12 Best Retell AI Alternatives (2026)
Retell AI is api plus no-code, production telephony fast. Teams that switch usually cite price at production volume, compliance requirements, deeper pipeline control, outbound campaign tooling, an out-of-the-box receptionist, ecommerce order handling. The alternatives below are ranked by published head-to-head verdicts, not sponsorship.
On our facts, Retell AI is the 14th-lowest latency of 17 - the kind of gap teams cite when they go looking.
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Reviewed by vsref Editorialfacts verified Oct 3, 2026Methodology →
Where to switch, by reason
All 75 voice ai alternatives
How the top Retell AI alternatives compare
A closer look at the top 6: each Retell AI alternative's standing among Voice AI peers, its verdict record against Retell AI, and the trade-offs of leaving.
1. Dasha
Among the 23 voice ai tools we track, Dasha has the 18th-cheapest per-minute rate.
Before switching, weigh what stays behind - Retell AI vs Dasha: ~20× the base concurrency, ~10% cheaper, adds native sip trunking.
Its published rate is $0.08 per minute, verified July 2026.
Overall verdict: Retell AI leads on nearly every dimension. Its base concurrency is 20 calls versus Dasha's 1 call, making it ready for production scale out of the box. Real production costs start at $0.085 per minute versus Dasha's flat $0.08 per minute, a negligible difference that is offset by Retell's richer feature set, including native outbound campaigns, warm transfer, a built-in knowledge base, a no-code builder, DTMF/IVR, SIP trunking, GDPR tooling, SOC2 Type II, BYO-LLM, and BYO-voice. Dasha confirms almost none of these features. The concurrency gap alone decisively favors Retell for any team operating beyond hobbyist scale.
| Monthly volume | All-in monthly bill |
|---|---|
| 1K min/moSolo builder | $80 |
| 10K min/moAgency | $800 |
| 100K min/moCall center | $8,000 |
≈ $0.08 per minute all-in (est.), verified Jul 15, 2026. All-in monthly: platform fee + per-minute + telephony. Assumes GPT-4o class model, ElevenLabs voice. How we compute costs →
2. LiveKit Agents
Among the 23 voice ai tools we track, LiveKit Agents has the 3rd-cheapest per-minute rate - a fit for cost-sensitive, high-volume work.
Our use-case verdicts have LiveKit Agents ahead of Retell AI for custom pipeline control and healthcare compliance.
Seen from the other side, Retell AI vs LiveKit Agents: ~600% pricier, ~4× the base concurrency.
LiveKit Agents lists $0.01 per minute, verified July 2026.
Why teams switch: For engineering teams needing custom pipeline control, LiveKit Agents is API-first and passes through LLM and TTS costs at cost, giving engineers direct control over every component without markup or abstraction layers. Retell AI marks up LLM and TTS costs rather than passing them through, limiting transparency and control. LiveKit Agents has no no-code builder, reinforcing its code-first, engineer-oriented design. The real production cost floor is lower for LiveKit at 0.0435 USD/min versus 0.085 USD/min for Retell, meaning custom pipelines stay cheaper at scale.
Custom pipeline control verdict →
Overall verdict: These tools serve different teams. LiveKit Agents wins for engineering-led teams: the base price is $0.01/min versus $0.07/min, real costs run $0.0435-0.3135 versus $0.085-0.415 per minute, and LLM/TTS costs pass through at cost rather than being marked up. Retell AI wins for non-technical or ops-led teams: it offers a no-code agent builder, native outbound campaigns, a simulation and testing suite, partial white-label support, and 20 concurrent calls on the base plan versus only 5 for LiveKit. Each tool clearly fits a different buyer profile.
| Monthly volume | All-in monthly bill |
|---|---|
| 1K min/moSolo builder | $179 |
| 10K min/moAgency | $1,785 |
| 100K min/moCall center | $17,850 |
≈ $0.18 per minute all-in (est.), verified Jul 15, 2026. All-in monthly: platform fee + per-minute + telephony. Assumes GPT-4o class model, ElevenLabs voice. How we compute costs →
Full LiveKit Agents vs Retell AI comparison → · LiveKit Agents review →
3. Millis AI
Among the 31 voice ai tools we track, Millis AI has the 1st-widest language coverage and the 6th-cheapest per-minute rate - a fit for multilingual and localization projects and cost-sensitive, high-volume work.
Head-to-head, Millis AI takes smb receptionist and booking from Retell AI.
Before switching, weigh what stays behind - Retell AI vs Millis AI: ~250% pricier.
Its published rate is $0.02 per minute, verified July 2026.
