The best CircleLoop alternatives for UK small businesses in 2026
The best CircleLoop alternatives are Line for teams whose customers text and WhatsApp, Yay.com for the lowest no-contract price, sipgate for call queues on a budget, Zoom Phone for unlimited calls with AI notes, and Dialpad for AI call transcripts.
Prices and features checked
Why UK businesses look for a CircleLoop alternative
CircleLoop alternatives compared
Published UK prices per user a month, excluding VAT, for the plan a small team would buy.
| Provider | Price | Contract | Texts on a UK number | Missed calls and AI |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CircleLoopThe one you are leaving | £15 per user a month. Pay As You Go £5 plus calls from 3p a minute | No contract, no setup fee | From an extra 07 number, from £2 a month. 4p a text, UK only | Voicemail to text. No AI answering |
| LineBest for teams on the move | From £4 a month with one UK number, plus 5p a minute for calls you make and 8p a text | Monthly, no setup fee, no minimum term | Yes, from UK mobile (07) numbers | AI receptionist included on Pro and Business, an add-on on Starter. Missed-call text back |
| Yay.comBest on a tight budget | £14.99 per user a month, or £11.99 billed yearly. Core from £5.99 | No contract. Monthly or yearly | Yes, SMS on every plan | Voicemail transcription on Standard. AI summaries on Premium |
| sipgateBest for call queues on a budget | £17.95 per user a month, minimum 2 users. business S from £12.95 | Cancel monthly | Web SMS from 5.9p a message | AI Assist summaries, 10 a month included |
| Zoom PhoneBest for teams already on Zoom | £14.40 per user a month, or £12.80 billed yearly. Metered from £9.60 | Monthly or yearly. Up to 16% off yearly | UK SMS from 07 numbers only, after business ID checks | AI call summaries included. AI receptionist coming soon in the UK |
| DialpadBest for AI call notes | £22 per user a month, or £12 billed yearly. Pro £28, or £20 yearly | Monthly, or yearly paid up front. Yearly renews automatically | Unclear. The UK pricing page lists SMS as US and Canada only | Live transcripts and AI call summaries on every plan. AI Agent £1.49 a voice conversation |
| bOnlineBest for desk phones on a contract | £13.95 per user a month on a 12, 24 or 36 month contract. Starter from £7 | 12, 24 or 36 months. Prices rise £1.50 each April | Not published | Transcripts and summaries on the £19.95 AI plan. AI receptionist coming soon |
The best CircleLoop alternatives, one by one
- Our product
1. Line
Best for teams on the move
Line keeps CircleLoop's no-contract, app-first model and adds what CircleLoop lacks: texts and WhatsApp on the business number, a shared inbox and an AI receptionist. It does not record or transfer calls, so it suits teams who message customers more than they sit on long calls.
- Price
- From £4 a month with one UK number, plus 5p a minute for calls you make and 8p a text
- Contract
- Monthly, no setup fee, no minimum term
- Texts and WhatsApp
- Yes, from UK mobile (07) numbers. Yes, in the same inbox as calls and texts.
- Missed calls and AI
- AI receptionist included on Pro and Business, an add-on on Starter. Missed-call text back
Why choose it
- Texts and WhatsApp from the UK business number, in one thread per customer
- AI receptionist on Pro and Business, and a missed-call text on every plan
- No contract, no setup fee, and no hardware to buy
Line vs CircleLoop, in detailWatch out for
- Calls are charged per minute, so a heavy-calling team can pay more than on an unlimited plan
- No desk phone handsets
- Line does not carry 999 calls. Dial 999 from the phone's own dialler
2. Yay.com
Best on a tight budget
Yay.com is the closest like-for-like swap: no contract, apps on every platform, SMS on every plan and free Teams Direct Routing. It has no AI answering.
- Price
- £14.99 per user a month, or £11.99 billed yearly. Core from £5.99
- Contract
- No contract. Monthly or yearly
- Texts and WhatsApp
- Yes, SMS on every plan. Not offered.
- Missed calls and AI
- Voicemail transcription on Standard. AI summaries on Premium
Why choose it
- No contract and no setup fee
- Microsoft Teams Direct Routing at no extra cost
- Apps on every platform, including Linux and web
Watch out for
- No AI answering
- AI transcription and summaries need Premium at £24.99
- Only one number included per account
3. sipgate
Best for call queues on a budget
sipgate adds what CircleLoop does not publish: call queues and an auto attendant, with a 30-day free trial. It needs at least two users.
- Price
- £17.95 per user a month, minimum 2 users. business S from £12.95
- Contract
- Cancel monthly
- Texts and WhatsApp
- Web SMS from 5.9p a message. Not offered.
