Struggling to pick between Play AI and Air AI, but totally lost in a sea of confusing features and mixed reviews? You’re not alone—deciding between these tools can feel overwhelming, especially with different pricing and so much hype everywhere you look. But good news: by the end of this article, you’ll feel clear and confident about which one fits your needs best. Here’s what we’ll cover:
The must-know features, plus pros and cons of Play AI and Air AI
Pricing breakdowns and what you actually get for your money
Real user reviews and honest feedback
Who shines for which type of user (and who falls short)
And, most importantly: a BETTER alternative you probably haven’t considered yet (that’s our pick!)
Ready to clear the confusion? Let’s dive in!
Why Ringly.io is the better choice ; )
Built for e-commerce
With experience in both AI and e-commerce, we set out become the best AI phone agent platform for online stores.
Stupid-simple user interface
Super easy to work with, and you can set up things even if you're not tech savvy. If you create a free account you can see it for yourself though!
Quick and easy setup
Pre-built AI phone agents and will have your online store automated in minutes- not hours.
Play AI vs Air AI – TL;DR
Key Area
Play AI
Air AI
Ringly.io
Voice Quality & Variety
Biggest voice library, very realistic
Human-like voices, strong NLP
Natural voices, fast reactions
Caller Automation
Basic agents, demos, not deep
Fully autonomous phone calls
Full sales & support, real-time
Integrations
Simple, static content focus
Strong CRM, over 5,000 apps
Real-time, no code, Shopify
Workflow Automation
Few; for voice content only
Lead/sales calls automation
Sales, support, cart recovery
Pricing
Low entry, scalable, variable
High fees, per minute pricey
Transparent, scalable, free trial
Analytics & Insights
Basic or none
Call summaries, outcome stats
Advanced, real-time, actionable
Onboarding & Support
Easy, but support hit-or-miss
Some setup issues, mixed reviews
Guided onboarding, fast help
Play AI - a quick overview
Founded in 2016 in Palo Alto, California by Mahmoud Felfel and Hammad Syed, PlayAI is a leader in AI-driven voice technology. The company specializes in creating advanced AI voice agents and conversational interfaces that can clone voices across over 30 languages, enabling natural and emotive interactions for industries like customer support, healthcare, travel, and sales.
PlayAI’s platform empowers developers with tools for building custom voice applications without the need to train models from scratch. With its flagship PlayDialog model and a growing user base of creators and businesses worldwide, PlayAI has been recognized as a Challenger among top generative AI companies. In the next section, we’ll compare PlayAI’s features, pros/cons, pricing, and user reviews with Air AI and Ringly.io to help you find the best fit for your needs.
Play AI's Features
Ultra Realistic AI Voices Play AI offers a vast library of 600+ lifelike voices in multiple languages and accents, making it ideal for content creators who need diverse, high-quality audio. This is especially useful for global brands or those wanting to localize experiences. While Air AI also provides realistic voices, Play AI’s sheer variety stands out. However, unlike Ringly.io, Play lacks deep business process integrations and real-time data actions.
Text-to-Speech (TTS) Conversion The platform excels at converting text into natural-sounding speech quickly and easily through an intuitive interface. This benefits marketers producing podcasts or e-learning modules at scale. Compared to Air AI’s TTS capabilities—which are more focused on conversational automation—Play is better suited for static content creation rather than dynamic customer support like Ringly.io.
Voice Cloning Users can clone their own voice or any other with high fidelity, enabling personalized branding in audio content or virtual assistants. This feature is valuable for influencers and businesses seeking a unique voice identity. While Air AI offers similar cloning tech aimed at sales calls, Play focuses more on creative applications; Ringly.io instead prioritizes business-specific knowledge integration over voice personalization.
AI Voice Agents (Conversational Assistants) Play’s agents can hold interactive conversations with users—answering questions or simulating roles like food critics or store owners—which enhances engagement on websites and apps. These agents are great for demos and entertainment but lack the transactional depth of Air AI’s sales-focused bots or the operational utility of Ringly.io’s phone agents that handle order lookups and cart recovery automatically.
AI Pronunciation Library & Editing Tools A pronunciation library lets users fine-tune how words are spoken—helpful when dealing with brand names or technical jargon in scripts. However, some users report limitations editing pace/tone in ultra-realistic modes compared to competitors’ flexibility. For businesses needing precise control over customer interactions (like call summaries), this falls short versus Ringly.io.
