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Side-by-side comparison · Sales & Customer Support

Reply.io vs Retell AI vs Sierra

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

Reply.io

3.7

From From $49/user/mo

Best overall

Retell AI

4.1

From About $0.07–$0.31/min

Sierra

3.9

Free to start

Comparing 3 tools, the maximum.

At a glance

Easiest to use

Pick it if: Small sales teams, founders and agencies running cold email and LinkedIn outreach.

Best overallBest value

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

Pick it if: Large consumer brands that want an AI agent to handle a big share of their customer conversations end to end.

Overview

AttributeReply.ioRetell AISierra
In one lineCold email and LinkedIn outreach sequences, plus an AI SDR that writes and replies.AI phone agents that answer calls, book appointments and make outbound calls.Builds and runs AI customer service agents for big brands, across chat, email and phone.
Pricing modelPaidPaidPaid
Starting priceFrom $49/user/moAbout $0.07–$0.31/minSee website
Free plan No No No
Works with Claude Code Yes Yes No

Rating breakdown

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

AttributeReply.ioRetell AISierra
Overall rating3.74.1Winner3.9
Ease of useHow quickly someone non-technical gets value from it.
4.0
3.5
3.0
FeaturesHow completely it covers its own job, and how well the pieces fit together.
4.0
4.5
4.5
Output qualityHow good the results are before you fix them.
3.5
4.5
4.5
Value for moneyWhat you get for the price, including the free plan.
3.5
4.0
3.0
Speed & reliabilityHow fast it is and how often it falls over.
3.5
4.0
4.5

Feature comparison

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

AttributeReply.ioRetell AISierra
Access & platform
Free plan No No No
Mobile app–––
Desktop app–––
Browser extension Yes––
API access Yes Yes–
Teams & business
Team workspace Yes Yes Yes
Enterprise plan or SSO– Yes Yes
Connects to other apps Yes Yes Yes
Open source or self-hosted No No No
AI abilities
Works with your files– Yes Yes
Understands images–––
Makes images No No No
Makes video No No No
Writes code–––
Runs agents or automations Yes Yes Yes
Learns your brand or style–– Yes
Works in many languages Yes Yes Yes
Capabilities score6/ 177/ 177/ 17

Pricing

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

AttributeReply.ioRetell AISierra
Plans

Email Volume

From $49/user/mo billed yearly, or $59 monthly

Email-only cold outreach.

Pay as you goOur pick

About $0.07–$0.31/min

Most small businesses and agencies.

EnterpriseOur pick

Custom

Large companies with high conversation volumes.

MultichannelOur pick

$89/user/mo billed yearly, or $99 monthly

Teams running email and LinkedIn together.

Enterprise

Custom

High call volumes and compliance needs.

Jason AI SDR

From $500/mo billed yearly

Teams wanting AI to run outbound end to end.

Which plan to pickMultichannel is the best value if you use LinkedIn at all, since the add-ons on Email Volume quickly cost more. Only look at Jason AI SDR once your manual sequences are already booking meetings.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.There is one route: talk to Sierra's sales team. Agree clearly what counts as an outcome you pay for, and what setup and services cost, before you sign.

Key features

AttributeReply.ioRetell AISierra
Standout features
  • Multichannel sequences
  • Deliverability tools
  • Jason AI SDR
  • AI email writer
  • Contact data
  • Agency features
  • Phone agents
  • Flow builder
  • Appointment booking
  • Knowledge base
  • Batch calling
  • Call analysis
  • Agent Studio
  • Ghostwriter
  • One agent, every channel
  • Connected to your systems
  • Insights and testing

Pros and cons

AttributeReply.ioRetell AISierra
Pros
  • Email, LinkedIn, calls and SMS in one sequence
  • Warm-up and deliverability tools included
  • Fair price for small teams and agencies
  • AI SDR option when you want less hands-on work
  • 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
  • Agents take real actions, not just answer questions
  • Covers voice as well as chat, SMS, WhatsApp and email
  • Outcome-based pricing means you pay for results, not seats
  • Proven at very large brands
Cons
  • Frequent complaints about auto-renewals, minimum terms and refunds
  • LinkedIn and calls are paid add-ons on the cheaper plan
  • AI SDR is a big price jump and still needs supervising
  • Some users report bugs and emails sent in error
  • 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
  • No public pricing; estimates put it out of reach for most small and mid-sized businesses
  • No trial or self-serve option, so you are committing to a sales process and a project
  • Few independent reviews to check claims against
  • You depend on Sierra's team for much of the build

Who each one is for

AttributeReply.ioRetell AISierra
Best for
  • Cold email campaigns
  • Email plus LinkedIn sequences
  • Agencies running outreach for clients
  • Handing outbound to an AI SDR
  • AI receptionist for a small business
  • Booking appointments by phone
  • Answering after-hours and overflow calls
  • Outbound reminder and follow-up calls
  • High-volume customer service at large brands
  • AI phone agents that take real actions
  • Returns, bookings and account changes
  • Saving cancellations and handling retention calls
You'll find it used by
  • Founders
  • Sales development reps
  • Lead generation agencies
  • Recruiters
  • Small business owners
  • Clinics
  • Voice AI agencies
  • Customer service teams
  • Developers
  • Enterprise support teams
  • Contact centres
  • Retail brands
  • Banks and insurers
  • Telcos

Questions people ask

Which is better, Reply.io, Retell AI or Sierra?

Retell AI scores highest overall in our ratings (Reply.io 3.7/5, Retell AI 4.1/5 and Sierra 3.9/5). Reply.io is best for cold email campaigns and email plus LinkedIn sequences. Retell AI is best for AI receptionist for a small business and booking appointments by phone. Sierra is best for high-volume customer service at large brands and AI phone agents that take real actions.

Which is cheaper, Reply.io, Retell AI or Sierra?

Reply.io: There's no free plan. Paid plans start at From $49/user/mo. Retell AI: There's no free plan. Paid plans start at About $0.07–$0.31/min. Sierra: Pricing isn't published; check the vendor's site for a quote.

Which is easier to use, Reply.io, Retell AI or Sierra?

Reply.io rates highest for ease of use in our scores. Small sales teams, founders and agencies running cold email and LinkedIn outreach.

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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