ElevenLabs Agents vs Vapi (2026): Voice Agent Platforms Compared
The voice library leader against the developer orchestration platform, compared on published per minute pricing, concurrency, voices, builders and compliance, as of October 2026.
By , research by the BestBots team · Updated Oct 19, 2026
Fact checked against each company's published pricing, documentation and verified user ratings. How we score
Pick Vapi if you are a developer who wants the lowest per minute cost and full control: $0.05 hosting plus models at cost, about $0.082 a minute, and you can still use ElevenLabs voices. Pick ElevenLabs Agents if voice quality matters most and you want a visual builder with bundled concurrency: $0.08 a minute, 5,000+ voices and up to 40 concurrent calls, with the LLM on top.
ElevenLabs Agents4.2From $0.08 per minute (monthly plan with included minutes, then per minute)
Visit ElevenLabs Agents
Side by side
| Spec | ElevenLabs Agents | Vapi |
|---|---|---|
| BestBots Score | 4.2 | 4.3 |
| Starting price | $0.08 per minute | $0.05 per minute |
| Pricing model | monthly plan with included minutes, then per minute | per minute, pay as you go plus optional monthly packages |
| Free trial | None listed | $5 in free credits |
| Per minute cost | $0.08 per minute, no ElevenLabs telephony fee, LLM and carrier extra | $0.05 hosting plus STT ($0.0095 to $0.0099), LLM ($0.0077 to $0.0452) and voice ($0.0146 to $0.0238) |
| Telephony | Native Twilio integration, SIP trunk, batch outbound calling; no ElevenLabs telephony fee | Free Vapi numbers, SIP and WebRTC, or Twilio ($0.008 inbound, $0.014 outbound), Vonage ($0.00814) or Telnyx ($0.0055) per minute |
| Concurrency | 4 Free, 6 Starter, 10 Creator, 20 Pro, 30 Scale, 40 Business; burst at $0.16 per minute | 4 free, 10 on Core, 30 on Pro, extra lines $10 per month |
| Languages | 31 languages for agent voices | Depends on providers: Deepgram 100+, Google STT 125+, Azure TTS 140+ languages |
| HIPAA | BAAs on Enterprise only | Add on at $2,000 per month with a signed BAA; cannot be combined with zero data retention |
The short answer
- Choose Vapi for custom agents in code, cost driven volume, and teams that want to swap STT, LLM and voice providers.
- Choose ElevenLabs for voice led products, non developer teams that want a workflow builder, and lines that need 20 to 40 concurrent calls without buying lines one by one.
Pricing
| Item | ElevenLabs Agents | Vapi |
|---|---|---|
| Per minute | $0.08 on every plan | $0.05 hosting |
| Speech to text | Included | $0.0095 to $0.0099 (Deepgram) |
| Voice | Included | $0.0146 to $0.0238 (ElevenLabs) |
| LLM | Billed separately by model | $0.0077 to $0.0452 (OpenAI) at cost |
| Telephony | No ElevenLabs fee; carrier bills you | Free Vapi numbers, SIP, WebRTC; Twilio $0.008 to $0.014 |
| Budget all in | $0.08 plus LLM plus carrier | About $0.0818 |
| Plans | Free, $6, $22, $99, $299, $990 bundling minutes | Pay as you go; Core $29; Pro $999 minimum |
| Concurrency | 4, 6, 10, 20, 30, 40 by plan; burst $0.16 a minute | 4 free, 10 on Core, 30 on Pro, $10 per extra line |
| HIPAA | Enterprise BAAs | $2,000 a month |
| Free start | 15 minutes a month | $5 credits |
Worked example: 5,000 minutes, 15 concurrent calls
- ElevenLabs Pro: $99 + 3,762 x $0.08 = $399.96, plus LLM and carrier. With a $0.01 LLM and Twilio inbound ($0.0085), about $492.
- Vapi budget stack: 5,000 x $0.0818 = $409, plus Core ($29) and 5 extra lines ($50) = $488 on free Vapi telephony.
About even. At the high end of Vapi's default providers ($0.1289), Vapi is $723.50.
Worked example: 15,000 minutes, 35 concurrent calls
- ElevenLabs Business: $990 + 2,625 x $0.08 = $1,200, plus a $0.01 LLM and Twilio, about $1,477.
- Vapi budget stack: 15,000 x $0.0818 = $1,227, plus Core and 25 lines ($279) = $1,506.
ElevenLabs edges ahead once concurrency is high. See the AI Price Index and voice agent cost per minute guide.
