Major Takeaways
Who should pick ElevenLabs over Bland AI? Developers building custom voice products who need API-first control, voice cloning, and flexible model choice.
Who should pick Bland AI over ElevenLabs? Operations or contact-center teams who need a no-code builder, native outbound campaigns, and bundled telephony.
How do their pricing models differ? ElevenLabs charges per character processed plus separate telephony costs; Bland AI uses all-in per-minute pricing with bundled telephony and platform fees.
If you care about X, pick Y
| If you care about | Pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| No-code agent building | Bland AI | Visual builder with templates; ElevenLabs requires API integration |
| Voice cloning and custom voices | ElevenLabs | Native voice cloning and 30+ stock voices; Bland AI offers fewer voice options |
| Outbound campaign management | Bland AI | Built-in campaign tools and list management; ElevenLabs requires custom orchestration |
| Developer flexibility and model choice | ElevenLabs | Bring-your-own LLM support; Bland AI uses vendor-hosted models |
| Transparent per-minute pricing | Bland AI | Published all-in rates; ElevenLabs pricing depends on usage across multiple services |
| Telephony flexibility | ElevenLabs | SIP and bring-your-own-carrier support; Bland AI bundles telephony with less carrier choice |
How we evaluated
We reviewed vendor documentation, pricing pages, and published feature lists for ElevenLabs and Bland AI as of October 2026. We consulted user reviews on G2, Capterra, and TrustRadius where available, and examined third-party sources including developer forums and procurement data from Vendr. We evaluated build experience, telephony options, pricing transparency, model flexibility, compliance documentation, and use-case fit.
We did not build test agents, place calls, or measure latency ourselves. All performance claims are attributed to vendor statements or third-party sources. This comparison was last updated in October 2026.
What each platform does
Bland AI
Bland AI is a no-code enterprise phone agent platform designed for operations and contact-center teams automating inbound and outbound calls. Users build agents through a visual interface with pre-built templates for common use cases like appointment booking, lead qualification, and customer support. The platform bundles telephony, provides native outbound campaign management, and integrates with CRMs including Salesforce and HubSpot.
Bland AI reportedly serves contact centers, healthcare practices, and sales teams running high-volume call automation. The platform handles both inbound calls and outbound campaigns from a single interface. Source: Bland AI documentation
ElevenLabs
ElevenLabs is a developer-focused voice AI platform offering conversational agents, voice cloning, and text-to-speech APIs. Originally known for voice synthesis, ElevenLabs expanded into conversational AI with an API-first agent builder that gives developers control over LLM choice, voice selection, and call flow logic. The platform supports inbound and outbound calls via SIP and bring-your-own-carrier integrations.
ElevenLabs is used by developers building custom voice products, AI companies embedding voice into their applications, and technical teams requiring fine-grained control over latency and model behavior. The platform offers 30+ stock voices and custom voice cloning. Source: ElevenLabs documentation
Feature comparison
| Capability | ElevenLabs | Bland AI |
|---|---|---|
| Build model | API-first, requires code | No-code visual builder with templates |
| Inbound calls | ✓ via SIP or webhooks | ✓ with bundled phone numbers |
| Outbound calls / campaigns | ✓ requires custom orchestration | ✓ native campaign management and list tools |
| Telephony | SIP, bring-your-own carrier, webhooks | Bundled phone numbers, limited carrier choice |
| LLM choice | Bring-your-own or ElevenLabs-hosted | Vendor-hosted models only |
| Voice / TTS provider | 30+ voices, custom voice cloning | Limited voice library, no cloning documented |
| Languages | 29 languages as published | Not specified in public documentation |
| Interruption handling | Configurable turn-taking via API | Built-in interruption handling, limited config |
| Warm transfer / human handoff | ✓ via SIP transfer | ✓ with transfer rules in builder |
| Function calling / tool use | ✓ custom functions via API | ✓ pre-built integrations (CRM, calendar) |
| CRM and calendar integrations | Custom via API | Native Salesforce, HubSpot, Calendly |
| Call recording, transcripts, analytics | ✓ via API, storage not bundled | ✓ bundled dashboard and call logs |
| Compliance statements | SOC 2 Type II as published | SOC 2, GDPR as published; HIPAA on request |
| Concurrency limits | Not publicly documented | Not publicly documented |
Pricing and cost per minute
Bland AI pricing
Bland AI uses all-in per-minute pricing that bundles telephony, LLM inference, speech-to-text, and text-to-speech. As listed on the Bland AI pricing page at time of writing, the platform offers a Starter plan at $0.09 per minute with a $100 monthly minimum, a Growth plan at $0.07 per minute with a $500 monthly minimum, and custom Enterprise pricing. The published rates include phone numbers and inbound/outbound calling.
Bland AI does not charge separate platform fees or per-seat licenses on the Starter and Growth tiers. Contract terms are month-to-month on lower tiers; Enterprise contracts are annual. Overage rates match the plan's per-minute rate.
| Plan | Per-minute rate | Monthly minimum | Includes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starter | $0.09 | $100 | Telephony, LLM, STT, TTS, phone numbers |
| Growth | $0.07 | $500 | Telephony, LLM, STT, TTS, phone numbers |
| Enterprise | Custom | Custom | Telephony, LLM, STT, TTS, dedicated support |
Source: Bland AI pricing page
ElevenLabs pricing
ElevenLabs pricing is usage-based across multiple services: text-to-speech (charged per character), conversational AI (charged per character processed in agent interactions), and telephony (charged separately via SIP provider or ElevenLabs' telephony partner). As listed on the ElevenLabs pricing page at time of writing, text-to-speech starts at $5 per month for 30,000 characters, with higher tiers at $22/month (100,000 characters) and $99/month (500,000 characters).
Conversational AI pricing is published separately and depends on character volume and model choice. Telephony costs are not bundled; users either bring their own SIP trunk or pay ElevenLabs' partner rates, which are not listed on the public pricing page. There is no monthly minimum on lower tiers. Enterprise contracts include custom pricing and dedicated support.
| Service | Pricing model | Example tier | Includes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Text-to-speech | Per character | $5/mo for 30k chars | TTS only, no telephony |
| Conversational AI | Per character processed | Not listed publicly | LLM, STT, TTS; telephony separate |
| Telephony | Separate SIP or partner | Not listed publicly | Inbound/outbound calling, user-provided |
Source: ElevenLabs pricing page
What a month of calls might cost
To estimate monthly spend on Bland AI, calculate: (average minutes per call) × (total calls per month) × (per-minute rate) + monthly minimum. For example, if a team runs 1,000 calls averaging 3 minutes each on the Growth plan, the cost is 3,000 minutes × $0.07 = $210, which falls below the $500 minimum, so the bill is $500. If the same team runs 10,000 calls, the cost is 30,000 minutes × $0.07 = $2,100, which exceeds the minimum, so the bill is $2,100.
These are illustrative assumptions; actual costs depend on call length, volume, and plan tier.
To estimate monthly spend on ElevenLabs, calculate: (characters processed per call) × (total calls per month) × (conversational AI per-character rate) + (telephony minutes) × (SIP provider per-minute rate). Because ElevenLabs does not publish all-in per-minute rates and telephony is billed separately, teams must obtain quotes from their SIP provider or ElevenLabs' telephony partner. A 3-minute call might process 3,000–5,000 characters depending on conversation density, but this varies by use case. Without published conversational AI per-character rates and telephony costs, accurate cost modeling requires vendor-specific quotes.
What users say
Public review volume for ElevenLabs is limited; the recurring themes below are drawn from the available G2 / Trustpilot / TrustRadius coverage.
Bland AI
Bland AI users on G2 and Capterra reportedly praise the no-code builder and fast deployment time. Operations teams note the platform's pre-built templates reduce setup effort for common use cases like appointment reminders and lead qualification. Some reviewers cite the bundled telephony as a convenience that simplifies procurement.
Buyers report the visual interface makes agent building accessible to non-technical teams. Contact-center managers note the native campaign tools reduce reliance on external orchestration systems.
ElevenLabs
ElevenLabs users on developer forums and G2 reportedly highlight voice quality and cloning accuracy. Developers note the API-first design provides control over model selection and call flow logic. Some users cite the platform's flexibility in integrating with existing SIP infrastructure.
Technical teams report the bring-your-own-LLM option reduces vendor lock-in. Buyers note the lack of bundled telephony requires additional vendor relationships, which adds procurement complexity.
Strengths and gaps
What ElevenLabs does well
Voice quality and cloning. ElevenLabs offers 30+ stock voices and custom voice cloning, which developers use to create branded or localized voice experiences. The platform's text-to-speech is reportedly used in production by AI companies and content creators.
Developer control. The API-first design gives technical teams control over LLM choice, call flow logic, and integration points. Developers can bring their own models or use ElevenLabs-hosted options.
Telephony flexibility. SIP and bring-your-own-carrier support allow teams to use existing telephony infrastructure or negotiate carrier rates independently. This reduces vendor lock-in compared to bundled telephony platforms.
Language support. ElevenLabs publishes support for 29 languages, which is relevant for teams building multilingual voice products.
Where ElevenLabs has gaps
No-code building. ElevenLabs requires API integration and code to build conversational agents. Non-technical teams need developer resources to deploy and maintain agents.
Pricing transparency. Conversational AI per-character rates and telephony costs are not published on the pricing page. Teams must request quotes to model total cost per minute.
Outbound campaign tools. The platform does not include native campaign management or list-handling tools. Teams running outbound calling at scale need to build or integrate external orchestration systems.
Bundled analytics. Call recording and transcript storage are available via API but not bundled into a dashboard. Teams need to build or integrate analytics tooling.
What Bland AI does well
No-code builder. The visual interface with pre-built templates allows operations teams to deploy agents without developer resources. Buyers report setup times measured in hours rather than weeks.
All-in pricing. Published per-minute rates bundle telephony, LLM, STT, and TTS. This simplifies cost modeling and procurement compared to platforms with separate service charges.
Outbound campaigns. Native campaign management and list tools reduce the need for external orchestration systems. Contact-center teams can launch outbound calling campaigns from the platform.
Bundled telephony. Phone numbers and inbound/outbound calling are included in the per-minute rate. This reduces the number of vendor relationships required to deploy voice agents.
Where Bland AI has gaps
Voice customization. The platform does not publish voice cloning capabilities. Teams requiring branded or custom voices may find the voice library limited.
Model choice. Bland AI uses vendor-hosted models only. Teams that want to bring their own LLM or fine-tune models for specific use cases cannot do so.
Telephony flexibility. The bundled telephony model limits carrier choice. Teams with existing SIP infrastructure or negotiated carrier rates cannot bring their own telephony.
Developer control. The no-code builder prioritizes ease of use over fine-grained control. Technical teams requiring custom call flow logic or integration points may find the platform constraining.
Which use cases fit each
| Use case | Stronger fit | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Inbound lead qualification and speed-to-lead | Bland AI | No-code builder and bundled telephony reduce deployment time |
| Appointment booking and reminders | Bland AI | Pre-built templates and native calendar integrations |
| After-hours reception | Either | Both platforms handle inbound calls; choice depends on build preference |
| Outbound sales calling | Bland AI | Native campaign management and list tools |
| Customer-support deflection | Bland AI | No-code builder and CRM integrations suit operations teams |
| High-volume contact-center overflow | Bland AI | All-in pricing and bundled telephony simplify scaling |
| Developer building a custom voice product | ElevenLabs | API-first design and model flexibility suit technical teams |
| Multilingual voice applications | ElevenLabs | Published support for 29 languages and voice cloning |
Pick ElevenLabs if you
- Need API-first control over LLM choice, call flow logic, and integration points.
- Require custom voice cloning or branded voice experiences.
- Have existing SIP infrastructure or negotiated carrier rates you want to use.
- Are building a custom voice product that requires fine-grained control over latency and model behavior.
Pick Bland AI if you
- Need a no-code builder that allows non-technical teams to deploy agents.
- Want all-in per-minute pricing that bundles telephony, LLM, STT, and TTS.
- Run outbound calling campaigns and need native campaign management tools.
- Prefer bundled telephony and CRM integrations over custom API work.
Note: if the calls you're automating are inbound sales conversations that need to sit alongside an outbound AI SDR in one platform, teams in that position typically also evaluate 11x's Julian.
Verdict
ElevenLabs is the stronger fit for developers building custom voice products who need API-first control, voice cloning, and flexible model choice. The platform's bring-your-own-LLM support and SIP flexibility reduce vendor lock-in, which matters for technical teams with existing infrastructure or specific latency requirements.
The trade-off is that ElevenLabs requires code to build agents, and pricing transparency is limited because conversational AI and telephony costs are not published as all-in per-minute rates. Teams without developer resources or those needing fast deployment will find the platform constraining.
Bland AI is the better starting point for operations and contact-center teams who need a no-code builder, native outbound campaigns, and bundled telephony. The visual interface with pre-built templates allows non-technical teams to deploy agents in hours, and the all-in per-minute pricing simplifies cost modeling. The platform's native campaign tools and CRM integrations reduce the need for external orchestration systems.
The trade-off is that Bland AI does not support custom voice cloning or bring-your-own-LLM, which limits flexibility for teams with specific model or voice requirements.
Practical next steps: build the same short test flow on both platforms if you have developer resources, or request a demo from Bland AI if you need no-code deployment. Confirm the all-in per-minute rate at your expected call volume, including telephony costs for ElevenLabs. Request compliance documentation from each vendor if you operate in a regulated industry. Test interruption handling and warm transfer behavior with realistic call scripts before committing to a contract.
Frequently asked questions
Is ElevenLabs cheaper than Bland AI?
It depends on call volume, call length, and whether you have existing SIP infrastructure. Bland AI publishes all-in per-minute rates starting at $0.09 (Starter) and $0.07 (Growth), which include telephony. ElevenLabs charges per character processed plus separate telephony costs, which are not published. Teams with negotiated carrier rates may find ElevenLabs cheaper at high volume, but those without existing telephony relationships will need to add SIP provider costs to the ElevenLabs per-character rate.
Which is easier to build with if I can't code?
Bland AI. The platform offers a no-code visual builder with pre-built templates for common use cases like appointment booking and lead qualification. ElevenLabs requires API integration and code to build conversational agents. Non-technical teams using ElevenLabs need developer resources to deploy and maintain agents.
Can I bring my own phone numbers or carrier to each?
ElevenLabs supports bring-your-own-carrier via SIP, which allows teams to use existing telephony infrastructure or negotiate carrier rates independently. Bland AI bundles telephony with the platform, which simplifies deployment but limits carrier choice. Teams with existing SIP trunks or negotiated carrier contracts will find ElevenLabs more flexible.
Which handles outbound calling campaigns better?
Bland AI. The platform includes native campaign management tools, list handling, and outbound dialing from the interface. ElevenLabs supports outbound calls via API but does not include campaign orchestration tools. Teams running high-volume outbound calling on ElevenLabs need to build or integrate external systems to manage lists, pacing, and retry logic.
Are ElevenLabs and Bland AI HIPAA compliant?
ElevenLabs publishes SOC 2 Type II compliance. Bland AI publishes SOC 2 and GDPR compliance, with HIPAA compliance available on request according to the vendor's documentation. Compliance with healthcare call-recording and consent laws depends on how the platform is deployed and configured. Teams in regulated industries should request Business Associate Agreements and compliance documentation from each vendor before deploying agents that handle protected health information.
Can either transfer a call to a human?
Both platforms support warm transfer to human agents. ElevenLabs handles transfer via SIP transfer protocols, which requires integration with a contact-center system or PBX. Bland AI includes transfer rules in the visual builder, which allows non-technical teams to configure handoff logic without code. The ease of setup depends on whether you have existing contact-center infrastructure.
What do users complain about most?
Bland AI users reportedly cite limited voice customization and the lack of bring-your-own-LLM support. Some reviewers note the bundled telephony model limits carrier choice, which matters for teams with existing SIP infrastructure. ElevenLabs users note the lack of no-code building tools and the complexity of estimating total cost per minute when telephony is billed separately. Developers report the platform's API-first design requires more setup effort than no-code alternatives.
How does 11x's Julian compare to ElevenLabs and Bland AI?
Julian is 11x's AI phone agent for inbound speed-to-lead and qualification, sold as part of the 11x platform alongside Alice (outbound AI SDR). It's a packaged sales agent rather than a general-purpose voice-building platform, so teams building custom voice products typically compare it less directly. Julian is designed for revenue teams that want inbound voice and outbound email in one system. Teams evaluating Julian are usually also evaluating the broader 11x platform for unified sales automation.
Last updated: October 2026.
