Compare · Retell alternatives
Retell alternatives in 2026, with every price checked
Komms reduces talk time 30–40% vs. your agents on the same script.
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. RetellHow Komms works
Updated
Retell prices AI phone agents as a range, built from the parts you pick. Here are six other voice AI tools, and what each rate really includes, so you can compare the whole bill.
We checked every price on each company’s own website. One tool on this list is ours: Komms. We put it last, and we list its limits too.
Retell alternatives at a glance
| Tool | Starts at | What the rate includes | Also charges | Price read from |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Retell (today) | $0.07/min | Depends on the voice, model and phone service you use | Past 20 lines: $8/call/mo | retellai.com, 29 September 2026 |
| Bland | $0.14/min | Model, speech and voice | Phone line billed separately; Build adds $299/mo | bland.ai, 29 September 2026 |
| Vapi | $0.05/min | Vapi’s platform share only | Speech, model, voice and phone at cost; Core $29/mo | vapi.ai, 29 September 2026 |
| ElevenLabs Agents | $0.08/min | Voice and phone | AI model use on top | elevenlabs.io, 2 October 2026 |
| Deepgram Voice Agent API | $0.075/min | Speech, model and voice | No phone numbers or phone service | deepgram.com, 29 September 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, 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 Retell really costs
Retell lists $0.07/min up to $0.31 a minute. The number is a sum: Retell’s own voice platform, plus the voice, the AI model and the phone line you choose.
Retell bills by the second, and silence and hold time count. The first 20 calls at the same time are free; after that, each line is $8/call/mo. Some features, like quality review and caller ID branding, cost extra.
Your own bill depends on where your setup lands in that range.
1. Bland: two plans, and the phone line costs extra
Bland Start is $0.14/min with no platform fee. Build is $0.12/min plus $299/mo a month. The rate covers the AI model, speech and voice.
Bland’s own FAQ says the phone line is billed separately, on your carrier or on Bland’s at cost. Start also caps you at 10 calls at the same time and 100 calls a day.
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. 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.
5. 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.
6. 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.
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 50,000 free tokens, about 625 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 Retell 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.
More price-checked lists: Bland alternatives · Vapi alternatives · Synthflow alternatives · PolyAI alternatives · AI Rudder alternatives · Sierra alternatives · Retell, compared · All comparisons
Questions
What are the main alternatives to Retell AI?
Bland Start is $0.14/min with no platform fee. ElevenLabs Agents is $0.08/min with the AI model on top. Komms is $0.08/min with the phone call, the model and a standard voice included.
How much does Retell AI cost?
Retell lists $0.07/min up to $0.31 a minute, depending on the voice, model and phone service you use. The first 20 concurrent calls are free, then $8/call/mo.
How does Retell pricing compare with Komms?
Retell starts at $0.07/min and lists up to $0.31 a minute, depending on the parts you use. Komms is $0.08/min, one rate with the phone call, the model and a standard voice included. Contact us: lower prices may apply at your volume.
Does Retell charge for concurrent calls?
Retell includes 20 concurrent calls. Past that, it charges $8/call/mo.
Can I try an alternative to Retell for free?
Several tools have free credits. New Komms accounts start with 50,000 free tokens, about 625 minutes of calls, with no credit card.
How fast does Komms answer?
On our live demo line, Komms starts its reply in a typical (median) 162 milliseconds after the caller stops talking; 90% of turns started within 211 ms, across 1,048 turns on Oct 6–7, 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 test it yourself at +1 (618) 228-1183, a live SSDI intake line where calls are recorded.