Audio Widgets & Podcast Creation Tools Easily embed audio widgets into websites to boost accessibility and engagement; create full-length podcasts from scripts using any chosen voice style within minutes—a boon for publishers wanting rapid turnaround without recording sessions. These features cater well to media teams but don’t address live customer support needs as directly as solutions from Air AI or Ringly.io.
While Play AI shines as a top-tier tool for generating diverse synthetic voices and automating static audio production across languages—with standout ease-of-use—it doesn’t offer the deep workflow automation, real-time CRM actions, abandoned cart recovery calls, order status checks via phone agent integration found natively in platforms like Ringly.io that are purpose-built around e-commerce operations rather than just content creation.
Play AI Pros and Cons
Quick and easy to use – Users consistently praise how fast it is to convert text to speech with minimal setup or learning curve.
High-quality, natural-sounding voices – Many reviewers highlight the realistic quality of both standard and premium voices, sometimes even fooling listeners into thinking they were human.
Wide variety of accents and languages – The platform offers a broad selection of voices across different languages, accents, emotions (including whispers/shouting), which is valuable for diverse content creation needs.
Intuitive interface – The user experience is described as straightforward; even beginners can navigate the system easily without much training.
Helpful customer support (when available) – Some users report positive experiences with responsive support staff who address issues quickly when contacted directly.
Unreliable customer support in critical cases – Several users report major frustrations when needing help with account access or billing issues; some never received responses despite repeated attempts. This left paid subscriptions unusable in certain cases. Ringly.io’s dedicated onboarding team ensures smooth transitions between accounts—so you’re never left stranded.
Sudden price increases & unclear pricing structure – Multiple reviewers mention drastic changes in pricing (up to 23x higher) without clear communication or justification. This unpredictability makes budgeting difficult for teams relying on the service long-term. Ringly.io provides transparent pricing tiers so customers always know what they’re paying for.
Limited authenticity in specific accents (e.g., Australian) – While there are many options overall, some accent categories lack true-to-life representation. For example, “Australian” voices often sound British/American instead—making it hard to find authentic regional tones for local audiences.
File management limitations – Users note that managing multiple audio files belonging together isn’t seamless; organizing projects with many clips can be cumbersome due to limited folder/file structuring features within the app itself.
Occasional clunky interface transitions & editor changes – As Play AI updates its editors/interfaces over time, some users have found new layouts less intuitive than previous versions or experienced temporary bugs during migrations between systems. Ringly.io’s stable UI ensures consistent workflows across updates.
These insights reflect actual user experiences rather than just feature lists—helping you weigh whether Play AI fits your workflow needs compared to alternatives like Ringly.io that may address these pain points more directly.
Founded in 2022 and headquartered in San Francisco, Air AI is a cutting-edge voice-first AI platform that automates sales and customer service calls with human-like conversations lasting up to 40 minutes. It features infinite memory, perfect recall, and integrates seamlessly with over 5,000 applications to autonomously handle tasks like lead qualification, appointment scheduling, and follow-ups without the need for training or management.
Serving businesses aiming to scale their sales and support operations efficiently, Air AI empowers teams by automating thousands of calls simultaneously. Despite its impressive capabilities and natural-sounding interactions, it comes with high licensing fees and per-minute costs. In the following section, we’ll explore Air AI’s features, pros and cons, pricing structure, and user reviews compared to Play AI and Ringly.io.
Air AI's features
Autonomous AI Phone Agents Air AI offers fully autonomous phone agents that can handle entire customer conversations from start to finish, including answering questions, processing requests, and even closing sales. These agents are designed for businesses seeking to automate high-volume call tasks without human intervention. Compared to Play AI’s focus on voice cloning for customer service, Air AI emphasizes end-to-end conversational automation. However, while Air AI is strong in autonomy, it may lack the deep business-specific knowledge integration and real-time updates found in Ringly.io.
Natural Language Understanding & Voice Realism Air AI’s agents use advanced natural language processing (NLP) and highly realistic voices to create human-like interactions over the phone. This makes them suitable for industries where a natural conversation flow is critical—such as sales or support calls—helping reduce friction and improve caller experience. While Play AI also provides customizable voice cloning, its primary strength lies in replicating specific voices rather than optimizing full conversational journeys like Air AI or providing tailored responses based on live business data as Ringly.io does.
CRM & Platform Integrations Air AI integrates with popular CRMs and e-commerce platforms so that its phone agents can access customer data during calls (e.g., order history or account details). This enables personalized service at scale—a key requirement for modern businesses aiming to streamline operations. While this matches some of Ringly.io’s capabilities (like order status checking), Ringly.io goes further by allowing custom actions across any tool via no-code connectors like Zapier/Make.com, offering broader workflow automation beyond standard integrations.