- Missed calls and AI
- AI Assist summaries, 10 a month included
Why choose it
- Call queues, auto attendant and busy lamps on business L
- 30-day free trial with no bank details
- Free number porting
Watch out for
- Minimum of two users
- Its help centre says only 01 and 02 numbers can be ported
- Unlimited AI summaries need a paid app tier
4. Zoom Phone
Best for teams already on Zoom
Zoom Phone gives unlimited UK and Ireland calls with queues and AI call summaries for a similar price to CircleLoop Unlimited. Texts need a UK 07 number and identity checks.
- Price
- £14.40 per user a month, or £12.80 billed yearly. Metered from £9.60
- Contract
- Monthly or yearly. Up to 16% off yearly
- Texts and WhatsApp
- UK SMS from 07 numbers only, after business ID checks. Not listed.
- Missed calls and AI
- AI call summaries included. AI receptionist coming soon in the UK
Why choose it
- Unlimited UK calls at a low monthly price
- Post-call AI summaries and task extraction included
- Call queues, desk phones and the Zoom apps your team may already use
Watch out for
- 999 does not work from UK mobile numbers on Zoom
- Texts need a UK 07 number and identity documents
- Number porting can take up to 30 business days
5. Dialpad
Best for AI call notes
Dialpad suits a team that wants AI transcripts and call summaries on every call. It costs more on monthly billing, and UK SMS is a sales add-on.
- Price
- £22 per user a month, or £12 billed yearly. Pro £28, or £20 yearly
- Contract
- Monthly, or yearly paid up front. Yearly renews automatically
- Texts and WhatsApp
- Unclear. The UK pricing page lists SMS as US and Canada only. Only in its contact centre product, from £94 a user.
- Missed calls and AI
- Live transcripts and AI call summaries on every plan. AI Agent £1.49 a voice conversation
Why choose it
- Transcripts and call summaries included from Standard
- Unlimited UK calls
- 14-day free trial
Watch out for
- Monthly billing costs nearly twice the yearly price
- Its UK pricing page lists texting as US and Canada only
- Teams, Salesforce and HubSpot integrations need Pro, minimum three users
Dialpad UK pricingDialpad messaging helpDialpad AI Agent rates
Line vs Dialpad6. bOnline
Best for desk phones on a contract
bOnline suits an office that wants cheap unlimited calls and ready-configured desk phones, and is happy with a 12 to 36 month contract.
- Price
- £13.95 per user a month on a 12, 24 or 36 month contract. Starter from £7
- Contract
- 12, 24 or 36 months. Prices rise £1.50 each April
- Texts and WhatsApp
- Not published. Not published.
- Missed calls and AI
- Transcripts and summaries on the £19.95 AI plan. AI receptionist coming soon
Why choose it
- Unlimited UK calls at a low contract price
- Low-cost desk phones, ready configured
- 30-day trial
Line vs bOnlineWatch out for
- Contract of 12 months or more
- Prices rise £1.50 per user every April
- CRM integrations cost £8 a month extra
What each CircleLoop alternative costs your team
Enter your team size. The bill updates for every provider on this page, with or without VAT.
200 minutes and 50 texts a month each
- Line£60.25 /mo£723 a year · Pro
- bOnline£69.75 /mo£837 a year · yearly only
- Zoom Phone£72 /mo£864 a year
- Yay.com£74.95 /mo£899.40 a year
- CircleLoop£75 /mo£900 a year
- sipgate£89.75 /mo£1,077 a year
- Dialpad£110 /mo£1,320 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.
Which CircleLoop alternative is right for you?
| If you need | Choose | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Texts and WhatsApp in one inbox | Line | Both on one UK number, shared by the team. |
| An AI receptionist | Line | Answers calls in a British voice, included on Pro and Business. |
| The lowest no-contract price | Yay.com | Plans from £5.99 a user, with SMS on every plan. |
| Call queues on a budget | sipgate | Queues and an auto attendant on business L. |
| Unlimited calls with AI notes | Zoom Phone | Unlimited UK and Ireland calls, AI summaries included. |
| Desk phones on a contract | bOnline | Low-cost handsets, set up before they arrive. |
How we chose: every provider here sells to UK businesses and publishes its UK prices, except where noted. We scored each on cost for a small team, apps, texts and WhatsApp on a UK number, missed-call handling and AI, contract terms, and call handling. The full scoring is in our ranked guide to UK business phone systems. Line is our product, so it is listed first. The rest follow in the order we would recommend them to a small UK team leaving CircleLoop. No provider paid to be listed.
CircleLoop alternatives: questions people ask
Keep comparing
Line vs CircleLoop
Feature by feature, with prices and how to switch.
RingCentral alternatives
The best RingCentral alternatives for UK small businesses.
Aircall alternatives
The best Aircall alternatives for UK small businesses.
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 .
Try the CircleLoop alternative built for UK small teams
Calls, texts and WhatsApp on one UK number, in one inbox, with an AI receptionist for the calls you miss. No contract.