On this page
- Bland: best for developers who want pay-per-minute with no platform fee
- Bland plans: what each includes and what it lacks
- What Bland costs at 25 to 1,000 calls a month
- Which Bland plan to choose
- How Bland counts usage
- Contract, trial and setup terms
- Add-ons and other details
- Who Bland suits
- Alternatives to Bland
- What Bland's pages do not say
- Sources we read
- Frequently asked questions
Bland: best for developers who want pay-per-minute with no platform fee
Starting price: $0 platform fee, $0.14/minFree trial: Free Start tier, no cardLanguages: 40+HIPAA: HIPAA with BAA, not on Start or Build
Pricing
| Plan | Price / month | Included | Overage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Start | $0 | Pay per use | $0.14/min; transfers $0.05/min |
| Build | $299 | Pay per use | $0.12/min; transfers $0.04/min |
| Enterprise | Custom | Custom | Custom |
What you get
- Telephony is billed separately from the per-minute rate.
- Integrations include Salesforce, HubSpot, Cal.com, Calendly and many phone systems (Twilio, SIP, RingCentral, Vonage and others).
- Bland says most production agents go live in 2 to 6 weeks.
Watch out for
- Warm and live transfers, SMS and the BAA are not available on Start or Build.
- This is a developer platform, not a set-and-forget receptionist.
Visit Bland Source: official pricing page, checked October 22, 2026.
Bland is a developer platform for building voice agents, not a ready-made receptionist. It has the lowest per-minute rate here, but telephony is billed separately and features a receptionist needs, such as warm transfer and texting, are not on its self-serve plans.
Bland plans: what each includes and what it lacks
| Plan | Price / month | Included | What it adds | What it lacks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Start | $0 platform fee | Pay per use: $0.14 a minute talk time, $0.05 a transfer minute | 10 concurrent calls, 100 calls a day (and 100 an hour), 1 voice, 10 knowledge bases; 2 credits and an inbound number with no card | Warm and live transfers, SMS and web chat, appointment scheduling node, BAA, SSO, priority call queue |
| Build | $299 a month | Pay per use: $0.12 a minute, $0.04 a transfer minute | 50 concurrent calls, 2,000 calls a day, 5 voices, 50 knowledge bases | Warm and live transfers, SMS, appointment scheduling node, BAA, SSO |
| Enterprise | Contracted to your volume | Custom rates | Unlimited caps, voices and knowledge bases; on-prem or VPC deployment, custom voice actor, forward deployed engineers; BAA available (not on Start or Build) | No published price |
What Bland costs at 25 to 1,000 calls a month
The cheapest published Bland plan at each volume, at monthly list prices. Minutes assume a 3-minute average call; longer calls cost more.
| Volume | Monthly cost | Plan and math | Per call |
|---|---|---|---|
| 25 calls (75 min) | $10.50 + telephony | Start (plus telephony): 75 minutes x $0.14. | $0.42 a call |
| 50 calls (150 min) | $21 + telephony | Start (plus telephony): 150 minutes x $0.14. | $0.42 a call |
| 100 calls (300 min) | $42 + telephony | Start (plus telephony): 300 minutes x $0.14. | $0.42 a call |
| 150 calls (450 min) | $63 + telephony | Start (plus telephony): 450 minutes x $0.14. | $0.42 a call |
| 300 calls (900 min) | $126 + telephony | Start (plus telephony): 900 minutes x $0.14. | $0.42 a call |
| 500 calls (1,500 min) | $210 + telephony | Start (plus telephony): 1,500 minutes x $0.14. | $0.42 a call |
| 1,000 calls (3,000 min) | $420 + telephony | Start (plus telephony): 3,000 minutes x $0.14. | $0.42 a call |
Excludes taxes, add-ons and annual-billing discounts. Try your own numbers in the cost calculator.
Three worked examples
How Bland compares with the cheapest product we found for three common call patterns (Goodcall counted as every call from a different person):
| Scenario | Bland | Cheapest of all ten |
|---|---|---|
| A solo operator: 40 calls at 2 min | $11.20 + telephony (Start (plus telephony)) | $38.60 (Dialzara) |
| A busy office: 250 calls at 4 min | $140 + telephony (Start (plus telephony)) | $129 (Goodcall) |
| A multi-location business: 800 calls at 3 min | $336 + telephony (Start (plus telephony)) | $199 (NextPhone) |
Which Bland plan to choose
The cheapest Bland plan at each monthly volume, up to 2,000 calls, at list prices. Based on 3-minute calls; with longer calls each band starts sooner. Start is capped at 100 calls a day and 10 at once, so busy lines may need Build for capacity rather than price. Upgrading earlier can still make sense for features on the higher plan.
| Plan | Cheapest for | Monthly cost in that range |
|---|---|---|
| Start (plus telephony) | 1 calls and up | $0.42 to $840 + telephony |
How Bland counts usage
- The per-minute rate includes the language model, speech-to-text and voice, with no token charges.
- Telephony is billed separately: use your own carrier or Bland's built-in Twilio at pass-through cost.
- Customers who bring their own telephony pay no transfer fees.
- Our cost examples count talk time only and add "plus telephony" because phone costs depend on your carrier.
Contract, trial and setup terms
| Term | Bland |
|---|---|
| Free tier | Start: $0 platform fee, no card, 2 credits and an inbound number |
| Contract | Enterprise is contracted to volume |
| Uptime | 99.9% SLA listed on all plans |
| Go-live time | First agent within a day on self-serve; most production agents in two to six weeks |
| Compliance | SOC 2 Type I and II, HIPAA with a BAA (not on Start or Build) |
| Languages | 40+, with real-time translation in 23 |
Add-ons and other details
- The pricing page marks warm and live transfers unavailable on Start and Build, yet lists transfer-minute rates for those plans; ask Bland which transfer types you get.
