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Best AI Business Agents

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The best Retell AI alternatives

Retell AI is a voice agent (no monthly fee, as of November 2026). Retell is a platform for building AI voice agents that answer and place phone calls, with pay-as-you-go per-minute pricing and a choice of language and voice models.

People usually look elsewhere because of this: you build the agent yourself; costs add up across components. Below are the other leading agents in our voice and phone ranking, best first.

Published · Updated .

What is the best alternative to Retell AI?

It depends on why you're leaving Retell AI. Vapi ranks highest of the alternatives in our voice and phone ranking and suits developers who want full control over voice agents. Bland AI suits teams running high-volume phone calls who can configure a voice platform. Synthflow suits mid-size and large teams that want no-code voice agents under contract. On price, Vapi starts lowest: no monthly fee, as of November 2026.

Retell AI alternatives ranked
No.AgentScore
1
VapiVoice agent
8.2
2
Bland AIVoice agent
7.6
3
SynthflowVoice agent
7.5
4
CrevioAI business operator
7.4
5
Kore.aiEnterprise agent platform
7.2
6
SierraSupport agent
7.2
7
GoodcallVoice agent
7.1
8
RosieVoice agent
7.0

Prices as of November 2026, from each company's own site.

1

Vapi

Voice agent, no monthly fee plus about $0.08 to $0.13 per minute all-in as of November 2026

8.2/10

Better than Retell AI if you have developers and want maximum control over models, voices and phone providers.

Vapi gives developers the most control over voice agents, with any model, voice and phone provider. It's built for developers; the costs are a stack of components, and compliance add-ons are pricey.

  • Small business—
  • Mid-size company7.4
  • Enterprise7.6
vapi.aiScreenshot of the Vapi homepage
Jobs it takes on4 of 10 fully
  • Answers customers: yesSupport
  • Finds and follows up with leads: partlySales
  • Writes and posts marketing: noMarketing
  • Handles email and calendar: noInbox
  • Takes and makes phone calls: yesPhone
  • Back office: reports, docs, data: noAdmin
  • Runs on a schedule or trigger: yesRuns alone
  • Asks before risky actions: partlyApprovals
  • Connects to hundreds of apps: partlyApps
  • API or MCP access: yesAPI/MCP

Where it's strong

  • Most configurable voice platform
  • Bring any model or phone provider
  • Models passed through at cost
  • Compliance options

Where it falls short

  • Developer-only
  • Many cost components
  • HIPAA add-on is expensive
  • Voice only

Scores in this ranking

Call quality8.5
Configurability9.5
Telephony8.5
Pricing8.0
Setup4.5
Trust7.5
Visit VapiRead the Vapi review

Retell AI vs Vapi, side by side

2

Bland AI

Voice agent, no monthly fee plus $0.12 to $0.14 per minute as of November 2026

7.6/10

Better than Retell AI if you want simple per-minute pricing for a voice platform you'll configure yourself.

Bland is a solid developer-oriented voice platform with simple per-minute pricing and higher concurrency on its paid tier. It's less turnkey for non-technical owners than a ready-made receptionist.

  • Small business—
  • Mid-size company6.8
  • Enterprise7.0
bland.aiScreenshot of the Bland AI homepage
Jobs it takes on4 of 10 fully
  • Answers customers: yesSupport
  • Finds and follows up with leads: partlySales
  • Writes and posts marketing: noMarketing
  • Handles email and calendar: noInbox
  • Takes and makes phone calls: yesPhone
  • Back office: reports, docs, data: noAdmin
  • Runs on a schedule or trigger: yesRuns alone
  • Asks before risky actions: partlyApprovals
  • Connects to hundreds of apps: partlyApps
  • API or MCP access: yesAPI/MCP

Where it's strong

  • Simple per-minute pricing
  • Free start tier
  • High concurrency on Build
  • Inbound and outbound

Where it falls short

  • Needs configuration
  • Voice only
  • Build tier is $299 a month
  • Fewer turnkey features for small businesses

Scores in this ranking

Call quality8.0
Configurability8.5
Telephony8.0
Pricing7.5
Setup5.0
Trust6.5
Visit Bland AIRead the Bland AI review
3

Synthflow

Voice agent, custom pricing as of November 2026

7.5/10

Better than Retell AI if you want no-code voice agents with an enterprise contract, support and security review.

