Both are platforms you build on. Here is how their prices differ, and what to choose if you do not want to build.
Short answer: choose Vapi if you want to pick every provider yourself and build through its API. Choose Retell AI if you want voice, telephony and chat agents under one per-minute price. At ordinary settings both cost roughly 7 to 15 cents a minute. If nobody on your team will build the agent, neither is the right purchase, and a done-for-you receptionist such as SpeakEdge is the third option.
Vapi charges $0.05 a minute for its platform and passes each provider through at cost. Its pricing page lists transcription at about 1 cent a minute, the model at 1 to 5 cents and the voice at 1.5 to 2.4 cents, which puts a typical call between 8 and 14 cents a minute before any phone carrier charge.
Retell AI quotes a single figure, $0.07 to $0.31 a minute, covering its voice infrastructure, the voice and the model. US phone calls add $0.015 a minute. The model and voice you choose decide where in that range you land.
So at the low end the two cost about the same. The difference is in how the bill arrives: several provider lines with Vapi, one line with Retell.
| Vapi | Retell AI | SpeakEdge | |
|---|---|---|---|
| How you pay | $0.05/min platform fee plus each provider at cost | One per-minute price, $0.07 to $0.31 | Monthly plan: $49 for 40 conversations or $99 for 80 |
| Typical cost per minute | About $0.08 to $0.14 | $0.07 to $0.31 | About $0.25, setup included. In India, about ₹6.7 |
| Free to start | $5 in credits | $10 in credits | 14-day free trial, no credit card |
| Monthly fee | $0, Core $29, Pro from $999 | None | $49 or $99. In India, ₹3,999 or ₹7,999 |
| Extra simultaneous calls | $10 per line per month | 20 included, then $8 each per month | Not listed on its pricing page |
| Who builds the agent | You or your developer | You or your developer | SpeakEdge, included in every plan |
| Chat agents | Not covered on the page we checked | Yes, from $0.002 per message | Website widget and WhatsApp chat |
| Best for | Developers who want every choice | Agencies and teams that want one bill | Businesses with no developer |
Vapi and Retell AI sell usage on a platform you build on. SpeakEdge sells a finished receptionist for a monthly price. Per minute SpeakEdge costs more in US dollars, because the setup is part of what you pay for.
Vapi charges $0.05 a minute for its platform and passes the other providers through at cost. Its pricing page lists transcription at about 1 cent a minute, the model at 1 to 5 cents and the voice at 1.5 to 2.4 cents, so a typical call lands between 8 and 14 cents a minute before any phone carrier charge. New accounts get $5 in credits. Paid support packages are $29 a month for Core and from $999 a month for Pro, and extra simultaneous calls are $10 per line per month.
Pick Vapi if you have a developer and want to pick the model, the voice and the phone carrier yourself.
Retell AI quotes one per-minute price, $0.07 to $0.31, that covers its voice infrastructure, the voice and the model. Phone calls in the United States add $0.015 a minute. There is no monthly fee, new accounts get $10 in free credits, and 20 simultaneous calls are included, with more at $8 each per month. Retell also runs chat agents, from $0.002 a message.
Pick Retell AI if you or your agency will build the agent and you want fewer separate bills.
SpeakEdge is an AI receptionist and voice agent for businesses that do not want to build one. It answers on your website, your phone line and WhatsApp, asks the questions your sales team would ask, books the appointment, and sends you each lead with a recording, a transcript and a summary.
The Starter plan is $49 a month for one AI assistant and 40 conversations, where a conversation is about 5 minutes. The Growth plan is $99 a month for three assistants, 80 conversations, 50+ languages and two CRM integrations. Both include full onboarding and setup of the assistant, and both start with a 14-day free trial with no credit card. In India the same plans are ₹3,999 for 600 minutes and ₹7,999 for 1,200 minutes, and the agent speaks 11 Indian languages including Hindi and English.
Two limits to know. Per minute, SpeakEdge costs more in US dollars than a platform you assemble yourself, because the setup is in the price. And the Starter plan is English only; other languages start on Growth.
Pick SpeakEdge if you run a clinic, a real estate office, a school or a similar business, you have no developer, and what you want is enquiries answered and qualified at any hour. See SpeakEdge pricing.
Pick Vapi if a developer will build the agent and you want control of the model, the voice and the carrier. Pick Retell AI if you would rather have those bundled, with chat agents and 20 simultaneous calls included.
Pick neither if the person reading this is the business owner and there is no developer. In that case the cost that matters is the time and money to get a working agent, and a plan with setup included will usually get you there sooner.
At the low end they cost about the same. Vapi charges $0.05 a minute plus transcription, model and voice providers at cost, roughly $0.08 to $0.14 a minute. Retell AI quotes $0.07 to $0.31 a minute all in. The model and voice you choose decide where you land on either. Checked 3 October 2026.
Vapi lets you choose and pay each provider separately, which gives more control and a bill with several lines. Retell AI bundles its infrastructure, voice and model into one per-minute price and also offers chat agents.
Both are platforms you configure and connect to your own systems, so most businesses use a developer or an agency. SpeakEdge is an alternative where setup of the AI assistant is included in the plan.
Retell AI gives new accounts $10 in free credits and Vapi gives $5, as listed on their pricing pages on 3 October 2026.
All figures were read from these pages on 3 October 2026. Voice AI pricing changes often, so check again before you decide.
SpeakEdge is made by MasterBlocks Pvt Ltd, and this page is on SpeakEdge's own website, so SpeakEdge is one of the options compared. We are not affiliated with Vapi or Retell AI. We have not tested the other platforms; their details come from their published pricing pages.
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