Twilio alternatives
Twilio Alternatives for AI Agents: 7 Options Compared (2026)
Competitor prices verified on October 25, 2026. Page updated October 25, 2026.
What are the best Twilio alternatives for AI agents?
If you want a cheaper carrier and will build the voice pipeline yourself, Telnyx, Plivo and Vonage sell numbers and minutes below Twilio's rates. SignalWire adds a hosted AI agent on top of its carrier at $0.16 a minute. LiveKit Cloud bundles telephony with an open-source agents framework you host. Vapi gives you free telephony inside a hosted agent platform. AgentLine is the option when the agent already exists and you want to skip the pipeline: a US or Canada number ($3.00 a month beyond your plan), calls at $0.12 a minute all-in, and the hosted phone agent, transcription and voice included.
Twilio is the default carrier for AI agents because it is everywhere. A US local number is $1.15 a month, inbound calls are $0.0085 a minute, outbound $0.014 a minute, and ConversationRelay adds speech recognition and text to speech for $0.07 a minute. What Twilio does not sell is the agent. You run a WebSocket server, call your language model, keep call state straight and pay for all of it on top.
Teams search for Twilio alternatives for two different reasons. Some want the same carrier model at a lower rate. Others want to stop running telephony infrastructure altogether. This page covers both: three carriers, two frameworks, one hosted platform, and AgentLine for the agent that already exists. Prices were read from each vendor's pricing page on the verification date.
The alternatives
01Telnyx
$0.002 a minute plus SIP trunking from $0.0032 a minute inbound and $0.005 outbound; numbers $1.00 a month; Conversation Relay $0.05 a minute
Telnyx runs its own network and prices below Twilio on every line: numbers at $1.00, inbound around $0.0052 a minute and outbound around $0.007 a minute with trunking. It has a Conversation Relay equivalent at $0.05 a minute and an official MCP server for its API. The build is the same as Twilio's: you own the media handling and the agent.
Best for: Teams who like Twilio's model and want lower per-minute and number rates.
02Plivo
$0.0055 a minute inbound, $0.0115 a minute outbound; local numbers $0.50 a month
Plivo is the price leader on numbers at $0.50 a month and is cheaper than Twilio on both call directions. It has no ConversationRelay equivalent, so speech recognition and text to speech are yours to assemble. Its official MCP server only searches its documentation.
Best for: Cost-sensitive teams with an existing audio pipeline.
03SignalWire
AI Agent $0.16 a minute plus $0.0066 a minute inbound or $0.008 outbound; local numbers $0.50 a month
SignalWire is a carrier with a hosted AI agent runtime. Numbers and minutes are priced like Plivo, and the AI Agent fee includes standard text to speech. The Agents SDK can attach MCP servers as tools. It is the one carrier on this list where you do not have to build the agent.
Best for: Teams who want carrier prices and a hosted agent from one vendor.
04Vonage Voice API
Per-minute and per-number rates by country. Vonage's pricing page could not be loaded on the verification date, so no figures are quoted here
Vonage is the other large carrier API with global numbers and a WebSocket media connector that AI pipelines use. Check its pricing page directly; this page quotes only numbers read on the verification date and Vonage's page did not load.
Best for: Teams needing numbers in many countries and an established carrier.
05LiveKit Cloud
Build plan free with 1,000 agent minutes and one US number; then $0.01 a minute agent session, $0.01 a minute inbound, numbers $1.00 a month
LiveKit sells telephony and transport alongside its open-source agents framework. The Twilio connector and SIP trunking are metered per minute, and LiveKit's calculator estimates about $0.048 a minute all-in with models. You write and host the agent. For a Twilio user who already has a WebSocket server, this is the closest framework.
Best for: Engineering teams who want an open-source agent stack with telephony built in.
06Vapi
$0.05 a minute hosting plus providers at cost; Vapi telephony free; $5 free credit
Vapi is a hosted agent platform rather than a carrier, but it belongs here because its own telephony is free and it imports Twilio numbers at Twilio's rates. The agent is configured inside Vapi, with the transcriber, model and voice billed at cost on top of $0.05 a minute.
