# Telnyx Voice AI Agents vs Twilio ConversationRelay

> Telnyx Voice AI Agents vs Twilio ConversationRelay: Telnyx Voice AI Agents is our pick, leading for agencies and developers. Base rates $0.05 vs $0.07/min.

This is the verified Telnyx Voice AI Agents vs Twilio ConversationRelay breakdown: Telnyx Voice AI Agents (Carrier-native voice AI: telephony, GPUs, STT/TTS and orchestration vertically integrated at the network edge.) and Twilio ConversationRelay (Carrier-grade voice harness for BYO-LLM agents inside Twilio Programmable Voice.) are Voice AI platforms, priced from $0.05/min and $0.07/min respectively. The bottom line, head-to-head facts, and true cost tiers follow.

Voice AI platforms · 26 facts compared · all sourced · pricing verified Jul 30, 2026

## Bottom line

Telnyx Voice AI Agents takes the overall edge over Twilio ConversationRelay, winning on no-code agency deploys, custom pipeline control, ecommerce support and orders, healthcare compliance, outbound sales campaigns and smb receptionist and booking. Compare the two on the use cases you care about before deciding.

## Verdict summary

| Use case | Winner | Why |
| --- | --- | --- |
| No-code agency deploys | Telnyx Voice AI Agents | For a no-code agency deploying and reselling voice AI, the ability to build agents without code is essential. |
| Custom pipeline control | Telnyx Voice AI Agents | For engineering teams building custom pipelines, the ability to plug in your own LLM and drive every lifecycle step through an API are the deciding factors. |
| Ecommerce support and orders | Telnyx Voice AI Agents | For ecommerce support and order flows, the breadth of native integrations is the deciding factor. |
| Healthcare compliance | Telnyx Voice AI Agents | For HIPAA-bound healthcare workflows, the single most critical requirement is a HIPAA BAA that does not cost extra. |
| Outbound sales campaigns | Telnyx Voice AI Agents | For outbound sales campaigns, native outbound campaign functionality is the deciding factor. |
| SMB receptionist and booking | Telnyx Voice AI Agents | For an SMB running a receptionist and booking service, keeping overhead low is critical. |

## Telnyx Voice AI Agents vs Twilio ConversationRelay: head-to-head facts

| Fact | Telnyx Voice AI Agents | Twilio ConversationRelay | Verified |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Base price / min | $0.05 ([source](https://telnyx.com/pricing/conversational-ai)) | $0.07 ([source](https://www.twilio.com/en-us/voice/pricing/us)) | Jul 30 |
| Real production cost / min | $0.06-0.06 ([source](https://telnyx.com/pricing/conversational-ai)) | $0.08-0.08 ([source](https://www.twilio.com/en-us/voice/pricing/us)) | Jul 30 |
| HIPAA BAA on base plan | ✓  Included ([source](https://telnyx.com/pricing/conversational-ai)) | ◑  Paid add-on ([source](https://www.twilio.com/en-us/changelog/conversationrelay-is-now-hipaa-eligible)) | Jul 30 |
| Native SIP trunking | ✓  Yes ([source](https://telnyx.com/pricing/conversational-ai)) | ✓  Yes ([source](https://www.twilio.com/en-us/voice/pricing/us)) | Jul 30 |
| Concurrency limit (base) | 500 concurrent calls ([source](https://telnyx.com/pricing/conversational-ai)) | n/a | Jul 30 |
| Median e2e latency | ~200 ms (response time, vendor claim) ([source](https://telnyx.com/products/voice-ai-agents)) | ~491 ms (median) ([source](https://www.twilio.com/en-us/products/conversational-ai/conversationrelay)) | Jul 30 |
| Bring-your-own LLM | ✓  Yes ([source](https://telnyx.com/products/voice-ai-agents)) | ✓  Yes ([source](https://www.twilio.com/en-us/products/conversational-ai/conversationrelay)) | Jul 30 |
| Free tier credit | Free signup; pay-as-you-go with $0 monthly minimum ([source](https://telnyx.com/pricing/conversational-ai)) | Free trial credit on signup ([source](https://www.twilio.com/en-us/products/conversational-ai/pricing)) | Jul 30 |

## Telnyx Voice AI Agents vs Twilio ConversationRelay pricing: true cost at 3 usage tiers

All-in monthly: platform fee + per-minute + telephony. Assumes GPT-4o class model, ElevenLabs voice.

