Vapi

Vapi is a developer-first platform for building, deploying, and improving voice agents. It manages orchestration and live monitoring, and Vapi says it can deliver responses in under 500ms for real-time conversations. Agents support turn-taking, human-like voices, custom pronunciation and keywords, and can use external data or trigger tools such as MCP during calls. Builders can bring their own model or choose from a managed catalog of more than 200 models and integrations. Telephony features include custom SIP, warm transfers, voicemail detection, number management, and DTMF support. Vapi lists automated test suites, analytics and reporting, exports, and A/B experiments for prompts, voices, and flows. It supports English, Spanish, Mandarin, and more than 100 other languages. The platform is available on Android, iOS, web, and API. A free-start option includes $5 in credits and four concurrent calls; Core is $29/mo, with 10 concurrent calls and 30 days of raw data retention. Paid plans list response SLAs and additional support options.

Vapi combines voice-agent building, telephony, model choice, and testing tools in one platform. Check the plan’s concurrency, retention, and support terms against your needs before choosing.

Vapi suits developers building voice agents who need to connect models, telephony, tools, and business workflows. Its managed model options and configurable support may also suit teams preparing agents for business use.

Overview

Vapi is a developer-focused platform for building and operating voice agents. It suits teams that need to shape phone conversations around their own models, integrations, and call workflows. Its breadth is compelling, but capacity, data retention, and support vary sharply by plan.

Key features

Vapi brings call orchestration and real-time monitoring together with enterprise configuration options. The company says responses can arrive in under 500ms, a useful target for keeping spoken exchanges moving. Builders can tune turn-taking, voices, pronunciation, and keywords, then connect agents to external data or trigger tools such as MCP during a live call.

Model choice is a central strength: teams can bring their own model or choose from a managed catalog of more than 200 models and integrations. Telephony covers inbound and outbound calls, custom SIP, phone-number management, DTMF, voicemail detection, and warm transfers. That combination fits workflows where automation needs a clear route to a person. Displayed integrations include OpenAI, Anthropic, Twilio, Zendesk, Salesforce, HubSpot, and Slack.

Automated test suites, analytics dashboards with reporting and exports, and A/B experiments for prompts, voices, and flows support ongoing refinement. Agents can converse in English, Spanish, Mandarin, and more than 100 other supported languages. The Trust Center provides compliance resources for CCPA, GDPR, HIPAA, SOC 2, PCI DSS v4.0.1, and SOC 3; teams should assess the relevant requirements for their own deployment.

Pricing

The No Success Package is free to start, with $5 in credits, then Vapi hosting costs $0.05/min; models are pass-through at cost. It includes two organizations, one Vapi phone number, four concurrent calls, 14 days of raw data retention, the full model catalog and platform, peer-to-peer Discord support, and email support without an SLA. It is useful for a small evaluation, but the credits, call capacity, and short retention window constrain sustained use.

Core costs $29 a month, prepaid and auto-renewing, with models pass-through at cost. It includes two organizations, five Vapi phone numbers, 10 concurrent calls, 30 days of raw data retention, ZDR, email support, and a two-business-day response SLA. This is the clearest starting tier for a team moving beyond a trial, though it offers limited concurrency and no dedicated support channel.

Pro costs $999 a month, billed at 10% of the Vapi hosting fee with a $999/mo minimum; models remain pass-through at cost. It raises the allowance to 10 organizations, 10 phone numbers, and 30 concurrent calls, with 180 days of raw data retention, RBAC plus ZDR, dedicated Slack and email support, a one-business-day response SLA, and a 99% uptime SLA. The longer retention and service commitments suit higher-stakes operations, but the minimum price is a substantial step up from Core.

Premier uses custom pricing and is sold directly. It offers elevated organization, concurrency, and retention allowances, a custom phone-number count, priority support, a named support team and onboarding, a one-hour P0 response SLA, a 99.9% uptime SLA, custom RBAC, ZDR and SSO, and dedicated SIP. It is aimed at organizations whose scale or support requirements exceed Pro; buyers need a custom quote to assess the cost.

Platforms

Vapi supports Android, iOS, web, and API access. The API and web options suit teams building or managing agents in software workflows, while mobile platform support broadens where those workflows can be accessed.

Who it's for

Vapi is best suited to developers and businesses building phone-based agents that need model flexibility, configurable telephony, and tools for testing and iteration. The free package offers a low-cost way to explore the platform; Core fits modest production needs, while Pro and Premier are more appropriate when higher concurrency, longer retention, or stronger support commitments matter. Teams looking for a ready-made voice product rather than a developer-first platform should consider other options.

Pros and cons

• Pro: Model choice spans bring-your-own options and a managed catalog of more than 200 models and integrations, giving builders room to tailor their stack.
• Pro: Telephony features include inbound and outbound calling, warm transfers, and custom SIP, supporting workflows that combine automation with human handling.
• Pro: Automated suites, analytics exports, and A/B experiments provide concrete tools for improving deployed agents.
• Con: The free package is capped at four concurrent calls and 14 days of raw data retention, with only $5 in credits before hosting is charged by the minute.
• Con: Core's 10-call concurrency and 30-day retention may be restrictive for busier operations; Pro's $$999 monthly minimum is a steep upgrade.
• Con: Free-start email support has no SLA, and the published response commitments improve only on paid tiers.

Alternatives

LiveKit Agents is worth considering for teams that want a free Build plan with 1,000 agent session minutes, five concurrent sessions, and one deployment, or need its broader platform support, including self-hosting and desktop systems.

Voiceflow may suit agencies and partners who value a free trial without a credit card, usage-based billing, multi-client workspace management, and white-labeling.

Yellow.ai offers a free plan with one AI agent, 500/month included, a two-agent limit, 1,000 records, and one active campaign; that capped starting point may fit teams comparing a freemium option.

Numa is another paid option for teams seeking an alternative platform across Android, iOS, and web.

Pipecat is a free option with a usage-based Pipecat Cloud plan and support for self-hosting and desktop platforms.

Retell AI may appeal to teams comparing per-minute voice-agent pricing, with a stated $0.07-$0.31 per minute range, $10 in free credits, and 20 concurrent calls included on Pay as you go.

Intervo offers a self-hosted open-source plan with MIT-licensed source code and community support.

Rapida AI may fit builders who want a free Launch plan with one agent, their own STT, TTS, LLM, and SIP, and 10-day observability retention.

Browse more options in AI Voice Agents and Conversational AI Platforms.

Verdict

Choose Vapi if your team is building voice agents and wants broad model choice, phone workflow controls, and built-in ways to test and refine them. Its strongest case is the combination of configurable telephony and developer tools; look elsewhere if you need substantial call capacity on a modest budget or a ready-made product without a developer-first approach.