Developer voice AI platform (build your own)
Retell AI: pricing, real cost and reviews
Pay-as-you-go platform for building voice agents. Cheapest per minute, but you (or an agency) build the receptionist yourself.
Real bill at ~300 calls/mo
≈ $115/mo + build time
Pay as you go
Advertised
$0.07/min
Pay as you go, from
How we got that number
($0.055 + $0.04 + $0.015 + $0.015 telephony) × 900 min = $112.50 + $2 number = $114.50. Model/voice choices can push this to ~$0.31/min ($279+).
Assumptions: 300 calls/month, average 3 minutes per call (900 talk minutes), billed monthly (not annual), US local number, no add-ons. Computed by AITeamGuide from the vendor's public pricing on 2026-10-20.
Pricing tiers
| Plan | Price | Includes | Overage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pay as you go | $0.07-$0.31/min | Full platform, 20 concurrent calls, 10 knowledge bases | per minute |
| Enterprise | Contact sales | Custom BAA/MSA, SSO, dedicated support | custom |
Default calculator: voice infra $0.055 + LLM ~$0.04 + TTS $0.015 per min, plus telephony $0.015/min and $2/mo per number.
Source: https://www.retellai.com/pricing, checked October 20, 2026.
- Setup fee
- None (but you build it)
- Free trial
- Free sign-up; pay for usage
Key features
| 24/7 answering | yes |
|---|---|
| Appointment booking | Yes, if you build it |
| Integrations | Webhooks, API, Twilio/Telnyx/SIP |
| Bilingual | Yes (model dependent) |
| Call transfer | Yes |
| HIPAA | HIPAA/BAA listed in plan comparison (confirm which plan) |
Public ratings
- G2: 4.8/5 from 2,638 reviews
- Trustpilot: 4.9/5 from 810 reviews
Ratings gathered October 20, 2026. We don't republish ratings as our own and haven't tested the product hands-on.
What reviewers say
Plenty of reviews
Very large Trustpilot base (810, 4.9), but the company invites reviews and most reviewers are developers or agencies building agents, not small-business owners.
Recurring praise
- Quick to build and launch an agent. Trustpilot
- Natural voices. Trustpilot
- Reliability and uptime for agencies running many clients. Trustpilot
- Frequent updates, fine control, and a choice of AI model. Trustpilot
Recurring complaints
- Not beginner-friendly; needs technical know-how. Trustpilot
- Noticeable response lag with some AI models. Trustpilot
- Slow support when something breaks, e.g. batch calling. Trustpilot
- Country restrictions on outbound calls aren't clearly documented. Trustpilot
“With Retell AI it was 10 minutes to have an active bot doing exactly what I needed.”
Summarised by AITeamGuide from public reviews, checked October 20, 2026. Quotes are short excerpts, credited to their authors and sites. Sources: Trustpilot, 810 reviews · G2, 2,638 reviews.
Pros
- Lowest running cost
- Huge positive review base
- HIPAA path
Cons
- Not a finished product: needs building and upkeep
- Costs vary with model choice
Ranked in
Reader reviews
From AITeamGuide readers who use Retell AI, confirmed by email and moderated by the editor. These are separate from the public reviews above and don't change our rankings. How we moderate.
Be the first to review Retell AI. No reader reviews yet. If you use it, your experience (and what you actually pay) helps other owners.
Leave a review of Retell AI
Use Retell AI at your business? Tell other owners how it went and what you really pay. We email you a link to confirm it's you, then the editor reads every review before it's published. Review policy.
Almost done
Check your email. We've sent a link to confirm your review. It expires in 3 days. After you confirm, the editor reads the review before it's published.
Affiliate program: yes. We disclose this for transparency; it doesn't affect rankings.