AppBreakup

Retell AI alternatives: 5 apps ranked by verified data

Facts checked Nov 8, 2026AppBreakup editorialHow we rankAll voice AI agent platforms

Top picks

  • Vapi logo

    Best overall

    Vapi

    Starting price: $29 per month (Core package)

  • ElevenLabs logo

    Best free option

    ElevenLabs

    Starting price: $6 per month (Starter)

Common reasons people leave Retell AI: per-minute cost adds up from several components, and SSO and role-based access only on the enterprise plan. We ranked 5 alternatives by how directly each one replaces Retell AI, then by reviews, real visits and how recently each app's facts were checked against its own website. Vapi currently ranks first.

Quick comparison

#AppPricingVerified priceOpen sourcePlatformsVerified factsScore
1Vapi logoVapiFree plan + paid$29 per month (Core package)NoWeb7 of 768.8
2Synthflow logoSynthflowPaid—NoWeb4 of 457.5
3ElevenLabs logoElevenLabsFree plan + paid$6 per month (Starter)NoWeb, iOS, Android6 of 652.6
4Twilio logoTwilioPaidFrom $0.0083 per messageNoWeb7 of 751.2
5Voiceflow logoVoiceflowPaid—NoWeb4 of 449.0
  1. Vapi logo

    1. VapiTop pick

    Best for: Developer teams that want to mix their own speech, LLM and voice providers in phone agents

    Free plan + paidWeb

    68.8

    score / 100

    Why switch from Retell AI

    More developer-oriented, with finer control over each provider in the voice stack.

    Pros

    • Choose your own transcriber, model and voice providers
    • Model costs passed through without markup
    • Built-in call testing, simulation and monitoring
    • Usage-only start with free credits and no minimum minutes

    Cons

    • Total per-minute cost depends on several providers and is hard to predict
    • HIPAA support is a separate monthly add-on
    • Low-tier plans include only a few concurrent calls
    How this score is calculated
    Editorial fit ×0.3100
    Reviews ×0.363
    Clicks (90 days) ×0.150
    Freshness ×0.15100
    Votes ×0.150

    0 counted reviews, 0 up and 0 down votes. Full formula

    Is Vapi a good Retell AI alternative?

    Verified facts

    7 of 7 verified
    Free credits
    $5 to start
    Checked Nov 8, 2026vapi.ai(opens source in a new tab)
    Hosting fee
    $0.05 per minute, models passed through at cost
    Checked Nov 8, 2026vapi.ai(opens source in a new tab)
    Core package
    $29 per month
    Checked Nov 8, 2026vapi.ai(opens source in a new tab)
    Model pricing
    Passed through at cost
    Checked Nov 8, 2026vapi.ai(opens source in a new tab)
    Compliance
    SOC 2, HIPAA, PCI
    Checked Nov 8, 2026vapi.ai(opens source in a new tab)
    Starting price
    $29 per month (Core package)
    Checked Nov 8, 2026vapi.ai(opens source in a new tab)
    Pro plan
    $999 per month minimum
    Checked Nov 8, 2026vapi.ai(opens source in a new tab)
  2. Synthflow logo

    2. Synthflow

    Best for: Mid-size and enterprise contact centres automating inbound and outbound calls

    PaidWeb

    57.5

    score / 100

    Why switch from Retell AI

    No-code builder for phone voice agents, easier for non-developers than Retell's API-first setup.

    Pros

    • Built-in connections to major phone systems, keeping existing numbers
    • Compliance coverage including SOC 2 Type II, PCI DSS and HIPAA BAA
    • Agents act in CRMs and calendars during calls

    Cons

    • No free plan, trial or pay-as-you-go option
    • Sold only as an annual enterprise contract
    • Not suited to developers wanting to experiment cheaply
    How this score is calculated
    Editorial fit ×0.363
    Reviews ×0.363
    Clicks (90 days) ×0.150
    Freshness ×0.15100
    Votes ×0.150

    0 counted reviews, 0 up and 0 down votes. Full formula

    Is Synthflow a good Retell AI alternative?

