Bland AI vs VAPI vs Retell: Complete Voice AI Platform Comparison (2026)

If you're building AI voice agents in 2026, three platforms dominate the conversation: Bland AI, VAPI, and Retell AI. Each takes a different approach to the same problem—making AI phone calls that don't sound like robots.

I've built production voice agents on all three platforms over the past year. Some for inbound reception, others for outbound sales campaigns. The differences matter more than most comparison articles suggest, and the "best" platform depends entirely on what you're actually building.

Let's go ahead and jump into it.

Quick Comparison Overview

Before we dive deep, here's the decision matrix that covers the essentials:

Quick verdict:

• Choose Bland AI for outbound call campaigns at scale
• Choose VAPI for maximum customization and developer control
• Choose Retell AI for the fastest, most natural conversations

Now let's break down what each platform actually delivers.

Bland AI

Bland AI positions itself as the enterprise-grade solution for AI phone calls. Their pitch is simple: send thousands of AI phone calls with just a few lines of code. And honestly? They deliver on that promise for outbound use cases.

Overview

Bland focuses on making AI calls at scale feel effortless. The platform handles voice generation, call orchestration, and analytics out of the box. You're not stitching together five different services—Bland gives you one API endpoint and handles the rest.

What stands out is their Pathways builder, a visual tool for designing call flows without code. You map out conversation branches, define when to transfer, and set up conditional logic—all through drag-and-drop. For teams without dedicated developers, this is a significant advantage.

Features

Voice Technology:

• Native voice cloning from a single audio sample
• Multiple pre-built voices included
• Real-time voice synthesis during calls

Call Management:

• Inbound and outbound call handling
• Call recording and transcription
• Sentiment analysis and call scoring
• SIP/Twilio integration for existing phone systems

Integrations:

• Native HubSpot, Salesforce, and Slack connections
• Webhook support for custom workflows
• SMS messaging ($0.02/message)

Developer Experience:

• Simple REST API
• Just 10 lines of code to send a call
• Comprehensive analytics dashboard

Pricing

Bland's pricing is refreshingly straightforward—at least on the surface:

What's actually included in $0.09/min:

• Connected call time only (billed by the second)
• $0.015 minimum for calls under 10 seconds
• Call transfers add $0.025/min
• Voicemails charged at $0.09/min

Hidden costs to watch:

• Voice cloning: $50+/month for premium voices
• GPT-4 access: Variable based on usage
• Advanced transcription: Additional fees
• SMS: $0.02 per message

For a business running 1,000 minutes/month, expect true costs between $100-$200 depending on features used.

Code Example

Here's how simple Bland makes sending an outbound call:

import requests

url = "https://api.bland.ai/v1/calls"

payload = {
    "phone_number": "+1234567890",
    "task": "You are a friendly appointment reminder calling from Dr. Smith's office. Confirm the patient's appointment for tomorrow at 2pm. If they need to reschedule, offer the next available slots.",
    "voice": "maya",
    "first_sentence": "Hi, this is Sarah calling from Dr. Smith's office. Is this a good time?",
    "wait_for_greeting": True,
    "record": True
}

headers = {
    "Authorization": "YOUR_API_KEY",
    "Content-Type": "application/json"
}

response = requests.post(url, json=payload, headers=headers)
print(response.json())

That's it. Ten lines, and you've got an AI making a phone call. The simplicity is genuinely impressive.

Best Use Cases

• Outbound sales campaigns - Bland shines here. High volume, predictable scripts, simple qualification flows.
• Appointment reminders and confirmations - Set it and forget it.
• Lead qualification - Pre-screen leads before human follow-up.
• Survey collection - Automated post-call or post-purchase surveys.

Pros and Cons

Pros:

• Simplest API in the market—genuinely easy to implement
• Visual Pathways builder for no-code call flows
• Native voice cloning without third-party setup
• All-in-one pricing (mostly)
• Strong compliance credentials (SOC 2, HIPAA, GDPR)

Cons:

• Higher base rate than competitors ($0.09 vs $0.05-0.07)
• Scale plan rate actually increased to $0.11/min
• Less flexibility for complex conversational AI
• Voice quality slightly behind Retell in my testing
• Enterprise-focused—smaller projects feel overlooked

VAPI

VAPI is the developer's playground. If Bland is "just make the call," VAPI is "build exactly what you imagine." The name literally comes from "Voice API"—and that tells you everything about their philosophy.

Overview

VAPI doesn't try to be a turnkey solution. Instead, it provides the most configurable infrastructure for building voice AI applications. You bring your own LLM, your own speech-to-text, your own text-to-speech—and VAPI orchestrates it all.