| Volume | Buyer | Telnyx Voice AI Agents | Twilio ConversationRelay | Note |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1K min/mo | Solo builder | $59 | $82 | Includes estimated telephony. Free credits can offset the first month. |
| 10K min/mo | Agency | $585 | $815 | Volume pricing typically starts to apply at this tier. |
| 100K min/mo | Call center | $5,850 | $8,150 | Both platforms offer custom contracts at this tier. Negotiate. |

## Telnyx Voice AI Agents vs Twilio ConversationRelay: verdicts by use case

### No-code agency deploys → Telnyx Voice AI Agents

For a no-code agency deploying and reselling voice AI, the ability to build agents without code is essential. Telnyx Voice AI Agents explicitly includes a no-code agent builder, while no such capability is confirmed for Twilio ConversationRelay. On production cost, which directly affects agency margins, Telnyx runs $0.056-$0.061 per minute versus Twilio at $0.079-$0.084 per minute, a meaningful gap that compounds across high call volumes. Telnyx also charges $0 per month as a platform fee, so agencies can onboard clients without fixed overhead eating into resale margins. Native outbound campaigns are confirmed for Telnyx, enabling agencies to offer proactive calling products without custom engineering. Twilio ConversationRelay is a developer-oriented WebSocket framework requiring code integration by design, making it a poor fit for no-code agency workflows.

### Custom pipeline control → Telnyx Voice AI Agents

For engineering teams building custom pipelines, the ability to plug in your own LLM and drive every lifecycle step through an API are the deciding factors. Both Telnyx Voice AI Agents and Twilio ConversationRelay support bring-your-own LLM and are fully API-first, so those criteria cancel out. The tiebreakers become latency, bring-your-own TTS, and testing tooling. On latency, Telnyx claims 200 ms end-to-end versus Twilio's 491 ms median, a meaningful difference for conversational responsiveness. Telnyx also offers a verified bring-your-own TTS voice capability and a simulation and testing suite, neither of which is confirmed for Twilio ConversationRelay. Native SIP trunking is a draw. These advantages across latency, TTS flexibility, and built-in testing push Telnyx ahead for teams who want tight, low-latency control over every layer of the pipeline.

### Ecommerce support and orders → Telnyx Voice AI Agents

For ecommerce support and order flows, the breadth of native integrations is the deciding factor. Telnyx Voice AI Agents offers 30+ prebuilt integrations including Zapier, MCP, and webhooks, making it straightforward to connect to ecommerce platforms, CRMs, and order management systems out of the box. Twilio ConversationRelay connects via WebSocket to any LLM and lists Deepgram and ElevenLabs as integrations, but this is a developer-facing connectivity model rather than a library of prebuilt ecommerce-relevant connectors. Telnyx also includes a built-in knowledge base, which is critical for product FAQs and order status scripts, while no equivalent is documented for Twilio ConversationRelay. Both tools offer self-serve signup and DTMF navigation. Telnyx carries a $0/mo platform fee, keeping costs low for merchants scaling seasonally.

### Healthcare compliance → Telnyx Voice AI Agents

For HIPAA-bound healthcare workflows, the single most critical requirement is a HIPAA BAA that does not cost extra. Telnyx Voice AI Agents includes a HIPAA BAA on its base plan, while Twilio ConversationRelay treats it as a paid add-on. That difference alone is decisive for compliance-driven buyers who cannot afford gaps in their Business Associate Agreement coverage. Both platforms hold SOC 2 Type II certification and both support GDPR tooling, so those factors do not separate them. Telnyx also offers warm transfer to human agents, which matters for healthcare escalation workflows. Beyond compliance, Telnyx carries a lower base rate of $0.05/min versus $0.07/min for Twilio ConversationRelay, and estimated real production costs of $0.056-$0.061/min for Telnyx versus $0.079-$0.084/min for Twilio ConversationRelay, meaning healthcare teams save money while staying compliant.

### Outbound sales campaigns → Telnyx Voice AI Agents

For outbound sales campaigns, native outbound campaign functionality is the deciding factor. Telnyx Voice AI Agents explicitly includes it, while Twilio ConversationRelay has no verified equivalent. On cost, Telnyx runs $0.056-$0.061 per minute versus Twilio's $0.079-$0.084 per minute, a meaningful savings at scale. Telnyx also supports 500 concurrent calls on its base plan, which is critical for high-volume dialing. Both platforms offer native SIP trunking and warm transfer to human agents. The combination of dedicated campaign tooling, lower per-minute cost, and high base concurrency makes the choice straightforward.

