Bolna vs Retell AI
How Bolna compares to Retell 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 Retell AI at a glance
Scroll the table sideways to see Retell AI.
| Compare | RecommendedBolna | Retell 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. | Pay as you go per minute: voice infrastructure ($0.055/min) plus your LLM and voice. Telephony $0.015/min in listed countries; no charge for SIP trunking. |
| Starting price | $0.06/min | $0.07/min, up to $0.31/min depending on model and voice. |
| Free credits | $5 for new accounts | $10, with 20 concurrent calls included. |
| Languages | 20+ languages, including Hindi, Hinglish, Tamil and Telugu. One agent can switch language mid-call. | 55 languages listed in Retell's docs, including Hindi, Tamil, Marathi and Kannada. Coverage depends on the speech and voice provider. |
| Telephony and your own numbers | Buy a number from Bolna, connect your own Twilio, Plivo, Exotel or Vobiz account, or bring any SIP trunk. | Buy a US or Canada number in Retell, or connect your own carrier over SIP. Guides cover Twilio, Telnyx, Vonage, Avaya, Genesys and Five9. |
| Indian carriers and numbers | Plivo, Exotel and Vobiz connect natively. Buy Indian numbers through Plivo or Vobiz after compliance checks. | Numbers sold in Retell are US and Canada. 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. | Yes. Dashboard with single prompt and conversation flow agents. |
| API and SDKs | REST API, CLI, MCP server and a Web Call SDK. | API, SDKs, MCP server, and a Web SDK and website widget. |
| On-prem / self-hosting | Yes, on enterprise plans (Docker or Kubernetes in your own cloud). | Not published |
| Data residency | US by default. India data residency on enterprise plans, with recordings and transcripts stored in India. | Its compliance page says Retell does not currently operate services in the EU. |
| Compliance | Independent VAPT assessment rated A+. Contact Bolna for HIPAA, SOC 2 or GDPR requirements. | SOC 2 Type 1 and Type 2, HIPAA (self-signed BAA at no extra fee) and GDPR, per Retell's docs. |
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 Retell 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, which suits callers who mix Hindi and English in the same sentence.
Indian carriers built in
Retell sells numbers in the US and Canada. Bolna connects to Plivo, Exotel and Vobiz directly and sells Indian numbers through Plivo or Vobiz, and any other carrier works over a SIP trunk.
Call data in India or on your servers
On enterprise plans, Bolna can process calls in India and store recordings and transcripts there. Bolna On-Prem runs in your own cloud or data center with Docker or Kubernetes.
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 Retell conversation flows, 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 Retell AI may fit better
- You mainly call the US or Canada and want to buy numbers inside the platform.
- Your calls run through a contact center such as Avaya, Genesys or Five9.
- You need a HIPAA BAA you can sign yourself, plus SOC 2 Type 1 and Type 2 reports.
- You want voice and chat agents in the same product.
Frequently asked questions
Bolna is built for calls in India. Agents speak 20+ languages, including Hindi, Hinglish, Tamil and Telugu, and switch language mid-call. You can call through Plivo, Exotel, Vobiz or your own SIP trunk, and route calls through Indian servers on enterprise plans.
On 26 October 2026, Retell's pricing page listed voice agents at $0.07 to $0.31 per minute, made up of voice infrastructure, the LLM and the voice, with telephony at $0.015 per minute in listed countries. 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.
Yes. Bolna graph agents split a call into nodes with their own instructions and transition rules, which suits calls with fixed steps such as qualifying, collecting details and confirming.
Yes, if they are on your own carrier. Point your SIP trunk at Bolna, or connect your Twilio, Plivo, Exotel or Vobiz account, and assign the numbers to your Bolna agent.
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 Retell comparison on the Bolna blog.
- Retell AI pricing
- Retell AI docs: introduction
- Retell AI docs: language support
- Retell AI docs: security and compliance
- Retell AI docs index
- 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.