CRetell AI · Cartesia · Compare · Checked Oct 27, 2026
Retell AI vs Cartesia Managed Agents pricing: which is cheaper?
At 1,000 minutes a month, Retell AI costs $99.80 and Cartesia Managed Agents costs $44.00 on our stack, a difference of $55.80 in favor of Cartesia Managed Agents, before Cartesia's LLM usage. Checked Oct 27, 2026 (Retell AI) and Oct 30, 2026 (Cartesia).
Retell AI$99.80$0.0998/min at 1,000 minPricing retellai.comMonthly cost at four volumes
| Volume | Retell AI | Cartesia |
|---|---|---|
| 500 min/mo | $50.90 | $22.00 |
| 1,000 min/mo | $99.80 | $44.00 |
| 5,000 min/mo | $491.00 | $220.00 |
| 10,000 min/mo | $980.00 | $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 | Retell AI | Cartesia |
|---|---|---|
| How it bills | Pick your providers | Bundled rate |
| Headline rate | $0.055/min voice infra | $0.03/min call time |
| All-in per minute at 1,000 | $0.0998/min | $0.044/min |
| Concurrency | 20 concurrent calls | 8 to 60 calls by plan |
| Free to start | $10 credits (one-time) | Free plan with $1 of agent minutes |
| Telephony | $0.015/min | Cartesia number, or bring Twilio or SIP |
| LLM | $0.0016–$0.64/min | Billed separately |
Where the money goes at 1,000 minutes
Platform & linesBundled AI rateLLMTranscriberVoicePhone
Retell AI
$99.80 /mo at 1,000 min
- Voice infra$55.00
- LLM (GPT 4.1 mini)$12.80
- TTS (Retell platform voices)$15.00
- Telephony (Retell Twilio, US)$15.00
- Phone number$2.00
- Extra concurrency (20 included)$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 Retell AI cheaper than Cartesia?
At 1,000 minutes a month, Retell AI costs $99.80 and Cartesia Managed Agents costs $44.00 on our stack, a difference of $55.80 in favor of Cartesia Managed Agents, before Cartesia's LLM usage. Checked Oct 27, 2026 (Retell AI) and Oct 30, 2026 (Cartesia).
How much does Retell AI cost per minute?
Retell AI lists $0.055/min (voice infra). All-in on our stack it works out to $0.0998 a minute at 1,000 minutes a month, or $99.80.
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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