Automated Lead Qualification & Appointment Booking With built-in workflows for qualifying leads and booking appointments directly during calls, Air AI helps sales teams save time by filtering prospects before handing them off to humans. This feature is valuable for outbound campaigns or inbound inquiries where speed matters most. Play AI doesn’t offer these workflow automations; meanwhile, Ringly.io specializes more in post-purchase engagement (abandoned cart recovery) but also supports complex automations through custom triggers—making it more versatile if you need both pre-sale qualification and post-sale follow-up.
Call Summaries & Analytics After each conversation, Air AI generates summaries of key points discussed along with analytics on call outcomes (e.g., resolved vs escalated). This helps managers monitor agent performance and optimize scripts over time—a must-have for scaling quality assurance efforts efficiently. While Play AI focuses less on analytics, Ringly.io delivers even deeper insights: not only tracking outcomes but analyzing caller mood trends and surfacing actionable suggestions using advanced call analysis tools.
Human Escalation Handling When an issue exceeds the agent’s scope, Air AI can escalate the call seamlessly to a live representative—ensuring customers always get help when needed without frustration from dead ends. This matches industry best practices; however, compared with Ringly.io’s smart transfer system—which routes calls based on custom triggers with detailed context summaries—the escalation process may be less tailored unless heavily customized within Air's platform.
In summary: while Air AI excels at autonomous calling with strong NLP capabilities suited for lead generation or basic support tasks—and outpaces Play AI in terms of full conversational automation—it still trails behind solutions like Ringly.io when it comes to deep business knowledge integration, flexible workflow customization across all stages of the customer journey, real-time content updates from your own website/docs/storefronts without training delays, abandoned cart recovery effectiveness via phone outreach rather than just digital channels alone—and actionable analytics that drive continuous improvement across every touchpoint.
Air AI Pros and Cons Based on Real User Feedback
Human-like conversational experience – Users consistently praise how natural and realistic Air AI’s voice sounds during calls, leading to better engagement with customers who often can’t tell they’re speaking to an AI agent.
24/7 availability for customer interactions – The platform operates around the clock, ensuring no leads or support requests are missed regardless of time zone or business hours.
Perfect recall & infinite memory – Air AI remembers every detail from previous conversations with a customer, enabling highly personalized follow-ups without manual note-taking or data entry. Ringly.io also offers robust conversation history but avoids some of the memory-related bugs reported by Air users.
Saves time through workflow automation & integrations – With integration capabilities spanning over 5,000 tools (including Salesforce and HubSpot), teams save significant manual effort as calls are logged automatically and workflows are streamlined. Ringly.io similarly emphasizes seamless integrations but is designed for even faster onboarding.
User-friendly interface & intuitive design – Many reviewers highlight how easy it is to navigate the platform’s clean interface when managing digital assets or setting up automations. This reduces training needs compared to more complex solutions.
Responsive customer support team – When issues arise, users report that support staff respond quickly—sometimes even hopping on live calls with engineers to resolve problems directly. Ringly.io also prides itself on fast response times but has fewer reports of recurring technical issues.
Easily scalable for high call volumes – Businesses appreciate that Air AI can handle multiple simultaneous conversations without bottlenecks—ideal for growing teams needing reliable scale-up capacity.
Cons
Difficulties during initial setup & onboarding process – Several users mention challenges getting started with integrations or configuring workflows; documentation could be clearer to speed up adoption. With Ringly.io’s guided onboarding flow, new customers typically get set up faster.
Bugs in search features & occasional technical glitches – Some reviewers have experienced issues like tagging errors or the system getting stuck in loops during conversations; these bugs can disrupt operations if not addressed promptly. Ringly.io was built specifically to minimize such disruptions by focusing on stability first.
Lack of nuanced emotional intelligence – While great at routine tasks, Air AI sometimes struggles with complex emotional cues in sensitive situations—potentially impacting customer satisfaction where empathy is needed most. Solutions like Ringly.io invest heavily in advanced sentiment analysis models as a differentiator here.
Steep learning curve for some teams – Adapting existing processes around a new conversational platform may require extra training, especially if your team isn’t used to automation tools. By contrast, many find Ringly.io’s UI more approachable out-of-the-box.
