Vapi AI Pricing Calculator 2026
Calculate your real Vapi AI cost per minute — platform fee, LLM, TTS, STT, and telephony. See exactly what you'll pay with any provider combination.
Understanding Vapi AI's Per-Minute Pricing
Vapi.ai uses modular, usage-based pricing where you pay per minute for each component of the voice AI pipeline. Your total cost per minute is the sum of five parts: the $0.05/min platform fee (fixed), plus variable costs for your chosen LLM, text-to-speech (TTS), speech-to-text (STT), and telephony providers.
This makes Vapi flexible — you can optimize for cost or quality by swapping providers — but also unpredictable. A "cheap" LLM paired with a premium TTS can push your per-minute cost higher than expected. This calculator breaks down exactly what you'll pay based on your specific provider choices and call volume.
Prices based on Vapi.ai's publicly listed rates (June 2026). Platform fee: $0.05/min (fixed). LLM, TTS, STT, and telephony costs vary by provider. Build tier includes 10 concurrent call slots and 10 US phone numbers. Additional slots: $10/line/month. Additional numbers: ~$2/month. HIPAA compliance: $1,000-2,000/month. Verify current pricing at vapi.ai/pricing.
Vapi AI Cost per Minute Breakdown (2026)
| Component | Provider | Cost/Min |
|---|---|---|
| Platform Fee | Vapi (fixed) | $0.050 |
| LLM | GPT-4o Mini | ~$0.030 |
| GPT-4o | ~$0.100 | |
| Claude 3.5 Sonnet | ~$0.150 | |
| Gemini Flash | ~$0.005 | |
| Groq Llama | ~$0.010 | |
| DeepSeek V3 | ~$0.005 | |
| TTS | ElevenLabs | ~$0.050 |
| Cartesia (Sonic) | ~$0.015 | |
| Deepgram Aura | ~$0.010 | |
| PlayHT | ~$0.030 | |
| Google TTS | ~$0.007 | |
| STT | Deepgram Nova | ~$0.007 |
| OpenAI Whisper | ~$0.005 | |
| Gladia | ~$0.050 | |
| Telephony | Inbound (US) | ~$0.010 |
| Outbound (US) | ~$0.015 | |
| SIP / Custom | $0.000 |
Vapi AI Cost at Scale: Real Scenarios
| Scenario | Cost/Min | 1,000 min/mo | 10,000 min/mo |
|---|---|---|---|
| Budget (DeepSeek + Google TTS + Whisper + SIP) | $0.067 | $67 | $670 |
| Standard (GPT-4o Mini + Cartesia + Deepgram + Inbound) | $0.112 | $112 | $1,120 |
| Premium (Claude 3.5 + ElevenLabs + Deepgram + Outbound) | $0.272 | $272 | $2,720 |
Vapi vs Retell AI vs VoxBolt
| Feature | Vapi | Retell AI | VoxBolt |
|---|---|---|---|
| Platform Fee | $0.05/min | $0.055/min | Included |
| Cost Model | Per-minute modular | Per-minute modular | Flat monthly |
| Free Tier | $10 credits | $10 credits | Free plan available |
| 1K min/mo (standard) | ~$112/mo | ~$115/mo | $69/mo flat |
| LLM Options | 6+ models | 8+ models | Managed |
| Best For | Developers, custom stacks | Quick deployment | Teams, predictable cost |
Vapi Pricing Tiers
| Tier | Base Fee | Concurrent Calls | Phone Numbers | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trial | $0 + $10 credit | Limited | — | Testing |
| Build | $0 (pay-as-you-go) | 10 included | 10 free US numbers | Startups, MVPs |
| Scale | Custom | Custom | Custom | Growth companies |
| Enterprise | Custom | Custom | Custom | Large orgs, HIPAA |
When Vapi Makes Sense (and When It Doesn't)
✅ Choose Vapi if:
- You want full control over your AI voice stack (pick your own LLM, TTS, STT)
- You're building a developer-first product with custom integrations
- You need support for multiple LLM and voice providers
- Per-minute pricing works for your usage patterns
❌ Consider alternatives if:
- You want predictable monthly costs without tracking per-minute usage
- You're a non-technical team that prefers managed AI (no stack configuration)
- Your call volume is high and per-minute costs add up fast
- You need HIPAA compliance without paying $1,000-2,000/month extra
How VoxBolt Differs
- Flat monthly pricing — No per-minute fees that scale unpredictably.
- AI included at no extra cost — No need to configure LLM/TTS/STT providers or track usage.
- 5-minute deployment — One script tag, not hours of provider configuration.
- Knowledge gap detection — Automatically identifies what your AI can't answer so you can improve over time.
More comparisons: Retell AI Pricing Calculator | Intercom Pricing Calculator | Zendesk Pricing Calculator
See how much you could save
VoxBolt publishes current plan pricing with AI included. No per-seat or per-resolution charges on eligible plans.
See how it worksHow It Works
Pick your providers
Select your LLM, text-to-speech, speech-to-text, and telephony providers from Vapi's modular stack.
Set your call volume
Adjust monthly minutes, phone numbers, and extra concurrent call slots to match your usage.
See the true cost
Get a full breakdown: platform fee, LLM, TTS, STT, telephony, and add-ons. Compare Budget vs Standard vs Premium stacks.
Why Use This Tool?
Why Teams Choose VoxBolt
AI That Learns Your Business
Train on your website, docs, and FAQs — your AI assistant knows your product inside out.
Track What Matters
Built-in analytics, customer feedback collection, and knowledge gap detection.
Deploy in 5 Minutes
No code required. Paste one script tag and your AI assistant is live.
AI Included in Every Plan
No per-resolution fees or per-seat charges. Review current plan pricing anytime.