Bland AI starts at $0.14/min of talk time on a free-to-start plan, or $0.12/min on the $299/month Build plan. Transfers cost $0.05/min (Start) or $0.04/min (Build). Unlike most voice-agent platforms, that single per-minute rate bundles the LLM, speech-to-text and premium text-to-speech — there are no separate token charges. Figures verified live from bland.ai/pricing on October 30, 2026.
Bland AI pricing at a glance (2026)
| Plan | Monthly fee | Talk / min | Transfer / min | Limits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Start | $0 (no card) | $0.14 | $0.05 | 100 calls/day · 10 concurrent · 10 KBs |
| Build | $299/mo | $0.12 | $0.04 | 2,000 calls/day · 50 concurrent · 50 KBs |
| Enterprise | Custom | Custom | Custom | Dedicated infra · SSO/BAA · VPC/on-prem |
The Start plan opens with 2 free credits plus an inbound phone number (a $15/month value) and no credit card. Once the credits run out you pay per minute — so “free” is really a trial, not a production tier.
What that per-minute rate actually buys
Here is the part most comparisons get wrong. Bland's $0.14/min is an all-in number: the large language model, the real-time speech-to-text and the premium text-to-speech are all inside it, with no separate per-token LLM billing bolted on top. That is the opposite of an unbundled platform like Vapi, where the $0.05/min headline is orchestration only and you still pay each provider's rate on top.
So comparing Bland's $0.14 to a TTS-only rate like ElevenLabs Flash at $40/1M characters is apples to oranges — one covers the whole call, the other covers a single layer. If you want to break the stack apart and see what the voice layer alone costs, that's what our best TTS for voice agents guide is for.
Your real monthly cost — and the $299 crossover
The $299/month Build fee buys a $0.02/min discount ($0.14 → $0.12). That only pays for itself above a certain volume. Here is the math on talk minutes alone (transfers and phone numbers are extra):
| Talk minutes / month | Start ($0 + $0.14) | Build ($299 + $0.12) | Cheaper |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1,000 | $140 | $419 | Start |
| 10,000 | $1,400 | $1,499 | Start |
| ~14,950 (crossover) | $2,093 | $2,093 | Tie |
| 100,000 | $14,000 | $12,299 | Build |
The break-even is about 14,950 talk minutes a month (~249 hours). Below that, stay on Start and skip the fee — even at 10,000 minutes Build is still $99 more expensive. Above it, Build wins and keeps pulling ahead. Plug your own numbers into the TTS cost calculator if your mix includes a lot of transfers.
Bland vs Vapi vs Retell at a glance
| Platform | Typical all-in | Billing model | Monthly fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bland AI | $0.12–$0.14/min | Fully bundled | $0 / $299 |
| Vapi | ~$0.08–$0.13/min | Unbundled (BYO keys) | $0 / $29 / $999 |
| Retell AI | ~$0.11–$0.15/min | Bundled components | $0 + usage |
Those all-in figures come from our voice agent pricing breakdown (component rates checked October 2026) and the full Vapi vs Retell comparison. The short version: Bland has the highest predictable floor but the least to think about; Vapi is usually the cheapest raw cost if you're happy wiring up your own providers; Retell sits between them with curated, toggle-on components.
Should you pick Bland?
Bland is the right call when you want one number to budget against and high-volume outbound that doesn't need per-call tuning of the voice stack — the bundled rate and the generous 2,000-call/day Build ceiling are built for exactly that. If instead you're choosing a voice layer to drop into your own agent, or you want to squeeze the per-minute cost down, you'll do better unbundling: see which TTS engine wins for voice agents and how ElevenLabs Agents ($0.08/min plus telephony) prices the same job. Start free on Bland first and let your own call logs settle the per-minute math before you commit to the $299 fee.
Bland AI pricing FAQ
Is Bland AI free?
You can start free — the Start plan needs no credit card and comes with 2 credits plus an inbound number ($15/month value). But once the credits are gone you pay $0.14/min, so it's a trial, not a free production tier.
How much does Bland AI cost per minute?
$0.14/min of talk time on Start and $0.12/min on the $299/month Build plan. Call transfers add $0.05/min (Start) or $0.04/min (Build). All rates bundle the LLM, speech-to-text and TTS.
Does Bland charge extra for the voice or TTS?
No. The premium TTS, real-time STT and the LLM are all inside the per-minute rate — there are no separate per-token charges or provider pass-throughs, which is what makes Bland simpler to budget than unbundled platforms.
When is the $299 Build plan worth it?
Above about 14,950 talk minutes a month (~249 hours). That's where the $0.02/min Build discount finally outweighs the $299 fee. Below it, Start is cheaper — at 10,000 minutes Build still costs $99 more.
Bland vs Vapi — which is cheaper?
Bland bundles everything into $0.12–$0.14/min; Vapi is unbundled and lands around $0.08–$0.13/min all-in, so Vapi is usually a little cheaper and far more flexible. Bland wins on predictability and zero setup. See the full Vapi vs Retell breakdown.
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By TextToLab Research Team · Researched analysis, not a hands-on billing test. Bland AI plan prices, per-minute rates and limits verified against the live bland.ai/pricing page on October 30, 2026. Vapi, Retell AI and ElevenLabs all-in figures are modeled from each platform's published component rates (see the linked deep-dives) and vary with LLM choice, call length, telephony region and volume.