- Bland's own FAQ compares its all-in rate with Vapi and Retell, whose advertised rates it says exclude model, voice and telephony costs.
Who Bland suits
A good fit for
- Developers building a custom voice agent
- High-volume call flows where per-minute cost matters most
- Teams that already run Twilio or a SIP trunk
Look elsewhere if you need
- Owners who want a receptionist working this week
- Anyone who needs warm transfer, texting or a BAA without an enterprise contract
Alternatives to Bland
Enterprise voice agents with managed implementation, from $30,000 a year. At 150 calls: Annual contract from $30,000.
DetailsA finished receptionist at $199 flat with no telephony bill. At 150 calls: $199.
DetailsConnects any API or MCP server without building the whole agent. At 150 calls: $118.50.
DetailsBland vs Synthflow, NextPhone and Goodcall, side by side
| Bland | Synthflow | NextPhone | Goodcall | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Billed by | Per minute + platform fee | Annual contract | Flat monthly | Per unique customer |
| Starting price | $0 platform fee, $0.14/min | Enterprise contracts from $30,000 a year | $199/mo (unlimited calls) | $79/mo (100 unique customers) |
| 50 calls | $21 + telephony | Annual contract from $30,000 | $199 | $79 |
| 150 calls | $63 + telephony | Annual contract from $30,000 | $199 | $118.50 |
| 500 calls | $210 + telephony | Annual contract from $30,000 | $199 | $129 |
| Free trial | Free Start tier, no card | Free to start building | 7 days (Pro) | Free demo agent, pay when you connect a number |
| Languages | 40+ | Multiple (no count stated) | 14 languages | English |
| HIPAA / BAA | HIPAA with BAA, not on Start or Build | Claims HIPAA certification; BAA not confirmed | No HIPAA or BAA claim found | BAA on Scale plan or Enterprise |
| Calendars | Cal.com, Calendly | Cal.com, Google, Microsoft | Google, Outlook, Calendly, Acuity, Cal.com | Google Calendar |
| Transfers | Warm and live not on Start or Build | Cold or warm | Warm; 10 destinations on Growth | Up to three escalation contacts |
| Texting | Not on Start or Build | SMS follow-ups | Confirmations; two-way on Scale | Sends texts, cannot receive replies |
| Your number | Your own Twilio or SIP | Twilio, Telnyx, SIP or PBX | Forward any number | Forwarding only; no porting yet |
| Setup | A day to 6 weeks | Weeks | 5 minutes (Pro); built for you (Growth) | Free demo agent first |
Every other AI receptionist, by cost at 150 calls
| Software | Billed by | 50 calls | 150 calls | 500 calls | HIPAA / BAA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goodcall | Per unique customer | $79 | $118.50 | $129 | BAA on Scale plan or Enterprise |
| Upfirst | Per call | $54.95 | $119.95 | $299 | BAA on Custom plan only |
| Rosie | Per minute | $49 | $149 | $299 | No HIPAA or BAA claim found |
| My AI Front Desk | Per minute + credits | $99 | $161.50 | $424 | Claims HIPAA compliance with signed BAAs |
| Dialzara | Per minute | $72.20 | $199 | $524 | No HIPAA or BAA claim found |
| NextPhone | Flat monthly | $199 | $199 | $199 | No HIPAA or BAA claim found |
| RingCentral AI Receptionist (AIR) | Per minute | from $74 | from $224 | from $749 | "Designed to support HIPAA compliance"; no BAA stated |
| Smith.ai | Per call | $75 | $270 | $800 | No HIPAA or BAA claim found |
| Synthflow | Annual contract | Annual contract from $30,000 | Annual contract from $30,000 | Annual contract from $30,000 | Claims HIPAA certification; BAA not confirmed |
Compare all AI receptionists or see every plan side by side.
What Bland's pages do not say
Ask Bland about these in writing before you sign up; we could not find them on its site.
- What telephony will cost you
- Enterprise prices
- Which Enterprise features are included (its feature table leaves those cells blank)
Sources we read
All checked October 22, 2026. We read published information and did not run test calls.
Frequently asked questions
How much does Bland cost?
Starting price: $0 platform fee, $0.14/min. Billing: per minute + platform fee. At about 150 calls a month, the cheapest published plan comes to $63 plus telephony.
Does Bland have a free trial?
Free Start tier, no card.
Is Bland HIPAA compliant?
HIPAA with BAA, not on Start or Build. A vendor must sign a Business Associate Agreement (BAA) before you use it with patient information.
What languages does Bland support?
40+.
Does Bland require a contract?
Enterprise is contracted to volume.
What counts toward my Bland bill?
The per-minute rate includes the language model, speech-to-text and voice, with no token charges. Telephony is billed separately: use your own carrier or Bland's built-in Twilio at pass-through cost.
Does Bland charge for spam calls?
The pricing page does not say. You pay for talk time on every call the agent handles, so filtering spam is part of your build.
What happens if I go over my Bland plan?
There is nothing to go over: Start and Build are pay per use at $0.14 or $0.12 a minute, plus telephony. Start is capped at 100 calls a day and 10 at once.
Is Bland worth it?
For developers building a custom voice agent, the all-in per-minute rate is low. For a small business that wants a receptionist this week, a finished product is faster and includes transfers and texting.
Which Bland plan should I choose?
By cost alone, at 3-minute calls: Start (plus telephony) from 1 calls. Check that the plan includes the transfers, booking and integrations you need.
What does Bland not publish?
Its pages do not state: what telephony will cost you; enterprise prices; which Enterprise features are included (its feature table leaves those cells blank).
Is there a cheaper alternative to Bland?
Not at 150 calls a month: Bland is the cheapest product we compared at that volume.