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Vapi vs Twilio for voice AI

Short answer. Vapi and Twilio do different jobs. Vapi runs the AI agent and charges $0.05 a minute for hosting, plus speech, model, and voice costs at cost. Twilio runs the phone line. It charges $0.0085 a minute to receive a call on a US local number. Twilio sells Conversation Relay for voice AI at $0.07 a minute, but you bring your own AI model. Many Vapi builds use Twilio numbers. We read both pricing pages on October 26, 2026.

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Price side by side

Item	Vapi	Twilio
Platform per minute	$0.05 hosting	$0.07 Conversation Relay
Receive a call (US local)	Twilio inbound $0.008 a minute, Vapi Telephony free	$0.0085 a minute
Phone number	1 included on the free start	$1.15 a month (local)
AI model	Passed through at cost	Not included, pay your model provider
Free start	$5 in credits	$15 trial credit, no card
Plans	$0, Core $29 a month, Pro $999 a month minimum	Pay as you go, volume discounts

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

Vapi's page lists Twilio inbound at $0.008 a minute. Twilio's own page lists $0.0085 for local inbound. We show both as printed. Check your Twilio bill for the rate you pay.

What a Vapi minute costs

Vapi lists provider ranges: Deepgram speech at $0.0095 to $0.0099 a minute, OpenAI models at $0.0077 to $0.0452, and ElevenLabs voices at $0.0146 to $0.0238. Add the $0.05 hosting fee and a minute runs $0.0818 to $0.1289 before phone costs, by our math. Vapi's own calculator puts 1,000 minutes at $82 to $129 a month with Vapi Telephony.

1,000 inbound minutes

Setup	Cost, our math
Vapi with Vapi Telephony	$82 to $129 (Vapi's estimate)
Vapi with a Twilio number	$90 to $137
Twilio Conversation Relay plus your own model	$79.65 plus model costs

The Twilio route looks cheaper until you add the model. It needs a developer to build the agent logic. Vapi gives you an agent builder, call logs, and tools on top of the phone line.

Which to pick

Pick Vapi if you want a voice agent running this week and do not want to write call-handling code. Pick Twilio direct if you have a developer and want to control every piece. Pick neither if you want a done-for-you AI receptionist. A ready-made service bundles the number, the AI, and setup into one monthly price.

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

FAQ

Is Vapi cheaper than Twilio? They charge for different things. Vapi's hosting fee is $0.05 a minute. Twilio's Conversation Relay is $0.07 a minute plus your own AI model. Phone minutes are on top in both cases unless you use Vapi Telephony.

Does Vapi use Twilio? Vapi can use Twilio numbers. Vapi's page lists Twilio inbound at $0.008 a minute and outbound at $0.014 a minute. Vapi offers its own telephony at no transport fee.

What does Twilio charge to receive a call? $0.0085 a minute on a US local number and $0.0220 a minute on toll-free.

What do 1,000 minutes on Vapi cost? Vapi's calculator estimates $82 to $129 a month for 1,000 minutes with Vapi Telephony.

Do I need a developer for Vapi or Twilio? Twilio expects code for the agent logic. Vapi has a builder, but plan for some setup time.

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