Vapi vs Retell vs Bolna
How Vapi, Retell AI and Bolna compare for AI voice agents, and when each one fits.
Bolna is built for phone calls in India
Vapi's FAQ says it focuses on developers, who choose and pay for each provider. Retell offers a no-code dashboard and per-minute pricing that covers voice infrastructure, model and voice. Bolna agents speak 20+ languages, including Hindi, Hinglish, Tamil and Telugu, connect to Indian carriers natively, and can keep call data in India on enterprise plans.
Bolna vs Vapi vs Retell AI at a glance
Scroll the table sideways to see Vapi and Retell AI.
| Compare | RecommendedBolna | Vapi | 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. | Per-minute hosting fee. Models are passed through at cost and telephony is charged by your provider. Optional packages from $29/month. | 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 | $0.05/min for Vapi hosting, plus your providers. | $0.07/min, up to $0.31/min depending on model and voice. |
| Free credits | $5 for new accounts | $5 | $10, with 20 concurrent calls included. |
| 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+. | 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. | Free US numbers for inbound calls. Import numbers from Twilio, Telnyx or DIDWW, or connect a 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. | Plivo is covered in the SIP trunk guides. Exotel or Vobiz guides: not published. | 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. | Assistants can be created in the dashboard; function calling needs a server URL. Its FAQ says Vapi focuses on developers. | Yes. Dashboard with single prompt and conversation flow agents. |
| API and SDKs | REST API, CLI, MCP server and a Web Call SDK. | Full API. | 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 supported, per Vapi's FAQ. | Not published |
| Data residency | US by default. India data residency on enterprise plans, with recordings and transcripts stored in India. | EU region on the Premier package. | 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. | HIPAA, SOC 2 Type II and GDPR, per Vapi's FAQ. HIPAA add-on $2,000/month. | 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 Vapi and Retell
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.
Call data in India or on your servers
On enterprise plans, Bolna can keep call data in India, or run on your own servers with Bolna On-Prem. Vapi's FAQ says it does not support on-premise deployment.
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 or 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 Vapi or Retell may fit better
When Vapi fits
- Your developers want to pick every speech, model and voice provider, or bring a custom model.
- You want several assistants that hand a call between them (Vapi Squads).
- You need EU hosting, which Vapi offers on its Premier package.
When Retell AI fits
- You want to build in a no-code dashboard and pay one per-minute rate for voice infrastructure, model and voice.
- You mainly call the US or Canada, or route calls through Avaya, Genesys or Five9.
- You want a self-signed HIPAA BAA at no extra fee.
Frequently asked questions
Vapi is aimed at developers: you choose the providers for each part of the call and pay Vapi $0.05 per minute for hosting, with providers billed separately. Retell runs the telephony, speech and model layers for you, offers a no-code dashboard, and lists voice agents at $0.07 to $0.31 per minute.
It depends on the models and voices you choose. On 26 October 2026, Vapi's pricing calculator estimated $82 to $129 for 1,000 minutes using Deepgram, OpenAI and ElevenLabs, and Retell's calculator showed a sample rate of $0.11 per minute. Run your own call length and model choice through both calculators before deciding.
Retell's language page lists Hindi, and Vapi's language support depends on the speech and voice providers you choose. Bolna supports Hindi, Hinglish, Tamil, Telugu and other Indian languages, and one agent can switch between them during a call.
Bolna offers on-premise deployment on enterprise plans. Vapi's FAQ says Vapi does not support on-premise deployment. Retell's docs that we checked do not describe an on-premise option.
Where these facts come from
Competitor details checked on their official websites on 26 October 2026.
- Vapi pricing
- Vapi docs: FAQ
- Vapi docs: multilingual
- Vapi docs: phone calls
- Vapi docs: SIP trunking
- Vapi docs: EU region
- Vapi docs: Squads
- 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.