AI Voice Agent Pricing in 2026: Complete Cost Breakdown
Understand AI voice agent pricing models: per-minute billing, subscription plans, and hidden costs. Compare costs from $0.05/min platforms to enterprise solutions.
AI voice agent pricing can be confusing. Per-minute billing, subscription tiers, add-on costs for LLMs and telephony—it's hard to know what you'll actually pay.
TL;DR: AI voice agent pricing ranges from $0.05-0.31 per minute for developer platforms to $500-2,000+ per month for done-for-you solutions. The cheapest option isn't always the most cost-effective—hidden costs for LLMs, telephony, and engineering time can make "affordable" platforms expensive.
Key Takeaways
- Per-minute platforms advertise $0.05-0.10/min but real costs are often 2-3x higher after add-ons
- Subscription platforms charge $200-2,000+/month with more predictable pricing
- Hidden costs include: LLM tokens, telephony fees, transcription, and setup/maintenance
- Total cost of ownership matters more than base price—factor in engineering time for DIY platforms
AI Voice Agent Pricing Models
There are three main pricing approaches in the market:
1. Per-Minute Billing
Developer platforms like Vapi, Retell, and Bland charge based on usage:
| Platform | Base Rate | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Vapi | $0.05/min | + LLM, STT, TTS, telephony costs |
| Retell | $0.07-0.11/min | + additional provider costs |
| Bland | $0.09/min | + additional costs at scale |
The catch: These rates are just the platform fee. You'll also pay for:
- LLM (GPT-4, Claude, etc.): $0.02-0.10+ per minute of conversation
- Speech-to-Text: $0.01-0.03 per minute
- Text-to-Speech: $0.01-0.05 per minute
- Telephony: $0.01-0.03 per minute
Real cost: A $0.05/min platform often costs $0.15-0.25/min fully loaded.
2. Subscription/Flat Rate
Platforms like Synthflow, Aircall, and various industry-specific solutions charge monthly:
| Tier | Typical Range | What You Get |
|---|---|---|
| Starter | $30-100/month | Limited minutes, basic features |
| Professional | $200-500/month | More minutes, integrations |
| Business | $500-1,500/month | Higher limits, advanced features |
| Enterprise | $2,000+/month | Custom, unlimited, SLA |
Advantage: Predictable costs, easier budgeting Disadvantage: May pay for capacity you don't use
3. Done-For-You Solutions
Industry-specific platforms (like Prestyj for real estate) charge for outcomes, not just technology:
- Setup and configuration included
- Ongoing optimization included
- Industry-specific training included
- Support and maintenance included
Cost: Higher than DIY platforms, but total cost of ownership is often lower when you factor in engineering time.
Hidden Costs to Watch For
1. LLM/AI Model Costs
Most platforms require you to bring your own LLM or pay for theirs:
| Model | Approximate Cost |
|---|---|
| GPT-4 | $0.03-0.06 per 1K tokens |
| GPT-3.5 | $0.001-0.002 per 1K tokens |
| Claude | $0.008-0.024 per 1K tokens |
A typical voice conversation uses 500-2,000 tokens. At scale, this adds up.
2. Telephony Costs
Inbound and outbound calling has separate costs:
| Cost Type | Range |
|---|---|
| Inbound calls | $0.01-0.02/min |
| Outbound calls | $0.01-0.03/min |
| Phone numbers | $1-5/month each |
| SMS | $0.01-0.03/message |
3. Transcription Costs
If you want call transcripts (and you should for quality control):
| Service | Cost |
|---|---|
| Basic transcription | $0.01-0.02/min |
| Premium (speaker ID, etc.) | $0.02-0.04/min |
4. Engineering and Maintenance
For DIY platforms, don't forget the cost of your time:
| Task | Time Investment |
|---|---|
| Initial setup | 20-100+ hours |
| Prompt engineering | 10-40 hours |
| Testing and QA | 10-20 hours |
| Ongoing maintenance | 5-10 hours/month |
At $50-150/hour for engineering time, the "cheap" platform can get expensive.
Cost Comparison: 10,000 Minutes/Month
Let's compare real costs for a business using 10,000 minutes per month:
Option A: Per-Minute Platform (DIY)
| Cost Category | Monthly Cost |
|---|---|
| Platform fee ($0.08/min) | $800 |
| LLM costs | $200-400 |
| Telephony | $100-200 |
| Transcription | $100-200 |
| Engineering (10 hrs @ $100/hr) | $1,000 |
| Total | $2,200-2,600 |
Option B: Subscription Platform
| Cost Category | Monthly Cost |
|---|---|
| Business plan | $800-1,200 |
| Overage fees | $0-300 |
| Total | $800-1,500 |
Option C: Done-For-You Solution
| Cost Category | Monthly Cost |
|---|---|
| Platform + service | $1,500-3,000 |
| Engineering | $0 |
| Total | $1,500-3,000 |
The insight: The "cheapest" per-minute option often costs more than subscription or done-for-you solutions when you factor in all costs.
How to Calculate Your True Cost
Step 1: Estimate Your Volume
How many minutes of AI voice interaction do you expect per month?
| Business Size | Typical Range |
|---|---|
| Small (1-5 users) | 500-2,000 min/month |
| Medium (5-20 users) | 2,000-10,000 min/month |
| Large (20+ users) | 10,000-50,000+ min/month |
Step 2: Add Up All Costs
For per-minute platforms:
Total = (Minutes × Base Rate) + LLM Costs + Telephony + Transcription + Engineering TimeFor subscription platforms:
Total = Monthly Fee + Overage Fees (if any)Step 3: Factor in Opportunity Cost
What's your time worth? If you spend 20 hours setting up and maintaining a DIY solution, that's 20 hours not spent on your core business.
When Each Pricing Model Makes Sense
Per-Minute DIY Platforms
Best for:
- Developers building AI voice into their own product
- Teams with engineering resources to build and maintain
- Highly custom use cases that need flexibility
- Variable volume where subscription minimums don't make sense
Subscription Platforms
Best for:
- Predictable budgeting needs
- Moderate, consistent volume
- Teams without heavy engineering resources
- Standard use cases that fit platform templates
Done-For-You Solutions
Best for:
- Industry-specific needs (real estate, insurance, HVAC, etc.)
- Teams that want results without building
- Situations where engineering time is better spent elsewhere
- Focus on outcomes over technology ownership
FAQ
What's the cheapest AI voice agent option?
The cheapest per-minute rate doesn't mean lowest total cost. A $0.05/min platform plus LLM, telephony, transcription, and your engineering time often costs more than a $500/month subscription that includes everything.
Are there free AI voice agent options?
Some platforms offer free trials or limited free tiers. These are useful for testing but rarely sufficient for production use.
How do I negotiate enterprise pricing?
For volumes above 50,000 minutes/month, most platforms offer custom pricing. Negotiate based on commitment length, volume guarantees, and bundled services.
Should I build or buy?
Build if: you have engineering resources, need highly custom functionality, and are building AI into your core product.
Buy if: you want to focus on your business, need industry-specific solutions, and value your time over control.
Related Reading
- Build vs Buy for AI Sales Agents — CFO's guide to the real costs
- ISA vs AI: The Real Cost Comparison — Compare AI to human alternatives
- AI Voice Agent vs Human Receptionist — Complete comparison
Want predictable pricing without the complexity? Book a demo to learn about Prestyj's done-for-you approach.