8 Best AI voice agents for business

Between providing services and improving operations, it’s rare you’ll have time to pick up every call. But you also know that missing calls means leaving revenue on the table.

AI voice agents help solve this problem. They answer calls 24/7, book appointments, and respond to common questions at a fraction of the cost of traditional answering services.

To save you time, we’ve rounded up the eight best AI voice agents of 2026. Compare their features, pricing, and scalability to make an informed decision.

What is an AI voice agent?

An AI voice agent can pick up the phone whenever your team is unavailable. That way, you never miss a call. But unlike IVR systems, it doesn’t rely on menu options. It uses speech recognition to understand what callers need and have real conversations.

Here’s how an AI voice agent works:

• When a customer calls, the AI agent listens to their words
• It determines what they’re asking using AI-powered processing
• It generates a reply and composes a text-to-speech response

Older AI systems would listen for specific keywords — like “billing” or “support” — and route calls accordingly. But modern AI agents understand context and intent. They know the difference between “I need to cancel my appointment” versus “I need to cancel my subscription.”

Most modern AI voice agents rely on two key technologies: machine learning and natural language processing, or NLP. NLP helps AI understand human speech the way we naturally talk. Machine learning helps AI learn from conversations and gets better over time.

These technologies let AI voice agents handle customer conversations on their own. They can take phone calls 24/7, autonomously schedule appointments, and answer questions without human reps. 

This helps you:

• Identify common call drivers
• Improve your first response time
• Build better customer relationships

8 Best AI voice agents compared for 2026

Here’s a closer look at the best AI voice agents:

AI voice agent	Starting price	Key features	Best for
Quo’s Sona	Free for up to 10 calls per month	Call transfers, call summaries and transcripts, and a shared inbox for calls and texts	Preventing missed calls while maintaining high-quality service
ElevenLabs	Free for up to 15 minutes per month	Knowledge bases, multilingual support, and text messaging with an add-on	Creating outbound AI call flows for reminders
Bland AI	$0.14 per minute	Payment processing during calls and multilingual support	Customizing AI conversations for use cases
Voiceflow	Contact for pricing	Customizable AI agents and assistants and batch calling	Integrating with 3,000 apps and platforms for conversational agents
Retell AI	$0.07 per minute	Active compliance features for SOC 2, HIPAA, and GDPR	Enterprise agents for SOC 2 Type 2, HIPAA, and GDPR
Lindy	$49.99 per month	3,000 third-party integrations, including voice and email	Building AI assistants for customer communications
Synthflow	$0.09 per minute	Workflow builder, appointment scheduling, and order management	Drag-and-drop call agents with limited customizability
PolyAI	Contact for pricing	Self-service workflows for callers and telephony integrations	Automating high-volume customer interactions

1. Sona: Best for growing businesses

Pros

• Affordable per-call AI pricing with no hidden fees
• Built into an existing business phone system
• English, Spanish, and French support
• CRM integrations with HubSpot and Salesforce
• AI call transcriptions and summaries

Cons

• Free tier limited to 10 calls per month

Sona is an answering service for small businesses built inside of Quo, formerly OpenPhone. Sona uses natural language processing to understand your callers’ needs. Then it responds using the knowledge you provide.

When a call reaches Sona in your call flow, it:

• Picks up the call
• Introduces itself
• Listens to the caller

Then it acts depending on what the caller needs. This could be responding to common questions or capturing key details for your team to follow up later. Sona can even send SMS messages, like booking links, to create self-service workflows. If Sona can’t assist a caller, it can transfer them to a human teammate.

Each Sona call comes with a call summary and action items. This includes information Sona requests when callers leave a message, like their business name or quote request. You’ll also get a call transcription to quickly review past conversations.

You can customize Sona’s greeting and responses at different stages in your call flow. For example, you can have Sona greet after-hours callers with: “Thanks so much for calling. We’ll be back tomorrow. In the meantime, how can I help?” Or, have Sona address callers during business hours with: “Thanks for calling [business name]! Would you like to book an appointment?”

