Vapi vs Retell vs Bland vs Synthflow the full voice agent bill

Vapi vs Retell pricing only makes sense once voice, models, transcription and telephony are included. Bland separates telephony from its agent rate; Synthflow requires a quote. The tables compare costs at 1,000, 10,000 and 100,000 minutes.

Vapi vs Retell vs Bland vs Synthflow, what pricing includes

The headline rate covers different things on each platform, so the table below shows what sits inside it and what sits outside.

Voice agent costs at 1,000, 10,000 and 100,000 minutes

We calculated these estimates from published rates. For Vapi we used its calculator ranges, which assume Deepgram, OpenAI and ElevenLabs. For Retell we used its default stack at $0.11 a minute, or $0.125 with its Twilio numbers. The Vapi and Bland figures leave out carrier cost where it applies.

Bland’s Build plan costs less per minute than Start, but the $299 fee only pays back after about 15,000 minutes a month ($299 divided by the $0.02 saving). That volume works out at 500 minutes a day, and Start allows 100 calls a day, so calls averaging under five minutes would hit the cap before the saving arrives.

Decide how much control your team wants

We would lean towards Vapi when your technical team wants to choose the model, voice and transcription services, and accepts the extra billing relationships and integration decisions that come with that choice. Retell suits a team that wants a simpler invoice and still wants some choice. Bland keeps the pricing structure straightforward and gives you less control over the underlying stack. With Synthflow, ask for a scoped proposal and an implementation plan before you compare costs.

Surprises that show up on the monthly bill

Retell bills silence and hold time because transcription keeps running, and it stops the agent fee once a call transfers while the telephony charge continues. Bland’s rate leaves out carrier cost, and its Start plan caps calls at 100 a day and offers one voice. Vapi’s total per minute depends on model choice, so it can be the cheapest or the dearest of the three that publish rates. None of the four publishes latency, completion or accuracy figures on its pricing page.

Concurrency costs and compliance terms to verify

Concurrency becomes a separate cost. At 50 simultaneous calls, Vapi on Core costs $429 a month (10 included, 40 extra at $10, plus the $29 fee). Retell costs $240 (20 free, 30 extra at $8), and Bland’s Build plan includes all 50 inside its $299 fee. Compliance brings another jump. Vapi charges $2,000 a month for its HIPAA add on, while Bland requires its applicable signed BAA terms. Retell’s documentation checked 18 October 2026 offers self-signing of its BAA without an additional agreement fee; data handling still needs configuration. Source, https://docs.retellai.com/general/compliance.

Consider a clinic handling 500 calls a month

A clinic taking 500 calls of 4 minutes a month uses 2,000 minutes. On Retell’s default stack that comes to about $220 to $250. On Bland Start it is $280, and the 100 call daily cap only applies if more than 100 of those calls land on a single day. Vapi would cost roughly $164 to $258 before carrier charges, but a clinic would also face the $2,000 HIPAA add on. Retell documents self-signing of its BAA without an additional agreement fee; confirm workspace settings and any deployment requirements. Bland’s applicable BAA and plan terms still need review. These figures cover usage, not a complete healthcare deployment.

Another option to compare

ElevenLabs sells voice agents as well as voices. Its Agents plans start at $0 for 15 minutes, then cost $6 a month for 75 minutes, $22 for 275 (the first month is $11), $99 for 1,238 and $299 for 3,738. Extra minutes cost $0.08, burst minutes above the concurrency cap cost $0.16, and the language model and the phone provider are billed at cost on top. That puts hosting at $0.08 a minute against Vapi’s $0.05, with speech included. A startup grants programme gives eligible new products 12 months free, which helps a small team testing an idea.

We would test the same calls on each platform

1. Fix one script, one voice, one model and one phone number type.
2. Place the same 50 calls on each platform, including silence and a transfer.
3. Divide each invoice by connected minutes.
4. Record latency and failures yourself, since none of the four publishes them.

Questions we would ask before signing

1. What is the total cost per minute for our stack, including the phone carrier?
2. Which compliance items sit on which plan?
3. What are the concurrency and daily call limits, and what does raising them cost?
4. How are transfers, voicemail, silence and failed calls billed?

Frequently asked questions

Is Vapi, Retell or Bland cheapest per minute?

That depends on the stack. Vapi’s $0.05 hosting rate leaves out the model and voice, Retell’s default stack costs $0.11, and Bland charges $0.12 to $0.14 with the model, transcription and voice included. Price the same call on each.

Does Bland include the phone carrier?

No. Bland’s rate covers the model, transcription and voice. Telephony is billed separately or runs on your carrier.

Does Synthflow publish a price per minute?

Synthflow publishes no price per minute on the page we read. Its Enterprise contracts start at $30,000 a year.

Sources

• Vapi, pricing, checked 14 October 2026.
• Retell AI, pricing, checked 14 October 2026.
• Bland, pricing, checked 14 October 2026.
• Synthflow, pricing, checked 14 October 2026.
• ElevenLabs, Agents pricing, checked 14 October 2026.

The worked examples use published rates and the assumptions explained above. Read the voice agent pricing guide, see all rows in the AI Agent Pricing Tracker, or go back to all comparisons. Send a correction.

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