This approach has trade-offs. You get unprecedented control but also more complexity. VAPI rewards teams with technical resources who want to build differentiated voice experiences.

The platform supports over 100 languages, integrates with practically any AI provider (OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, and more), and lets you bring your own API keys to control costs.

Features

Provider Flexibility:

• Choose any LLM: GPT-4, Claude, Gemini, or self-hosted models
• Any STT provider: Deepgram, Gladia, Whisper
• Any TTS provider: ElevenLabs, PlayHT, OpenAI voices
• Bring your own API keys for all services

Developer Tools:

• Comprehensive REST API
• SDKs for Web, React, Node.js, Python, Go, Ruby, and more
• CLI tools with vapi init for project scaffolding
• Real-time WebSocket connections

Voice Agent Features:

• Tool calling for external actions
• Memory and context persistence
• Interruption handling (barge-in detection)
• Custom function execution during calls

Integrations:

• Native Make and GoHighLevel connections
• Zapier, HubSpot, Notion support (40+ apps)
• Bring Your Own Carrier (BYOC) with Twilio or Telnyx

Pricing

VAPI's pricing model is where things get complex. The advertised $0.05/min is just the orchestration fee—your actual costs will be higher.

Plan Options:

Add-ons that hit your budget:

• HIPAA/SOC 2 compliance: $1,000/month add-on
• Additional SIP lines: $10/line/month
• Priority support: Enterprise only

For serious deployments, budget $40,000-$70,000 annually.

Code Example

Here's a VAPI implementation showing the configuration depth available:

import Vapi from "@vapi-ai/web";

const vapi = new Vapi("YOUR_PUBLIC_KEY");

// Create a highly customized assistant
const assistant = {
  name: "Sales Qualifier",
  model: {
    provider: "openai",
    model: "gpt-4-turbo",
    temperature: 0.7,
    systemPrompt: `You are a sales qualification specialist for a B2B software company.
    Your goal is to understand the prospect's needs, timeline, and budget authority.
    Ask open-ended questions. Listen actively. Never be pushy.`
  },
  voice: {
    provider: "elevenlabs",
    voiceId: "21m00Tcm4TlvDq8ikWAM", // Rachel voice
    stability: 0.5,
    similarityBoost: 0.8
  },
  transcriber: {
    provider: "deepgram",
    model: "nova-2",
    language: "en-US"
  },
  firstMessage: "Hi there! Thanks for taking my call. I'd love to learn about your current workflow. What's the biggest challenge you're facing right now?",
  endCallFunctionEnabled: true,
  endCallMessage: "Thanks for your time today. I'll send over some resources that might help.",
  silenceTimeoutSeconds: 30,
  maxDurationSeconds: 600
};

// Start the call with full control
vapi.start(assistant);

// Listen to real-time events
vapi.on("speech-start", () => console.log("User started speaking"));
vapi.on("speech-end", () => console.log("User stopped speaking"));
vapi.on("call-end", () => console.log("Call ended"));
vapi.on("message", (message) => {
  if (message.type === "function-call") {
    // Handle tool calls during conversation
    handleToolCall(message.functionCall);
  }
});

This shows VAPI's strength: granular control over every component of the voice experience.

Best Use Cases

• Complex conversational AI - When your agent needs to make decisions, call APIs, and handle nuanced conversations.
• Custom integrations - Building voice into existing products or workflows.
• Multi-provider optimization - Testing different LLMs and voice providers to find the best combination.
• Developer platforms - Building voice AI products for others.

Pros and Cons

Pros:

• Unmatched customization—configure every detail
• Best developer documentation in the space
• Use any LLM, STT, or TTS provider
• Bring your own API keys for cost control
• Strong tool-calling capabilities for complex workflows
• 100+ language support

Cons:

• Requires technical expertise—not for non-developers
• True costs much higher than advertised $0.05/min
• HIPAA compliance is a $1,000/month add-on
• More moving parts means more potential failure points
• Learning curve is significant

Retell AI

Retell AI has carved out a clear niche: the fastest, most natural-sounding conversations. When latency matters—and in voice AI, it always does—Retell consistently benchmarks ahead of the competition.

Overview

Retell focuses obsessively on conversation quality. Their ~600ms latency (time from user speech to AI response) is the lowest in the industry. The result is conversations that feel genuinely natural, without the awkward pauses that plague other platforms.

The platform combines this speed with strong enterprise features: SOC 2 Type II and HIPAA compliance built-in (not as an add-on), automatic language detection across 30+ languages, and a visual builder for non-technical users.

