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Picking between Elevenlabs Conversational AI and Retell?
By the end of this article, you’ll be able to choose with confidence and finally put your search to rest.
Ready to finally settle the Elevenlabs vs. Retell debate?
Founded in New York City in 2022 by Piotr Dąbkowski and Mati Staniszewski, ElevenLabs is a trailblazer in AI audio technology, specializing in ultra-realistic voice generation and conversational AI.
ElevenLabs’ core features include low-latency text-to-speech models supporting over 29 languages, advanced turn-taking logic for natural conversations, customizable SDKs (Python/TypeScript), a vast Voice Library with thousands of voices contributed by creators worldwide, and seamless integration across web and telephony platforms.
Pros:
Cons:
Founded in the San Francisco Bay Area in 2023 by Todd Li, Evie Wang, Bing Wu, Weijia Yu, and Zexia Zhang, Retell AI is crushing it as the go-to platform for lightning-fast AI voice agent creation.
Note: The pricing information below is accurate at the time of writing and may be subject to change. For the most up-to-date pricing, please visit each company's pricing page.
| Plan | Price (Monthly) | Credits/Minutes Included | Key Features | Contract Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | 10k credits / 15 min Conv. AI | Text-to-Speech (TTS), Speech-to-Text (STT), Conversational AI, Studio access, API | Monthly; no contract |
| Starter | $5 | 30k credits / 50 min Conv. AI | Everything in Free + Commercial license, Instant Voice Cloning, Dubbing Studio | Monthly or annual |
| Creator | $22 | 100k credits / 250 min Conv. AI | Everything in Starter + Professional Voice Cloning, Usage-based billing for extra credits | Monthly or annual |
| Pro | $99 | 500k credits / 1,100 min Conv. AI | Everything in Creator + High-quality audio output via API | Monthly or annual |
| Scale | $330 | 2M credits / 3,600 min Conv. AI | Everything in Pro | Monthly or annual |
| Business | $1,320 | 11M credits / 13,750–15K min Conv. AI | Everything in Scale + Low-latency TTS (5c/min), 3 Prof. Voice Clones | Monthly / annual (discounted) |
| Enterprise* | Custom Pricing | Custom allocation | Custom terms: volume discounts, SLA/BAA support, Priority support, & Custom contracts | Custom |
*Enterprise plans offer custom pricing/features based on business needs.
Legend: “Conv. AI” = Conversational AI minutes included per month. All prices USD.
| Plan / Model | Price (USD) | Key Features | Contract Length | Cancellation Fees | Refund Policies |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pay As You Go | $0.07-$0.31 per minute* |
- 10 concurrent calls - 60 free minutes - 10 free Knowledge Bases - Modular add-ons for voices, LLMs, telephony - Multilingual support - Emotional understanding & interruption handling[2][5] |
Monthly (no long-term contract required)[1][6] | No[1][6] | No explicit refund policy stated[1][2] |
| Custom/Enterprise | As low as $0.05 per minute (volume-based discounts) [1][2] |
- All Pay As You Go features plus: - Higher concurrency limits - Dedicated Slack support - Custom integrations and SLAs - Premium voice models and advanced LLMs available as add-ons [2] |
Monthly or custom terms; annual discounts may be negotiated for high volume [2] | No[1][6] | No explicit refund policy stated[1][2] |
Ringly.io has simple, usage-based pricing with no hidden fees or long-term commitments. Test drive it risk-free for 14 days, then scale up or down on month-to-month terms—or book a demo for fully tailored enterprise support.
| Plans | Price | Included | Contract | Cancellation | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Start | 99,- /mo |
✓ 250 call minutes, then $0.36/min |
Monthly | Anytime | Start 14-day free trial → |
| Grow (Most popular) | 349,- /mo |
✓ 1,000 mins, then $0.19/min ✓ Self-learning ✓ AI knows your customers ✓ 30-day onboarding |
Monthly | Anytime | Start 14-day free trial → |
| Scale | 1099,- /mo + setup fee |
✓ Custom price/min ✓ Custom agent & integrations ✓ Slack channel |
Custom | Custom | Book your demo → |
ElevenLabs Conversational AI and Retell are both prominent players in the conversational AI space, but their online reputations differ significantly. Here’s a summary of what users are saying about each product, based on reviews from platforms like G2, Product Hunt, Trustpilot, Reddit, and more.
