Compare · Bland alternatives
Bland alternatives in 2026, with every price checked
Komms, our tool on this list:
- $0.08 a minute, phone call included
- $15/mo per phone number
Start free — 625 minutesAsk how much you'd save vs. BlandHow Komms works
Updated
Bland lets you build AI phone agents and bills by the minute. Its rate covers the AI model and the voice, but not the phone line. Here are six Bland alternatives, and what each rate really includes.
We checked every price on each company’s own website. One tool on this list is ours: Komms. We put it last.
Bland alternatives at a glance
| Tool | Starts at | What the rate includes | Also charges | Price read from |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bland (today) | $0.14/min | Model, speech and voice | Phone line billed separately; Build adds $299/mo | bland.ai, 17 October 2026 |
| Retell | $0.07/min | Depends on the voice, model and phone service you use | Past 20 lines: $8/call/mo | retellai.com, 29 September 2026 |
| Vapi | $0.05/min | Vapi’s platform share only | Speech, model, voice and phone at cost; Core $29/mo | vapi.ai, 17 October 2026 |
| ElevenLabs Agents | $0.08/min | Voice and phone | AI model use on top | elevenlabs.io, 2 October 2026 |
| Thoughtly | $500/mo | Monthly plan | Bigger plans quoted | thoughtly.com, 29 September 2026 |
| Synthflow | $30,000/yr | Enterprise contract | Quoted by sales | synthflow.ai, 17 October 2026 |
| Deepgram Voice Agent API | $0.075/min | Speech, model and voice | No phone numbers or phone service | deepgram.com, 29 September 2026 |
| Komms (ours) | $0.08/min · Contact us (lower prices may apply) | Phone call, model and standard voice | $15 a month per phone number | kx21.com, 3 October 2026 |
“Starts at” is the lowest public rate or plan. “Not published” means the company sells by quote; we link the page we read. Your bill will depend on your minutes, your lines and the parts you use.
How we checked these prices
We read each price on the company’s own pricing page. The table links to that page and shows the day we read it.
Our site checks every price again at least every 120 days. If a price gets too old, the site will not go live until someone checks it. That rule is in our code, not just a promise.
Voice AI rates are hard to compare, because each company leaves different parts out. So the table says what each rate includes, and what costs extra.
Before you switch: what Bland really costs
Bland Start is $0.14/min with no platform fee. It caps you at 10 calls at the same time and 100 calls a day. Build is $0.12/min, but it adds $299/mo a month.
On both plans, the phone line is extra. Bland’s own FAQ says phone calls are billed separately, on your own carrier or on Bland’s at cost. So the rate on the page is not the rate on your bill.
Transfers to a person are billed too. If most of your calls end in a transfer, count those minutes when you compare.
| Minutes a month | Bland (phone line billed separately) | Komms, all in (phone call, AI, standard voice, one number) |
|---|---|---|
| 1,000 | Start: 1,000 × $0.14 = $140 | $80 + $15 = $95 |
| 10,000 | Start: 10,000 × $0.14 = $1,400 | $800 + $15 = $815 |
| 50,000 | Build: 50,000 × $0.12 + $299 = $6,299 | $4,000 + $15 = $4,015 |
Our math, from Bland’s own rates, last checked October 2026. Bland Start allows 100 calls a day, so 50,000 minutes is priced on Build. Transfer minutes are left out of both columns.
1. Retell: a per-minute range that depends on the parts you use
Retell lists a range of $0.07/min up to $0.31 a minute. Where you land depends on the voice, the AI model and the phone service you use. Retell bills by the second, and silence and hold time count.
The first 20 calls at the same time are free. After that, each extra line is $8/call/mo.
2. Vapi: a low platform rate, with the parts billed on top
Vapi hosting is $0.05/min. That is only Vapi’s own share. Speech-to-text, the AI model, the voice and the phone line are billed on top, at each provider’s price.
A usage-only account includes 4 calls at the same time. The Core package is $29/mo and includes 10. Each line past that is $10/line/mo.
Vapi is built for developers who wire the parts together themselves.
3. ElevenLabs Agents: the same $0.08, with the AI model on top
Extra call minutes are $0.08/min, the same headline rate as Komms. ElevenLabs says it adds no phone fee.
