Vapi vs Retell AI
Agent-native side-by-side. Scores are curated estimates on a 0–10 scale. Lock-in: higher = worse. Prefer JTBD picks via /api/decide when choosing for a job.
| Dimension | Vapi | Retell AI |
|---|---|---|
| Overall | 8.1 | 8.2 |
| Capability fit | 9.0 | 8.8 |
| Price / performance | 7.2 | 7.8 |
| Latency / reliability | 8.4 | 8.4 |
| Developer & agent DX | 9.2 | 9.0 |
| Privacy / data retention | 7.5 | 8.0 |
| Lock-in risk (higher = worse) | 5.0 | 4.5 |
| Maturity / track record | 8.0 | 8.0 |
| Pricing | As of 2026-09-14 (vapi.ai/pricing): Build = usage-based hosting $0.05/min voice + $0.005/SMS/chat msg; STT/LLM/TTS at provider cost (or $0 with BYOK). 10 concurrent lines included, then $10/line/mo. Add-ons: HIPAA $2,000… | As of 2026-09-14 (retellai.com/pricing): True PAYG — platform voices all-in often ~$0.07–$0.31/min. Component: Voice Infra $0.055/min + TTS $0.015 (Retell/Cartesia/Minimax/Fish/OpenAI) or ElevenLabs $0.040 + LLM per-mode… |
| Tagline | Depot pick for shipping a phone/voice agent without assembling vendors. LiveKit when you want OSS + realtime… | Best Vapi peer for balanced inbound voice agents with clear $/min math. Vapi remains Depot default; Bland for… |
Vapi
Depot pick for shipping a phone/voice agent without assembling vendors. LiveKit when you want OSS + realtime media control; Deepgram when STT quality is the product and you will orchestrate yourself. Strengths: The actual 'don't stitch STT+LLM+TTS' product with BYOK; Phone/SMS channels + concurrency SKU that maps to ca
Strengths
- The actual 'don't stitch STT+LLM+TTS' product with BYOK
- Phone/SMS channels + concurrency SKU that maps to call centers
- Clear $0.05/min hosting math
Weaknesses
- Hosting + model + telephony stack into $0.10–0.20/min all-in easily
- HIPAA/ZDR add-ons are expensive vs LiveKit self-host
- Less of a media-network primitive than LiveKit
Retell AI
Best Vapi peer for balanced inbound voice agents with clear $/min math. Vapi remains Depot default; Bland for high-volume outbound; LiveKit for OSS media. Strengths: Transparent component rate card; No monthly platform fee; Strong inbound + builder DX.
Strengths
- Transparent component rate card
- No monthly platform fee
- Strong inbound + builder DX
Weaknesses
- All-in still stacks with LLM+telco
- Enterprise for HIPAA
- Less outbound-dialer focus than Bland
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