Subtitle
Vapi is a developer voice AI platform built for teams that code; Thoughtly is a no-code AI voice agent builder for operations teams that want to launch agents without engineering.
Major Takeaways
Who should pick Vapi over Thoughtly? Teams with engineering capacity who need full API control, custom LLM and TTS provider choice, and granular latency tuning for production voice products.
Who should pick Thoughtly over Vapi? Operations or contact-center teams with no developer resources who need to launch inbound or outbound agents via a visual builder and pre-built templates.
How do their pricing models differ? Vapi charges per minute with separate LLM and TTS costs; Thoughtly reportedly bundles platform access, LLM, and TTS into a single per-minute rate with a monthly minimum.
If you care about X, pick Y
| If you care about | Pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| No-code build experience | Thoughtly | Visual workflow builder; no API or SDK required to launch an agent. |
| Full API control and custom integrations | Vapi | Developer-first platform with SDKs in Python, Node.js, and REST; bring-your-own LLM and TTS. |
| Transparent per-minute pricing | Vapi | Published per-minute telephony rates; LLM and TTS costs pass through from your provider accounts. |
| Bundled all-in pricing | Thoughtly | Single per-minute rate reportedly includes platform, LLM, and TTS; no separate provider bills. |
| Custom voice cloning | Vapi | Supports ElevenLabs voice cloning and custom voice models via API. |
| Pre-built outbound campaign tools | Thoughtly | Campaign scheduler and list upload built into the platform; Vapi requires custom orchestration. |
How we evaluated
We reviewed vendor documentation, pricing pages, and third-party sources including G2, TrustRadius, and Capterra to compare build model, telephony options, pricing transparency, compliance statements, and user feedback. Vapi's developer docs and API reference were accessed at vapi.ai/docs; Thoughtly's feature pages and help center were reviewed at thoughtly.ai. No test calls were placed and no agents were built as part of this evaluation. Pricing and feature availability reflect information published as of October 2026.
What each platform does
Thoughtly
Thoughtly is a no-code AI voice agent builder for operations and contact-center teams. Users design call flows in a visual editor, upload contact lists, and launch inbound or outbound agents without writing code.
The platform reportedly includes pre-built templates for appointment booking, lead qualification, and customer-support deflection. Thoughtly handles telephony, LLM orchestration, and speech-to-text / text-to-speech in a single package. Based on third-party sources, the platform is used by small and mid-market teams automating high-volume inbound reception and outbound reminders. Source: Thoughtly feature pages
Vapi
Vapi is a developer voice AI platform for teams building custom voice products.
Engineers integrate Vapi via REST API or SDKs in Python and Node.js, configure LLM providers (OpenAI, Anthropic, or self-hosted models), select TTS engines (ElevenLabs, Azure, Google, Play.ht), and control latency, interruption handling, and function calling at the code level. Vapi supports inbound and outbound calls, SIP trunking, and bring-your-own telephony. The platform is designed for technical teams embedding voice into products or building bespoke contact-center automation. Based on third-party sources, Vapi is used by startups and mid-market engineering teams. Source: Vapi documentation
Feature comparison
| Capability | Thoughtly | Vapi |
|---|---|---|
| Build model | No-code visual builder | API-first; Python, Node.js SDKs |
| Inbound calls | ✓ | ✓ |
| Outbound calls / campaigns | ✓ Campaign scheduler built in | ✓ API-driven; custom orchestration required |
| Telephony | Bundled phone numbers; bring-your-own carrier not documented | Bundled numbers; SIP trunking; bring-your-own carrier supported |
| LLM choice | Vendor-hosted; provider not specified | Bring-your-own: OpenAI, Anthropic, Azure, self-hosted |
| Voice / TTS provider choice | Vendor-hosted; voice cloning not documented | ElevenLabs, Azure, Google, Play.ht; custom voice cloning supported |
| Languages | Not publicly specified | Not publicly specified |
| Interruption handling | Supported; configuration method not documented | Configurable via API; endpointing and turn-taking parameters exposed |
| Warm transfer / human handoff | ✓ | ✓ |
| Function calling / tool use | ✓ API integrations via visual builder | ✓ Custom functions via SDK |
| CRM and calendar integrations | Zapier; native integrations not specified | API-based; custom integrations via webhooks and SDKs |
| Call recording, transcripts, analytics | ✓ | ✓ Transcripts, logs, and analytics via API |
| Compliance statements | SOC 2 Type II claimed; HIPAA not documented | SOC 2 Type II claimed; HIPAA not documented |
| Concurrency limits | Not publicly specified | Not publicly specified |
Pricing and cost per minute
Thoughtly pricing
Thoughtly's pricing model is not published on a public pricing page. Based on third-party sources, the platform reportedly charges a per-minute rate that bundles platform access, LLM inference, and text-to-speech, with a monthly minimum commitment.
Exact per-minute rates and tier breakpoints were not available at the time of writing. Prospective buyers report receiving custom quotes after a demo. Telephony costs (inbound and outbound minutes) are reportedly included in the per-minute rate, but whether this applies to all geographies or requires a separate carrier account is not specified in available sources.
| Tier | Monthly minimum | Per-minute rate | Inclusions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Not publicly listed | Not specified | Not specified | Platform, LLM, TTS reportedly bundled |
Source: Third-party procurement data; Thoughtly does not publish a self-serve pricing page.
Vapi pricing
Vapi publishes per-minute telephony rates on its pricing page. Inbound calls are listed at $0.05 per minute; outbound calls at $0.10 per minute as of October 2026. These rates cover Vapi's telephony layer only.
LLM inference costs (OpenAI, Anthropic, Azure) and TTS costs (ElevenLabs, Google, Play.ht) are billed separately by the respective providers and pass through to the customer's accounts. Vapi does not charge a platform fee or seat license for API access. There is no published monthly minimum. Customers pay only for minutes used plus the costs incurred with their chosen LLM and TTS providers.
| Component | Rate | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Inbound telephony | $0.05 / minute | Vapi-provided phone numbers |
| Outbound telephony | $0.10 / minute | Vapi-provided phone numbers |
| LLM inference | Pass-through | Billed by OpenAI, Anthropic, Azure, etc. |
| TTS | Pass-through | Billed by ElevenLabs, Google, Play.ht, etc. |
| Platform fee | $0 | No seat or subscription charge |
Source: Vapi pricing page, accessed October 2026.
What a month of calls might cost
Estimating monthly spend requires knowing average call duration, call volume, and the all-in per-minute rate. For Vapi, the formula is:
(Inbound minutes × $0.05) + (Outbound minutes × $0.10) + LLM token costs + TTS character costs
LLM and TTS costs depend on the providers chosen. As an illustrative example only (not a benchmark): a 3-minute inbound call using GPT-4o and ElevenLabs Turbo might incur ~$0.15 in Vapi telephony, ~$0.06 in LLM tokens, and ~$0.09 in TTS characters, totaling ~$0.30 per call. A team handling 1,000 inbound calls per month would pay approximately $300.
Readers should replace these assumptions with their own provider pricing and measured call characteristics.
For Thoughtly, the formula depends on the bundled per-minute rate provided in a custom quote. If the rate is $0.50 per minute all-in (platform + LLM + TTS + telephony), a 3-minute call costs $1.50. The same 1,000-call-per-month volume would total $4,500 plus any monthly minimum. Without a published rate, buyers must request a quote to model costs accurately.
What users say
Thoughtly user feedback
Public review coverage for Thoughtly was limited at the time of writing. Available feedback on G2 and Capterra highlights the platform's ease of setup for non-technical users and the speed of launching a first agent via the visual builder.
Some reviewers note that advanced customization options are less accessible than on developer-first platforms, and that pricing transparency is a recurring request. The platform's customer-support responsiveness is cited positively in multiple reviews.
Vapi user feedback
Public review volume for Vapi is limited; the recurring themes below are drawn from the available G2 / TrustRadius / Capterra coverage.
Developer users cite the platform's flexibility, API quality, and the ability to bring custom LLM and TTS providers as strengths. Latency and interruption-handling performance are noted as strong relative to other voice platforms. Some users report that the lack of a visual builder or pre-built templates increases time-to-first-agent for teams without dedicated engineering resources. Documentation quality and the responsiveness of Vapi's developer support are frequently mentioned as positives.
Strengths and gaps
What Thoughtly does well
No-code build model. Operations teams can design and launch agents without engineering support; the visual workflow builder handles call logic, integrations, and campaign scheduling in a single interface.
Bundled pricing. A single per-minute rate reportedly covers platform access, LLM inference, TTS, and telephony, simplifying procurement and eliminating the need to manage multiple provider accounts.
Pre-built templates. Templates for common use cases (appointment booking, lead qualification, support deflection) reduce setup time for teams deploying standard workflows.
Outbound campaign tools. The platform includes a campaign scheduler and contact-list upload interface, removing the need to build custom orchestration for outbound calling.
Where Thoughtly has gaps
Thoughtly does not publish a pricing page. Buyers must sit a demo and request a custom quote to understand costs, which adds friction to the evaluation process.
The platform uses vendor-hosted models; teams that want to bring their own LLM provider or use custom voice cloning reportedly cannot do so.
Advanced use cases that require granular control over latency, interruption handling, or function-calling logic may hit the limits of the visual builder.
Bring-your-own carrier and SIP trunking options are not documented, which may be a blocker for enterprises with existing telephony infrastructure.
What Vapi does well
Full API control. Developers configure every aspect of the voice agent (LLM provider, TTS engine, interruption handling, function calling) via code, enabling highly customized implementations.
Transparent pricing. Published per-minute telephony rates and pass-through LLM / TTS costs allow teams to model spend before committing to a contract.
Provider flexibility. Teams can bring OpenAI, Anthropic, Azure, or self-hosted LLMs, and select from ElevenLabs, Google, Play.ht, or Azure for TTS, including custom voice cloning.
Telephony options. Support for SIP trunking and bring-your-own carrier gives enterprises the option to integrate Vapi with existing phone infrastructure.
Where Vapi has gaps
Vapi does not offer a visual builder. Teams without engineering resources cannot build agents; every deployment requires API integration and custom code.
Outbound calling requires custom orchestration (scheduling, list management, retry logic); there is no built-in campaign interface.
Buyers must track and reconcile bills from Vapi (telephony), the LLM provider, and the TTS provider, which adds operational overhead compared to bundled pricing.
Developer-first platforms require more time to first agent than no-code builders, particularly for teams unfamiliar with voice AI architecture.
Which use cases fit each
| Use case | Stronger fit | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Inbound lead qualification and speed-to-lead | Either | Both handle inbound calls; Thoughtly's no-code setup is faster for ops teams; Vapi offers more control for custom qualification logic. |
| Appointment booking and reminders | Thoughtly | Pre-built templates and campaign scheduler reduce setup time; no engineering required. |
| After-hours reception and routing | Either | Both support warm transfer and IVR-style routing; choice depends on build preference (no-code vs API). |
| Outbound sales calling | Thoughtly | Built-in campaign tools and list upload simplify high-volume outbound; Vapi requires custom orchestration. |
| Customer-support deflection | Either | Both handle inbound support calls; Vapi's function-calling flexibility suits complex CRM lookups; Thoughtly's templates suit standard deflection flows. |
| High-volume contact-center overflow | Vapi | Bring-your-own carrier and SIP trunking support enterprise telephony integration; Thoughtly's carrier options are not documented. |
| Developer building a voice product | Vapi | API-first architecture and provider flexibility are designed for embedding voice into custom products. |
Pick Thoughtly if you...
Have no engineering resources and need to launch agents via a visual builder without writing code.
Want a single bundled per-minute rate that covers platform, LLM, TTS, and telephony with no separate provider bills.
Are running high-volume outbound campaigns and need a built-in scheduler and list-upload interface.
Prefer pre-built templates for common use cases (booking, qualification, support) over custom development.
Pick Vapi if you...
Have engineering capacity and need full API control over LLM provider, TTS engine, latency, and function calling.
Want transparent per-minute pricing with no platform fee and the ability to model costs before signing a contract.
Need to bring your own LLM (Anthropic, Azure, self-hosted) or use custom voice cloning via ElevenLabs or other TTS providers.
Are integrating voice into a custom product or require SIP trunking and bring-your-own carrier support for enterprise telephony.
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
Vapi is the stronger fit for technical teams building custom voice products or automating contact-center workflows that require granular control over latency, LLM provider choice, and telephony integration. The platform's API-first design, transparent pricing, and support for bring-your-own carrier make it the better starting point for developers and enterprises with existing phone infrastructure. Teams comfortable writing code and managing multiple provider accounts will find Vapi's flexibility worth the additional setup complexity.
Thoughtly is the better starting point for operations and contact-center teams with no engineering resources who need to launch inbound or outbound agents quickly via a visual builder. The platform's no-code workflow editor, pre-built templates, and bundled pricing simplify deployment for teams running standard use cases like appointment booking, lead qualification, and support deflection. The trade-off is less customization flexibility and pricing opacity; teams that need advanced control over LLM choice, voice cloning, or telephony integration will hit the platform's ceiling faster than on Vapi.
Practical next steps: if you have engineering capacity, build a short test flow on Vapi using your preferred LLM and TTS providers to measure all-in per-minute costs at your expected call volume. If you don't code, request a Thoughtly demo and ask for a written quote that specifies the bundled per-minute rate, monthly minimum, and any overage or contract terms. Confirm compliance documentation (SOC 2, HIPAA if applicable) directly with each vendor before committing to a contract.
Frequently asked questions
Is Vapi cheaper than Thoughtly?
It depends on call volume, LLM provider, and TTS usage. Vapi's published telephony rates ($0.05 inbound, $0.10 outbound per minute) are lower than many bundled platforms, but LLM and TTS costs are billed separately and vary by provider. Thoughtly reportedly bundles platform, LLM, TTS, and telephony into a single per-minute rate, which may be higher per minute but simpler to budget. Buyers should model both options using their expected call duration, volume, and provider choices.
Which is easier to build with if I can't code?
Thoughtly. The platform is designed for non-technical users and provides a visual workflow builder, pre-built templates, and a campaign scheduler that require no API integration or SDK knowledge. Vapi is API-first and requires engineering resources to configure LLM providers, TTS engines, and call logic via code.
Can I bring my own phone numbers or carrier to each?
Vapi supports bring-your-own carrier via SIP trunking, allowing enterprises to integrate with existing telephony infrastructure. Thoughtly's documentation does not specify support for bring-your-own carrier or SIP trunking; prospective buyers should confirm telephony flexibility directly with the vendor.
Which handles outbound calling campaigns better?
Thoughtly includes a built-in campaign scheduler and contact-list upload interface, making it easier to launch high-volume outbound calling without custom development. Vapi supports outbound calls via API but requires teams to build their own orchestration layer for scheduling, list management, and retry logic.
Are Vapi and Thoughtly HIPAA compliant?
Both platforms claim SOC 2 Type II certification based on vendor statements. Neither publicly documents HIPAA compliance or provides a Business Associate Agreement (BAA) on their websites. Healthcare organizations should request compliance documentation and a signed BAA directly from each vendor before deploying voice agents that handle protected health information.
Can either transfer a call to a human?
Yes. Both Vapi and Thoughtly support warm transfer, allowing the AI agent to hand off a call to a human operator mid-conversation. Vapi's transfer logic is configured via API; Thoughtly's is configured in the visual builder.
What do users complain about most?
For Thoughtly, available reviews cite pricing opacity and the lack of a public pricing page as friction points. Some users report that advanced customization options are limited compared to developer-first platforms. For Vapi, the absence of a visual builder and pre-built templates increases time-to-first-agent for teams without engineering resources. Some users note that managing separate bills from Vapi, the LLM provider, and the TTS provider adds operational overhead.
How does 11x's Julian compare to Vapi and Thoughtly?
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). Julian is a packaged sales agent rather than a general-purpose voice-building platform, so teams building custom voice products or automating non-sales use cases typically compare it less directly to Vapi or Thoughtly. Teams automating inbound sales conversations that need to sit alongside outbound prospecting in one system evaluate Julian; teams building bespoke voice products or automating support, booking, or reception workflows typically evaluate Vapi or Thoughtly.
Last updated: October 2026.