    Verified facts

    4 of 4 verified
    Pricing
    Annual enterprise agreement
    Checked Nov 8, 2026synthflow.ai(opens source in a new tab)
    Free plan
    No
    Checked Nov 8, 2026synthflow.ai(opens source in a new tab)
    Compliance
    SOC 2 Type 2, ISO 27001, PCI DSS
    Checked Nov 8, 2026synthflow.ai(opens source in a new tab)
    Phone systems
    Zoom, Five9, RingCentral, Twilio and more
    Checked Nov 8, 2026synthflow.ai(opens source in a new tab)
  3. ElevenLabs logo

    3. ElevenLabs

    Best for: Creators and developers who need realistic AI voiceovers, voice clones or dubbing

    Free plan + paidWeb, iOS, Android

    52.6

    score / 100

    Why switch from Retell AI

    Offers conversational phone agents built around its own widely used voices.

    Pros

    • Very natural, expressive voices across 90+ languages
    • Large voice library plus instant and professional voice cloning
    • Dubbing, music and sound effects in the same subscription
    • Well-documented API used by many apps

    Cons

    • Free plan has no commercial license
    • Credits are used fast on long audiobooks or dubbing
    • Professional voice cloning needs the Creator plan or higher
    How this score is calculated
    Editorial fit ×0.346
    Reviews ×0.363
    Clicks (90 days) ×0.150
    Freshness ×0.15100
    Votes ×0.150

    0 counted reviews, 0 up and 0 down votes. Full formula

    Is ElevenLabs a good Retell AI alternative?

    Verified facts

    6 of 6 verified
    Free plan
    Yes, 10,000 credits/month
    Checked Nov 8, 2026elevenlabs.io(opens source in a new tab)
    Starting price
    $6 per month (Starter)
    Checked Nov 8, 2026elevenlabs.io(opens source in a new tab)
    Languages
    90+
    Checked Nov 8, 2026elevenlabs.io(opens source in a new tab)
    Voice library
    17,500+ voices
    Checked Nov 8, 2026elevenlabs.io(opens source in a new tab)
    Creator plan
    $22 per month
    Checked Nov 8, 2026elevenlabs.io(opens source in a new tab)
    Pro plan
    $99 per month
    Checked Nov 8, 2026elevenlabs.io(opens source in a new tab)
  4. Twilio logo

    4. Twilio

    Best for: Developers adding SMS, calls, WhatsApp or 2FA codes to an app who want the widest set of features

    PaidWeb

    51.2

    score / 100

    Why switch from Retell AI

    Raw programmable voice for teams that want to assemble their own agent stack.

    Pros

    • Covers SMS, voice, WhatsApp, RCS, verification and email in one account
    • Pay as you go with no contract
    • Free trial with no credit card
    • Mature docs and SDKs for most languages

    Cons

    • Per-message rates are higher than some carrier-owned rivals
    • Carrier fees and US 10DLC registration add cost and setup work
    • The product range is large and can be hard to navigate
    How this score is calculated
    Editorial fit ×0.341
    Reviews ×0.363
    Clicks (90 days) ×0.150
    Freshness ×0.15100
    Votes ×0.150

    0 counted reviews, 0 up and 0 down votes. Full formula

    Is Twilio a good Retell AI alternative?

