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Side-by-side comparison · Sales & Customer Support

Ada vs Retell AI

Everything that matters when choosing between them, in one place: our rating, what each can do, what they cost, and the trade-offs.

Ada

3.7

Free to start

Best overall

Retell AI

4.1

From About $0.07–$0.31/min

Comparing 2 tools. Add one more if you like.

At a glance

Ada3.7

Pick it if: Mid-sized and large businesses with high support volumes that want an AI agent on top of their existing helpdesk.

Best overallBest value

Pick it if: Service businesses and agencies that want an AI receptionist or phone agent without hiring developers.

Overview

AttributeAdaRetell AI
In one lineAI agents that resolve customer service requests across chat, email and phone.AI phone agents that answer calls, book appointments and make outbound calls.
Pricing modelPaidPaid
Starting priceSee websiteAbout $0.07–$0.31/min
Free plan No No
Works with Claude Code Yes Yes

Rating breakdown

Our scores out of 5. The higher bar in each row is highlighted.

AttributeAdaRetell AI
Overall rating3.74.1Winner
Ease of useHow quickly someone non-technical gets value from it.
3.5
3.5
FeaturesHow completely it covers its own job, and how well the pieces fit together.
4.0
4.5
Output qualityHow good the results are before you fix them.
4.0
4.5
Value for moneyWhat you get for the price, including the free plan.
3.0
4.0
Speed & reliabilityHow fast it is and how often it falls over.
4.0
4.0

Feature comparison

A tick means it does this today. A dash means we haven't checked.

AttributeAdaRetell AI
Access & platform
Free plan No No
Mobile app––
Desktop app––
Browser extension––
API access Yes Yes
Teams & business
Team workspace Yes Yes
Enterprise plan or SSO Yes Yes
Connects to other apps Yes Yes
Open source or self-hosted No No
AI abilities
Works with your files– Yes
Understands images––
Makes images No No
Makes video No No
Writes code––
Runs agents or automations Yes Yes
Learns your brand or style Yes–
Works in many languages Yes Yes
Capabilities score7/ 177/ 17

Pricing

Plans as listed on each vendor's site when we last checked. Confirm before you buy.

AttributeAdaRetell AI
Plans

CustomOur pick

Custom

Businesses with enough volume to justify an enterprise contract.

Pay as you goOur pick

About $0.07–$0.31/min

Most small businesses and agencies.

Enterprise

Custom

High call volumes and compliance needs.

Which plan to pickThere's only a custom quote. Ask whether you'll be charged per conversation or per resolution, since per-conversation pricing charges you even when the agent doesn't solve the problem.Start on pay as you go with the free credits, build one agent for your most common call and test it on your own phone. Talk to sales only once you run thousands of minutes a month.

Key features

AttributeAdaRetell AI
Standout features
  • AI agent
  • Playbooks
  • Voice, messaging and email
  • Coaching and testing
  • Reporting
  • Phone agents
  • Flow builder
  • Appointment booking
  • Knowledge base
  • Batch calling
  • Call analysis

Pros and cons

AttributeAdaRetell AI
Pros
  • Long track record and big-brand customers
  • Works across voice, messaging and email
  • Plain-English playbooks are easier to maintain than decision trees
  • Strong multilingual support
  • Natural voices and quick responses
  • Visual builder makes it usable for non-developers
  • Pay per minute with no platform fee
  • Strong reviews from small businesses and agencies
Cons
  • No public pricing or trial; reported contracts start in the tens of thousands a year
  • Connecting back-end systems takes real setup work
  • End customers on review sites complain about lost context and trouble reaching a human
  • Billing model varies by contract, so costs can be hard to compare
  • Per-minute cost varies a lot with your model and voice choices
  • Takes testing to handle real callers reliably
  • Some users want more voice and customisation options

Who each one is for

AttributeAdaRetell AI
Best for
  • Automating common support conversations
  • AI support across chat, email and voice
  • Multilingual customer service
  • Adding AI on top of an existing helpdesk
  • AI receptionist for a small business
  • Booking appointments by phone
  • Answering after-hours and overflow calls
  • Outbound reminder and follow-up calls
You'll find it used by
  • Support teams
  • Ecommerce brands
  • Software companies
  • Fintech
  • Travel companies
  • Small business owners
  • Clinics
  • Voice AI agencies
  • Customer service teams
  • Developers

Questions people ask

Which is better, Ada or Retell AI?

Retell AI scores highest overall in our ratings (Ada 3.7/5 and Retell AI 4.1/5). Ada is best for automating common support conversations and AI support across chat, email and voice. Retell AI is best for AI receptionist for a small business and booking appointments by phone.

Which is cheaper, Ada or Retell AI?

Ada: Pricing isn't published; check the vendor's site for a quote. Retell AI: There's no free plan. Paid plans start at About $0.07–$0.31/min.

How we compare

Ratings are our own, from using each tool, across ease of use, features, output quality, value for money, speed & reliability.

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