Retell AI charges by the minute: $0.07 to $0.31 a minute for a voice agent, pay as you go, no contract. That rate is four parts added together: Retell's voice infrastructure, the voice, the language model and the phone line. For one new sales lead that the agent qualifies and hands to your rep, it works out to about 34 to 64 cents.
That's what the minutes cost. Callingly charges 50 cents for the same lead on Starter and 45 on Growth, right inside that range, and that pays for the whole job: the call, your questions, the transfer to a rep who's free and the minutes your rep spends with the lead. On Retell, the system around those minutes is yours to build.
How much does Retell AI cost per minute?
Every Retell call minute is the sum of these four parts:
| Part | What Retell charges per minute |
|---|---|
| Voice infrastructure | $0.055, on every call |
| Voice | $0.015 for most voices; $0.04 to $0.10 for ElevenLabs voices |
| Language model | $0.008 for GPT 5 mini; $0.16 for GPT 5.5, which Retell marks as recommended (standard tier) |
| Phone line | $0.015 on a Retell US number; nothing if you bring your own carrier |
Retell's own example on its pricing page comes to $0.11 a minute: a $0.04 model, the voice infrastructure and a standard voice, with the phone line at $0 because the example assumes your own carrier. Put it on a Retell number and the same setup is $0.125 a minute.
Which seconds of a lead call does Retell bill?
Retell bills a call to the second, and only once it connects. A call that fails to connect costs nothing. A call that reaches voicemail is billed only for the time the agent is active on the line, so an agent set to hang up on voicemail costs seconds, not minutes.
Once a lead picks up, the full per-minute rate runs the whole time the line is open, silence and hold included. The lead who puts your agent on hold to go find a pen is on the clock. On a warm transfer, the agent stays on the line while your rep's phone rings, so that wait bills at the full rate too. When the call transfers, the AI fee stops and the phone fee keeps running until the lead and your rep hang up.
Two rules can make a call bill longer than the clock shows. A call under 10 seconds bills as 10 seconds when the agent speaks first with a dynamic opening message. And when an agent's prompt goes over 4,000 tokens, Retell stretches the billed time to match: tokens divided by 4,000, times the call's length. Retell counts the prompt, the tool descriptions, the knowledge base content it pulls in and the conversation so far. Its example is a 60-second call at 4,800 tokens, which bills as 72 seconds.
What else goes on a Retell bill each month?
Usage is most of it, but a team calling leads will add some of these:
- Phone numbers: $2 a month for each Retell number. Your own numbers cost nothing.
- Texting: Retell SMS is $20 a month per number plus $0.01 a message. On Retell's numbers it needs A2P registration first, which Retell says takes around 2 to 3 weeks.
- Branded calls: $0.10 per outbound call to show your business name.
- Calls at once: the first 20 at the same time are free, then $8 a month for each extra one.
Retell bills usage from prepaid credits, taken from your balance in real time. When the balance hits zero, calls stop until you buy more or auto recharge tops it up. Turn on auto recharge before you point live leads at it. Credits never expire, and they aren't refundable. Enterprise plans are priced by quote.
What does one lead cost on Retell?
Say the agent talks with a new lead for 2 minutes, asking your questions and waiting while your rep's phone rings, and then your rep talks with the lead for 10 minutes. That's our assumption, not Retell's: scripts vary, so put in your own minutes. On a Retell US number, one lead costs:
| Language model | Agent's 2 minutes | Rep's 10 minutes | One lead |
|---|---|---|---|
| GPT 5 mini ($0.008 a minute) | $0.19 | $0.15 | $0.34 |
| A $0.04 model, as in Retell's example | $0.25 | $0.15 | $0.40 |
| GPT 5.5 ($0.16 a minute) | $0.49 | $0.15 | $0.64 |
The token rule moves these numbers. If the agent's prompt, tools and conversation reach 6,000 tokens, its 2 minutes bill as 3, and the middle row goes from $0.40 to $0.53 a lead.
Retell prices the minutes. You set up the rest yourself: keeping calls inside the lead's hours, calling and texting again when nobody answers, and getting the live lead to a rep who's free to take it. We walk through that build step by step in Retell AI alternatives for calling web leads.
How does Callingly price the same lead?
Callingly bills per AI call, never by the minute. An AI call is billed once, when it reaches the lead or their voicemail; calls that ring out or hit a busy line aren't billed. If you sign up today, talk time is included, and so is the transfer to your rep. So the lead above is one AI call: $0.50 on Starter or $0.45 on Growth, however long the prompt or the talk with your rep runs.
Plans are a monthly usage credit spent at one flat rate. Starter is $100 a month with $100 of usage, at $0.50 per AI call and $0.12 per text segment. Growth is $250 a month with $250 of usage, at $0.45 per AI call and $0.10 per text segment. Phone numbers are $5 a month each, every current plan has unlimited users and leads, and you can try it free for 14 days on your own leads, no credit card. Full rates are on the pricing page.
Here's the job behind that price. The AI Agent calls each new lead within seconds of it reaching Callingly, while your team is open and has a rep available, follows up by call and text on the schedule you set, and asks your qualifying questions. Then it warm-transfers the live lead, ringing the available reps in your first priority group at once, up to a set limit. If nobody can take it, it offers the lead a callback at a time they pick.
Frequently asked questions
Is Retell AI free to use?
New Retell accounts get $10 in free credits, once per email address. After that you pay as you go from prepaid credits.
How much does Retell AI cost per month?
Retell has no monthly price: you pay for minutes, plus whatever numbers, texting and extras you add. At the $0.40 lead in the table, 300 connected leads a month come to $120 in usage, plus $2 for each Retell number and $20 a month for each number with Retell SMS, before the per-message charge.
Is there a Retell AI pricing calculator?
Yes, on Retell's pricing page. You pick a model, voice and phone setup, and it shows the cost per minute; multiply by your minutes per lead to get a lead's cost, as in the table above. Callingly bills per AI call, so you don't need a calculator.