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If Retell’s costs or compliance commitments are making you reconsider, start by separating direct voice-agent options from adjacent tools. Of the alternatives here, Deepgram is the clearest fit for developers building voice apps and agents. Krisp, Regal, Gladia and Sanas cover related speech or customer-service needs; Heidi is relevant to clinical documentation, not a like-for-like phone agent. Prices are unpublished for several options, and the available information does not confirm which alternatives offer a BAA.
01Why people leave Retell AI
BAA costs can strain early pilots
One healthcare thread says the HIPAA/BAA path for Retell and ElevenLabs quickly reaches enterprise pricing and minimum commitments.
Usage costs need careful modeling
A Reddit user estimated Retell at $275–$320 monthly for about 3,000 minutes, including several components; that is a user estimate, not a listed price.
Teams may want a different build model
A thread comparing voice platforms also discusses self-hosting and other cloud options, suggesting some teams are weighing alternatives to a turnkey platform.
02The alternatives, ranked by fit
- Voice app developers
DeepgramDeepgramDeepgram is the closest listed fit if you want to keep building voice agents: its stated audience includes developers building voice agents and teams prototyping real-time voice apps. It also targets variable-usage teams avoiding minimums. That may suit a team evaluating usage-based options, but the available information does not publish its price or establish a direct Retell feature match.
Trade-off: Pricing is not published; check accuracy on your own audio.
7.1/10from
$333.33/mofree plan - Call center teams
KrispKrispKrisp is worth comparing if your reason for leaving is broader call-center voice needs rather than a strict search for a phone-agent builder. Its listed use cases include call centers evaluating voice AI, and it has strong voice features. The available information describes separate products and subscription pricing, so check whether its product scope matches the job Retell handles for you.
Trade-off: Separate products and subscription pricing; it may not replace your agent workflow.
6.0/10from
$8/mo - Enterprise contact centers
RegalRegalRegal is a better fit to investigate if your operation needs customer-conversation tools across AI and human agents. Its stated audience includes enterprise contact centers and multichannel customer service teams. That is a broader contact-center angle than Retell’s phone-call voice-agent focus, but the available information does not describe a like-for-like agent feature set.
Trade-off: Price is not published, and available user feedback is limited.
5.8/10from
Custom - Audio API workflows
GladiaGladiaGladia may suit teams that want audio capabilities to add to an existing app, especially for multilingual transcription or usage-based transcription workflows. Its listed fit is audio APIs, not turnkey phone-call agents, so treat it as a possible building block rather than a direct Retell replacement. The available information does not publish pricing.
Trade-off: Not positioned as a turnkey phone-agent replacement; pricing is not published.
6.5/10from
Custom - Speech API teams
SanasSanasSanas is an adjacent option for teams focused on speech translation, speech APIs or real-time audio enhancement. Those needs may matter in a voice product, but the available information does not establish that Sanas replaces Retell’s phone-agent workflows. Consider it only if the speech layer is the part you need to change or source separately.
Trade-off: Pricing and user feedback are limited; phone-agent coverage is not established.
5.0/10from
Custom - Clinical documentation
HeidiHeidiHeidi is relevant if your healthcare project is really about clinician notes, visit preparation or follow-up—not automating clinic phone calls. Its stated use cases cover those clinical workflows, making it an adjacent option for a healthcare team reassessing its stack. The available information does not establish Heidi as a voice-agent replacement or confirm BAA terms.
Trade-off: It is for clinical notes and follow-up, not a listed phone-agent substitute.
6.8/10from
$110/mofree plan
03Side by side
| Tool | Score | From | Free plan | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Retell AI Retell AI (current) | 7.2 | Free | Yes | Teams building phone-call voice agents |
| Deepgram Deepgram | 7.1 | $333.33/mo | Yes | Teams prototyping real-time voice apps |
| Krisp Krisp | 6.0 | $8/mo | No | Teams needing AI meeting notes |
| Regal Regal | 5.8 | Custom | No | Enterprise contact center teams |
| Gladia Gladia | 6.5 | Custom | No | Teams adding audio to existing apps |
| Sanas Sanas | 5.0 | Custom | No | Support teams evaluating speech translation |
| Heidi Heidi | 6.8 | $110/mo | Yes | Clinicians drafting visit notes |
Questions people ask
Which Retell AI alternative is closest to a voice-agent builder?
Among the alternatives listed here, Deepgram is the clearest fit: its stated audience includes developers building voice agents and teams prototyping real-time voice apps. The available information does not establish feature parity with Retell, and its pricing is not published here, so compare your required workflow and costs before switching.
Can I switch from Retell to one of these for a HIPAA voice agent?
The available information does not confirm that any listed alternative offers a BAA or supports your specific HIPAA workflow. One healthcare Reddit thread says Retell’s BAA path can involve enterprise pricing and minimum commitments, but that does not establish the terms offered by other vendors. Confirm coverage, permitted services and costs directly.
How much does Retell AI cost for 3,000 minutes?
One Reddit user estimated about $275–$320 per month for roughly 3,000 minutes, including LLM, TTS, STT, telephony, concurrency and a phone number. That is a user’s estimate, not a Retell quote or published plan price. Model your own usage and confirm current pricing before deciding whether to switch.