### SMB receptionist and booking → Telnyx Voice AI Agents

For an SMB running a receptionist and booking service, keeping overhead low is critical. Telnyx Voice AI Agents charges $0 per month in platform fees, while Twilio ConversationRelay has no published equivalent $0 option, which matters enormously for budget-conscious small businesses. Beyond cost, Telnyx includes a built-in knowledge base, a no-code agent builder, and warm transfer to human agents out of the box, none of which are confirmed for Twilio ConversationRelay. Both tools support in-platform number provisioning, so that is a wash. The combination of zero platform fee and ready-made SMB-friendly features makes the choice straightforward.

## Telnyx Voice AI Agents vs Twilio ConversationRelay: common questions

### Is Telnyx Voice AI Agents cheaper than Twilio ConversationRelay?

Yes, Telnyx Voice AI Agents is cheaper at every pricing level. Its base rate is $0.05/min versus Twilio ConversationRelay's $0.07/min. In real production scenarios, all-in per-minute costs run roughly $0.056 to $0.061 for Telnyx versus $0.079 to $0.084 for Twilio. Telnyx also adds a smaller telephony surcharge ($0.0032/min) compared to Twilio's ($0.0085/min). Both pass through LLM and TTS costs at cost.

### Telnyx Voice AI Agents vs Twilio ConversationRelay: which is better for no-code agency deploys?

Telnyx Voice AI Agents includes a no-code agent builder, a built-in knowledge base, native outbound campaigns, and 30+ prebuilt integrations including Zapier and webhooks, making it the stronger fit for no-code agency deployments. Twilio ConversationRelay is more developer-oriented, connecting any LLM via WebSocket with no documented no-code builder. For agencies that need rapid, low-code deployment across clients, Telnyx is the clearer choice.

### Does Telnyx Voice AI Agents or Twilio ConversationRelay have lower latency for real-time voice AI?

Telnyx Voice AI Agents claims a median end-to-end latency of 200 ms, while Twilio ConversationRelay reports a median of 491 ms. Both figures are vendor-claimed, but the gap is significant: Telnyx's reported latency is less than half that of Twilio ConversationRelay, which could noticeably affect conversation naturalness.

### How do Telnyx Voice AI Agents and Twilio ConversationRelay compare on telephony costs per minute?

Both platforms add a small per-minute telephony charge on top of their base AI rate. Telnyx Voice AI Agents charges $0.0032 per minute (roughly $0.19 per hour), while Twilio ConversationRelay charges $0.0085 per minute (roughly $0.51 per hour). At high call volumes, that difference compounds noticeably on your monthly bill.

### What is the real all-in cost per minute for Telnyx Voice AI Agents in production?

Telnyx Voice AI Agents typically costs between about $0.056 and $0.061 per minute in production, combining the base AI rate with the telephony add-on. LLM and TTS costs are passed through at cost and billed separately, so your total will depend on which models you use.

### Can I bring my own LLM and TTS voice to either platform?

Both Telnyx Voice AI Agents and Twilio ConversationRelay support bringing your own LLM. Telnyx also explicitly supports bring-your-own TTS voices. Both platforms pass LLM and TTS costs through at cost, with no markup.

### How many concurrent calls can Telnyx Voice AI Agents handle on a standard account?

Telnyx Voice AI Agents supports up to 500 concurrent calls on a base account, making it practical for mid-to-large contact center deployments without requiring a custom enterprise negotiation just to handle call spikes.

### Does Telnyx Voice AI Agents support outbound campaigns and warm transfers to human agents?

Yes. Telnyx Voice AI Agents includes native outbound campaign support and warm transfer to a human agent as built-in features. It also offers a built-in knowledge base and a simulation and testing suite, making it more self-contained for teams running complex outbound or blended workflows.

### Is Telnyx Voice AI Agents or Twilio ConversationRelay better for multilingual customer support?

Telnyx Voice AI Agents explicitly supports 80 languages and dialects. Twilio ConversationRelay's language coverage is not specified in available details. If broad multilingual support is a firm requirement, Telnyx provides a documented, verified number to evaluate against your target markets.

Source: https://www.versusref.com/voice-ai/telnyx-voice-ai-vs-twilio-conversationrelay/