What I appreciate most: Retell's pricing is straightforward. No hidden orchestration fees. You pay for what you use.

Features

Voice Quality:

• Industry-leading ~600ms latency
• Premium voices from ElevenLabs, PlayHT, and OpenAI
• Custom voice clones via ElevenLabs integration
• Automatic language detection (31+ languages)

LLM Options:

• GPT-4, GPT-4 Turbo, GPT-4.1
• Claude 3, Claude 3.5
• Bring your own LLM via API

Enterprise Features:

• SOC 2 Type II and HIPAA compliant (included)
• GDPR compliant
• 99.99% uptime SLA
• Unlimited concurrent calls on higher tiers

Developer Experience:

• REST API with WebSocket support
• Knowledge base synchronization
• MCP server for AI assistant integration
• Batch campaign management

Pricing

Retell's pricing is component-based but more transparent than VAPI's:

Enterprise benefits:

• Base rate drops to $0.05/min
• Volume discounts available
• No per-knowledge-base fees

Free tier:

• $10 credit (~60 minutes of calls)
• 20 concurrent calls
• Full feature access

At 10,000 minutes/month, Retell costs approximately $700 total versus VAPI's $1,443—a significant difference at scale.

Code Example

Retell's API balances simplicity with capability:

from retell import Retell

client = Retell(api_key="YOUR_API_KEY")

# Create an agent with knowledge base and custom voice
agent = client.agent.create(
    response_engine={
        "type": "retell-llm",
        "llm_id": "gpt-4-turbo"
    },
    voice_id="eleven_labs_rachel",
    agent_name="Customer Support",
    general_prompt="""You are a helpful customer support agent for an e-commerce company.
    You can help with order status, returns, and product questions.
    Always verify the customer's order number before providing specific details.
    Be empathetic and solution-oriented.""",
    begin_message="Hi! Thanks for calling. How can I help you today?",
    general_tools=[
        {
            "type": "end_call",
            "name": "end_call",
            "description": "End the call when the customer's issue is resolved"
        },
        {
            "type": "transfer_call",
            "name": "transfer_to_human",
            "description": "Transfer to a human agent for complex issues",
            "number": "+1234567890"
        }
    ],
    enable_backchannel=True,  # Natural "uh-huh" responses
    ambient_sound="office"
)

# Create a phone call
call = client.call.create_phone_call(
    from_number="+1987654321",
    to_number="+1234567890",
    agent_id=agent.agent_id
)

print(f"Call initiated: {call.call_id}")

Notice the enable_backchannel option—Retell can add natural conversational sounds that make the AI feel more human.

Best Use Cases

• Inbound customer support - Where conversation quality directly impacts satisfaction.
• High-touch sales calls - When you can't afford awkward pauses killing rapport.
• Healthcare and regulated industries - Built-in compliance without extra fees.
• Multilingual deployments - Automatic language detection is genuinely useful.

Pros and Cons

Pros:

• Fastest response times in the industry (~600ms)
• Most natural-sounding conversations
• Compliance included, not an add-on
• Transparent, predictable pricing
• Strong batch campaign features
• Visual builder for non-developers

Cons:

• Voice cloning requires ElevenLabs workaround
• Smaller integration ecosystem than Bland
• Less granular control than VAPI
• Knowledge base has per-item fees after 10 bases

Head-to-Head Comparison

Let's compare the three platforms across the factors that actually matter in production.

Voice Quality

Winner: Retell AI

In my testing across 100+ calls on each platform:

• Retell's voices sound most natural, with better prosody and emotional range
• VAPI depends on your provider choice—ElevenLabs voices sound great, but you pay for them
• Bland's built-in voices are good but slightly more robotic than the competition

The difference is subtle but noticeable over extended conversations.

Latency

Winner: Retell AI

Measured response times (user speech end to AI speech start):

600ms feels like a natural conversation. 1000ms feels like talking to someone on a bad international connection. This matters more than most people realize.

Customization

Winner: VAPI

VAPI offers the deepest customization by far:

• Any LLM, STT, or TTS provider
• Custom function execution during calls
• WebSocket connections for real-time events
• Full control over every parameter

Bland offers good customization through Pathways but within their ecosystem. Retell lands in the middle—flexible but not infinitely configurable.

Integrations

Winner: Bland AI

Bland's native integrations are the most polished:

• HubSpot, Salesforce, Slack out of the box
• SMS messaging built in
• Webhook support for everything else

VAPI integrates with 40+ apps and supports Make/GoHighLevel natively. Retell focuses more on API-first integration, which works but requires more setup.

Pricing at Scale

Winner: Retell AI

At 10,000 minutes/month (a realistic medium-scale deployment):

Retell's straightforward pricing and lower per-minute costs add up to significant savings at scale. VAPI's $0.05 base rate is misleading when provider costs are included.

Compliance

Winner: Retell AI (tie with Bland)

• Retell: SOC 2 Type II, HIPAA, GDPR included
• Bland: SOC 2, HIPAA, GDPR included
• VAPI: SOC 2 Type II available, HIPAA is $1,000/month add-on

For healthcare or financial services, the HIPAA add-on cost on VAPI is a real consideration.

Which Platform Should You Choose?

After building on all three, here's my honest recommendation based on use case:

For Inbound Customer Service

Choose Retell AI

When customers call, they expect immediate, natural responses. Retell's latency advantage translates directly to better customer experience. The built-in compliance and transparent pricing make budgeting straightforward.

Retell is also the best choice if your team includes non-developers who need to modify agent behavior—their visual builder is genuinely usable.

For Outbound Campaigns

Choose Bland AI

If you're making thousands of calls for sales, surveys, or reminders, Bland's simplicity wins. Ten lines of code to send a call. Visual Pathways builder for complex flows. Native CRM integrations for immediate lead routing.

The slightly higher per-minute cost is offset by lower development time. For appointment reminders and basic qualification flows, Bland just works.

For Developers Building Custom Solutions

Choose VAPI

If you have engineering resources and need to build something specific, VAPI's flexibility is unmatched. Bring your own models. Configure every parameter. Build exactly what you envision.

The trade-off is complexity and higher true costs. But for developer-focused products, voice AI platforms, or highly differentiated experiences, VAPI is the right choice.

Decision Flowchart

Still not sure? Walk through these questions:

1. Do you have developers available?

   • No → Bland AI (Pathways) or Retell AI (visual builder)
   • Yes → Continue

2. Is conversation quality your top priority?

   • Yes → Retell AI
   • No → Continue

3. Do you need maximum customization?

   • Yes → VAPI
   • No → Continue

4. Are you primarily doing outbound calls?

   • Yes → Bland AI
   • No → Retell AI

FAQ

Which voice AI platform has the lowest latency?

Retell AI consistently delivers the fastest response times at approximately 600ms. VAPI averages around 700ms, and Bland AI around 800ms. In conversational AI, every 100ms matters—faster responses feel more natural and keep users engaged.

Is VAPI really $0.05 per minute?

No. The $0.05/min is only VAPI's orchestration fee. You'll also pay separately for speech-to-text ($0.01/min), your LLM ($0.02-0.20/min), text-to-speech ($0.04/min), and telephony ($0.01/min). Realistic total costs range from $0.13-0.31/min depending on provider choices.

Can I clone my own voice on these platforms?

Yes, but the process differs:

• Bland AI: Native voice cloning from a single audio sample
• VAPI: Via third-party providers like ElevenLabs (you bring API keys)
• Retell AI: Via ElevenLabs integration

Bland's built-in cloning is the most convenient. For the highest quality clones, ElevenLabs through either VAPI or Retell produces excellent results.

Which platform is best for HIPAA compliance?

Both Retell AI and Bland AI include HIPAA compliance in their standard pricing. VAPI requires a $1,000/month add-on for HIPAA compliance, which significantly impacts total cost for healthcare applications.

Can non-developers use these platforms?

Yes, but with varying experiences:

• Retell AI: Full visual builder for creating and managing agents
• Bland AI: Pathways builder for no-code call flow design
• VAPI: Dashboard exists but platform is fundamentally developer-focused

For non-technical teams, Retell offers the most complete no-code experience.

Which platform scales best for high-volume calling?

For raw cost-effectiveness at scale, Retell AI wins—their pricing remains competitive even at 10,000+ minutes/month. Bland AI scales well for outbound campaigns with their batch calling features. VAPI's costs increase linearly and can become expensive at high volume without enterprise negotiation.

Next Steps

Choosing a voice AI platform is ultimately about matching capabilities to your specific use case. All three platforms are production-ready and capable of handling real business workloads.

My suggestion: start with free trials on each platform that fits your use case. Call yourself. Experience the latency and voice quality firsthand. The differences become obvious when you're on the receiving end.

If you're building AI voice agents and want help evaluating which platform fits your needs, we've implemented all three for clients across industries. Check out our AI receptionist comparison for more context on turnkey solutions, or explore our automation services to discuss your specific requirements.

That's all I got for now. Until next time.