Compare · Vapi alternatives
Vapi alternatives in 2026, with every price checked
Updated
Vapi gives developers the parts to build voice agents, and charges a small platform rate on top of each part. Here are six other voice AI tools, 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, and we tell you where it falls short.
Vapi alternatives at a glance
| Tool | Starts at | What the rate includes | Also charges | Price read from |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vapi (today) | $0.05/min | Vapi’s platform share only | Speech, model, voice and phone at cost; Core $29/mo | vapi.ai, 29 September 2026 |
| Retell | $0.07/min | Depends on the voice, model and phone service you pick | Past 20 lines: $8/call/mo | retellai.com, 29 September 2026 |
| Deepgram Voice Agent API | $0.075/min | Speech, model and voice | No phone numbers or phone service | deepgram.com, 29 September 2026 |
| ElevenLabs Agents | $0.08/min | Voice and phone | AI model use on top | elevenlabs.io, 29 September 2026 |
| Bland | $0.14/min | Model, speech and voice | Phone line billed separately; Build adds $299/mo | bland.ai, 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 · Bring us your bill (lower prices may apply) | Phone call, model and standard voice | $15 a month per phone number | kx21.com, 5 September 2026 |
“Starts at” is the lowest public rate or plan. PolyAI and Voiceflow do not publish prices, so they are not in the table. Your bill will depend on your minutes, your lines and the parts you pick.
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 Vapi really costs
Vapi hosting is $0.05/min. Its own pricing page says that excludes model provider costs: speech-to-text, the AI model and the voice are billed at each provider’s price. The phone line is on top too.
Lines are metered. A usage-only account now includes 4 calls at the same time. The Core package is $29/mo for 10, and each line past that is $10/line/mo.
So the bill is Vapi’s share plus four other bills. Add them up before you compare it with an all-in rate.
1. Retell: the lowest floor, if you pick every part yourself
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 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 extra line is $8/call/mo.
At the bottom of its range, Retell is a cent cheaper than Komms. If you will tune each part to save that cent, Retell is a good choice.
2. 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.
For an engineering team that wants low-level control and a low rate, it is strong.
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.
If you already love ElevenLabs voices, this is the natural pick.
4. 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.
If you want one company for the whole stack and your volume is small, Start is simple to try.
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.
Thoughtly fits a team that wants a set monthly plan and help getting started.
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.
For a large team that wants a managed rollout, that can make sense. For a small team, it is a big first step.
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.
Talk time is $0.08/min, all in: the phone call, the AI model and a standard voice. 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.
Bring us your bill: lower prices may apply at your volume.
Where it falls short: at its floor, Retell is a cent cheaper per minute. Vapi’s own share is lower if you already pay for your own model and voice. A premium voice brought from another company bills to you directly.
Send us your bill
Send us last month’s Vapi bill. We will count your minutes and lines, then price the same calls on Komms. Anything we cannot replace stays on the bill, marked as theirs.
If one of the tools above is a better fit, we will tell you.
More price-checked lists: Bland alternatives · Retell alternatives · Synthflow alternatives · Vapi, compared · All comparisons
Questions
- What is the best alternative to Vapi?
- For developers who want parts, Deepgram’s Voice Agent API is $0.075/min with speech, model and voice included. For one all-in rate, Komms is $0.08/min with the phone call, the model and a standard voice included.
- How much does Vapi cost per minute?
- Vapi hosting is $0.05/min. Speech-to-text, the AI model, the voice and the phone line are billed on top, at each provider’s price.
- How many concurrent calls does Vapi include?
- A usage-only account includes 4. The Core package is $29/mo and includes 10. Each extra line is $10/line/mo.
- Is Vapi cheaper than Komms?
- Vapi’s own share, $0.05/min, is lower than Komms’s $0.08/min. But Vapi’s rate leaves out the model, the voice and the phone line, which the Komms rate includes. Add those up for your own setup. Bring us your bill: lower prices may apply at your volume.
- Can I try an alternative to Vapi for free?
- Several tools have free credits. New Komms accounts start with 50,000 free tokens, about 625 minutes of talk time, with no credit card.