Models and features
| Feature | ElevenLabs Agents | Vapi |
|---|---|---|
| Speech to text | ElevenLabs fine tuned ASR | Your choice (Deepgram, Google and others) |
| LLM | Choice of supported LLMs or a custom LLM | Your choice (OpenAI and others), bring your own keys |
| Voices | 5,000+ voices; TTS across 70+ languages, agents in 31 | Your choice of provider, including ElevenLabs |
| Turn taking | Proprietary turn taking model | Provider and configuration dependent |
| Builder | Visual workflow builder, system prompts, dynamic variables | Dashboard, API, SDKs |
| Knowledge | Knowledge base with RAG | Through tools and providers |
| Testing | Automated tests, A/B experiments | Dashboard testing |
| Analytics | Conversation analysis, keyword and semantic transcript search | Call logs and analytics |
| Telephony | Native Twilio, SIP trunk, batch outbound | Vapi numbers, SIP, WebSockets, WebRTC, Twilio, Vonage, Telnyx |
| Latency claim | Low latency TTS; no single figure published | Under 500 ms average |
Head to head scenarios
Brand voice or character agent
Winner: ElevenLabs. 5,000+ voices, a proprietary turn taking model and voice design are the core of its product. On Vapi you can use ElevenLabs voices, but you configure the rest yourself.
Developer building an agent into an app
Winner: Vapi. WebRTC and WebSocket transport at no fee, every provider swappable, and pass through pricing that lets you hit about $0.082 a minute.
Operations team without engineers
Winner: ElevenLabs. The visual workflow builder, knowledge base, tests and experiments let non developers ship and improve agents.
High concurrency support line
Winner: ElevenLabs. Business includes 40 concurrent calls for $990 with 12,375 minutes. On Vapi, 40 lines means Core plus 30 extra lines at $10 each, before usage.
Cheapest possible minute
Winner: Vapi. Its cheapest published components total about $0.0818 including voice and transcription, while ElevenLabs is $0.08 before the LLM and carrier.
HIPAA on a budget
Winner: Vapi. Its $2,000 add on is available on any plan; ElevenLabs requires an Enterprise contract. Teams that need HIPAA cheaply should look at Retell or Telnyx.
Privacy
ElevenLabs offers BAAs for HIPAA customers on Enterprise and documents privacy configuration options for agents. Vapi lists SOC 2, HIPAA and PCI compliance for enterprise customers and sells HIPAA as a $2,000 a month add on with a BAA that cannot be combined with zero data retention. On Vapi, data also flows to each provider you choose, so their terms apply too.
Verdict
Vapi wins for developers and the lowest per minute cost, especially at low concurrency. ElevenLabs Agents wins for voice led products, non developer teams and high concurrency lines, where bundled plans with 20 to 40 calls beat buying Vapi lines one by one. If HIPAA without an enterprise contract matters, neither is the best fit; see Retell AI vs Vapi. Read the ElevenLabs Agents review and Vapi review.
Frequently asked questions
Is ElevenLabs Agents cheaper than Vapi?
Usually not per minute. Vapi's cheapest published stack is about $0.0818 a minute including an ElevenLabs voice, while ElevenLabs charges $0.08 before the LLM and carrier. ElevenLabs can be cheaper in total when you need 20 to 40 concurrent calls, which its Pro to Business plans include.
Can I use ElevenLabs voices on Vapi?
Yes. Vapi lists ElevenLabs as a voice provider at $0.0146 to $0.0238 a minute, passed through at cost on top of its $0.05 hosting fee.
Which is easier to use?
ElevenLabs, for non developers, thanks to its visual workflow builder, knowledge base with RAG, automated tests and experiments. Vapi is built for developers who configure providers, tools and transport through a dashboard and API.
Which is better for HIPAA?
Neither is cheap. ElevenLabs offers BAAs on Enterprise only, and Vapi charges $2,000 a month for HIPAA, which cannot be combined with zero data retention. For HIPAA on a self serve plan, look at Retell or Telnyx.
How much concurrency do I get?
ElevenLabs includes 4 concurrent calls on Free, 6 on Starter, 10 on Creator, 20 on Pro, 30 on Scale and 40 on Business, with burst above that at $0.16 a minute. Vapi includes 4 free, 10 on Core at $29 a month and 30 on Pro at a $999 minimum, with extra lines at $10 a month.
Which has lower latency?
Vapi says under 500 ms average. ElevenLabs describes a low latency TTS model and a proprietary turn taking model but does not publish a single number on the pages we read.