Sona is also regularly updated with new features based on customer feedback. Check our changelogs to see new features like:

• Sona conversation history
• Additional voice options
• Sona and Jobber integration

Since Sona lives directly inside Quo, you’ll have clear oversight into Sona calls and other phone communications. Each Starter plan comes with shared numbers, scheduled SMS messages, and 10 free Sona calls per month. Then, when you’re ready, upgrade to the Scale plan to access call tags. These automatically categorize incoming calls based on keywords and context.

“With Sona, I never worry about missing a call again. It’s like having a smart, reliable assistant who always picks up. It’s professional, friendly, and on it 24/7.” — Christopher Sands, CEO at Hannon DePalma 

It’s easy to test Sona’s responses before adding it to your call flow. But there’s no need to take our word for it.

See Sona in action for yourself: 

Key features of Sona

• 24/7 availability
• Instant setup
• Mobile-ready out of the box
• Shared team inbox with Sona conversation history
• SMS actions like booking links
• Call recordings, transcripts, and summaries
• Call tags for automatically labeling calls
• Custom phone menus
• Third-party integrations with 8,000+ tools

Sona pricing

Sona is available as an add-on to any Quo plan. You can choose from these Voice AI pricing tiers:

	Tier 1	Tier 2	Tier 3	Tier 4	Tier 5
Sona tiers	Free	$25 per month	$49 per month	$99 per month	$199 per month
Included credits	1,000 credits/10 calls	4,000 credits/40 calls	10,000 credits/100 calls	25,000 credits/250 calls	60,000 credits/600 calls
Overage rate per credit	$0.01	$0.0075	$0.0065	$0.0055	$0.0045
Overage rate per call	$1.00	$0.75	$0.65	$0.55	$0.45

Keep in mind each call is worth 100 credits.

Quo itself has three plans to choose from: 

• Starter: $15 per user per month for shared phone numbers, voicemail transcriptions, unlimited calls and texts in the US and Canada, and dozens of ways to streamline your business’s phone communication 
• Business: $23 per user per month for phone menus, call transcripts, call transferring, and more advanced features 
• Scale: $35 per user per month for call tags, dedicated onboarding, inbound phone support, and priority phone, chat, and email support

2. ElevenLabs: Best for human-like voices

Pros

• Customizable text-to-speech voices
• Multilingual support
• API with WebSocket support

Cons

• Expensive to scale high call volume
• No built-in phone system
• Credits expire after two months

ElevenLabs is a conversational AI agent platform with text-to-speech and voice cloning technology. You can access over 1,000 realistic voices from its AI library, including voices in dozens of languages. It also offers an API so you can connect these voices with your communication apps.

But ElevenLabs can get expensive at scale, especially for high-volume use cases. You’ll have to pay a base price plus per-minute fees for calls and texts. Plus, you only get a small number of included minutes and concurrent calls on the base plan.

You should also know ElevenLabs isn’t a full-service phone system. Instead, you’ll have to forward calls to the platform. Your team may have to work harder to gather context, since they’ll be jumping between ElevenLabs and your business phone system.

Key features of ElevenLabs

• Workflow builder

• AI guardrails
• Knowledge bases

• Multilingual
• Text messaging, with add-on costs

ElevenLabs pricing

ElevenLabs has seven pricing plans:

• Free: $0 per month for 15 Agent minutes and support for four concurrent calls
• Starter: $5 per month plus $0.100 per minute for 50 Agent minutes, six concurrent calls, text messaging, and a commercial license
• Creator: $22 per month plus $0.088 per minute for 250 Agent minutes, 10 concurrent calls, and additional minutes

