Prices for M1 come straight from the price list, so they’re always current. Outside figures are linked to their sources.
The three costs to budget for
Whoever sets it up, missed-call text-back has the same three kinds of cost.
- The tool. A monthly fee for the app or system that spots the missed call and sends the text.
- The texts and calls. Some tools include a text allowance. Others charge per text. If you divert unanswered calls from your own mobile, those diverted calls use your phone plan.
- The set-up. Your time, or a one-off fee to have it done: the divert, the wording, the hours it runs, where replies go, and testing.
If you’re new to how it works, the guide to missed-call text-back explains the divert and the texting system in plain words.
What UK missed-call text-back tools cost
These are the published prices on the UK services’ own pages this month. None of their pages says whether VAT is added, so check before you sign up.
| Service | Monthly price | What the page says you get |
|---|---|---|
| TextTheCaller | £6.49 a month | Up to 50 missed-call texts a month from your business name, with no set-up fee and no per-text charge. Texting pauses if you hit 50 until the month resets. |
| Call Catchers | £35 a month | Missed-call text-back, two-way texting, review replies and a mobile app, with set-up included. Texts are extra at under 5p each, and it estimates about £5 a month on texts. |
| Call2SMS | £37, £67 or £97 a month | An automated text conversation that asks the caller what they need, then sends you a summary. Each plan includes a text allowance, rolling monthly. |
The gap between them is mostly what happens after the first text. A simple tool sends one message and leaves the rest to you. The dearer ones hold a short conversation, keep the enquiry in an app, or add reviews and a shared inbox.
What the texts and calls cost
If you build your own set-up, or a done-for-you system runs on an SMS provider, you pay per text.
- Twilio, one of the big providers, lists UK texts at US$0.056 for each one sent and US$0.0075 for each one received. A UK local number is US$1.15 a month and a UK mobile number US$2.50 a month. So 100 missed-call texts in a month is about US$5.60 in sending costs, plus whatever the replies add.
- Diverted calls. EE, for example, says calls diverted to another UK number are charged at your plan’s call rate and count against your allowance where that number is included. A conditional divert only moves calls when you’re busy or don’t answer. Check your own network’s terms.
For most small businesses the texts are the smallest part of the bill. The tool and the set-up matter more.
What you can do yourself
There are two ways to do it yourself, and they’re quite different.
- Your phone’s built-in quick replies. On an iPhone, when a call comes in you can tap Message and send a ready-made reply. You set your own under Settings, Apps, Phone, Respond with Text. There’s no extra charge, but it isn’t automatic: you have to see the call and tap. It doesn’t help when you’re up a ladder or with a client.
- A low-cost app plus a divert. Sign up to one of the simple tools, set a conditional divert on your mobile, write your message, and test it by calling from another phone and letting it ring out. An hour or two of your time, and a few pounds a month.
Whichever you pick, keep the text a service reply: who you are, that you missed the call, and what happens next. Don’t add offers, because the ICO treats marketing inside a service message as direct marketing, which brings in the PECR consent rules. For wording ideas, see what to text when you miss a call.
What a done-for-you set-up adds
A done-for-you set-up is worth paying for when the text is only the start. The work that makes the difference is usually what happens after it:
- Every enquiry landing in one list (a CRM), not spread across your texts, email and WhatsApp.
- Reminders before appointments, so booked jobs turn up.
- A review request after each job, sent to every customer.
- Wording, hours and routing that fit how you actually work, tested on your own phone.
Want a rough idea of what missed calls are costing you first? The missed call cost calculator uses your own numbers and runs in your browser. It gives an estimate, not a promise, but it helps you judge what a fix is worth to you.
What M1 Studio charges
The Missed-Call Rescue is a fixed £800, with no VAT. It includes missed-call text-back, a simple list for every enquiry (a CRM), automatic reminders and review requests. It’s paid £400 to start and £400 at launch, typically 1 to 2 weeks.
Text and app fees are paid at cost or directly by you, and listed before you agree, so you see the running cost before anything is set up. I don’t add a margin to them.
If you want the whole follow-up system kept running and tuned each month, it’s part of the Growth Plan at £1,000 a month. If you need a new website too, the Growth Build, from £6,500, has missed-call text-back built in.
Sources
Prices are as shown on each page on the date below. Prices change, so check the current page before you buy.
- TextTheCaller: automatic missed call text service for UK businesses, TextTheCaller, accessed 30 September 2026
- Call Catchers: missed calls text service for UK SMEs, Call Catchers, accessed 30 September 2026
- Call2SMS: missed call text-back for UK businesses, Call2SMS, accessed 30 September 2026
- SMS pricing for the United Kingdom, Twilio, accessed 30 September 2026
- How to manage call diverts, EE Business, accessed 30 September 2026
- Answer or decline incoming calls on iPhone, Apple Support, accessed 30 September 2026
- Identify direct marketing, Information Commissioner’s Office, accessed 30 September 2026