Developer platform for building voice AI agents that make and take phone calls.
Sales & Customer Support
Retell AI
AI phone agents that answer calls, book appointments and make outbound calls.
4.1our rating
PaidFrom About $0.07–$0.31/minWorks with Claude Code
Quick take
- Build a phone agent that answers calls, books appointments and transfers to staff, with voices that sound natural.
- Pay as you go from about $0.07 to $0.31 a minute depending on the model and voice, with $10 in free credits and 20 concurrent calls included.
- Easier for non-developers than Vapi thanks to the visual flow builder, but still expect a few rounds of testing.
- Reviewers rate it highly (about 4.8 on G2). The main asks are more voice and customisation options.
What is Retell AI?
Retell AI lets you build AI agents that talk on the phone. You give an agent instructions, a knowledge base and actions (check a calendar, book an appointment, transfer to a person), connect a phone number, and it answers inbound calls or makes outbound ones in a natural-sounding voice. A visual flow builder handles step-by-step conversations, and you can pick the AI model and voice behind each agent.
Pick it when you want an AI receptionist or phone agent that a non-developer can set up with some patience: clinics, trades, property managers and service businesses use it to answer every call and book jobs. Vapi gives developers more control but needs code; Salesforce Agentforce suits businesses already on Salesforce.
The catch: the price per minute depends on the model, voice and phone provider you choose (roughly $0.07 to $0.31 a minute), so test before you scale. Getting an agent to handle real callers well takes testing and prompt tweaks, and you remain responsible for calling rules such as consent for outbound calls.
Who's using it, and who it's for
- Small business owners
- Clinics
- Voice AI agencies
- Customer service teams
- Developers
Service businesses and agencies that want an AI receptionist or phone agent without hiring developers.
Key features
Phone agents
Agents answer inbound calls and make outbound calls with natural voices and fast replies.
Flow builder
Lay out the conversation step by step visually, or use a single prompt for simpler agents.
Appointment booking
Checks calendars and books, moves or cancels appointments during the call.
Knowledge base
Agents answer questions from your website, documents and FAQs.
Batch calling
Run outbound campaigns such as reminders and follow-ups to a list.
Call analysis
Transcripts, summaries and AI quality checks on every call.
How we rate it
4.1 / 5
Our rating
From using the tool ourselves. The average of the five scores.
- Ease of use
- 3.5
- Features
- 4.5
- Output quality
- 4.5
- Value for money
- 4.0
- Speed & reliability
- 4.0
How quickly someone non-technical gets value from it.
How completely it covers its own job, and how well the pieces fit together.
How good the results are before you fix them.
What you get for the price, including the free plan.
How fast it is and how often it falls over.
Retell AI pricing
- Our pick
Pay as you go
About $0.07–$0.31/min
Most small businesses and agencies.
- $10 in free credits to start
- 20 concurrent calls included
- Price depends on model, voice and phone provider
Enterprise
Custom
High call volumes and compliance needs.
- Volume discounts
- No concurrency cap
- Dedicated support
Which plan should you pick?
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.
Prices in USD unless noted, checked 22 October 2026. Vendors change plans often, so confirm on their site before you buy.
Best use cases
Ways Retell AI can slot into your week.
- 1
Never miss a call
The agent answers when staff are busy or after hours, takes details and books the job in your calendar.
- 2
Appointment reminders
Call patients or clients the day before to confirm, and reschedule on the spot if needed.
- 3
Qualify inbound leads
Ask callers a few questions, then transfer hot leads to a salesperson and log the rest.
- 4
Agency service
Agencies build and resell AI receptionists to local businesses.
How it fits your tech stack
Pros and cons
Pros
- 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
- 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
Retell AI alternatives
The closest alternatives to Retell AI in the library, best rated first.
Intercom
4.2
Best for answering common customer questions automatically
Compare with Retell AI
Hyperbound
4.1
Best for practising cold calls before going live
Compare with Retell AI
Yoodli
4.1
Best for rehearsing a pitch or presentation
Compare with Retell AI
Apollo.io
4.0
Best for finding business emails and phone numbers
Compare with Retell AI
Why it made the list
It is one of the most used AI phone agent platforms and is easier to set up than developer-first options.
Retell AI FAQ
How much does Retell AI cost?
There's no free plan. Paid plans start at About $0.07–$0.31/min. Prices checked 22 October 2026 against Retell AI's pricing page.
Is Retell AI free?
No. There's no free plan. Paid plans start at About $0.07–$0.31/min.
What is Retell AI best for?
Retell AI is best for AI receptionist for a small business, booking appointments by phone and answering after-hours and overflow calls. Service businesses and agencies that want an AI receptionist or phone agent without hiring developers.
What are the best Retell AI alternatives?
The closest alternatives are Intercom, Hyperbound, Yoodli and Apollo.io. Intercom is best for answering common customer questions automatically.
More tools in Sales & Customer Support
Lifelike AI voiceovers, dubbing and audiobooks from text, in thousands of voices.
An AI assistant that handles your email, meeting notes and follow-ups from Slack.
Salesforce's AI agents that answer customers and help sales reps inside Salesforce CRM.