Retell AI vs Bland AI: which is better for AI phone calls in 2026?
Last updated: November 9, 2026. This is independent research based on each vendor's published pricing and documentation, read on November 9, 2026. We did not test either product. See the full ranked list.
Answer in brief
Pick Bland AI if you want one per-minute number that already covers the LLM, speech-to-text and text-to-speech. That's $0.14/min on Start with no platform fee, or $0.12/min on Build for $299/month. Bland also claims under 400 ms of latency from a voice stack it says it owns end to end, a 99.9% uptime SLA on every plan, and a long compliance list (SOC 2 Type I/II, HIPAA with a BAA, ISO 27001, FedRAMP 20x Class A). Pick Retell AI if you want to choose your own LLM and voice provider, start with 20 concurrent calls and no published daily call cap, and pay to the second from $0.07/min.
Top pick for teams that need room to scale: Retell AI. You get 20 free concurrent calls, a broad model and voice catalog, and a $10 starting credit.
Top pick for one clean rate and regulated deployments: Bland AI, which offers on-prem/VPC on Enterprise.
Side by side
| Factor | Retell AI | Bland AI |
|---|---|---|
| Per-minute price | $0.07–$0.31/min, depending on the LLM and voice | $0.14/min (Start), $0.12/min (Build), custom (Enterprise) |
| What the rate covers | Voice infrastructure, plus your chosen LLM and TTS, each priced separately | LLM, STT and TTS in one rate, with no token charges |
| Platform fee | None on pay-as-you-go | $0 on Start; $299/month on Build |
| Concurrent calls | 20 included; $8 per extra call/month | 10 (Start), 50 (Build), custom (Enterprise) |
| Call caps | No daily cap published | 100/day and 100/hour on Start; 2,000/day and 1,000/hour on Build |
| Voices | Platform voices plus MiniMax, Cartesia, Fish Audio, Inworld and ElevenLabs | 1 voice on Start, 5 on Build, unlimited on Enterprise; custom voice actor available on Enterprise |
| Advertised latency | About 600 ms | Under 400 ms |
| Telephony | Retell Twilio/Telnyx from $0.015/min (US); SIP/custom telephony at no charge | Billed separately: your own Twilio or SIP trunk, or Bland's Twilio at pass-through cost |
| Transfers | The AI fee stops after a transfer; only telephony continues | $0.05/transfer min (Start), $0.04 (Build); no transfer fees if you bring your own telephony |
| Uptime SLA | Not published on the pay-as-you-go pricing page | 99.9% on all plans |
The real price of a minute
Retell's calculator default works out to $0.150/min before telephony: $0.080 for the LLM, $0.055 for voice infrastructure and $0.015 for TTS. On your own SIP trunk, telephony is free. On Retell's US Twilio/Telnyx numbers it adds $0.015/min. Bland charges $0.14/min plus telephony. Bland's own FAQ estimates that most production Retell stacks run about $0.11–$0.25/min. That's Bland's estimate, not Retell's. The takeaway: at moderate quality the two land close together. Retell goes cheaper with light models (for example GPT 5 nano at $0.0016/min of LLM) and more expensive with premium ones. Bland stays at one number whatever happens.
Outbound calling: caps vs. add-ons
For outbound campaigns, Bland's caps matter. Start allows 100 calls a day, so serious dialing needs Build (2,000/day) or Enterprise (unlimited). Retell doesn't publish a daily cap. It charges $0.005 per dial for batch calls and $0.10 per outbound call for branded caller ID. Check the laws on automated calls in your market before dialing.
Voice and latency
Bland says it owns the full voice stack (STT, LLM, TTS, telephony and orchestration) and claims latency under 400 ms. Retell advertises about 600 ms and lets you mix voice vendors, with automatic TTS fallback on its platform voices. These are vendor-stated numbers measured in different ways, so run your own test calls. If brand voice matters, Retell's catalog gives you more choice on day one. Bland's Start plan is limited to a single voice.
When to pick which
- Pick Retell AI to experiment across models and voices, scale past 100 calls a day without a platform fee, or run on your own SIP trunk.
- Pick Bland AI if finance wants one per-minute line item, you need on-prem/VPC or FedRAMP 20x, or you want forward-deployed engineers through Bland's 28-day enterprise deployment framework.
FAQ
Is Bland AI cheaper than Retell AI?
Sometimes. Bland is $0.14/min (or $0.12/min plus $299/month) with the AI included. Retell's default setup is $0.150/min, and it's cheaper or pricier depending on the model and voice you choose. Telephony is extra on both unless you bring your own SIP trunk to Retell.
Does Bland AI's price include the LLM and voice?
Yes. Bland says the per-minute rate covers the LLM, STT and TTS, with no token charges. Telephony is billed separately.
Which is better for high-volume outbound calls?
On entry plans, Retell, because Bland Start caps you at 100 calls a day. Bland Build raises that to 2,000 a day for $299/month.
Can I use my own carrier with both?
Yes. Retell supports SIP trunking with guides for Twilio, Telnyx and Vonage. Bland supports your own Twilio account or any standard SIP trunk.
Keep comparing
Ranked list of AI phone agents · Retell AI review · Bland AI review · Retell AI vs Vapi · Vapi vs Bland AI · How to choose
Comparing broader agent platforms beyond voice? See bestenterpriseagentplatforms.com.
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Sources
- Retell AI pricing
- Retell AI home page
- Retell AI custom telephony
- Retell AI voice providers
- Bland AI pricing and FAQ
- Bland AI documentation index (latency, voice stack)
- Bland AI SIP docs
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