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Bland AI vs Twilio for voice AI

Short answer. Bland AI sells the AI agent. Its Start plan costs $0.14 a minute with the language model, speech to text, and text to speech included. Phone service bills on top. Twilio sells the phone line. It charges $0.0085 a minute to receive a call on a US local number. Twilio's Conversation Relay for voice AI adds $0.07 a minute, and you bring your own model. Bland can run calls on your own carrier, Twilio included. We read both pricing pages on October 26, 2026.

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Price side by side

Item	Bland AI	Twilio
AI per minute	$0.14 on Start, $0.12 on Build	$0.07 Conversation Relay, model not included
Platform fee	$0 on Start, $299 a month on Build	None
Receive a call (US local)	Billed apart, your carrier or Bland's at pass-through	$0.0085 a minute
Transfers	$0.05 a minute on Start, $0.04 on Build	Billed as call minutes
Free start	2 credits plus an inbound number ($15 a month value), no card	$15 trial credit, no card
Limits on the entry plan	10 concurrent calls, 100 calls a day	Pay as you go

Sources: Bland AI pricing and Twilio voice pricing, United States, checked October 26, 2026.

1,000 inbound minutes

Setup	Cost, our math
Bland Start	$140 plus phone service
Bland Start on a Twilio number	$148.50
Bland Build on a Twilio number	$427.50
Twilio Conversation Relay plus your own model	$79.65 plus model costs

Bland Build saves $0.02 a minute over Start. The $299 platform fee takes 14,950 minutes a month to pay back, by our math. Most small shops will stay on Start.

What each one does

Bland gives you an agent with the model and voice in one rate. Bland says there are no token charges and no model pass-throughs. Twilio gives you the phone network and building blocks. With Twilio you pick the model, pay that provider, and write the agent logic. That costs developer time.

Which to pick

Pick Bland if you want one per-minute price for the AI and do not want to manage model bills. Pick Twilio direct if you have a developer and want the lowest raw cost per minute. Pick a ready-made AI receptionist if you want no build at all.

Compare more: Vapi vs Twilio · Vapi vs Bland AI · Twilio voice pricing

FAQ

Is Bland AI cheaper than Twilio? They bill for different parts. Bland's $0.14 a minute covers the model, speech, and voice. Twilio's $0.07 Conversation Relay rate leaves the model to you, and phone minutes add $0.0085.

Does Bland AI work with Twilio? Yes. Bland says you can bring your own telephony provider. Phone service bills on your carrier or on Bland's at pass-through cost.

What does Bland AI cost per minute? $0.14 a minute on Start with no platform fee. Build is $0.12 a minute plus $299 a month.

Does Bland AI include phone minutes? No. Bland bills telephony apart from its per-minute AI rate.

Does Twilio have a free trial? Yes. Twilio gives $15 in trial credit and says no credit card is needed.

Checked 2026-10-26. Prices and policies change. Confirm on the source before you buy.