Top language processing, 40+ languages, enterprise tools
Enterprise pricing (~$0.25/min)
Large companies needing custom AI solutions
TL;DR – What’s the best option for Shopify?
If you want the quick answer: It's Ringly.io. It's the ebst voice platform for Shopify brands.
What's Bland's voice AI phone agent anyway?
In simple terms, it's an AI phone calling tool that big companies love. If you've ever called a business and thought "wait, am I talking to a robot?" – that might be Bland's conversational AI automation at work.
It's basically AI that sounds so real on calls that most people can't tell the difference. Bland AI stands out by saving enterprises money and letting them handle more customer conversations without hiring more staff.
Top User Complaints of Bland AI
We meticulously studied dozens of user reviews of Bland AI from online review platforms like G2, Gartner, and SoftwareAdvice and identified the following themes amongst user complaints that you should be wary of when looking for a Bland alternative:
Customer Support
Call Quality Issues
Setup Complexity
Human Connection
What to look for in an alternative AI voice agent than Bland
Easy setup and onboarding
Responsive customer support
Natural-sounding conversations
Reliable call performance
Proven ROI protection
Simple, intuitive interface
1. Ringly.io - AI phone support for Shopify stores
Best for Shopify stores looking for the best way to offer 24/7 AI phone support at a fraction of the cost.
How it went when I tried setting up Ringly:
After I installed the Shopify app, the only thing I had to do was to upload my data to the knowledge base. (website was uploaded automatically)
After I did that, I could already speak to my agent via a web call.
Setting it live was as simple as picking a phone number with my area code from the dashboard. I was able to connect the number with 1 click. (The number is also free and included)
There was not really anything else to the setup.
They claim that out of the box, their agents resolve an average of 73% of support calls. They back that up with data from over 2,100 active Shopify stores.
Signup -> onboarded took only 4 minutes and 12 seconds. Most of that time was spent waiting for the knowledge to be uploaded.
Over the first 2 weeks I used it (14-day free trial), it resolved 76% of my calls on its own.
The rest of the calls were escalated to a support ticket by my agent.
(update: the more calls you get, the smarter it gets. As of today, my resolution rate is 79%.)
Best for: Developers that want to build AI voice agents
G2 rating: 4.6/5 (12 reviews)
Founded in the San Francisco Bay Area in 2023 by Todd Li, Evie Wang, Bing Wu, Weijia Yu, and Zexia Zhang, Retell AI is crushing it as the go-to platform for lightning-fast AI voice agent creation.
With over 3,000 businesses already on board, they're helping developers build human-like voice agents in just one day instead of months - a total game-changer for contact centers looking to level up their operations without the usual headaches.
Features
Talk in Many Languages Worldwide: Retell AI helps businesses talk to customers around the world. Bland AI also offers this with their agents that "can speak any language and work 24/7."
Easy Phone Setup: Retell AI connects to your current phone systems and makes it easy to manage AI agents efficiently. Bland AI provides similar integration but emphasizes their "self-hosted, end-to-end infrastructure" which they claim gives "faster response times."
Keeps Data Safe: Retell AI has important safety certifications like SOC 2 and HIPAA. Bland AI matches this with their own "SOC2 Type II" and "HIPAA Compliant" security features.
Watches How Calls Go: Retell AI shows you how calls are doing with real-time AI, including AI transcription. Bland AI offers "campaign analytics" but mostly for their Enterprise customers.
Cons
Could Be Easier to Use: Some people think Retell AI's screens are a bit tricky. Bland AI focuses on simplicity with their "Write custom prompts" approach.
Not Enough Voice Choices: Customers want more voice options with Retell AI. Bland AI doesn't specifically mention voice variety.
Slow Help When You Need It: Some say Retell AI takes too long to answer questions. Bland AI doesn't address their support response times.
Still Growing Up: Retell AI is newer and still adding features. Bland AI appears more established with their claim of "handling millions of calls" daily.
Pricing
Pay-as-you-go: $0.07–$0.31 per minute depending on what you use. Bland AI is simpler at just $0.09 per minute.