Synthflow offers no-code voice agents with enterprise support, but it has moved to annual enterprise contracts only, with no free plan, trial or per-minute pricing. Good for mid-size and large teams; out of reach for small ones.

  • Small business—
  • Mid-size company7.0
  • Enterprise7.2
synthflow.aiScreenshot of the Synthflow homepage
Jobs it takes on4 of 10 fully
  • Answers customers: yesSupport
  • Finds and follows up with leads: partlySales
  • Writes and posts marketing: noMarketing
  • Handles email and calendar: noInbox
  • Takes and makes phone calls: yesPhone
  • Back office: reports, docs, data: noAdmin
  • Runs on a schedule or trigger: yesRuns alone
  • Asks before risky actions: partlyApprovals
  • Connects to hundreds of apps: partlyApps
  • API or MCP access: yesAPI/MCP

Where it's strong

  • No-code voice building
  • Enterprise support and security review
  • Inbound and outbound
  • Telephony included in contracts

Where it falls short

  • Annual contracts only
  • No trial
  • No public pricing
  • Voice only

Scores in this ranking

Call quality8.5
Configurability8.0
Telephony8.5
Pricing5.5
Setup6.0
Trust7.0
Visit SynthflowRead the Synthflow review

Retell AI vs Synthflow, side by side

4

Crevio

AI business operator, from $25/mo as of November 2026

7.4/10

Better than Retell AI if you run a small business and want one agent to answer customers, follow up on leads, market and handle admin without building workflows.

For a small business, Crevio does the most work with the least setup. It fully covers nine of the ten jobs we track, more than any other agent here, from support and the phone line to marketing and back office, and it starts from a plain-English description of your business rather than a flow you have to build. It asks before consequential actions and keeps a record of what it did. The tradeoffs are usage-based credits, a 2.5% fee on sales you take through it, and a smaller review footprint than the big automation platforms.

  • Small business8.9
  • Mid-size company7.9
  • Enterprise—
crevio.coScreenshot of the Crevio homepage
Jobs it takes on9 of 10 fully
  • Answers customers: yesSupport
  • Finds and follows up with leads: partlySales
  • Writes and posts marketing: yesMarketing
  • Handles email and calendar: yesInbox
  • Takes and makes phone calls: yesPhone
  • Back office: reports, docs, data: yesAdmin
  • Runs on a schedule or trigger: yesRuns alone
  • Asks before risky actions: yesApprovals
  • Connects to hundreds of apps: yesApps
  • API or MCP access: yesAPI/MCP

Where it's strong

  • One agent covers support, phone, marketing, follow-ups and admin
  • Runs on a schedule or when something happens, like a new order or an inbound email
  • Starts from a plain-English description of your business, no flow building
  • Asks before consequential actions and keeps a record of what it did

Where it falls short

  • Credit-based billing: busy months cost more than quiet ones
  • Takes 2.5% of sales you process through it, on top of Stripe's fees
  • No lead database, so cold prospecting is weaker than dedicated sales agents
  • A younger company with far fewer public reviews than Zapier or Intercom

Scores in this ranking

Call quality7.0
Configurability6.0
Telephony8.5
Pricing7.5
Setup9.2
Trust8.2
Try Crevio freeRead the Crevio review
5

Kore.ai

Enterprise agent platform, custom pricing as of November 2026

7.2/10

Better than Retell AI if you run a large contact center and want one platform for voice and chat automation.

Kore.ai is a capable enterprise platform for contact-center and service automation across voice and chat. There's no public rate card, and contracts carry substantial fixed fees.

  • Small business—
  • Mid-size company—
  • Enterprise7.5
kore.aiScreenshot of the Kore.ai homepage
Jobs it takes on7 of 10 fully
  • Answers customers: yesSupport
  • Finds and follows up with leads: noSales
  • Writes and posts marketing: noMarketing
  • Handles email and calendar: partlyInbox
  • Takes and makes phone calls: yesPhone
  • Back office: reports, docs, data: yesAdmin
  • Runs on a schedule or trigger: yesRuns alone
  • Asks before risky actions: yesApprovals
  • Connects to hundreds of apps: yesApps
  • API or MCP access: yesAPI/MCP

Where it's strong

  • Voice and chat contact-center automation
  • Enterprise controls
  • Prebuilt industry agents
  • Available through cloud marketplaces

Where it falls short

  • No public pricing
  • High fixed fees
  • Complex setup
  • Not for small teams

Scores in this ranking

Call quality8.0
Configurability8.0
Telephony8.0
Pricing6.0
Setup3.5
Trust7.0
Visit Kore.aiRead the Kore.ai review
6

Sierra

Support agent, custom pricing as of November 2026

7.2/10

Better than Retell AI if you're a large consumer brand and want a premium customer experience agent priced on outcomes.

Sierra is among the best AI agents for customer experience at large brands, with outcome-based pricing and strong voice. It's enterprise-only: no public pricing, no free trial, and reported contracts run well into six figures.

  • Small business—
  • Mid-size company—
  • Enterprise8.1
sierra.aiScreenshot of the Sierra homepage
Jobs it takes on5 of 10 fully
  • Answers customers: yesSupport
  • Finds and follows up with leads: partlySales
  • Writes and posts marketing: noMarketing
  • Handles email and calendar: partlyInbox
  • Takes and makes phone calls: yesPhone
  • Back office: reports, docs, data: partlyAdmin
  • Runs on a schedule or trigger: yesRuns alone
  • Asks before risky actions: yesApprovals
  • Connects to hundreds of apps: partlyApps
  • API or MCP access: yesAPI/MCP

Where it's strong

  • Top-tier resolution quality
  • Pays on outcomes, not seats
  • Strong voice agents
  • Proven with very large brands

Where it falls short

  • Enterprise-only
  • No public pricing or trial
  • Needs a separate helpdesk
  • Six-figure contracts reported

Scores in this ranking

Call quality9.0
Configurability7.0
Telephony8.0
Pricing5.0
Setup3.5
Trust8.5
Visit SierraRead the Sierra review
7

Goodcall

Voice agent, from $79/mo as of November 2026

7.1/10

Better than Retell AI if you run a local service business and want missed calls answered and booked for a flat monthly price.

Goodcall is one of the easiest AI receptionists for a local business, and per-caller pricing makes long calls a non-issue. It's a receptionist, not a full voice platform or business agent.

  • Small business7.2
  • Mid-size company—
  • Enterprise—
goodcall.comScreenshot of the Goodcall homepage
Jobs it takes on3 of 10 fully
  • Answers customers: yesSupport
  • Finds and follows up with leads: noSales
  • Writes and posts marketing: noMarketing
  • Handles email and calendar: noInbox
  • Takes and makes phone calls: yesPhone
  • Back office: reports, docs, data: noAdmin
  • Runs on a schedule or trigger: yesRuns alone
  • Asks before risky actions: noApprovals
  • Connects to hundreds of apps: partlyApps
  • API or MCP access: noAPI/MCP

Where it's strong

  • Very easy setup
  • Per-caller pricing, no per-minute charges
  • Built for local businesses
  • Books jobs during the call

Where it falls short

  • Phone only
  • Limited configuration
  • Few integrations on Starter
  • No annual pricing listed

Scores in this ranking

Call quality7.5
Configurability5.5
Telephony7.5
Pricing7.5
Setup9.0
Trust7.0
Visit GoodcallRead the Goodcall review
8

Rosie

Voice agent, from $49/mo as of November 2026

7.0/10

Better than Retell AI if you want an inexpensive AI receptionist to answer, book and route calls.

Rosie is a low-cost AI receptionist for small businesses, with a free trial and plans from $49. Like Goodcall, it handles the phone and nothing else.

  • Small business7.2
  • Mid-size company—
  • Enterprise—
heyrosie.comScreenshot of the Rosie homepage
Jobs it takes on3 of 10 fully
  • Answers customers: yesSupport
  • Finds and follows up with leads: noSales
  • Writes and posts marketing: noMarketing
  • Handles email and calendar: noInbox
  • Takes and makes phone calls: yesPhone
  • Back office: reports, docs, data: noAdmin
  • Runs on a schedule or trigger: yesRuns alone
  • Asks before risky actions: noApprovals
  • Connects to hundreds of apps: partlyApps
  • API or MCP access: noAPI/MCP

Where it's strong

  • Cheap entry price
  • Free trial
  • Books and routes calls
  • Easy setup

Where it falls short

  • Phone only
  • Minute caps
  • Overage rate not published on the page
  • Limited configuration

Scores in this ranking

Call quality7.5
Configurability5.0
Telephony7.5
Pricing8.0
Setup9.0
Trust6.5
Visit RosieRead the Rosie review

Still considering Retell AI? Read our Retell AI review.