Why teams switch: For an SMB watching costs, Millis AI's base price of $0.02/min versus Retell AI's $0.07/min is a 3.5x difference, directly reducing the per-call cost of a receptionist workload. Both tools offer a no-code builder, self-serve signup, outbound campaigns, SIP trunking, and number provisioning, so feature parity is high. Millis AI's real production cost starts at $0.06/min versus Retell's $0.085/min, reinforcing that cost advantage. Retell has SOC 2 and GDPR tooling, which matter less to a typical SMB receptionist than pricing does. Millis holds the edge on affordability for high-volume booking and after-hours coverage.
SMB receptionist and booking verdict →
Overall verdict: Retell AI suits compliance-focused or larger teams: it offers SOC 2 Type II, GDPR tooling, a HIPAA BAA option, a built-in knowledge base, a testing suite, warm transfer, and a tighter real-cost ceiling of 0.085 to 0.415 USD/min. Millis AI suits cost-sensitive or bootstrapped teams: its base price of $0.02/min compares favorably to Retell's $0.07/min, and its 600 ms latency makes it lean and fast for high-volume use without enterprise compliance needs. Neither platform dominates across all dimensions, so the right choice depends entirely on budget versus compliance priorities.
| Monthly volume | All-in monthly bill |
|---|---|
| 1K min/moSolo builder | $360 |
| 10K min/moAgency | $3,600 |
| 100K min/moCall center | $36,000 |
≈ $0.36 per minute all-in (est.), verified Jul 15, 2026. All-in monthly: platform fee + per-minute + telephony. Assumes GPT-4o class model, ElevenLabs voice. How we compute costs →
Full Millis AI vs Retell AI comparison → · Millis AI review →
4. Phonely
Among the 23 voice ai tools we track, Phonely has the 7th-cheapest per-minute rate and the 10th-widest language coverage - a fit for cost-sensitive, high-volume work and multilingual and localization projects.
Our use-case verdicts have Phonely ahead of Retell AI for smb receptionist and booking and matches it for ecommerce support and orders and healthcare compliance.
Seen from the other side, Retell AI vs Phonely: ~40% pricier, adds bring-your-own llm.
Phonely lists $0.05 per minute, verified July 2026.
Why teams switch: For an SMB receptionist and booking use case, cost and ease of entry matter most. Phonely's base price is $0.05/min versus Retell AI's $0.07/min, and its telephony add-on is $0.02/min versus $0.01/min, putting total base per-minute costs at roughly $0.07 for Phonely versus $0.08 for Retell AI. Phonely also offers 100 free minutes plus a free phone number on signup, which is more tangible for an SMB trialing the product than Retell AI's $10 credit. Both share a no-code builder, warm transfer, knowledge base, and self-serve signup, so feature parity is high, but Phonely's lower entry cost and more SMB-friendly free tier tip the balance.
SMB receptionist and booking verdict →
5. Ringly.io
Among the 31 voice ai tools we track, Ringly.io has the 12th-widest language coverage.
Head-to-head, Ringly.io takes ecommerce support and orders from Retell AI.
Before switching, weigh what stays behind - Retell AI vs Ringly.io: ~20× the base concurrency, ~75% cheaper, adds bring-your-own llm.
Its published rate is $0.29 per minute, verified July 2026.
Why teams switch: For ecommerce support and order flows, Ringly.io integrates natively with Shopify and Gorgias, which are core ecommerce platforms, while Retell AI integrates with GHL, HubSpot, Make, and Twilio but lacks native ecommerce platform connectors. Ringly.io also supports 40 languages, useful for global ecommerce. However, Ringly.io carries a $349/mo platform fee versus Retell AI's $0/mo, and Ringly.io lacks outbound campaigns and DTMF/IVR support. The native Shopify and Gorgias integrations give Ringly.io a focused ecommerce edge despite the cost disadvantage.
Ecommerce support and orders verdict →
Full Ringly.io vs Retell AI comparison → · Ringly.io review →
6. Thoughtly
Among the 13 voice ai tools we track, Thoughtly has the 6th-highest included concurrency.
Head-to-head, Thoughtly takes custom pipeline control and smb receptionist and booking from Retell AI and matches it for healthcare compliance.
Before switching, weigh what stays behind - Retell AI vs Thoughtly: ~2× the base concurrency.
Why teams switch: For engineering teams needing custom pipeline control, API-first access is decisive. Retell AI is explicitly API-first, while Thoughtly is not. Retell AI also carries no monthly platform fee ($0/mo) versus Thoughtly's $500/mo, lowering the barrier for custom integrations and iterative development. Retell AI further supports bring-your-own LLM and bring-your-own TTS, giving engineers fine-grained control over every pipeline component.
Custom pipeline control verdict →
Full Thoughtly vs Retell AI comparison → · Thoughtly review →