The difference is the AI model. ElevenLabs bills model use separately, on top of the minute rate. Plans bundle minutes: Creator is $22/mo for 275 minutes, and Pro is $99/mo for 1,238.
4. Thoughtly: a monthly plan through sales
Thoughtly Flex starts at $500/mo and includes 10 calls at the same time. Its bigger plans are quoted.
You can bring your own phone carrier, such as Twilio or Telnyx. Plans are bought through sales, with a pilot period.
5. Synthflow: now sold as an enterprise contract
Synthflow no longer lists a self-serve plan or a per-minute rate. Its pricing page says enterprise contracts start at $30,000/yr.
Final pricing depends on call volume, lines, phone setup, integrations and security needs. You get a quote from sales.
6. Deepgram Voice Agent API: for developers building their own
Deepgram’s Voice Agent API is $0.075/min on its standard pay-as-you-go plan. That covers speech-to-text, the AI model and the voice.
It is an API, not a finished agent. There are no phone numbers and no flow builder. You connect your own phone service and write the logic.
7. Komms: one rate that includes the phone call, the model and the voice
Komms covers what a calling team needs:
- A flow builder: each step is a question, and each typed answer leads to the next step.
- Tools the agent calls mid-conversation, like looking up a record or posting to your CRM, and knowledge it answers from.
- Warm transfer to a person when the call needs one.
- Inbound and outbound calls, with English and Spanish voices.
- Test every script in Chat before a call goes out. The same script also runs as a web chat widget.
- Every call is logged with its outcome and the answers the agent collected.
Calls cost $0.08/min. The phone call, the AI and a standard voice are included. Billing is in 6-second steps. A phone number is $15 a month. New accounts start with 625 free minutes, with no credit card.
Contact us: lower prices may apply at your volume.
Limits: the rate includes a standard voice. A premium voice brought from another company bills to you directly.
Contact us
Tell us roughly what you pay Bland today, and we will show you what the same work costs with us. No bill needed.
You get both prices side by side, and you decide.
Fastest voice AI, compared · More price-checked lists: Retell alternatives · Vapi alternatives · Synthflow alternatives · PolyAI alternatives · AI Rudder alternatives · Sierra alternatives · Bland, compared · All comparisons
Komms setups: AI receptionist · AI call center · AI outbound calling · AI answering service
Questions
What are the main alternatives to Bland AI?
Retell starts at $0.07/min, priced by the parts you use. ElevenLabs Agents is $0.08/min with the AI model billed on top. Komms is $0.08/min with the phone call, the model and a standard voice included.
How much does Bland AI cost?
Bland Start is $0.14/min with no platform fee. Build is $0.12/min plus $299/mo a month. Bland says phone calls are billed separately. Komms is $0.08/min with the phone call, the AI and a standard voice included, plus $15 a month per number.
Does Bland AI include the phone line?
No. Bland’s own FAQ says phone calls are billed separately, on your own carrier or on Bland’s at pass-through cost. Komms is $0.08/min with the phone call, the AI and a standard voice included, plus $15 a month per number.
Is there a cheaper alternative to Bland AI?
It depends on your setup. Retell’s range starts at $0.07/min. Vapi hosting is $0.05/min, with the model, voice and phone line billed on top. Komms is $0.08/min, phone call included.
Can I try an alternative to Bland for free?
Several tools have free credits. New Komms accounts start with 625 free minutes of calls, with no credit card.
How fast does Komms answer?
On live calls, Komms has a median TTFW (time to first word) of 77 milliseconds, from the caller’s words arriving as text to its first words handed to the voice; 90% of turns were within 121 ms, across 15,297 turns on Oct 21–Nov 6, 2026, from the Komms call logs. Generating the voice and the phone network add to what the caller hears. Every call report shows the timing for each turn, and you can hear it for yourself in a free demo at kx21.com/demo.
Is Komms cheaper than Bland?
Yes. At 10,000 minutes a month Komms is $800 against Bland’s $1,400 on Start or $1,499 on Build. At 100,000 minutes Komms is $8,000 against $14,000 or $12,299. Bland bills phone calls separately; Komms includes them.