Bolna vs Vapi
How Bolna compares to Vapi 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 Vapi at a glance
Scroll the table sideways to see Vapi.
| Compare | RecommendedBolna | Vapi |
|---|---|---|
| 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 hosting fee. Models are passed through at cost and telephony is charged by your provider. Optional packages from $29/month. |
| Starting price | $0.06/min | $0.05/min for Vapi hosting, plus your providers. |
| Free credits | $5 for new accounts | $5 |
| Languages | 20+ languages, including Hindi, Hinglish, Tamil and Telugu. One agent can switch language mid-call. | Depends on the speech and voice providers you pick. Vapi's own voices cover 40+ languages; Azure covers 140+. |
| Telephony and your own numbers | Buy a number from Bolna, connect your own Twilio, Plivo, Exotel or Vobiz account, or bring any SIP trunk. | Free US numbers for inbound calls. Import numbers from Twilio, Telnyx or DIDWW, or connect a SIP trunk. |
| Indian carriers and numbers | Plivo, Exotel and Vobiz connect natively. Buy Indian numbers through Plivo or Vobiz after compliance checks. | Plivo is covered in the SIP trunk guides. 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. | Assistants can be created in the dashboard; function calling needs a server URL. Its FAQ says Vapi focuses on developers. |
| API and SDKs | REST API, CLI, MCP server and a Web Call SDK. | Full API. |
| On-prem / self-hosting | Yes, on enterprise plans (Docker or Kubernetes in your own cloud). | Not supported, per Vapi's FAQ. |
| Data residency | US by default. India data residency on enterprise plans, with recordings and transcripts stored in India. | EU region on the Premier package. |
| Compliance | Independent VAPT assessment rated A+. Contact Bolna for HIPAA, SOC 2 or GDPR requirements. | HIPAA, SOC 2 Type II and GDPR, per Vapi's FAQ. HIPAA add-on $2,000/month. |
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 Vapi
Build an agent without code
Vapi's FAQ says it focuses on developers. On Bolna, Auto Build in Agent Studio turns a short description or a call script into a working agent, and the full API is there when your developers need it.
Run it on your own servers
Vapi's FAQ says it does not support on-premise deployment. Bolna On-Prem runs in your own cloud or data center with Docker or Kubernetes, so audio, transcripts and logs stay with you.
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.
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 Vapi Squads, 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 Vapi may fit better
- Your developers want to choose every speech, model and voice provider, or bring a custom model.
- You want to split a call across several assistants that hand off to each other (Vapi Squads).
- You need your organization hosted in the EU, which Vapi offers on its Premier package.
- You need HIPAA with a BAA and SOC 2 Type II documentation from your vendor today.
Frequently asked questions
Bolna's Auto Build turns a short description or an uploaded call script into a call-ready agent in Agent Studio, with no prompt writing. You can still use the Bolna API for everything once you need it.
On 26 October 2026, Vapi's pricing page listed $0.05 per minute for Vapi hosting, with models passed through at cost and telephony charged by the provider. Bolna is pay-as-you-go from $0.06 per minute with speech-to-text, LLM and text-to-speech included on bundled models, plus telephony and a platform fee per minute. Both give new accounts $5 in free credits.
Yes. Connect your own telephony, LLM, speech-to-text and text-to-speech accounts in Settings → Integrations. Bolna does not charge for usage on providers you connect yourself.
Yes, on enterprise plans. Bolna On-Prem runs in your own cloud or data center with Docker or Kubernetes. Vapi's FAQ says Vapi does not support on-premise deployment.
Yes. Connect the same Twilio account to Bolna, or point your SIP trunk at Bolna's SIP edge, then 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 Vapi comparison on the Bolna blog.
- Vapi pricing
- Vapi docs: FAQ
- Vapi docs: multilingual
- Vapi docs: phone calls
- Vapi docs: SIP trunking
- Vapi docs: EU region
- Vapi docs: Squads
- 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.