Dependence on stable internet connectivity – As a cloud-based service, any outages or slowdowns in your internet connection will directly impact performance. This limitation applies broadly across SaaS offerings—including both Air AI and alternatives.
High cost relative to smaller businesses’ budgets – Some reviews point out recent price increases have made it less accessible for startups or small teams. If affordability is key, consider evaluating pricing tiers carefully; solutions like Ringly.io offer flexible plans tailored toward leaner organizations.
Occasional unresponsive support experiences reported by some buyers – While many praise quick help, there are isolated complaints about lack of follow-up after payment. Consistent post-sale service remains an area where all vendors must stay vigilant.
Pricing - Play AI vs Air AI
Note: The pricing information below is accurate at the time of writing and may be subject to change. For the most up-to-date pricing, please visit each company's pricing page.
Usage-based model ensures you only pay for what you use—ideal for variable call volumes.
Contract Length:
Upfront license typically requires an annual commitment.
Usage-based/pay-per-minute can be paid monthly or as used.
Some legacy/subscription plans offer monthly billing with no long-term lock-in.
Discounts: Annual commitments may be negotiated at a lower effective rate but are not universally advertised.
Cancellation Fees:
No explicit cancellation fees for usage-based plans.
For upfront licensing or subscriptions with term commitments, early termination may result in forfeiture of prepaid amounts or inability to receive refunds on unused time.
Refund Policies: Generally no refunds or money-back guarantees are offered once payment is made—especially on large upfront fees or prepaid minutes.
Air AI’s pricing structure is designed for scalability and flexibility but comes with high entry costs that make it best suited to established businesses rather than startups.
There is no free trial available as of the latest information.
If your business has fluctuating call volumes and prefers not to commit large sums up front, the pay-per-minute model offers flexibility. However, if predictable budgeting is needed—and your volume justifies it—the subscription options may be more suitable.
For exact plan details tailored to your needs (including potential discounts), contacting Air AI sales directly is recommended due to possible negotiation on enterprise deals.
Ringly.io pricing
Ringly.io has simple, usage-based pricing with no hidden fees or long-term commitments. Test drive it risk-free for 14 days, then scale up or down on month-to-month terms—or book a demo for fully tailored enterprise support.
"Highly personalized experience" Anonymous Reviewer (Business User) Play.ai enables us to automate workflows without needing an engineer... our team is much more agile...
"Latency issues during peak times" Anonymous Reviewer (Operations Manager) Some users report latency issues that can affect call quality during high-traffic periods... this impacts the smoothness of the call experience compared to competitors like Bland or Retell...
Air AI
"Impressive learning capabilities" Anonymous Reviewer (IT Director) Air AI's learning capabilities are particularly impressive... the system continuously improves through each interaction...
"Lacks advanced sales automation tools" Anonymous Reviewer (Sales Lead) While strong in customer support, it lacks advanced sales automation features compared to specialized platforms like CallHippo...
If you’re considering either platform: - Play AI receives generally positive marks for ease of use but may struggle with performance under heavy load. - Air AI gets praise for its conversational accuracy but isn’t ideal if you need deep outbound sales workflow automation. - For Air AI specifically: There are no official aggregate ratings or large-scale review counts available online—potential buyers should proceed carefully due to limited public feedback.
What users are saying about Ringly.io:
Ringly.io is known for its simplicity, and a focus on e-commerce, with features like abandoned cart recovery and order status lookups. It has a 4.8 star rating from 12 reviews on Product Hunt and other platforms.
"it stands out significantly ahead" - Bertrand, Director. We are at the initial stage of testing and have made only a few calls so far. Consequently, I have rated the product with four stars for now. However, I must express that the product has shown significant promise. When compared to competitors, it stands out significantly ahead.
"This is such a great product" - Jim Miranda, Founder. This is such a great product. I have been with you for less than a week and already closed 3 deals with it."
"It really sounds like a human" - Laix, Founder. Tried Ringly.io today and the quality of the phone calls surprises me! It really sounds like a human, and it reacts really fast. Will need to deploy it in action to see the full capabilities.
Content creators, podcasters, educators, or agencies who need lots of high-quality voices in many languages for static audio projects, like podcasts, videos, or e-learning courses.
Businesses and influencers wanting to clone their own voice or create a unique brand voice for creative content—but who don’t need deep live integrations or sales call automation.
Teams looking for a quick, easy way to turn scripts into natural-sounding audio without much technical setup or training.
Companies on a budget who need lots of voice options and are okay with some trade-offs in customer support and business process features.