    Verified facts

    7 of 7 verified
    Pricing
    Pay as you go
    Checked Nov 8, 2026twilio.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Free trial
    Yes, no credit card required
    Checked Nov 8, 2026twilio.com(opens source in a new tab)
    SMS price
    From $0.0083 per message
    Checked Nov 8, 2026twilio.com(opens source in a new tab)
    WhatsApp
    From $0.005 per message
    Checked Nov 8, 2026twilio.com(opens source in a new tab)
    WhatsApp price
    From $0.005 per message
    Checked Nov 8, 2026twilio.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Voice price
    From $0.014/min to make a call, $0.0085/min to receive
    Checked Nov 8, 2026twilio.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Email price
    From $0.0013 per email
    Checked Nov 8, 2026twilio.com(opens source in a new tab)
  5. Voiceflow logo

    5. Voiceflow

    Best for: CX and product teams or agencies building production AI support agents for chat and phone

    PaidWeb

    49.0

    score / 100

    Why switch from Retell AI

    Visual canvas for designing chat and voice agents, suited to CX teams that want one tool for both.

    Pros

    • Combines LLM playbooks with deterministic workflows in one builder
    • Deploys to web chat, WhatsApp, SMS and voice
    • Choice of model provider or bring your own model
    • Built-in conversation testing and staging environments

    Cons

    • No free plan for ongoing use, only a trial
    • Business pricing isn't published and requires talking to sales
    • More setup than simple 'train on your docs' chatbot tools
    How this score is calculated
    Editorial fit ×0.334
    Reviews ×0.363
    Clicks (90 days) ×0.150
    Freshness ×0.15100
    Votes ×0.150

    0 counted reviews, 0 up and 0 down votes. Full formula

    Is Voiceflow a good Retell AI alternative?

    Verified facts

    4 of 4 verified
    Free trial
    Yes, no card needed
    Checked Nov 8, 2026voiceflow.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Billing
    Usage-based
    Checked Nov 2, 2026voiceflow.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Model choice
    Major LLM providers or your own model
    Checked Nov 8, 2026voiceflow.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Channels
    Web, app, WhatsApp, SMS, voice
    Checked Nov 2, 2026voiceflow.com(opens source in a new tab)

The best Retell AI alternative for…

The highest-ranked app in this list for each need.

Vapi logo

Best Retell AI alternative for most people

Vapi

More developer-oriented, with finer control over each provider in the voice stack.

ElevenLabs logo

Best Retell AI alternative for a free plan you can upgrade

ElevenLabs

Offers conversational phone agents built around its own widely used voices.

ElevenLabs logo

Best Retell AI alternative for iPhone and Android

ElevenLabs

Offers conversational phone agents built around its own widely used voices.

Synthflow logo

Best Retell AI alternative for working in the browser

Synthflow

No-code builder for phone voice agents, easier for non-developers than Retell's API-first setup.

Retell AI alternatives: common questions

What is the best alternative to Retell AI?

Vapi ranks first right now. More developer-oriented, with finer control over each provider in the voice stack. Synthflow and ElevenLabs follow it in our ranking.

Retell AI vs Vapi: what's the difference?

Both Retell AI and Vapi are free with paid plans. Verified prices: Retell AI $0.07–$0.31 per minute, Vapi $29 per month (Core package). Both run on Web.

Is Retell AI free?

Retell AI is free with paid plans. Voice agent price: $0.07–$0.31 per minute; Free credits: $10; Voice infrastructure fee: $0.055 per minute. Checked on Retell AI's own site, November 2026.

How much do Retell AI alternatives cost?

Verified prices for the top-ranked Retell AI alternatives: Vapi, $29 per month (Core package); ElevenLabs, $6 per month (Starter); Twilio, From $0.0083 per message. Each price was checked on the app's own site; see each card below for the date and source.

Is there a free alternative to Retell AI?

Yes. Vapi (free plan + paid) and ElevenLabs (free plan + paid) have a free option. Check each app's verified facts for current plan limits.

Is there an open-source alternative to Retell AI?

None of the 5 alternatives in this list is open source.

Why do people switch from Retell AI?

The complaints we hear most: per-minute cost adds up from several components; SSO and role-based access only on the enterprise plan; cloud-only; no self-hosted option.

How is this list ranked?

Every app is scored with the same published formula: how directly it replaces Retell AI, reviews (weighted by verification), visits from AppBreakup, how recently its facts were checked against its own website, and reader votes.