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Vapi vs Bland AI pricing

Short answer. Vapi charges $0.05 a minute for hosting, and you pay the speech, model, and voice providers on top. Vapi's calculator puts 1,000 minutes at $82 to $129 a month. Bland charges one rate that covers the model, speech to text, and voice: $0.14 a minute on Start, or $0.12 a minute plus $299 a month on Build. At 1,000 minutes, Vapi costs less. Bland is simpler to budget. We read both pricing pages on October 26, 2026.

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Side by side

	Vapi	Bland AI
Per-minute price	$0.05 hosting plus provider costs	$0.14 on Start, $0.12 on Build
Model, speech, and voice	Billed on top at cost	In the per-minute rate
Monthly fee	$0, or Core at $29	$0 on Start, $299 on Build
Free to start	$5 in credits	No card, 2 credits, and an inbound number
Concurrent calls	4 with no package, 10 on Core	10 on Start, 50 on Build
Call transfers	Billed as minutes	$0.05 a minute on Start, $0.04 on Build
Top tier	Pro at a $999 a month minimum, Premier custom	Enterprise custom

Source: Vapi pricing and Bland pricing, checked October 26, 2026.

What 1,000 and 5,000 minutes cost

Minutes a month	Vapi, no package	Vapi with Core	Bland Start	Bland Build
1,000	$82 to $129	$111 to $158	$140	$419
5,000	$410 to $645	Add $29	$700	$899

Our math from the prices above, before tax and phone carrier costs. Vapi works out to $0.08 to $0.13 a minute on its default stack. The Vapi range comes from its own calculator for 1,000 minutes. We scaled it by 5 for 5,000 minutes. Bland Start caps you at 100 calls a day, so 5,000 minutes works if your calls run long enough.

Phone costs

Vapi lists its own telephony at $0 a minute. Twilio inbound runs $0.008 a minute and outbound $0.014. Telnyx runs $0.0055 a minute.
Bland passes carrier costs through. You can bring your own Twilio account or SIP trunk. Bland says customers on their own carrier pay no transfer fees.

Which one fits a contracting business

Pick Vapi if you have a developer, want to choose your own model and voice, and want the lowest cost per minute.
Pick Bland if you want one price per minute with the model and voice included, and no token math.
Both need setup work. Neither is a plug-in receptionist for a shop with no tech help. For that, see AI receptionist cost.

Bland's own FAQ claims most production stacks run $0.13 to $0.30 a minute on Vapi. That is Bland's estimate, not a Vapi figure.

FAQ

Is Vapi cheaper than Bland AI? At 1,000 minutes, yes. Vapi's calculator shows $82 to $129. Bland Start costs $140 for the same minutes.

Does Bland AI include the AI model in its price? Yes. Bland's per-minute rate covers the model, speech to text, and the voice. Vapi bills those providers on top of its $0.05 hosting fee.

Do Vapi and Bland AI have a free plan? Vapi gives $5 in free credits with no package fee. Bland Start has no platform fee and needs no card.

What does a phone number cost on Vapi and Bland? Vapi lists its own telephony at $0 a minute. Bland Start comes with an inbound number that Bland values at $15 a month.

How many calls can run at once? Vapi allows 4 with no package and 10 on Core. Bland allows 10 on Start and 50 on Build.

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