• Pro: $99 per month plus $0.090 per minute for 1,100 Agent minutes and 20 concurrent calls
• Scale: $330 per month plus $0.090 per minute for 3,600 Agent minutes, 30 concurrent calls, and three workspace seats
• Business: $1,320 per month plus $0.090 per minute for 13,750 Agent minutes, five workspace seats, and three professional voice clones
• Enterprise: Custom pricing for BAAs, high concurrency limits, and additional custom voices

3. Bland AI: Best for outbound calling  

Pros

• Outbound calling, with extra cost
• Developer focused

Cons

• Requires API knowledge
• No built-in phone system
• Pricing is confusing

Bland AI offers AI phone agents that handle inbound and outbound business calls. It can take thousands of simultaneous calls when you upgrade. Plus, you can provision phone numbers across multiple countries to serve callers overseas.

Keep in mind, Bland AI isn’t a full business phone system. That means you’ll need to connect it with a separate dedicated platform. It also only offers API integrations, so you’ll need coding knowledge to set it up. It’s also fairly expensive compared to other AI voice platforms. For example, you’ll pay $0.15 extra for outbound calls, no matter your plan.

Past Bland AI users say the platform isn’t always reliable. Agents may not sound natural to callers, which may not meet their customer service expectations.

See for yourself:

“I started with Bland.ai because of the hype. Looked slick, the setup was fast, but once I actually put it in front of customers, the cracks showed immediately. The voice sounded too “bot-like,” long pauses made people drop off, and most calls ended in 20–30 seconds.” —Reddit

Key features of Bland AI

• Outbound call support
• Assign separate phone numbers to different departments
• Appointment scheduling
• Over-the-phone payments
• Multilingual agents

Bland AI pricing

There are four plans for Bland AI:

• Start: $0.14 per connected minute plus $0.05 per minute when transferred to a rep for 100 daily calls, 10 concurrent calls, and one voice clone
• Build: $299 per month, $0.12 per connected minute, and $0.04 per minute when transferred to a rep for 2,000 daily calls, 50 concurrent calls, and five voice clones
• Scale: $499 per month, $0.11 per connected minute, and $0.03 per minute when transferred to a rep for 5,000 daily calls, 100 concurrent calls, and 15 voice clones
• Enterprise: Custom pricing for unlimited daily calls, voice clones, and simultaneous calls

4. Voiceflow: Best for building chat and voice agents

Pros

• Chat, voice agents, web, and IVR agents are available
• Dozens of third-party integrations
• Low to no code capabilities

Cons

• No public pricing
• No built-in phone system
• Workflow builder requires technical knowledge

Voiceflow is a low- to no-code platform for building conversational agents. With it, you can deploy the same agent using a drag-and-drop interface across:

• Chat
• Voice
• Web
• IVR
• Messaging platforms

Voiceflow also supports 300+ native integrations, plus another 2,800 via Pipedream. There are also developer APIs for custom functions and workflows. Plus, it connects with any LLM — including GPT-4, Claude, and OpenAI.

But again, Voiceflow doesn’t offer a built-in phone system. There are also no native CRM tools. So you’ll need to purchase multiple platforms to effectively implement AI voice agents. Plus, while most of Voiceflow’s platform is low- to no-code, its workflow builder may require someone with technical knowledge.

There’s also no way to know how much Voiceflow costs without a custom quote. Past users say its credit-based system can be unpredictable, with costs adding up quickly.

Key features of Voiceflow

• Omnichannel deployment, including chat and voice
• White-labeling
• Client handoff tools
• Real-time performance analytics

Voiceflow pricing

There’s no public pricing available for Voiceflow. But if you’re an agency or partner, you can get started with a free trial. Business owners must book a demo before receiving a custom quote.

5. Retell AI: Best for developers and custom-built AI agents

Pros

• AI agent customization
• HIPAA compliance
• Batch calling

Cons

• Developer-heavy
• Complex pricing
• Team calling requires a separate phone service

Retell AI specializes in real-time, conversational AI for large and established companies. It offers phone call automations like batching calls and routing callers to their designated contacts. Plus, its agents are low-latency and have a fast response time. This makes conversations feel fluid and human-like.

Retell’s AI agents are compatible with enterprise compliance requirements like SOC 2 Type 2, HIPAA, and GDPR. It also natively integrates with CRMs and business phone solutions. That way, you can build custom AI agents for sensitive industries like healthcare or finance.

But while Retell is ideal for building enterprise-grade AI voice agents, it’s not easy to use for the average business owner. There’s no full visual or no-code builder. Plus, it requires engineering resources to set up, tune prompts, and maintain services.

You should also know Retell has complex and unpredictable pricing. While advertised at $0.07 per minute. Its actual costs are higher due to separate charges. You’ll have to pay extra for LLMs, telephony services, and some integrations. This isn’t ideal for most fast-growing brands.

Key features of Retell AI

• Customizable AI agents and assistants
• Warm transfers
• Appointment booking

• Post-call analysis
• Batch calling

Retell AI pricing

There are two Retell AI voice pricing plans to choose from:

• Pay-as-you-go: $0.07 to $0.31 per minute for 20 concurrent calls, call recording, call transcription, community support, and $10 worth of free credits
• Enterprise: Custom pricing as low as $0.05 per minute for 50+ concurrent calls, fully managed setup, uptime SLAs, vendor questionnaire, and private Slack channel support

6. Lindy: Best for pre-built complex AI agents

Pros

• Optimizes email, meetings, and voice calls
• Transparent pricing
• HIPAA compliant, with an upgrade

Cons

• Few calling features
• Not a traditional phone system
• Slow customer support

Lindy is a no-code AI agent platform that creates multi-step workflows based on what you tell it. It has an extensive integration ecosystem with more than 3,000 apps. It also offers SOC 2, HIPAA, and GDPR compliance on upgraded plans.

With Lindy, you can create simple workflows across daily tools like:

• Your email inbox
• Video meetings
• CRM
• Voice calls

If you’re not sure how to build your own workflow, you can use Lindy’s customizable templates. For example, you can set up sales workflows by telling Lindy: “Text me whenever a lead’s deal stage changes.” Or create coaching workflows: “Whenever a new rep records their first call, send me the transcript so I can review.”

But as you may have noticed, Lindy isn’t a traditional phone system. It also has limited calling features, since it’s mostly designed for email and other messaging platforms.

Plus, Lindy may not have responsive customer service. Past users have had issues reaching support.

Key features of Lindy

• Automate email sends
• History of high uptime
• 3,000 third-party integrations
• SOC 2, HIPAA, and GDPR compliance

Lindy pricing

Lindy starts at $49.99 per month for iMessage with your AI assistant, inbox management, and meeting scheduling, prep, and follow-up. The Enterprise plan requires a custom quote and offers HIPAA compliance and dedicated support.

7. Synthflow: Best for no-code custom agents

Pros

• Drag-and-drop agents
• 200+ platform integrations
• Appointment scheduling

Cons

• Not a complete phone system
• Limited minutes
• Training and onboarding require an upgrade

Synthflow is a no-code AI voice agent platform with telephony infrastructure. That means you can connect to third-party business phone systems like Quo or Twilio. With Synthflow, you can send follow-up texts, book appointments, and route customer calls to the correct rep. 

Synthflow’s drag-and-drop agent builder offers subflows so you can create specialized agents. For example, you might have AI agents handling refunds or cancellations without human involvement. Synthflow is also compliant with SOC 2, GDPR, and ISO 27001 — if you’re willing to upgrade.

Keep in mind that Synthflow’s drag-and-drop call flows also mean limited customization. If you want to build more complex agents, this platform may not be the best fit.

You should also know that Synthflow has a subscription model with bundled minutes. That means you’ll need to pay overage charges whenever you exceed tier limits. Even test calling Synthflow requires paid minutes. Compare this to Sona, which lets you make unlimited test calls without paid minutes.

