ElevenLabs Agents vs Vapi: AI Agent Builder Comparison
ElevenLabs Agents and Vapi are platforms for building conversational voice agents.
- Verified 13 Nov 2026Sources are dated on this page
- 8 sourcesLinked, typed and dated
- No winner declaredFit depends on your criteria
- Not tested by Stack18Editorial summary of documented facts
ElevenLabs Agents vs Vapi: the short answer
ElevenLabs Agents and Vapi are platforms for building conversational voice agents. ElevenLabs Agents has a free tier and charges about $0.08 a minute, while Vapi charges $0.05 a minute plus separate model, voice and telephony costs.
ElevenLabs bundles its own voices and speech models; Vapi lets developers mix providers. We compare what documentation supports and mark everything else Unknown. We declare no overall winner, because the better choice depends on channels, integrations, oversight needs, pricing model and budget.
Choose ElevenLabs Agents if you- Teams prioritising voice quality
- Multilingual voice experiences
- Products embedding voice agents
Choose Vapi if you- Developers and agencies building voice agents
- Teams wanting provider choice
- Products embedding voice in apps
ElevenLabs Agents and Vapi at a glance.
One card per product, drawn from each full profile. Open a profile for features, pricing plans, limits and sources.
ElevenLabs Agents
ElevenLabs · AI Chatbot Builders
ElevenLabs Agents (ElevenAgents, formerly Conversational AI) is a platform for building conversational AI agents that talk over phone and web, chat and email, using ElevenLabs' speech-to-text and text-to-speech models plus a choice of LLMs, tools, knowledge bases and telephony integrations.
Agentic tool- Pricing
- Free tier; agents about $0.08 a minute (burst $0.16); plans up to $990 a month; Enterprise custom.
- Best for
- Teams prioritising voice quality
Vapi
Vapi · AI Chatbot Builders
Vapi is a developer platform for building, testing and deploying voice AI agents that answer and place phone calls or run in web and mobile apps. Developers choose their own speech-to-text, language model and text-to-speech providers, and Vapi orchestrates them with low latency, charging a per-minute hosting fee.
Agentic tool- Pricing
- $0.05 a minute hosting plus provider costs (often $0.10 to $0.30 all-in); Scale custom.
- Best for
- Developers and agencies building voice agents
ElevenLabs Agents vs Vapi: feature-by-feature comparison.
Every row is drawn from the sources listed below. Rows that differ are marked, and you can filter the table to show only those.
- YesDocumented
- PartialAvailable with limits or on some plans
- NoDocumented as unavailable
- UnknownNot documented in the sources reviewed
| Dimension |  ElevenLabs Agents |  Vapi |
|---|---|---|
| Product | ||
| Channels and interface | YesWeb, apps, phone, chat and email. | YesPhone, web and mobile; API. |
| AI models | YesChoice of major LLMs. | YesAny provider or your own keys. |
| Open-source or self-hosting | NoProprietary. | NoProprietary platform. |
| Pricing | ||
| Free tierDiffers | YesYes (small allowance). | NoNo (trial credits). |
| Pricing model | YesAbout $0.08 a minute; plans. | Yes$0.05 a minute plus providers. |
| Published plan prices reviewed | YesPer-minute, per-message and plan prices published. | Yes$0.05 a minute plus add-ons published. |
| Agent actions | ||
| Actions in business systems | YesTool calls and call transfer. | YesTool calls, transfers and booking. |
| Extensibility | ||
| Integrations, API and MCPDiffers | YesMCP and tool integrations. | PartialTool calling and APIs; MCP support not reviewed. |
| Control | ||
| Human handoff and approval controls | YesTransfer to humans. | YesCall transfer to humans. |
| Administration | ||
| Security, compliance and adminDiffers | PartialEnterprise compliance options. | YesSOC 2, PCI, SSO and RBAC on Scale. |
ElevenLabs Agents vs Vapi pricing.
ElevenLabs Agents pricing
Per-minute agent usage with subscription plans including minutes; pay-as-you-go; Enterprise custom.
- FreeFree
- Agents usageAbout $0.08 per minute
- Chat messages$0.003 per message
- Business$990 per month
- EnterpriseCustom
Prices from a vendor-published source. Checked 13 Nov 2026.
All ElevenLabs Agents plans and sources
Vapi pricing
Per-minute hosting fee plus pass-through provider costs; Scale annual contracts; compliance add-ons.
- Build (pay-as-you-go)$0.05 per minute
- ScaleCustom
- HIPAA add-on$2,000 per month
- Zero data retention$1,000 per month
Prices from a vendor-published source. Checked 13 Nov 2026.
All Vapi plans and sourcesElevenLabs Agents: Free tier; agents about $0.08 a minute (burst $0.16); plans up to $990 a month; Enterprise custom.
Vapi: $0.05 a minute hosting plus provider costs (often $0.10 to $0.30 all-in); Scale custom. Prices and allowances change often, so confirm on each vendor's live page.
Prices and plans change. Confirm current terms with each vendor before you decide.
ElevenLabs Agents vs Vapi: implementation, ecosystem, AI and security.
Ease of implementation and usability
We did not test setup or onboarding effort. Pilot both on a real, bounded process from your business, with your own data, policies and escalation rules.
Integrations and ecosystem
ElevenLabs Agents: Twilio, SIP trunks, OpenAI, Anthropic, Google Gemini, Zendesk. Vapi: OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, Deepgram, ElevenLabs, Cartesia.
AI capabilities
AI models: ElevenLabs Agents - Choice of major LLMs. Vapi - Any provider or your own keys.
Security, deployment and administration
Security and admin controls: ElevenLabs Agents - Enterprise compliance options. Vapi - SOC 2, PCI, SSO and RBAC on Scale. Check each vendor's security documentation for certifications and data-retention terms.
ElevenLabs Agents and Vapi: each option, in balance.
ElevenLabs Agents
Strengths and limitations from the profile
- Leading voice quality and voice library.
- Lower prices and pay-as-you-go since May 2026.
- Voice, chat and email from one platform.
- LLM cost absorption could change.
- Concurrency limits on lower plans.
- Telephony billed separately.
Vapi
Strengths and limitations from the profile
- Maximum control over providers and latency.
- Low platform fee and pay-as-you-go start.
- Compliance options for regulated use.
- Advertised $0.05 is only part of the bill.
- Requires developer skills.
- HIPAA costs $2,000 a month.
ElevenLabs Agents or Vapi: which fits which situation?
No overall winner is declared. The better choice depends on the criteria that matter most to you, so test both against your own requirements.
Choose ElevenLabs Agents if you…
- Teams prioritising voice quality
- Multilingual voice experiences
- Products embedding voice agents
Choose Vapi if you…
- Developers and agencies building voice agents
- Teams wanting provider choice
- Products embedding voice in apps
Switching between ElevenLabs Agents and Vapi.
Moving between ElevenLabs Agents and Vapi means porting phone numbers or SIP trunks, rebuilding call flows and prompts, re-testing latency, voices and languages, and re-checking call recording and consent settings. Pilot the same call type on both before migrating.
- Export a sample of your data and test an import into the other product.
- List the automations, integrations and permissions you would need to rebuild.
- Pilot with one team before a full cut-over.
- Check contract terms and notice periods with both vendors.
General guidance, not specific to either vendor. Confirm migration options with the vendors.
ElevenLabs Agents vs Vapi: questions and answers
Is ElevenLabs Agents or Vapi better?
The sources reviewed do not support a single ranking. ElevenLabs Agents has a free tier and charges about $0.08 a minute, while Vapi charges $0.05 a minute plus separate model, voice and telephony costs. Pilot both on a sample of your own conversations, leads or workflows before choosing.
Does ElevenLabs Agents have a free plan?
Yes. A free plan includes a small allowance for testing.
Does Vapi have a free plan?
No permanent free plan; trial credits are provided for testing.
Which is cheaper, ElevenLabs Agents or Vapi?
ElevenLabs Agents: Free tier; agents about $0.08 a minute (burst $0.16); plans up to $990 a month; Enterprise custom. Vapi: $0.05 a minute hosting plus provider costs (often $0.10 to $0.30 all-in); Scale custom. The cheaper option depends on seats, usage and which plan features you need.
How do ElevenLabs Agents and Vapi differ on integrations?
ElevenLabs Agents: MCP and tool integrations. Vapi: Tool calling and APIs; MCP support not reviewed.
Where this comparison comes from.
- ElevenLabs Agents: the complete guide (2026) Macha Third-party Accessed 13 Nov 2026
- ElevenLabs Agents verified listing Developers Digest Third-party Accessed 13 Nov 2026
- ElevenLabs cuts API and Agents prices and adds pay as you go UsagePricing Third-party Accessed 13 Nov 2026
- ElevenLabs Conversational AI hidden costs CostBench Third-party Accessed 13 Nov 2026
- Vapi pricing blueprint UsagePricing Third-party Accessed 13 Nov 2026
- Vapi AI plans and pricing CloudTalk Third-party Accessed 13 Nov 2026
- Vapi AI pricing in 2026 Cekura Third-party Accessed 13 Nov 2026
- Vapi AI pricing guide Nurix Third-party Accessed 13 Nov 2026
Comparison rows summarise the sources listed and the two profiles. Confirm current details with each vendor. Stack18 has not tested either product.
Ready to test ElevenLabs Agents and Vapi?
Check each vendor's current pricing and terms, run both against a real scenario from your business, or talk to Stack18 if off-the-shelf software is not the answer.
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