Retell AI pricing plans at a glance
Retell AI sells two plans. The self-serve option is pure usage-based; the enterprise tier adds support and security features on top.
| Plan | Price | What's included |
|---|---|---|
| Pay as you go | $0.07–$0.31/minute | Full platform access, pre-built agent templates, call analytics and transcripts, simulation testing, webhooks and API access, 20 free concurrent calls, community and email support |
| Enterprise Plan | Custom pricing (not published) | Everything in pay as you go, plus custom MSA/DPA terms, role-based access control, custom SSO, a high cap on concurrent calls, and 24/7 omnichannel support with a dedicated portal. Dedicated implementation support and a dedicated stable server are paid add-ons. |
A few billing mechanics matter more than the headline rate:
- Billing is per second, with no rounding up per call.
- The per-minute rate varies with the LLM, text-to-speech voice, and add-ons selected.
- Billing covers the entire call duration, including silence and hold time, because the speech-to-text engine stays active.
- Failed calls are not charged.
- Once a call transfers to a human, the AI voice agent fee stops; only the telephony fee continues.
- Chat agents (web chat, SMS, in-app) start at $0.002 per message, billed separately from voice.
Checked 28 October 2026.
What does one month of Retell AI cost at three volumes?
We worked out three scenarios using the published $0.07–$0.31 per minute range.
Assumptions: average call length of 3.0 minutes; all calls are AI-handled voice calls; no add-ons, extra concurrent lines, or phone number fees included. Your real rate lands somewhere in the range based on your model and voice choices.
| Monthly call volume | Minutes | Cost at $0.07/min | Cost at $0.31/min |
|---|---|---|---|
| 100 calls | 300 | 300 × $0.07 = $21 | 300 × $0.31 = $93 |
| 300 calls | 900 | 900 × $0.07 = $63 | 900 × $0.31 = $279 |
| 1,000 calls | 3,000 | 3,000 × $0.07 = $210 | 3,000 × $0.31 = $930 |
Two things to note. First, the spread is wide: at 1,000 calls a month, the difference between the cheapest and most expensive configuration is $720. Second, these figures exclude the add-on charges below, which can move the total. If you need a predictable monthly number, a per-minute platform won't give you one — that's the trade-off for no contract.
For context, a full-time human receptionist costs about $38,010 a year ($18.27/hour) according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. You can model your own call volume against staffing costs with our AI call center savings calculator.
What charges sit outside the plan price?
The per-minute rate is not the whole bill. Retell AI publishes these extra charges:
- Branded call ID: $0.10 per outbound call.
- Additional concurrent calls: $8 per call per month beyond the 20 free concurrent calls included.
- Knowledge bases: first 10 included; $8 per knowledge base per month after that.
- Retell phone numbers: $2 per month each.
- Verified phone numbers: $10 per month each.
- Enterprise add-ons: dedicated implementation support and a dedicated stable server cost extra on the Enterprise plan.
Also remember the billing behavior baked into the per-minute rate itself: silence and hold time are billable because the speech-to-text engine remains active, and the telephony fee continues even after a call is handed to a human (the AI agent fee stops at that point). Enterprise plan pricing itself is not published — you have to contact sales.
Is there a free way to try Retell AI?
Yes. New accounts get $10 in free credits at signup with full platform access and no contract, plus 20 free concurrent calls. At the low end of the rate range ($0.07/minute), $10 covers roughly 142 minutes of call time; at the high end ($0.31/minute), roughly 32 minutes. That's enough to build an agent, run simulation tests, and make real calls before spending anything.
We have not made test calls on Retell AI yet, so we can't speak to call quality or setup effort firsthand. Our guide to testing an AI receptionist covers the calls worth making during a free trial.
Cheaper or simpler options than Retell AI
Retell AI fits teams that want a per-minute voice AI platform with published rates, no annual contract, and compliance certifications (HIPAA, SOC 2 Type II, GDPR, ISO 27001) for regulated industries. If that's not you, three alternatives from our directory:
- Vapi — also a developer platform with per-minute billing. Vapi's hosting fee is $0.05/minute, but transcriber, model, voice, and transport costs stack on top, so the real rate is higher than the headline number. It offers $5 in free credits and a $29/month Core plan. Pick it if your team wants to assemble its own stack component by component.
- Voiceflow — a collaborative platform for CX and product teams building agents across chat and voice. Pricing is quote-only with no published rates, so it's not cheaper on paper, but it may be simpler for non-engineering teams that want design tooling and managed implementation options.
- Synthflow — an enterprise voice AI platform with chat and SMS. No per-minute rate is published; enterprise contracts start at $30,000 annually. Only worth a look if you're a high-volume operation that needs SLAs, native telephony, and launch support.
If you want a flat monthly subscription with predictable costs, or a fully managed service where the vendor handles setup, Retell AI is the wrong shape — browse our AI receptionist and voice agent platform categories, or get matched to vendors that fit your call volume.