Best for: Teams who want to stop running a server and build the agent in a platform.
07AgentLine
plans from $20 a month with included numbers, minutes and SMS; beyond the plan $0.12 a minute all-in, $3.00 a month per US or Canada number, $0.02 per SMS
AgentLine is what Twilio plus ConversationRelay plus your server collapses into when the agent already exists. Claude Code, Cursor, OpenClaw, Hermes or Codex installs the skill or MCP server, buys a number, and places or answers calls. Transcription, the voice and the hosted phone agent are inside the $0.12 a minute. The same number sends and receives SMS through the REST API. The trade-off is control: you do not get raw audio or SIP.
Best for: Anyone who already has an agent and does not want to run telephony.
Twilio alternatives compared
Prices as shown on each vendor's pricing page on October 25, 2026. AgentLine prices are current.
| Tool | Per-minute price | Number price | Setup time | Hosted agent or bring your own | SMS | MCP / skill support | Free tier | Contract |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Twilio ConversationRelay | $0.07/min ConversationRelay plus $0.0085/min inbound or $0.014/min outbound, plus your LLM | $1.15/month local, $2.15/month toll-free | Days: a WebSocket server, LLM loop and call state are yours | Carrier API (bring your own agent and server) | $0.0083/segment plus carrier fees, in and out | Twilio Alpha MCP server for the API; the call loop is your code | Trial credit on signup | None |
| Telnyx | $0.002/min plus SIP trunking from $0.0032/min inbound and $0.005/min outbound; Conversation Relay $0.05/min | $1.00/month local or toll-free | Days: media streams, speech and the LLM loop are yours | Carrier API | Priced separately per message | Telnyx MCP server for the API | Trial credit on signup | None |
| Plivo | $0.0055/min inbound, $0.0115/min outbound, local | $0.50/month local, $1.00/month toll-free | Days: you build the audio pipeline | Carrier API | Priced separately per message | Docs-search MCP server only | Trial credit on signup | None |
| SignalWire AI Agent | $0.16/min AI agent plus $0.0066/min inbound or $0.008/min outbound | $0.50/month local, $0.80/month toll-free | Hours with the Agents SDK | Hosted agent runtime on a carrier | $0.00415/segment local | Agents SDK connects to MCP servers and can expose one | Trial credit on signup | None |
| Vonage Voice API | Per-minute, per country. Price page not reachable on the verification date | Monthly rental, not verified | Days: you build the audio pipeline | Carrier API | Priced separately per message | Not published | Trial credit on signup | None |
| LiveKit Cloud | $0.01/min agent session after plan minutes, plus $0.01/min US inbound telephony, plus models (LiveKit's calculator: about $0.048/min) | 1 free US local number, then $1.00/month | Days: you write and host the agent in Python or Node | Bring your own agent (open-source framework) | Not offered | MCP tools in the Agents framework | Build plan: 1,000 agent minutes a month | None; Ship from $50/month, Scale from $500/month |
| Vapi | $0.05/min hosting, plus transcriber, model and voice at provider cost (Vapi's own estimate: $0.08 to $0.13/min) | 1 Vapi number on the free package, 5 on Core ($29/month) | Hours to configure an assistant, tools and telephony | Hosted agent | Not listed on the pricing page | Vapi MCP server; MCP tools inside assistants | $5 free credits | None on the free package; Pro has a $999/month minimum |
| AgentLine | $0.12/min beyond the plan allowance, all-in, per second after a one-minute minimum | $3.00/month beyond the plan, US or Canada | About 2 minutes from one skill file or the MCP server | Bring your own agent | SMS $0.02/message in either direction on the same number | MCP server, skill file, REST | Plans from $20 a month with numbers, minutes and SMS included. | None |
What a month costs
300 minutes a month
One number, 300 connected inbound minutes. Carrier-only totals exclude speech recognition, text to speech, the language model and the server you run, which together usually cost more than the carrier.
