DialpadPaid
An AI-native business phone and contact center where transcription, coaching, and autonomous voice agents run on the same call the humans are on.
Communication comparison
Dialpad vs Retell AI
Pricing, pros, cons, and ideal use cases — side by side.
Retell AIPaid
Voice AI infrastructure with HIPAA support and ~620ms latency. Strong middle ground between Vapi (dev-first) and turnkey receptionists.
At a glance
| Dialpad | Retell AI | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | PaidStandard starts at $15/user/month on annual billing (roughly $27 month-to-month); Pro is reported at around $25/user/month annual, and Enterprise is quoted. Dialpad's own site publishes the $15 entry point but not the full ladder. Dialpad AI Agents are billed separately on conversation-based AI Agent credits rather than per seat — model that line item before you sign. 14-day free trial. | Paid$0.07/min base. Additional LLM and TTS costs based on configuration. |
| Category | Communication | Communication |
| Ideal for | Businesses replacing an aging VoIP or PBX systemSales teams that want live call coaching, not just recordingsSupport teams consolidating phone, chat, and AI into one contact centerMulti-site SMBs that need one number plan across locations | Dental practicesMed spasHome services contractorsAgencies building voice agents |
Pros & cons
Dialpad
Pros
- AI is native to the phone system, not bolted on
- Real-time transcription, coaching, and sentiment on every call
- One vendor across business phone, contact center, and sales
- AI Agent credits mean you pay for conversations handled, not seats provisioned
- Published entry price, unusual in the contact-center category
Cons
- Only the entry price is published — Pro and Enterprise require sales
- AI Agent credits are a separate, harder-to-forecast line item
- Replacing your phone system is a much bigger switching cost than adding a voice agent
- Overkill if you only need after-hours answering
Retell AI
Pros
- HIPAA-ready on standard plans
- ~620ms latency (production usable)
- Good CRM integrations
- Balanced inbound/outbound
Cons
- Smaller community than Vapi or Bland
- Some advanced flows require dev work
- Total cost depends on LLM/TTS choices
Which should you choose?
Dialpad is built around businesses replacing an aging voip or pbx system; Retell AI leans more toward dental practices. Shortlist the one whose strengths line up with your biggest constraint.
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