent	AI receptionistAnswers calls on your number, takes the details and leaves the transcript in the inbox.
No equivalent	Send Missed-Call SMSTexts the caller from your number when nobody answers.

Call workflow

Inbound CallYour UK business number
Time RuleMon–Fri, 8:00 to 18:00
Open hoursRing Members/GroupsEveryone set to Available, for 20 seconds
No answer, or outside hoursSend Missed-Call SMSTexts the caller from your number
No answer, or outside hoursVoicemailTranscribed and emailed to the team

Templates to set up on day one

The messages and greetings most teams moving from Aircall set up first. Copy one, change the details in brackets, and paste it into the step shown.

Missed-call text

Send Missed-Call SMS step, after Ring Members/Groups

Sorry we missed your call. This is [Business name]. Reply to this text with what you need and we will get back to you today.

Out-of-hours text

Send Missed-Call SMS step, on the Outside hours branch of the Time Rule

Thanks for calling [Business name]. We are closed now and open again at [8am]. Reply here and we will pick it up first thing, or book online at [link].

Voicemail greeting

Voicemail step greeting

You have reached [Business name]. We cannot take your call right now. Leave your name, your number and what it is about, and we will call you back today. You can also text this number.

Review request

Send from the inbox after the job

Thanks for choosing [Business name], [first name]. If you were happy with the work, a quick review helps a small business like ours: [review link]. If anything was not right, reply here and [Name] will sort it.

AI receptionist guidance

AI receptionist settings, in the agent's guidance

You answer calls for [Business name], a [trade] in [area]. Take the caller's name, number, postcode and what they need. Offer a visit between [hours] on [days]. If the caller describes [an emergency, for example a leak], say [Name] will call back within 15 minutes and mark the call urgent. Do not quote prices. Say [Name] will confirm the price.

Tell customers they can text you

Send once from the inbox, or add to your email signature

You can now text or WhatsApp us on [number], the same number you call. We reply during [opening hours], and we will see your message even if we are on a job.

How to switch from Aircall to Line

Most small teams finish in an afternoon, then wait for the number to move.

1
Open Line and choose a UK number
Sign up, pick a UK mobile number and make a test call. The new number works straight away, so you can run Line beside Aircall while you set it up. Nothing changes for your customers yet.
2
Rebuild your call flow from a template
Open Workflows and start from a template such as Business Hours Call Routing or Ring Then Voicemail. Set your opening hours in the Time Rule and choose who rings. The table above shows the Line step for each Aircall feature.
3
Invite the team and install the app
Invite each person by email. They install the Line app on iPhone, or use the web app on a laptop. Only people set to Available ring, so nobody gets calls on a day off.
4
Connect WhatsApp and switch on the AI receptionist
Connect WhatsApp to the same number from Channels, so texts, WhatsApp and calls land in one inbox. Then switch on the AI receptionist and give it your opening hours, your services and how you take bookings.
5
Move your number from Aircall
Go to Settings, then Porting. Enter the number, the account holder and the address Aircall holds, upload a recent bill and sign the letter of authority. Our team sends the request and tells you the switch date. UK moves usually take a few weeks. Calls keep reaching Aircall until that date, and Ofcom rules limit any loss of service on the day to one working day.
6
Cancel Aircall after the move completes
Wait until calls to your number ring in Line, then cancel Aircall. Cancelling first can release the number before it moves.

Before you cancel Aircall

Find your renewal date first: only the Owner can see it, under Plan in the dashboard. Give written notice at least 30 days before it, or Aircall renews for the same length again. Keep the account active and paid until your numbers have moved, because moving them does not cancel Aircall. Then delete the numbers and cancel.

Export these first

Call logs as CSV or PDF, from Analytics and Call History
Call recordings, voicemails and older call logs, by a data request to support before you cancel
Contacts, by asking support for a CSV
Text messages cannot be exported from Aircall, so screenshot any you need
Your Smart Flow call routing, as screenshots to rebuild from

What Aircall customers say

Recurring themes in public reviews, paraphrased and linked to the source.

Common complaints

Renewals and no refunds
UK reviewers describe yearly renewals charged on unused accounts and refunds refused under the terms. Trustpilot
Cannot reduce seats mid-term
Reviewers say unused licences can only come off once a year, at renewal. Trustpilot
Hard-to-reach support
UK reviewers chase tickets repeatedly, and support starts with a chatbot. Trustpilot
Connection and call problems
Connection issues and call issues are the top complaint tags on G2. G2
Value for money
Value for money is Aircall's lowest score on Capterra UK, at 3.9 out of 5. Capterra

What customers like

Easy to use
Ease of use is the most mentioned strength on G2, by a wide margin. G2
CRM integrations
Teams on HubSpot, Zendesk and Salesforce praise calls logging automatically. Capterra
Call flow builder and AI agents
Reviewers find the call flow builder intuitive and the AI agent a real load off the team. G2

Our verdict on Aircall: Aircall is a cloud phone system for sales and support teams, with over 250 integrations, SMS on UK mobile numbers and WhatsApp as an add-on. It is the most expensive self-serve option here, with a three-licence minimum. See how it ranks

Line vs Aircall: questions people ask

Aircall alternatives

The best Aircall alternatives for UK small businesses, ranked with prices.

Line vs RingCentral

Line texts and WhatsApps from your UK number today. RingCentral has no SMS on UK numbers.

Line vs Vonage

Line texts from your UK number inside the app, signs up online with no contract, and answers missed calls with AI.

Business phone systems ranked

14 UK providers scored on published prices and features.

Line wrote this comparison. Every competitor fact comes from the provider's own UK pages or public reviews, linked here. Last reviewed 3 October 2026.

Move from Aircall without losing your number

Start with a new UK number today and run it alongside your current system. Move your existing number across when you are ready.

Get your business number See pricing

Line vs Aircall: which suits a small UK team?

Line or Aircall: the short answer

Line vs Aircall at a glance

Aircall pricing UK (2026)

What the headline price leaves out

Is Line cheaper than Aircall?

Price your own team

Can one person use Aircall?

Aircall

Line

How much does WhatsApp cost on Aircall?

Aircall

Line

Can Aircall send texts from a UK number?

Aircall

Line

Is Line's AI receptionist like Aircall's AI Voice Agent?

Aircall

Line

Is Aircall a contract?

Aircall

Line

Rebuild your Aircall setup in Line

Templates to set up on day one

How to switch from Aircall to Line

Open Line and choose a UK number

Rebuild your call flow from a template

Invite the team and install the app

Connect WhatsApp and switch on the AI receptionist

Move your number from Aircall

Cancel Aircall after the move completes

What Aircall customers say

Line vs Aircall: questions people ask

Is Line a good alternative to Aircall?

How much does Aircall cost in the UK?

Does Aircall have a minimum number of users?

How much does WhatsApp cost on Aircall?

Can I cancel Aircall at any time?

How long does it take to move a number from Aircall?

Can I export my texts from Aircall?

Does Line record calls like Aircall?

Keep comparing

Move from Aircall without losing your number