CGrok Voice · Cartesia · Compare · Checked Oct 27, 2026
Grok Voice vs Cartesia Managed Agents pricing: which is cheaper?
At 1,000 minutes a month, Grok Voice costs $84.55 and Cartesia Managed Agents costs $44.00 on our stack, a difference of $40.55 in favor of Cartesia Managed Agents, before Cartesia's LLM usage. Checked Oct 28, 2026 (Grok Voice) and Oct 30, 2026 (Cartesia).
Monthly cost at four volumes
| Volume | Grok Voice | Cartesia |
|---|---|---|
| 500 min/mo | $42.85 | $22.00 |
| 1,000 min/mo | $84.55 | $44.00 |
| 5,000 min/mo | $418.15 | $220.00 |
| 10,000 min/mo | $835.15 | $440.00 |
Our calculation from list prices: 3-minute inbound calls, 10 at once, one US number. A green dot marks the cheaper side. Change the scenario.
What each one bills for
| Item | Grok Voice | Cartesia |
|---|---|---|
| How it bills | Bundled rate | Bundled rate |
| Headline rate | $0.08/min speech-to-speech | $0.03/min call time |
| All-in per minute at 1,000 | $0.0846/min | $0.044/min |
| Concurrency | 10 sessions at Tier 0, more with spend | 8 to 60 calls by plan |
| Free to start | Playground only; API usage is paid | Free plan with $1 of agent minutes |
| Telephony | Bring your own SIP trunk | Cartesia number, or bring Twilio or SIP |
| LLM | No separate LLM line | Billed separately |
Where the money goes at 1,000 minutes
Platform & linesBundled AI rateLLMTranscriberVoicePhone
Grok Voice
$84.55 /mo at 1,000 min
- Grok Voice 3.0 speech to speech (includes LLM)$80.00
- Telephony: Twilio Elastic SIP, US local inbound$3.40
- Twilio local number$1.15
- Concurrency for 10 calls (Tier 0 includes 10)$0.00
CCartesia Managed Agents
$44.00 /mo at 1,000 min
- Managed Agents call time (voices and transcription included)$30.00
- Telephony: Cartesia-provided phone number$14.00
- Concurrency for 10 calls (Pro includes 12)$0.00
LLM usage during calls is billed separately and is not in this total, so the real cost is higher. Voices and transcription are included in the agents rate. Assumption: one Cartesia-provided phone number at Cartesia's per-minute rate. Plan fees and prepaid agent dollars are not subtracted.
FAQ
Is Grok Voice cheaper than Cartesia?
At 1,000 minutes a month, Grok Voice costs $84.55 and Cartesia Managed Agents costs $44.00 on our stack, a difference of $40.55 in favor of Cartesia Managed Agents, before Cartesia's LLM usage. Checked Oct 28, 2026 (Grok Voice) and Oct 30, 2026 (Cartesia).
How much does Grok Voice cost per minute?
Grok Voice lists $0.08/min (speech-to-speech). All-in on our stack it works out to $0.0846 a minute at 1,000 minutes a month, or $84.55.
How much does Cartesia cost per minute?
Cartesia Managed Agents lists $0.03/min (call time). All-in on our stack it works out to $0.044 a minute at 1,000 minutes a month, or $44.00.
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