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Developer voice AI platform: $0.05 per minute for hosting, plus models and carrier fees at provider cost.
Vapi alternativeHead-to-head comparison
Vapi vs Retell AI: voice agent platforms compared
Vapi suits developers who want to pick every provider and pay each at cost on top of $0.05 a minute. Retell AI suits teams that want per-second billing, built-in booking, and chat agents. InsertChat is the stronger third option for businesses that want a finished AI receptionist, from $98 per month.
Vapi vs Retell AI vs InsertChat at a glance
Vapi details checked on from Vapi’s public pricing page; Retell AI details checked on from Retell AI’s public pricing page. Prices are in USD as listed; vendors change plans, so confirm current terms with each linked source.
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| Compared | Vapi | Retell AI | InsertChat |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Prepaid usage with no package, or a Success Package: Core at $29 per month, Pro at 10% of hosting fees with a $999 monthly minimum, Premier custom Source | Pay as you go from $0 with $10 in free credits; Enterprise pricing is custom Source | Pro, Growth, Scale, and Enterprise plans with monthly AI credits included. Annual billing costs ten monthly payments, paid upfront. Details |
| What is metered | Minutes: $0.05 per minute Vapi hosting, plus transcriber, model, and voice at provider cost and carrier fees (Twilio inbound $0.008 per minute) Source | Call minutes, tracked to the second: $0.055 voice infrastructure plus model, voice, and $0.015 telephony per minute; chat agents per AI message Source | AI credits from one monthly allowance. Use depends on the model, conversation length, knowledge processing, and tools; calls round up to whole minutes. Details |
| Channels | Voice agents over Vapi telephony and SIP, Twilio, Vonage, Telnyx, WebSockets, and WebRTC Source | Voice agents and chat agents, with SMS at $0.01 per message Source | Website chat, phone, email, SMS, and WhatsApp in one shared inbox Details |
| Human handoff | A transfer call tool routes live calls to a phone number or SIP address, with warm transfer modes Source | Call transfer to a person; after a transfer, only the telephony fee continues Source | Your own team takes over in the shared inbox with the full conversation, on every plan Details |
| Knowledge sources | Uploaded files such as .txt, .pdf, .docx, .csv, and .md, searched by a query tool Source | Knowledge bases at $0.005 per call minute; the first 10 are free, then $8 each per month Source | Website URLs, documents, questions and answers, audio and video files, and product information (1,000 sources on Pro) Details |
| Booking | Not verified | Lists a Book Appointments feature that checks availability and books Source | Books into the built-in calendar, Google Calendar, Outlook, Calendly, or Cal.com, automatically or after your team’s approval Details |
| Entry price | $0 to start with $5 in free credits; Vapi’s calculator estimates $82–$129 a month for 1,000 minutes Source | $0 to start with $10 in free credits; voice agents from $0.07 per minute Source | Pro at $98/month, or $81.67/month billed annually, with 5,000 credits, 3 assistants, and 3 seats Details |
| Notable limits | Without a package: 4 concurrent calls and 1 Vapi number; extra lines cost $10 per month; HIPAA is a $2,000 monthly add-on Source | 20 concurrent calls included, then $8 per call per month; billing covers silence and hold time; Retell numbers cost $2 per month Source | Additional phone numbers, SMS, WhatsApp, and other connected services can carry their own charges; analytics and reports start on Scale Details |
“Not verified” means our check did not confirm this detail. Ask the vendor before deciding.
How Vapi and Retell AI compare
1,000 minutes a month
Vapi’s own calculator estimates $82 to $129 a month for 1,000 minutes, covering its $0.05 hosting fee plus transcription, model, and voice at provider cost. Retell lists $0.07 to $0.31 a minute, or $70 to $310 for 1,000 minutes, depending on the model and voice. Numbers add $2 a month each on Retell, and extra Vapi lines are $10. InsertChat Pro is $98 per month with 5,000 monthly AI credits and one phone number included.
Estimate your InsertChat usage
Concurrency and add-ons
Without a Success Package, Vapi allows 4 concurrent calls and 1 Vapi number, and HIPAA is a $2,000 monthly add-on. Retell includes 20 concurrent calls, then charges $8 per call per month, and bills silence and hold time.
Building vs configuring
Both are toolkits: you write prompts, wire tools, and test flows, or pay someone to. Vapi searches uploaded files through a query tool; Retell adds $0.005 per call minute for knowledge bases, with the first 10 free and $8 a month for each after that. InsertChat starts from your business: add website pages and documents, pick one of 10 voices, set handoff rules, and connect a calendar.
Transfers and booking
Vapi’s transfer tool routes live calls to a number or SIP address, including warm transfers. Retell transfers to a person, charging only telephony after the handoff, and lists a Book Appointments feature. InsertChat books into the built-in calendar, Google Calendar, Outlook, Calendly, or Cal.com and hands conversations to your team in a shared inbox; it does not transfer live calls.
Appointment booking in InsertChat
Channels
Vapi’s pricing page lists voice agents over its telephony and SIP, Twilio, Vonage, Telnyx, WebSockets, and WebRTC. Retell adds chat agents billed per AI message and SMS at $0.01 a message. InsertChat answers calls, website chat, email, SMS, and WhatsApp from one setup.
Vapi, Retell AI, or InsertChat?
Choose Vapi if
- Your developers want to choose the transcriber, model, and voice per agent and pay each provider at cost.
- You need warm transfers to a phone number or SIP address.
- You’re building voice AI into your own product.
Choose Retell AI if
- You want billing to the second, with a published per-minute range for voice agents.
- You want chat agents and SMS from the same platform.
- You run outbound campaigns and want batch calling or branded caller ID add-ons.
Choose InsertChat if
- You want an AI receptionist working today without a developer.
- You want one monthly price: Pro is $98 per month with a phone number, 3 assistants, and 3 seats.
- You want every call in a shared inbox your team works from, next to chat, email, SMS, and WhatsApp.
Compare each one with InsertChat
InsertChat vs Retell AI
Pay-as-you-go voice and chat agent platform, from $0.07 to $0.31 per minute depending on the model and voice.
Retell AI alternative
InsertChat pricing
Pro, Growth, Scale, and Enterprise plans with monthly AI credits, from $98 per month, plus a usage estimator for your own call and chat volume.
See plans and pricingAt 1,000 minutes, Vapi’s calculator estimates $82 to $129 a month, and Retell’s listed $0.07 to $0.31 a minute works out to $70 to $310. The model and voice you choose decide where you land on both. InsertChat Pro is $98 per month with 5,000 monthly AI credits for calls and messages.
Both are built for teams that write prompts, connect tools, and test agents, and both offer APIs. InsertChat is set up in the app: add your website and documents, choose a voice and greeting, connect a calendar, and place a test call. Growth and above add API access.
Retell offers chat agents billed per AI message. Vapi’s pricing page lists voice agents over phone and web connections. InsertChat answers website chat, email, SMS, and WhatsApp with the same assistant as calls.
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