| Tool | Arithmetic | Monthly total |
|---|---|---|
| Twilio ConversationRelay (inbound) | 300 × $0.07 = $21.00, plus 300 × $0.0085 = $2.55, plus a $1.15 number. Your LLM and your server are extra | $24.70 plus LLM and hosting |
| Telnyx (carrier only) | 300 × ($0.002 + $0.0032 trunking) = $1.56 inbound, plus a $1.00 number. Speech, model and your server are extra | $2.56 plus speech, LLM and hosting |
| Plivo (carrier only) | 300 × $0.0055 = $1.65 inbound, plus a $0.50 number. Speech, model and your server are extra | $2.15 plus speech, LLM and hosting |
| SignalWire AI Agent | 300 × $0.16 = $48.00, plus 300 × $0.0066 inbound = $1.98, plus a $0.50 number | $50.48 |
| LiveKit Cloud (Build plan) | Agent minutes are inside the free 1,000. Inbound telephony: 50 minutes included, the rest on a paid plan at $0.01/min. Models and your own hosting are extra | About $0 to $15 plus models and hosting |
| Vapi | 300 × $0.05 hosting = $15.00, plus 300 × $0.03 to $0.08 for transcriber, model and voice = $9.00 to $24.00. Free package, one number included | $24.00 to $39.00 |
| AgentLine | Individual plan $20 includes one US/CA number and 100 minutes. 200 extra × $0.12 = $24.00 | $44.00 |
1,000 minutes a month
At 1,000 minutes the carriers are nearly free and the cost is in what you build on them. AgentLine's $128.00 covers the number, speech, voice and conversation loop.
| Tool | Arithmetic | Monthly total |
|---|---|---|
| Twilio ConversationRelay (inbound) | 1,000 × $0.07 = $70.00, plus 1,000 × $0.0085 = $8.50, plus a $1.15 number. Your LLM and your server are extra | $79.65 plus LLM and hosting |
| Telnyx (carrier only) | 1,000 × $0.0052 = $5.20 inbound, plus a $1.00 number, plus speech, LLM and hosting. With Telnyx Conversation Relay add 1,000 × $0.05 = $50.00 | $6.20 carrier only, or $56.20 with Conversation Relay, plus LLM and hosting |
| Plivo (carrier only) | 1,000 × $0.0055 = $5.50 inbound, plus a $0.50 number, plus speech, LLM and hosting | $6.00 plus speech, LLM and hosting |
| SignalWire AI Agent | 1,000 × $0.16 = $160.00, plus 1,000 × $0.0066 = $6.60, plus a $0.50 number | $167.10 |
| LiveKit Cloud (Ship plan) | LiveKit's calculator estimates $0.0479/min with telephony, models and observability: 1,000 × $0.0479 = $47.90, inside the $50 Ship plan | About $50.00 plus hosting your agent |
| Vapi | Vapi's own estimate: $50 hosting, $10 transcriber, $8 to $45 model, $15 to $24 voice | $83.00 to $129.00 |
| AgentLine | Individual plan $20 includes one number and 100 minutes. 900 extra × $0.12 = $108.00 (Startup at $200 includes all 1,000 minutes and 12 numbers) | $128.00 |
Verdict
Pick Twilio if
- You already run a backend and want raw control of the call: media streams, SIP, IVR and your own speech stack.
- You need numbers in many countries, short codes, or messaging at carrier scale.
- ConversationRelay fits: you bring the language model and want Twilio to handle speech on the call.
Pick AgentLine if
- You already have an agent in Claude Code, Cursor, OpenClaw, Hermes, Codex or your own loop and want it to make and answer calls without a WebSocket server.
- You want one all-in rate: $0.12 a minute and $3.00 a month per additional US or Canada number.
- You want calls, transcripts and number management behind the MCP server or skill your agent already uses, with SMS over REST on the same number.
What Twilio actually charges for an AI call
On Twilio's US voice pricing page, an inbound local call is $0.0085 a minute and an outbound local call is $0.014 a minute. A local number is $1.15 a month and a toll-free number $2.15. ConversationRelay, which does speech recognition and text to speech on the call and streams text to your server, is $0.07 a minute. Media Streams, the raw audio option, is $0.0044 a minute. SMS on a local number is $0.0083 a segment each way plus carrier fees.