Big Business Plan: Custom prices as low as $0.03 per minute. Bland AI has Enterprise options but doesn't list specific prices.
Extra Costs: Phone numbers and other add-ons cost more with Retell AI. Bland AI mentions "marginal call costs? Zero" for their self-hosted option.
The bottom line: Retell AI offers more flexible pricing but might need more setup. Bland AI seems simpler but might cost more for basic use.
Reviews
"Made our customer service smarter and faster" - Utkarsh M. We’ve been using Retell to build these voice agents for our customer service, for over a year. It’s so natural, people don’t even realize it’s not a human half the time. The responses are super quick too, like you’re having a real convo. It’s actually helped us cut down on how many calls our team has to take, and customers are definitely happier..less hold time and better answers. If you’re on the fence about trying it, just do it.
"Extremely slow customer service on discord even when unannounced API changes break product" - Jerry Y. The product is the same as others on the market -- we would switch instantly if there were no switching cost, these guys are not a reliable vendor.
3. Voiceflow (their conversational AI agent)
Best for: Developers that want an AI voice solution and also deploy AI chatbots
G2 rating: 4.7/5 (56 reviews)
Voiceflow burst onto the scene in 2018 when four friends from Toronto—Braden Ream, Andrew Lawrence, Tyler Han, and Michael Hood—decided to solve a massive problem: building AI agents or a chatbot was way too complicated.
Fast forward to today, and they've built an ai platform for building bots with over 250,000 users. What we like Voiceflow for is that they laser-focused on ambitious Product teams who need to create AI agents (both text and voice) with speed, total control, and the ability to see everything that's happening under the hood.
Features
Build a Knowledge Base - Voiceflow provides AI knowledge bases. Just import your docs and data so your AI can give answers based on your actual info. No more making stuff up - your generative AI sticks to what you've taught it.
Create Custom Workflows - Design step-by-step tasks visually that your AI can handle. Like having a digital employee that follows your exact process every time.
Works With All Your Tools - Connect your AI to anything - Slack, email, your CRM, whatever. No need to rebuild your tech stack - Voiceflow plays nice with what you already use. It's harder to integrate Bland with other tools though.
Use Any AI Model You Want - Not locked into one AI provider. Switch between OpenAI, Anthropic, or others whenever you want. It's like being able to upgrade your AI's brain without starting over.
Team Collaboration That Actually Works - Multiple people can build and improve your advanced conversational AI together in real-time. No more "who has the latest version?" headaches or stepping on each other's toes.
Cons
Steep Learning Curve: Many users report struggling with the initial onboarding process and feeling overwhelmed by the platform's complexity.
Technical Bugs: Frequent mentions of glitches and unreliable features that disrupt workflow and reduce productivity.
Limited Documentation: Users consistently highlight sparse or unhelpful documentation, making it difficult to troubleshoot issues independently.
Poor Customer Support: Multiple complaints about slow response times and unhelpful answers when technical issues arise.
Feature Removal from Free Plan: Users report that valuable features are gradually removed from the free tier, forcing upgrades.
Deployment Challenges: Several users mentioned difficulty when trying to deploy their creations across different channels.
Limited Multimodal Support: Incorporating images and creating multimodal experiences is reportedly challenging.
Prices
Sandbox Plan: Voiceflow starts with a free plan that includes 2 agents and 1 voice call at a time. Bland AI charges $0.09 per minute right from the start.
Pro Plan: Voiceflow costs $60/month per editor with up to 5 concurrent voice calls. Bland's per-minute pricing ($0.09) might be cheaper for low volume but gets expensive fast as you scale.
Team Plan: Voiceflow jumps to $125/month per editor with up to 15 concurrent calls. Bland still charges that flat $0.09/minute without user limits.
Enterprise Plan: Both companies offer custom pricing for big businesses, but Voiceflow includes powerful extras like SSO, private hosting, and unlimited everything.
Reviews
"Versatile, powerful, effective and intuitive agent development platform" - Peter C. What I like most is that the platform is very intuitive and while there is a learning curve, once you get the hang of it, you are empowered to create some really powerful applications. The support when you get stuck is great and there are plenty of resources which makes it easy to help yourself.
"Unresolved technical issues" - Brandon Parkash. I tried to contact them about technical issues but they make it difficult to contact them plus weren’t helpful
Founded in San Francisco in 2020 by Jordan Dearsley and Nikhil Gupta, Vapi is a cutting-edge platform that combines advanced ai technology with a configurable API that enables developers to build sophisticated voice AI products and scale phone operations effortlessly.
With over 100,000 developers building on Vapi's infrastructure, the company has quickly established itself as a go-to solution for creating great voice experiences.
Although there are alternatives that offer the right AI voices as well, Vapi stands out with its powerful features including multilingual capabilities, automated testing, tool calling functionality, API-native architecture, and the flexibility to bring your own models and run A/B experiments.
Features
Talks in Tons of Languages: Vapi handles over 100 languages so you can talk to customers anywhere. Bland AI simply says their agents "can speak any language" without specifying how many.
Built for Developers: Vapi gives you APIs for everything - you can even bring your own AI models! Bland has their "Pathways" system but seems more focused on ready-to-use solutions than giving you all the technical controls.
Test Before Going Live: Vapi lets you test your virtual assistants before real customers hear them. Bland doesn't specifically mention testing features in their materials.
Connects to Your Tools: Vapi can hook up to your other systems to get data and take actions. Bland offers similar functionality with their "Dynamic integrations built with our API" that "send your data wherever it needs to go."
Cons
Not Great Outside the US: If you're not in America, Vapi might cost you extra for local phone numbers. Bland doesn't address international number support clearly.
Account Headaches: People struggle to cancel or change payment info with Vapi. Bland doesn't mention how easy (or hard) account management is.
Robots Answering Your Questions: Vapi uses chatbots for customer service, which can be annoying. Bland doesn't talk about their own customer support approach.
For Tech People Only: Vapi requires some technical know-how. Bland seems more user-friendly with their "Write custom prompts" approach that doesn't require coding.
Still Growing Up: Vapi is newer and still improving. Bland claims they "handle millions of calls" daily, suggesting they might be more established.
Pricing
Starter Plan: Vapi charges $0.05/minute plus whatever your AI provider costs. Bland is straightforward at $0.09 a minute all-in.
Big Business Plan: Vapi has custom pricing for larger companies. Bland also has Enterprise options but doesn't list specific prices.
Extra Stuff Costs More: Vapi charges $2-$5,000/month for add-ons like phone numbers. Bland claims "marginal call costs? Zero" for their self-hosted option.
Vapi might be cheaper if you're technical and can handle the complexity. Bland seems easier to use but potentially more expensive for basic setups. It's like choosing between building your own gaming PC (Vapi) or buying one pre-built (Bland) - one gives you more control, the other is more convenient.
Reviews
"Amazing tool as well as after hours support on a Saturday night" - Robert Peter. Amazing system that they are building. I had issues on a Saturday night, and received a phone call from one of the technicians Sahil and he helped me through my issue. What dedication. I saw some of the other reviews, and they seem to be related to billings, and stuff that could easily be spoken about. I just wanted to give a shout out to this guy for his passion and dedication to the project.
"Unreliable" - Brent P, managing member. Support is non-existent and documentation is extremely poor. I spent a lot of time setting up an assistant which was working ok. Then they had a developer conference and rolled out a lot of new features and EVERYTHING broke. I spent hours and hours trying to get it working again to no avail. Emailed them and was told the "bugs" would be fixed tomorrow... then tomorrow.. then tomorrow. REALLY FRUSTRATING.
5. Synthflow AI
Best for: Small and medium-sized businesses looking for a powerful conversational ai platform.
Product Hunt rating: 4.7/5 (201 reviews)
Founded in Berlin, Germany in 2023 by Albert Astabatsyan, Hakob Astabatsyan, and Sassun Mirzakhan-Saky, Synthflow AI offers a great conversational AI voice. With over 1,000 users, they're helping businesses stop missing calls and start making more money with their conversational ai technology designed for SMEs.
Their human-like voice AI agents don't just follow scripts—they actually understand what callers want and handle everything from appointments to customer questions without a human needing to step in.
Features
Actually Talks Like a Person: Like Bland, Synthflow can really roll with the conversation changes.
Ready-to-Go Templates: Synthflow gives you pre-made agents with features like setting up meetings. Bland has something similar with their "Write custom prompts" but seems less plug-and-play.
Built-In Steps for Getting Things Done: Synthflow comes with workflows already set up. Bland has their "Pathways" system which they call "the brain of your business."
Connects to Everything: Synthflow works with 200+ business tools! Bland just mentions "Dynamic integrations" without saying how many.
Speaks 20+ Languages: Synthflow has optimized their system for different languages. Bland simply says they "speak any language" but doesn't mention optimization.
Always Working: Synthflow's AI never sleeps. Bland also mentions their agents "work 24/7."
Cons
Pricing Gets Crazy Fast: People hate how Synthflow's prices jump up between plans and how fast minutes get used up. Bland is simple at just $0.09 per minute.
Sometimes Works, Sometimes Doesn't: Users say Synthflow can fade in and out during calls. Bland promises "99.99% uptime" but doesn't specifically address call quality.
Glitchy Software: Synthflow freezes up and loses work. Bland doesn't mention interface issues either way.
Hard to Get Help: Synthflow's support is slow to respond. Bland doesn't tell us how quick their support is.
Can't Really Try Before You Buy: Synthflow doesn't give enough free minutes to test properly. Bland doesn't mention a free trial at all.
Pricing
Starter Plan: $29/month for just 50 minutes (that's $0.58/minute!) compared to Bland's flat $0.09/minute.
Pro Plan: $375/month for 2,000 minutes ($0.19/minute) with Synthflow. Still more than twice Bland's price.
Growth Plan: $750/month for 4,000 minutes ($0.19/minute) with Synthflow.
Agency Plan: $1,250/month for 6,000 minutes ($0.21/minute) with Synthflow.
Big Business Plan: Both have custom pricing for enterprise customers.
Here's the deal: Synthflow gives you lots of fancy features and ready-to-go solutions, but you're paying WAY more per minute than Bland's simple $0.09 rate. It's like choosing between a fancy restaurant with a complicated menu (Synthflow) or a simple place that does one thing really well (Bland).
Reviews
"Is a very good platform" - Alejandro Palacios. Is good, easy to use, I like the videos for guide.I've just started to use, hope this keep going well. I would like to see some other languages.
"Synthflow support is non existent" - Andrew Vernon. I used Synthflow for testing purposes to compare it against other VoiceAI platforms. Their support is non existent. I sent and email and opened a support ticket and none were answered. There's no way we could go ahead, what if we had issues, how long would the response times be.
6. Goodcall
Best for: Local businesses that want to streamline customer service
Product Hunt and Trustpilot rating: 3.6/5 (6 reviews)
Founded in 2021 in Palo Alto, California by Bob Summers, Goodcall is revolutionizing customer service and sales with its innovative Agentic Voice AI. With over 2,000 users, Goodcall helps local businesses streamline their operations by automating call handling and sales processes, ensuring no opportunity is missed.
Key features include 24/7 call handling, lead capture and qualification, customizable AI skills, appointment scheduling, and seamless CRM integration. By offering detailed call analysis and optimizing workflows, Goodcall is designed to enhance customer service, and stay ahead in today’s fast-paced market.
Features
Grabs Lead Info Fast: GoodCall snags caller details automatically and texts or emails you right away. Bland doesn't specifically mention instant alerts, though they do "take action" through their Pathways system.
Teaches Your AI New Tricks: You can train your GoodCall AI to get smarter over time. Bland lets you "Write custom prompts" but doesn't talk about the AI learning and improving.
Books Appointments By Itself: GoodCall handles scheduling without you doing a thing. Bland mentions they can "Book an appointment" as part of their workflow abilities.
Works With Your Other Tools: GoodCall connects with your CRM, Google Voice, and Slack. Bland has "Dynamic integrations" but doesn't name specific tools they work with.
Cons
Always Trying To Sell You More: They push upgrades too hard. Bland doesn't mention upselling practices.
Hard To Get Help: Customer support is tough to reach. Bland doesn't talk about their support speed or quality.
Sometimes Breaks Down: Phone numbers and voicemail can be glitchy. Bland promises "99.99% uptime" which sounds better on paper.
Not What They Promised: The free account wasn't as good as advertised. Bland doesn't mention a free option at all.
Pricing
Starting Plan ($59/month): Unlimited minutes for 100 customers, plus 1 form and 1 logic flow monthly. That's WAY different from Bland's simple $0.09 per minute pricing.
Growing Plan ($99/month): Unlimited minutes for 250 customers with more forms and logic flows. Again, totally different from Bland's per-minute charges.
Big Plan ($199/month): Unlimited minutes for 500 customers with tons of forms and logic flows. No direct comparison to Bland's Enterprise option.
Here's the real talk: GoodCall gives you unlimited minutes for a flat fee - which could be a huge win if you make long calls. BUT you only get 100 customers... So if you have lots of customers, Goodcall will get expensive very quickly. Bland charges $0.09 per minute, which is better if you have many customers with relatively short calls.
Reviews
"Incredible product" - Danny Lannon. saves me so much time, and I've been able to capture leads in an entirely new way. 100% worth it and saves me a ton of time.
"Customer dis-service" - Merle Craner. When I call a customer service number, I expect a number of options to eventually get to a person to deal with the problem. Goodcall starts immediately with upsell options to service I don't want or need. There is no interaction, just a constant sales pitch. If you have the patience, you will be told they can't help with the problem and provide another number to go through the exact same process again.
Best for: Businesses looking to scale customer service operations and want many voices and characters.
Trustpilot rating: 3.6/5 (259 reviews)
Founded in 2022 in Mountain View, California, Play AI was created by Hammad Syed and Mahmoud Felfel. The company specializes in transforming written text into realistic, natural-sounding voiceovers and AI voice agents, making it easy for anyone to integrate lifelike voices into their projects.
With a focus on AI voice generation, Play AI offers a wide array of features including voice cloning, support for 142 languages, emotion-driven voices, speaking styles, and advanced audio analytics. The intuitive user interface ensures that users, regardless of technical expertise, can easily create custom voice solutions.
Features
Multi-Voice Conversational AI: Create dynamic audio by blending different voices in a single file for natural conversations. Bland AI focuses on single-voice phone agents rather than this flexible voice blending.
Voice Cloning: Play AI copies voices with amazing accuracy, keeping the original's rhythm, tone, and feeling - going beyond Bland AI's more standardized agent voices.
Speech Styles: Pick from emotional speaking styles to make voices more engaging. Bland AI focuses on professional, consistent agent voices without emphasizing the emotional range that Play AI offers.
API Integration: Easily add Play AI's voice generation to your apps for real-time audio, while Bland AI specializes in complete phone call solutions rather than developer-focused voice tools.
Custom Pronunciations: Play AI lets you fix how specific words are said to ensure perfect accuracy. Bland AI doesn't highlight this level of word-by-word customization.
Cons
Misleading Claims – Multiple reviews suggest the product doesn't deliver what was advertised.
Poor Customer Service – Customers report being ignored, with support eventually becoming unresponsive.
Platform Stability – Users mention bugs and technical problems that hurt business operations.
Pricing
Starter ($9/month): 50 minutes, 10 voice clones - perfect for personal use.
Creator ($49/month): 300 minutes, 50 voice clones, 1 professional clone - great for creators.
Pro ($99/month): 700 minutes, 500 voice clones, 3 professional clones - ideal for professionals.
Scale ($299/month): 2500 minutes, 1000 voice clones, 5 professional clones - for larger teams.
Business ($999/month): 11,000 minutes, 2000 voice clones, advanced features - for enterprises.
Reviews
"Disappointing experience" - Raja Mohammad Zishanullah. I purchased the unlimited plan on Play.ht. The service is incredibly slow and plagued with frequent errors, making it nearly unusable. The newer voice models sound robotic and lack the natural flow that was initially promised. Customer service has been consistently poor, with slow and unhelpful responses. Overall, Play.ht has been a huge disappointment, and I would strongly advise avoiding their service.
"Excellent convenient service" - Core Partners Studio. Excellent convenient service for voiceover, a large database of realistic voices, very convenient to work as a team, great tech support. We will continue to work further!
8. Poly AI
Best for: Large enterprises that need a tailored AI solution.
Gartner rating: 4.6/5 (13 reviews)
Founded in 2017 in London, UK, Poly AI is an enterprise-grade conversational ai platform known to handle customer service calls with natural, human-like conversations. It was created by Nikola Mrkšić, Tsung-Hsien Wen, and Pei-Hao Su, who met while researching spoken dialog systems at Cambridge’s Machine Intelligence Lab.
Today, Poly AI serves 100+ enterprise customers, helping businesses with unique business requirements automate phone support at scale. Known for its advanced AI models and industry-specific solutions, it’s a go-to for companies looking to streamline inbound calls without sacrificing customer experience.
Ps. Wasn't Poly AI a chatbot? Yes, there was a private AI chatbot platform called Poly.AI, but they changed their name to PolyBuzz.
Features
Advanced Natural Language Processing (NLP): Utilizes cutting-edge AI technology algorithms to understand and generate human-like responses, ensuring accurate interpretation of user intents and contexts.
Multilingual Support: Supports over 40 languages, enabling seamless communication with a global customer base.
24/7 Availability: Provides round-the-clock customer support, ensuring tasks like assistance is available at any time.
Seamless Integration: Easily integrates with existing systems and platforms, enhancing operational efficiency without significant changes.
Scalability: Designed to handle thousands of simultaneous conversations, maintaining performance during high-volume periods.
Advanced Speech Recognition and Synthesis: Incorporates speech recognition and synthesis technologies, allowing users to communicate using voice commands.
Cons
Inconsistent voice quality: Some users have experienced issues with the AI's voice changing unexpectedly, which can disrupt the user experience.
Lack of advanced analytics: Businesses have expressed a desire for more comprehensive voice analytics to better understand customer interactions.
Limited customization: Some users feel restricted in tailoring the AI to fit their specific industry needs.
High pricing for enterprise plans: Many businesses find the cost of Poly AI to be steep, especially for scaling.
No way to test the AI agent yourself: Many trying to discover the best conversational ai solutions want to play with the platform without the need to book a demo.
Pricing
PolyAI operates on an enterprise-only model, requiring businesses to book a call before accessing pricing or trials. There’s no free trial or self-serve option, making it a high-barrier solution for companies with serious volume needs.
Key Pricing Insights:
Pay-per-minute model: Not mentioned on the website, but I found in a blog that Poly said that it's $0.25 per minute for a voice AI assistant.
Enterprise focus: No public pricing, indicating customized contracts based on usage.
No self-serve or trials: Requires commitment before access.
Reviews
"Conversational assistant of the highest quality" - Verified enterprise customer. The assistant itself is lifelike and constantly learning. The time saving it allows our staff onsite is the real value add. In comparison, competitor offerings seem robotic make customers feel like they are not being cared for.
"App is working slow" - Sagar R, Senior Recruitment Consultant. Sometimes the app is working slow and it will take time to initiate any command.
What is the Alternative to Bland AI? (Our Top 3)
We've tried to explore alternatives for every use case, and here's the truth: finding the perfect Bland AI alternative comes down to what you need most - easy setup, better features, or pricing that won't drain your wallet.
After testing all these products, here are our top 3 picks:
#2 Retell AI - Best for developers who need to build custom voice agents quickly. More affordable than Bland with better documentation.
#3 Goodcall - Ideal for local businesses with its flat-fee unlimited minutes model, though customer limits may be restrictive for growing companies.
Ringly.io stands out because it solves the exact problems people hate about Bland - complicated setup, hidden fees, and poor support. It's the only option that gives you a 110% money-back guarantee, proving they're confident you'll love the results.
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