Bolna vs Retell AI (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Retell AI grades higher than Bolna: 2.4 against 2.2 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Retell AI grades higher on features. They get the same grade on value for money, the free plan, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Retell AI
Pay-per-minute platform for AI phone and chat agents
Which one is for you
Pick Bolna if
- Fits if you want voice agents that speak Indian languages
- Works for teams running bulk outbound call campaigns
Look elsewhere if
- Watch out: telephony and a platform fee are added to the 6 cent per minute rate
- Tight if you forget top-ups: agents stop making calls when credits run out
- Watch out: Pilot plan rates hold only until the purchased minutes are used, then standard prices apply
- Skip it if you want a monthly flat fee, as billing is by the minute
Pick Retell AI if
- Fits if you want to pay per minute with no monthly commitment
- Works for developers wiring phone agents into Twilio or HubSpot
Look elsewhere if
- Pricey if you add it up, as model, voice and telephony sit on top of the $0.055 base
- Watch out: HIPAA and BAA, SSO, role-based access and custom retention are Enterprise only
- Watch out: AI quality assurance and PII removal are charged per minute on top
- Not for you if you want a fixed bill, because cost moves with minutes
How we grade them
| 2.2GPABolnaFair | 2.4GPARetell AIFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | C$0.06 a minute on pay-as-you-go with bundled models, from a $10 credit purchase. Telephony and a platform fee are added per minute, so the real rate is higher. | CStarts at $0 and bills $0.07 to $0.31 a minute, so the price can't be set against the category's monthly plans. Voice infrastructure alone is $0.055 a minute. |
| Free plan and trial | C$5 in free credits on sign-up. No card is mentioned, but it is only a few minutes of calls. | C$10 in free credits with full platform access. There is no free plan, and the page does not say whether a card is needed. |
| Features | CNo-code builder and API, Indian-language voice, bulk campaigns, live API calls and human handoff. Pilot rates hold only until the purchased minutes run out. | BInbound and outbound calls, batch calls, testing and monitoring, model and voice choice, and chat agents. The core job of a phone agent is covered. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. You build the agent, pick models and connect a phone provider such as Twilio. | CNo store rating on record, and you set up prompts, a number, models and voices, often with the API. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb dashboard and API, with n8n, Make, Zapier, Twilio and Plivo listed. No desktop or phone app. | BWeb, with Make, Twilio, Vonage, HubSpot, n8n and Go High Level listed, plus API access. |
| Best for | voice AI agents with Indian-language support | developers building phone agents that bill by the minute |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Bolna and Retell AI. How we grade
Where they differ
- Bolna also covers workflow automation and no-code.
- Retell AI also covers chatbots.
At a glance
| Bolna | Retell AI | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free trial |
| Starts at | $10 minimum credit purchase, used as you go (from 6¢ per minute) | $0 to start, then $0.07 to $0.31 per minute for voice agents |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | $5 in free credits when you sign up | $10 in free credits with full platform access. |
| Web | ||
| Made by | Whismurwave Inc. | Retell AI |
| Price read from | bolna.ai | retellai.com |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Bolna
- Pay-as-you-go lists 6¢ per minute with bundled models; telephony and a platform fee are added per minute, and the Pilot plan has fixed minutes.
- Agents stop making calls when credits run out unless automatic top-ups are set.
- Pilot plan rates hold only until the purchased minutes are used, then the account reverts to standard pricing.
Retell AI
- The rate is a sum of parts: voice infrastructure is $0.055 per minute, with model, voice and telephony on top, hence $0.07 to $0.31.
- The comparison table lists HIPAA and BAA, SSO, role-based access and custom data retention for Enterprise only.
- Dedicated implementation support and a dedicated stable server are Enterprise add-ons.
- Add-ons such as AI quality assurance and PII removal are charged per minute on top of the base rate.
Key features
Bolna
- No-code agent builder and API
- Agents are built from a template or from scratch in a dashboard, and calls can also be triggered through a REST API with Python, JavaScript or cURL examples.
- Indian-language voice
- The site says agents work across 10+ vernacular Indian languages including Hinglish, Hindi, Tamil and Telugu, and lists 20+ languages overall.
- Bulk campaigns
- Outbound campaigns can run thousands of AI calls at once, for uses such as reminders, lead qualification and announcements.
- Live API calls and human handoff
- An agent can call external APIs mid-conversation and transfer the call to a human agent when needed.
- Model choice
- The site lists 20+ speech-to-text, language and text-to-speech models, and says you can bring your own API keys to cut costs.
Retell AI
- Inbound and outbound phone agents
- Agents answer or place calls, transfer to a human, book appointments, use a knowledge base and navigate keypad menus.
- Batch calls and caller ID
- The deploy menu lists batch calling for high-volume campaigns, branded caller ID and verified phone numbers.
- Testing and monitoring
- Simulation testing, call transcripts and analytics, post-call analysis and AI quality assurance are listed for monitoring agents.
- Model and voice choice
- The cost estimator offers language models from OpenAI, Anthropic and Google and voices from Retell, ElevenLabs, Cartesia, Minimax, Fish and OpenAI.
- Chat agents
- The same platform runs chat agents, priced from $0.002 per message.
Plans
Bolna
Pay-as-you-go$10
minimum credit top-up, used as you go
Credits from $10 to $5,000, billed by usage. Standard rate starts at 6¢ per minute and falls to about 4.5¢ at larger top-ups.
Pilots$300
one-time, for 6,500 minutes
Fixed per-minute rate (about 4.6¢), up to 25 concurrent calls, WhatsApp support and four 1:1 calls. A $500 tier gives 12,000 minutes.
EnterpriseCustom
Custom volume pricing, customised integrations and deployment, priority support and a dedicated account manager.
Retell AI
Pay as you go$0
to start, then $0.07-$0.31 per minute
Voice agents at $0.07-$0.31 per minute, chat agents from $0.002 per message, 20 free concurrent calls, API access and email support.
EnterpriseCustom
Custom voice and chat pricing, role-based access, custom SSO, MSA, DPA and BAA terms, and 24/7 support with a dedicated portal.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Bolna or Retell AI?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Bolna starts at $10 minimum credit purchase, used as you go (from 6¢ per minute), and Retell AI starts at $0 to start, then $0.07 to $0.31 per minute for voice agents.
Which has a free plan, Bolna or Retell AI?
As of Nov 13, 2026, neither Bolna nor Retell AI has a free plan. Both have a free trial.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.