So an inbound AI call on ConversationRelay is about $0.0785 a minute before the language model and before the server that hosts the conversation loop. AgentLine's overage rate is $0.12 a minute and already includes both, and plans from $20 a month include the first 100 minutes.
Carrier, framework or agent-native
Carriers (Twilio, Telnyx, Plivo, Vonage) sell numbers and minutes. You build speech, the model loop and state, or buy a relay product per minute. This is the most control and the most work.
Frameworks (LiveKit, Pipecat) give you the pipeline code and meter the transport. You still host the agent.
Hosted platforms (Vapi, SignalWire's AI Agent) run the agent for you and you configure it in their product.
AgentLine is agent-native: your existing agent manages the phone agent through MCP, a skill file or REST. The hosted phone agent follows your prompt, and the persistent relay or a webhook streams live turns to your runtime when the call needs tools. You never see audio, SIP or call state.
Twilio plus OpenAI Realtime, or AgentLine
A common 2026 build is Twilio Media Streams into the OpenAI Realtime API from a server you run. It works, and it gives you speech-to-speech latency. It also means three bills (Twilio, OpenAI, hosting), a WebSocket server to keep alive, and an agent that lives in that server rather than in Claude Code or OpenClaw.
AgentLine runs the call and hands your agent text. For OpenClaw and Hermes users, that is the difference between a weekend project and a two-minute install. The runtime guides below show the install for each.
FAQ
What are the best Twilio alternatives for AI agents?
If you want a cheaper carrier and will build the voice pipeline yourself, Telnyx, Plivo and Vonage sell numbers and minutes below Twilio's rates. SignalWire adds a hosted AI agent on top of its carrier at $0.16 a minute. LiveKit Cloud bundles telephony with an open-source agents framework you host. Vapi gives you free telephony inside a hosted agent platform. AgentLine is the option when the agent already exists and you want to skip the pipeline: a US or Canada number ($3.00 a month beyond your plan), calls at $0.12 a minute all-in, and the hosted phone agent, transcription and voice included.
What does Twilio charge for AI phone calls?
Twilio's US pricing lists inbound local calls at $0.0085 a minute, outbound at $0.014 a minute, ConversationRelay at $0.07 a minute and local numbers at $1.15 a month. An inbound AI call on ConversationRelay is therefore about $0.0785 a minute before your language model and server.
Is Telnyx cheaper than Twilio?
On the published rates, yes. Telnyx lists $0.002 a minute plus SIP trunking from $0.0032 a minute inbound and $0.005 outbound, and $1.00 a month per number, against Twilio's $0.0085 and $0.014 a minute and $1.15 a month. Telnyx's Conversation Relay is $0.05 a minute against Twilio's $0.07.
Which Twilio alternative lets me skip building the voice pipeline?
SignalWire's AI Agent ($0.16 a minute plus carrier minutes), Vapi ($0.05 a minute plus providers), and AgentLine ($0.12 a minute all-in). Of the three, AgentLine is the only one where the agent you already run stays where it is and manages the phone side through MCP or a skill file.
Do I need Twilio to give an AI agent a phone number?
No. AgentLine provisions a US or Canada number ($3.00 a month beyond your plan), runs the call, transcribes the caller and speaks the reply. Your agent reads and writes text. There is no Twilio account, WebSocket server or speech stack to set up.
Can AgentLine do SMS like Twilio?
Yes. Texts sent to the number arrive as sms.received events or through GET /v1/messages, and the agent sends texts with POST /v1/messages, at $0.02 a message beyond the plan allowance. If you need bulk messaging at carrier scale with your own messaging profiles, Twilio, Telnyx or Plivo is still the right tool.
Does AgentLine give me raw audio or SIP?
No. AgentLine is for agents that work in text. If you need media streams, SIP trunking or a custom speech stack, use a carrier or a framework such as LiveKit or Pipecat.
Set it up on your agent
More comparisons
AgentLine is not affiliated with any company named on this page. Competitor prices were read from each company's public pricing page on the date shown and can change without notice. Found a price that has changed? Email support@agentline.cloud.