Who Air AI is best for…
Large or fast-growing sales and support teams that want to fully automate inbound/outbound phone calls, like lead qualification, appointment booking, or answering customer questions—at a high volume and scale.
Businesses that want long, natural conversations with customers and need their AI to remember details across calls for more personal service.
Companies already using big CRMs and willing to pay higher licensing or per-minute fees for powerful integrations and hands-off phone agent automation.
Organizations with IT resources that can manage setup and are comfortable with enterprise-level pricing, even if documentation is light or onboarding needs a little extra help.
Who Ringly.io is best for…
Businesses of all sizes who want an all-in-one solution for automating customer service, recovering abandoned carts, and checking order status by phone—whether you’re a Shopify store, a fast-growing e-commerce brand, or an enterprise team.
Teams that care about results and reliability—Ringly.io delivers human-like conversations, stable performance, and deep real-time integration with websites, CRMs, and storefronts, so your AI agents always have up-to-date answers for your customers.
Companies looking for simple, transparent pricing with no hidden fees, free trials to get started, and usage plans that flex as you grow.
Anyone wanting easy onboarding and truly helpful support—with a smooth setup process, hands-on help, and continuous improvements based on real business feedback.
Why Ringly.io is the overall best choice: Ringly.io stands out because it combines the easy setup and natural voice quality you want, with the powerful, business-focused automation you need. Whether you’re a startup or a large company, Ringly.io gives you more flexibility, stronger integrations, and dedicated support—helping you turn phone calls into real business results, not just automated voices. Try it for free to see how simply you can evolve your customer support and sales with AI.
Why Ringly.io is a Better Choice
Highly Rated: 4.8/5
Founded in 2024 in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, by Maurizio Isendoorn and Ruben Boonzaaijer, Ringly.io is revolutionizing e-commerce customer service with AI phone agents. Designed for online businesses, Ringly handles customer calls on autopilot—solving support issues, recovering abandoned carts, and even boosting sales—at just 20% of the cost of human agents.
With 1,300+ customers, Ringly.io is the go-to solution for e-commerce stores looking to scale without scaling their support team. With award-winning technology (BubbleCon 2024's "Most Innovative App"), Ringly.io transforms your phone system into a revenue-driving powerhouse—without the headaches of traditional call centers.
Features that make Ringly.io the #1 alternative to Play AI and Air AI:
No-code setup, instant results – Ringly.io is ready to go in minutes. Just add your website, docs, or text—no engineering required—and your AI phone agent instantly understands your business. It even updates automatically as your website changes.
AI-powered sales & support – Ringly.io does both inbound and outbound calls. Recover 35%+ of abandoned carts with automated follow-up calls, provide real-time order tracking from Shopify, and convert more customers with personalized AI-driven conversations—not just reactive support.
Advanced analytics for smarter decisions – Ringly.io gives you real-time call data, customer intent tracking, and performance reports—helping you optimize support and sales strategies.
Scalable pricing without enterprise contracts – Ringly.io offers transparent, scalable pricing—pay for what you use, no locked-in contracts.
Final Thoughts: Play AI vs Air AI vs Ringly.io
Choosing the right AI voice or phone agent platform depends on what you need most—whether that's lifelike audio content, fully automated phone conversations, or business-focused automation that actually grows your revenue.
Here’s a quick recap to help you decide:
Play AI: Best for anyone creating lots of diverse audio content—like podcasts or videos—in many languages, or businesses wanting fast, easy voice cloning. It’s simple and powerful for content, but less equipped for deep business automation or live integrations.
Air AI: Great if you’re a larger team aiming to scale call volume in sales and support, and you want hands-off, highly realistic customer conversations at enterprise scale. There’s immense power—but also a higher price and steeper setup for most companies.
Ringly.io: The go-to pick for businesses that want the best of both worlds: super-human sounding agents with deep, real-time business integration, automation across the whole customer journey, transparent pricing, and truly effortless onboarding. Whether you're a fast-growing e-commerce brand, a startup, or an enterprise, Ringly.io offers unmatched reliability and results—with support and ongoing improvements that matter as you scale.
In short: If you want to create amazing audio—go with Play AI; if you need enterprise-level call automation and have the budget—Air AI is solid. But if your focus is getting real business impact, better sales, happier customers, and less support stress—all with simple, risk-free pricing—Ringly.io is the superior choice.
Ready to see what smarter phone automation can do for your business? Try Ringly.io free for 14 days—and experience the difference yourself!
Want to compare other players in the market? Check out our other comparisons: