Compare · as of June 2026
Compare PyAI with Vapi, Retell, Deepgram, and LiveKit
PyAI Omni is $0.05/min*. Managed telephony is $0.01/min separately. All-in lower than packaged platforms whose advertised 5-9¢ platform fee lands at 10-31¢ once you add the LLM and telephony.
Omni vs GPT-Live
Compare voice-agent architecture, tools, phone workflows and the work around the call.
Speech-to-text
Hear vs Deepgram: ~200 ms first partial, in-region, $0.001/min.
Streaming STT
Realtime ASR plus the turn-taking latency callers feel.
Text-to-speech
Speak vs ElevenLabs and Cartesia: ~53 ms first byte, in-region.
Voice agents
Omni $0.05/min* vs Vapi, Retell, and Bland platform-fee stacks.
AMD
Who answered, including Google and iPhone AI screeners, with the reason on every call.
All-in price
Advertised platform fee vs the real minute.
Platforms and frameworks
PyAI vs the name you already know.
PyAI vs LiveKit Agents
Framework + PyAI speech. Public Python plugin. You keep the worker.
PyAI vs Pipecat
Framework + PyAI speech. Public Python services. You keep the pipeline.
PyAI vs Bland AI
Voice agent. $0.05/min* vs ~$0.11-$0.14/min
PyAI vs Vapi
Voice agent. $0.05/min* vs ~$0.10-$0.31/min
PyAI vs Retell AI
Voice agent. $0.05/min* vs ~$0.13-$0.31/min
PyAI vs xAI Voice Agent Builder
Voice agent. Near-tie on $0.05/min*. PyAI adds call control.
PyAI vs ElevenLabs
Text-to-speech. ~53 ms first byte, in-region. $0.04/min.
PyAI vs Deepgram
Speech-to-text. ~200 ms first partial, in-region. $0.001/min.
PyAI vs Cartesia
Text-to-speech. Same fast class. Win on the full stack, not a latency crown.
PyAI vs Aircall
Phone system. $0.08/min* vs seat-plus-add-on minutes
PyAI vs CloudTalk
Phone system. AI minutes, not a phone seat with AI bolted on.
PyAI vs Synthflow
Voice agent. $0.05/min* vs ~$0.13-$0.24/min typical all-in
PyAI vs AssemblyAI Voice Agent API
Voice agent. $0.05/min* vs $0.075/min bundled
PyAI vs OpenAI Realtime API
Voice agent. Flat $0.05/min. A raw model is not a product.
PyAI vs Twilio Voice AI
Phone system. Keep Twilio. Replace the DIY cascade at $0.05/min.
FAQ
Is PyAI cheaper than Vapi?
PyAI Omni is $0.05/min*. Managed telephony is $0.01/min separately. Vapi advertises about $0.05/min as a platform fee; all-in typically lands around $0.10-$0.31/min once you add STT, an LLM, TTS, and telephony. All-in lower than that packaged stack. Raw models can undercut on token price, but they are not products.
Can I use PyAI with LiveKit?
Yes. pip install livekit-plugins-pyai. Your LiveKit worker keeps the LLM, rooms, and transport. PyAI is Hear and Speak.
Does PyAI replace Deepgram?
Hear is an OpenAI-compatible drop-in for telephony STT with eight sync/streaming languages and a first partial measured around 200 ms in-region. Deepgram publishes a faster interim band and supports more languages. PyAI gives builders one account for transcription, speech, agents, telephony, AMD, and post-call workflows.
How do I compare all-in voice agent pricing?
Open the all-in table. PyAI publishes $0.05/min speech + brain and $0.01/min telephony as separate line items. Packaged platforms advertise a platform fee, then bill the model, voice, and telephony on top.
Get an API key. Make a phone agent.
Sandbox keys never bill. Fund a live key when you go to production.