Total Reviews & Average Rating:
G2: Numerous detailed reviews (exact count not specified), generally very positive.
Product Hunt: 50 reviews with an average rating of 4.8/5.
Trustpilot & Reddit: Positive sentiment echoed in user discussions.
"Extremely realistic voices" – Anonymous (G2 Reviewer)
The platform's voice cloning capabilities are remarkably accurate... The interface is user-friendly, and the API integration is smooth... It also supports multiple languages and accents...
"Credits get used quickly" – Anonymous (G2 Reviewer)
If I want to change one word... I should be charged by changing that one word... but not an entire paragraph or section. It can use up an entire month's allowance pretty quickly...
"Voice quality alone puts it years ahead" – TestingCatalog Editor
After 72 hours with ElevenLabs' platform... I'm rebuilding our entire customer service flow around it. The unified platform approach actually saved us about 40% compared to our current stack...
"Documentation could be better; advanced features require technical knowledge" – TestingCatalog Editor
Some advanced features require more technical knowledge than advertised. And yes, you'll probably spend a few hours in their Discord asking questions...
Despite extensive searching across major review platforms—G2, Capterra, Product Hunt, Trustpilot—as well as broader web sources and community forums:
There are no online reviews available for Retell on major review sites or trusted community forums at this time. Potential buyers should exercise caution due to the lack of independent feedback.
Ringly.io is known for its simplicity, and a focus on e-commerce, with features like abandoned cart recovery and order status lookups. It has a 4.8 star rating from 12 reviews on Product Hunt and other platforms.
"it stands out significantly ahead" - Bertrand, Director. We are at the initial stage of testing and have made only a few calls so far. Consequently, I have rated the product with four stars for now. However, I must express that the product has shown significant promise. When compared to competitors, it stands out significantly ahead.
"This is such a great product" - Jim Miranda, Founder. This is such a great product. I have been with you for less than a week and already closed 3 deals with it."
"It really sounds like a human" - Laix, Founder. Tried Ringly.io today and the quality of the phone calls surprises me! It really sounds like a human, and it reacts really fast. Will need to deploy it in action to see the full capabilities.
"How to automate customer service? -> Ringly.io" - Sidra Husnain, Founder.
Highly Rated: 4.8/5
Best for Shopify stores looking for the best way to offer 24/7 AI phone support at a fraction of the cost.
How it went when I tried setting up Ringly:
After I installed the Shopify app, the only thing I had to do was to upload my data to the knowledge base. (website was uploaded automatically)
After I did that, I could already speak to my agent via a web call.
Setting it live was as simple as picking a phone number with my area code from the dashboard. I was able to connect the number with 1 click. (The number is also free and included)
There was not really anything else to the setup.
They claim that out of the box, their agents resolve an average of 73% of support calls. They back that up with data from over 2,100 active Shopify stores.
Signup -> onboarded took only 4 minutes and 12 seconds. Most of that time was spent waiting for the knowledge to be uploaded.
Over the first 2 weeks I used it (14-day free trial), it resolved 76% of my calls on its own.
The rest of the calls were escalated to a support ticket by my agent.
(update: the more calls you get, the smarter it gets. As of today, my resolution rate is 79%.)
Standout Features (pros):
Pricing is on a results basis; you don't pay until your agent has at least a 60% resolution rate
Shopify integration is native. It will allow your agent to solve order status and refund requests on the phone.
Reviews are overall very positive, mainly because of the results-based pricing. If you don't pay unless you get results, every customer gets results.
Cons:
What’s unique about Ringly is that it is the first AI phone support tool built for Shopify.
Editors note: Ringly.io opened 5 spots for Shopify stores to pay $0 until AI resolves 60% of your support calls. You can book a call to claim it.
Choosing the right conversational AI can be a game-changer for your business—whether you’re focused on creative voice experiences, managing tons of support calls, or turning your phone line into a sales powerhouse. Here’s how the top players stack up, and when each option shines.
If you need beautiful synthetic voices and full developer control, ElevenLabs is a great pick. For secure, high-volume contact center automation, Retell might fit the bill if you’re okay being an early adopter. But if your goal is effortless, revenue-boosting AI phone agents—especially for online stores—Ringly.io delivers simplicity, sales results, and full support right out of the box.
Ready to see the difference for yourself? Get started with Ringly.io for free →
Want to compare other players in the market? Check out our other comparisons:
