Bland AI vs Vapi for a phone receptionist
Bland AI sells one bundled per-minute rate, and Vapi sells hosting with every provider priced separately. On Bland's Start plan, $0.14 a minute of talk time covers the language model, real-time transcription and premium voices, with no token charges. On Vapi, hosting is $0.05 a minute and the model, voice and transcription are billed at provider cost on top.
For a receptionist line, two Bland details stand out. Transferred time is billed too, at $0.05 a minute on Start, and Start caps you at 100 calls a day and 10 at once. Vapi's caps come from packages: four calls at once with no package, ten on Core at $29 a month.
Bland suits a builder who wants one rate to forecast from and no provider accounts to manage. Vapi suits a builder who wants to choose each provider and tune cost call by call. Both pricing pages were read on 24 September 2026.
Published pricing, side by side
What each vendor prints on its own site. The billing unit decides more of the final bill than the headline price does.
| Bland AI | Vapi | |
|---|---|---|
| Billing unit | Per minute of talk time | Per minute, plus provider costs |
| Entry plan | Start: $0 platform fee, $0.14 a minute talk time and $0.05 a minute transfer time | $0.05 a minute hosting, with transcription, model and voice passed through at cost; $5 in free credit to start |
| Higher tiers | Build: $299/mo platform fee, $0.12 a minute talk time and $0.04 transfer time; Enterprise contracted to volume | Core $29/mo (10 calls at once, 5 Vapi numbers); Pro at 10% of hosting with a $999/mo minimum (30 calls at once, 10 numbers); Premier custom |
| Overage rate | Every minute is metered; Start caps at 100 calls a day and 10 at once, Build at 2,000 a day and 50 at once | Every minute is metered; Vapi's own calculator puts 1,000 minutes at $82–$129 a month |
Read on each vendor's own website in September 2026. Prices move, so check before you buy.
What decides it
The dimensions that change the bill or the service, each as a fact read on the vendor's own site.
| Bland AI | Vapi | |
|---|---|---|
| What the minute rate covers | Model, transcription and voice, bundled | Hosting only; providers billed at cost |
| Entry | Start: $0 platform fee, $0.14 a minute | No package: $0 to start, $0.05 a minute hosting, $5 credit |
| Transferred calls | $0.05 a minute on Start, $0.04 on Build | No separate transfer rate on the pricing page |
| Calls at once | 10 on Start, 50 on Build | 4 with no package, 10 on Core, 30 on Pro |
| Daily limit | 100 calls on Start, 2,000 on Build | Not stated on the pricing page |
| Paid plan | Build: $299 a month platform fee, $0.12 a minute | Core $29 a month; Pro $999 minimum |
Bland AI: bland.ai/pricing. Vapi: vapi.ai/pricing and its calculator. Both read September 2026.
Transfers cost minutes on Bland
A receptionist hands calls to people. When the caller asks for the owner, the agent transfers, and on Bland the time after the transfer is billed as transfer time: $0.05 a minute on Start and $0.04 on Build.
That's worth modeling if your staff take long calls. A ten-minute conversation with your technician, after a one-minute handoff, bills one minute of talk and ten of transfer.
Vapi's pricing page doesn't print a separate transfer rate. Ask Vapi how a forwarded leg is billed before you design your handoffs.
Caps that a busy line can reach
Bland's Start plan allows 100 calls a day, 100 an hour and 10 at once. That's plenty for testing. A clinic or a trades business on a Monday morning can press against the concurrency limit, though, and the daily cap is the harder ceiling on a campaign day.
Build lifts those to 2,000 a day, 1,000 an hour and 50 at once, for a $299 platform fee and $0.12 a minute. On Vapi, you raise concurrency by package: Core at $29 gives ten lines, and Pro gives 30 with a $999 monthly minimum.
Forecasting a month on each
Bland's bundled rate makes the forecast simple. Multiply your expected talk minutes by $0.14 on Start or $0.12 on Build, then add transfer minutes at the transfer rate.
Vapi's forecast has more moving parts. Vapi's own calculator estimates 1,000 minutes at $82 to $129 a month, and where you land in that range depends on the model and voice you pick. Run it with the model you'd really use.
On both, the prompts, calendar booking and transfer rules are yours to build. Budget that time before you compare rates.
A receptionist with no minutes to forecast
Disclosure: GreetKeeper is our product, and this is where it appears on the page. It's a finished AI receptionist billed per answered call, not per minute of talk or transfer. Starter is $49 a month for 200 calls, then $0.45 each. Professional is $149 for 750 at $0.35, and Scale is $349 for 2,000 at $0.25.
Transfers to your team come on every plan, and if the first number doesn't pick up, GreetKeeper tries a second one you nominate. Calls that arrive together are answered at the same time, with no line packages to buy.
Setup starts from your website: GreetKeeper drafts your hours, services and FAQs, and you correct them. Booking lands in Google Calendar or Outlook. Every plan starts with a 14-day free trial, every feature on and no card.
| Plan | Monthly | Calls included | After that |
|---|---|---|---|
| StarterFor a single location taking calls one line at a time. | $49 | 200 | $0.45 per call |
| ProfessionalBooking, routing and transfers included, not an add-on. | $149 | 750 | $0.35 per call |
| ScaleFor busy phones and longer opening hours. | $349 | 2,000 | $0.25 per call |
Questions people ask about this comparison
How much does Bland AI cost per minute?
Bland AI's Start plan is $0.14 a minute of talk time with no platform fee, and $0.05 a minute for transferred time. Build is $0.12 and $0.04, with a $299 monthly platform fee (September 2026).
Does Bland AI include the language model in its price?
Yes. Bland's pricing page says the LLM, real-time transcription and premium voices are included in the per-minute rate, with no token charges, read September 2026. Vapi bills those at provider cost on top of $0.05 hosting.
How many calls can Bland AI take at once?
Ten on the Start plan and 50 on Build, with daily caps of 100 and 2,000 calls. Enterprise sets concurrency by contract. Vapi allows four with no package and ten on its $29 Core package (September 2026).
Is Bland AI or Vapi easier to budget?
Bland AI, because one rate covers the model, transcription and voice. Vapi's total depends on the providers you choose; its calculator puts 1,000 minutes at $82 to $129 a month.
Transfer a call on the trial
Ask GreetKeeper for a person and watch it hand the call to your team.