Compared
NeatPhone vs ringyard for prison calls
If you are scared for someone inside, call Prisoners’ Families Helpline on 0808 808 2003.
Both give you a UK landline number for prison calls. It goes on their phone list. The person inside pays the landline rate either way. What differs is what you pay to take the calls.
Checked against NeatPhone's own site.
Which costs less
On price, it depends how much you talk.
NeatPhone charges by the minute. A quiet month costs little. A busy one does not. We charge the same either way. There is one point where the two prices meet.
Their 9.6p a minute vs our £20 a month
About 6 minutes a day
Under that, theirs costs less. Above it, ours does.
That is 208 minutes a month.
Their lower price in a quiet month only helps if their number stays on the phone list.
Side by side
What each plan costs.
We priced each plan for an hour of calls a day. That is 1,800 minutes a month.
| Plan | A month, at an hour a day | What you pay |
|---|---|---|
| ringyard | £20 | £20 a month, unlimited |
| NeatPhone | £172.80 | £9.99 to set up, then 9.6p for every minute you receive |
Run by Unilink Software Ltd. They also run eMates, a prison email service, and FoneSavvy. Credit is bought up front, and the meter runs on every minute they talk to you.
Every NeatPhone figure here was read from their site on 25 August 2026. We have no link to them. We earn nothing either way. Tell us if one is out of date. We will fix it.
The part that is not price
Theirs passes the call on. Ours does not.
NeatPhone passes your call on to reach you. Since 11 August 2026, that is the kind of number prisons are told to restrict — it can be refused when it is put forward, or taken off the list after it was approved.[3, 7.9]
No riskStop any time
The person inside dials your ringyard number. It rings on the eSIM in your phone. Nothing is passed on.
Call forwardingWhat changed on 11 AugustWill it work on my phone?
Questions
Common questions.
If yours isn't here, ask us. A real person replies, same day.
Is NeatPhone cheaper than ringyard?
On price, it depends how much you talk. NeatPhone charges by the minute. The two prices meet at about 208 minutes a month. That is about 6 minutes a day. Under that, NeatPhone costs less. Above it, we do. But price is not the whole story. Their number passes your call on. Since 11 August 2026, prisons are told to restrict that kind of number. Ours is a real landline on your own phone.
Is there an alternative to NeatPhone?
Yes. Several services sell a landline number for prison calls. ringyard is one. A landline you already have at home costs nothing extra. Put that number on their list. Our compare page sets out every option.
What is the difference apart from price?
A NeatPhone number passes the call on to your mobile. Since 11 August 2026, that is the kind of number prisons are told to restrict. ringyard does not pass calls on. The number is a real line on your own phone.
Check us
- Interception, monitoring and security of prisoner communications policy framework. HM Prison and Probation Service / Ministry of Justice, issued 11 August 2026. Read 26 August 2026. Paragraph 7.9 points to a separate operations manual for exceptions. We have not read it. Read it yourself
£20 a month. That is the whole thing.
No term. Stop any time.