Key features of Synthflow

• Workflow builder
• Appointment scheduling

• Order management
• Support for multiple languages
• Call analytics

Synthflow pricing

Synthflow’s pricing is confusing and depends on your expected volume.

The pay-as-you-go tier starts at $0.09 per minute and has fees for:

• The LLM you choose
• Integrations with Twilio
• Extra concurrent calls
• Phone numbers
• Compliance, like HIPAA
• Advanced compliance, including multi-region deployment

The Enterprise plan offers custom pricing for teams, starting at 10,000 minutes per month. There’s no middle ground plan for growing small businesses with moderate call volumes.

8. PolyAI: Best for enterprises needing multilingual AI voice agents

Pros

• Managed service
• Features for healthcare and banking companies

Cons

• No public pricing
• Takes four to six weeks to set up
• No self-service design process

PolyAI builds ultra-realistic AI voice agents for companies like Marriott and Volkswagen. Founded by Cambridge researchers in 2017, it lets you build voice AI assistants in languages like Russian and Mandarin.

You can also use PolyAI to uncover patterns in customer calls. For example, you can map recurring FAQs to improve customer satisfaction. Regulated industries can use PolyAI’s Agent Studio to set up specific safety features for healthcare and banking. 

All this comes with a white-glove managed service. PolyAI’s team builds and deploys everything for you in four to six weeks. But this is both a positive and a negative. There’s no self-service or quick testing if you want to make quick adjustments on your own.

Keep in mind PolyAI doesn’t list public pricing, so you’ll have to call the sales team for a quote. Past users say their prices can be high, which isn’t ideal for small and growing brands.

Key features of PolyAI

• Self-service workflows for callers
• Multilanguage support

• Warm transfers
• Integrations with telephony providers

PolyAI pricing

PolyAI doesn’t publicly list any pricing. But it does mention that it charges on a per-minute basis. Each plan also includes performance updates, maintenance, and customer support.

How we evaluated AI voice agents

To pick the best AI voice agents, we evaluated each platform by:

• Voice quality and naturalness: Does the AI agent sound professional, according to user reviews?
• Ease of setup: How fast can you get started?
• Pricing transparency: Can you see clear price tiers?
• Integration depth: Are there integrations with common tools like Zapier and HubSpot?
• Support and documentation: Can you access quality support or help docs if you get stuck?

How to choose the right AI voice agent for your needs

There are four key criteria in picking the right AI voice agent:

1. Budget and pricing model. There are three pricing models depending on your needs. Per-minute pricing works well for low-volume, short calls. Per-call pricing is the most effective for budgeting. Monthly unlimited subscriptions give you more bandwidth but are generally lower quality and come with more add-on costs.
2. Technical resources. No-code tools can help you set up voice agents without prior code or technical knowledge. But if you need to connect your existing platforms to an AI voice agent, you should look for a system with an API.
3. Integration needs. Can you connect with CRMs or platforms like Zapier and Make? This is especially important for your business phone system. Sona, for example, is built directly inside Quo. That way, you don’t need to set up an integration — all conversations live in the same place.
4. Use case specificity: What case studies does the provider have? Is it better at support versus sales or scheduling? What about self-service workflows for healthcare or financial services? Look for a provider that will scale with your business.

The only AI voice agent you need: Quo

While there are dozens of AI voice agents on the market, only one is built for small and growing businesses. Thousands of business owners believe Sona is the best choice because:

• We transparently charge per call, not per minute, so we can scale alongside your business
• You can store all calls handled by your AI voice agent inside your business phone system without forwarding calls out
• Each user can access call transcripts, call summaries, and call tags for each call, improving team visibility

Confirm Quo is a fit for your growing business by signing up for a seven-day free trial. Then try test-calling Sona in the app. The first 10 calls on Sona each month are free. 

Frequently asked questions about AI voice agents