Bolna vs Bland AI
How Bolna compares to Bland AI for AI voice agents, and when each one fits.
Bolna is built for phone calls in India
Agents speak 20+ languages, including Hindi, Hinglish, Tamil and Telugu, Indian carriers connect natively, and call data can stay in India on enterprise plans. Here is how the two platforms compare on what you pay and what you get.
Bolna vs Bland AI at a glance
Scroll the table sideways to see Bland AI.
| Compare | RecommendedBolna | Bland AI |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Pay as you go per minute. Speech-to-text, LLM and text-to-speech are included on bundled models; telephony and a platform fee are added per minute. No charge for usage on providers you connect yourself. | Per minute, with LLM, speech-to-text and text-to-speech included. Telephony is billed separately. Build plan adds $299/month. |
| Starting price | $0.06/min | $0.14/min on Start with no platform fee. $0.12/min on Build. |
| Free credits | $5 for new accounts | Not published |
| Languages | 20+ languages, including Hindi, Hinglish, Tamil and Telugu. One agent can switch language mid-call. | 40+ languages, per Bland's docs. |
| Telephony and your own numbers | Buy a number from Bolna, connect your own Twilio, Plivo, Exotel or Vobiz account, or bring any SIP trunk. | Bland numbers, your existing Twilio account, or a SIP trunk from your own carrier. Numbers can be ported in. |
| Indian carriers and numbers | Plivo, Exotel and Vobiz connect natively. Buy Indian numbers through Plivo or Vobiz after compliance checks. | Your own carrier over SIP. Plivo, Exotel or Vobiz guides: not published. |
| No-code builder | Yes. Auto Build in Agent Studio turns a short description into an agent. Graph agents for step-by-step flows. | Conversational Pathways, a drag-and-drop canvas for call flows. |
| API and SDKs | REST API, CLI, MCP server and a Web Call SDK. | API, SDKs, MCP server and CLI. |
| On-prem / self-hosting | Yes, on enterprise plans (Docker or Kubernetes in your own cloud). | On-premise or VPC deployment on Enterprise. |
| Data residency | US by default. India data residency on enterprise plans, with recordings and transcripts stored in India. | On Enterprise. |
| Compliance | Independent VAPT assessment rated A+. Contact Bolna for HIPAA, SOC 2 or GDPR requirements. | SOC 2 Type I and Type II, HIPAA with a signed BAA, GDPR with a DPA, PCI DSS self-attested. |
Competitor details come from their official websites, checked on 26 October 2026. “Not published” means we could not find it on their site. Prices change, so confirm before you decide. See sources.
Why teams pick Bolna over Bland AI
Indian languages that switch mid-call
Bolna agents speak 20+ languages, including Hindi, Hinglish, Tamil and Telugu. One agent can move between languages when the caller does, so you do not need a separate agent per language.
Indian carriers built in
Plivo, Exotel and Vobiz connect to Bolna directly, and you can buy Indian numbers through Plivo or Vobiz. Any other carrier works over a SIP trunk.
Start at $0.06 per minute
Bolna is pay as you go from $0.06 per minute, with speech-to-text, the LLM and text-to-speech included on bundled models. New accounts get $5 in free credits, and larger top-ups lower the rate.
Do I have to change my phone numbers?
No. Connect the Twilio, Plivo, Exotel or Vobiz account you already use, or point your SIP trunk at Bolna, and assign the same numbers to your new agent. If you need new numbers, you can buy US or Indian numbers from Bolna.
What does switching involve?
Most teams move one agent first, test it side by side, then move the rest. There are four steps.
Copy what your current agent does
The prompt, greeting, knowledge base files, the tools it calls, transfer numbers and webhooks.
Rebuild it on Bolna
Paste a description or call script into Auto Build, or create the agent through the API. If you used Conversational Pathways, rebuild the steps as a graph agent.
Connect your numbers, tools and webhooks
Link your carrier or SIP trunk, add your API calls as custom functions, and point the call status webhook at your backend.
Test, then move traffic
Place test calls in each language you need, compare transcripts with your old agent, then move inbound numbers or batch campaigns over.
When Bland AI may fit better
- You want one per-minute rate that already covers the LLM, speech-to-text and text-to-speech.
- You need SOC 2, HIPAA, GDPR and PCI DSS documentation from your vendor today.
- You want Bland's Forward Deployed Engineer team to build your first agent with you.
- You want to run the same agents over SMS, RCS and iMessage as well as voice.
Frequently asked questions
Bolna is built for calls in India. Agents speak 20+ languages, including Hindi, Hinglish, Tamil and Telugu, and can switch language mid-call. You can call through Plivo, Exotel, Vobiz or your own SIP trunk, and keep data in India on enterprise plans.
On 26 October 2026, Bland's pricing page listed $0.14 per minute on the Start plan and $0.12 per minute plus $299 a month on the Build plan, with telephony billed separately. Bolna is pay-as-you-go from $0.06 per minute, with telephony and a platform fee added per minute, and $5 in free credits for new accounts.
Yes, if the numbers are on your own carrier. Connect your Twilio, Plivo, Exotel or Vobiz account to Bolna, or point your SIP trunk at Bolna, and assign the numbers to your new agent.
Yes. Bolna graph agents split a call into nodes, each with its own instructions and rules for moving to the next step. Static nodes and rule-based transitions can skip the LLM for parts of the call.
Yes, on enterprise plans. Bolna On-Prem runs as Docker containers or on Kubernetes in your cloud or data center, and audio, transcripts and logs stay in your environment.
Where these facts come from
Competitor details checked on their official websites on 26 October 2026. For a longer write-up, read the full Bolna vs Bland comparison on the Bolna blog.
- Bland AI pricing
- Bland AI docs index
- Bland AI docs: SIP
- Bland AI docs: Conversational Pathways
- Bolna pricing
- Bolna docs: multilingual agents
- Bolna docs: telephony providers
- Bolna docs: buying phone numbers
- Bolna docs: SIP trunks
- Bolna docs: Auto Build
- Bolna docs: developer resources
- Bolna docs: data residency
- Bolna docs: on-premise deployment
- Bolna docs: security and data handling
Ready to try Bolna?
Build an agent from a short description and test it on real calls with $5 in free credits.