Skip to content

Voice & chat agents

“Build an AI phone or chat agent”
1 of 2

Voice agents differ mostly in who builds them and how calls are billed. Vapi and Retell AI suit developers and agencies: both bill per minute, and Retell adds phone numbers, call transfer and batch calling. Synthflow builds no-code phone agents for high call volumes, from $30,000 a year. ElevenLabs supplies lifelike voices in many languages, and Quickchat AI trains a chat assistant on your own knowledge base for website chat and WhatsApp.

Vapi: Build phone and web voice agents in code.
Vapi

Build phone and web voice agents in code.

Free planTry
Retell AI: Build AI voice agents that answer phone calls.
Retell AI

Build AI voice agents that answer phone calls.

Free planTry
Synthflow: No-code AI voice agents for phone calls.
Synthflow

No-code AI voice agents for phone calls.

From $30,000/yrTry
Quickchat AI: Build human-like AI assistants for customers.
Quickchat AI

Build human-like AI assistants for customers.

Pricing on requestTry
Lovable: Builds web apps from a plain-language description.
Lovable

Builds web apps from a plain-language description.

Free planTry
Bolt: Web apps built, run and deployed from a prompt.
Bolt28%

Web apps built, run and deployed from a prompt.

Free planTry
Replit: Build and host apps with AI in the browser.
Replit

Build and host apps with AI in the browser.

Free planTry

Side by side

Price, free plan, ease of use and the team size each one suits.
ElevenLabs2 months free on annualSolo, Small team, Growing team
VapiFree planSmall team, Growing team
Retell AIFree planSmall team, Growing team
SynthflowFrom $30,000/yrGrowing team, Large team
Quickchat AIPricing on requestSolo, Small team, Growing team

Why these picks

Independent reviews, facts checked at the source, and our own use.
  • Ranked from independent reviews

    We score how often and how high each tool appears in independent best-of reviews.

     
  • Facts checked at the source

    Prices, free plans and offers come from each provider's own website, checked every week by our software and reviewed by us.

    Prices last checked 2 Oct 2026
  • Nobody pays for a place

    The order comes from the reviews and the facts. Offers are only the providers' own.

     

Head to head

Pairs people weigh up that include one of these picks.
ElevenLabsvsMurf AI

Rules that apply

The rules, the dates, and which of these tools support them.
EU AI Act: chatbot and AI content labelsUsing a chatbot or AI images on your site in the EU? See what Article 50 of the AI Act asks of you, who must label what, and the dates that apply.

Connect them to AI

MCP setups that use these tools, step by step.
Create voiceovers for your videos

Questions

What people ask about voice & chat agents.

Can a small business afford an AI phone agent?

Vapi and Retell AI both have a free plan to test and then charge per minute, so a quiet line costs little. Retell has no monthly fee on top of the minutes. Synthflow starts at $30,000 a year and targets businesses and agencies with heavy call volume. For a salon or clinic, per-minute pricing usually fits better.

Do I need a developer to set up a voice agent?

For Vapi, yes: you pick the speech-to-text, LLM and voice providers and connect your own tools in code. Retell AI also targets developers and agencies, with testing tools to check calls before going live. Synthflow builds agents without code and connects to calendars and a CRM. Quickchat AI lets you train a chat assistant on your knowledge base without programming.

Can the agent hand a call over to a person?

Yes, and you should plan for it. Retell AI offers call transfer, and Synthflow passes the call to a person when needed. Quickchat AI hands a chat to a human for questions it cannot answer. Decide in advance which topics go straight to your team, such as complaints or payments.

Do I have to tell callers they are talking to an AI?

The EU AI Act requires that people know when they are interacting with an AI system, unless it is obvious. Say it in the greeting, which also sets expectations. If the agent records calls, mention that too, since recording rules differ by country. Keep the option to reach a person one step away.

Will the voice sound natural in Spanish, German or Italian?

ElevenLabs produces lifelike speech in many languages and powers voice agents through its API. Vapi lets you choose the voice provider, so you can plug in the one that sounds best in your language. Test a real script with local names, addresses and numbers before launch. Callers forgive an accent faster than a mispronounced street name.