Retell vs Play AI: Who is number 1?

Retell - a quick overview

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Founded in Saratoga, California in 2023 by Todd Li, Evie Wang, Bing Wu, Weijia Yu, and Zexia Zhang, Retell AI is transforming business communication with advanced AI-powered phone agents. The platform enables companies to automate and enhance their call operations through features like low-code customization, simulation testing, post-call analysis, warm transfers, branded caller ID, SMS integration during calls, multilingual support, and seamless telephony provider integrations.

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Retell AI serves thousands of users—including sales teams and customer service leaders—who need scalable voice automation that’s secure (HIPAA/SOC 2/GDPR compliant) and flexible for enterprise needs. Recognized as an “Outperformer” among top voice AI platforms by CB Insights and included in multiple expert collections for artificial intelligence innovation, Retell has quickly achieved $10M in annualized revenue just 15 months after launch.

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In the following section we’ll compare Retell’s features, pros/cons, pricing models, and user reviews with Play AI and Ringly.io to help you choose the best fit for your business.

Retell's features

• Flexible API & Developer Focus
  Retell is built for technical teams and developers who want to create custom voice automation solutions from scratch. Its open API allows deep customization, making it ideal for businesses with unique workflows or those needing granular control—unlike Play AI and Ringly.io, which focus on fast setup and ease of use for non-technical users.
• Knowledge Base Integration
  You can add your own knowledge sources so the AI agent can answer customer questions accurately using your business content. This feature supports tailored responses but may require more manual setup compared to Ringly.io’s instant, auto-updating integration that keeps answers current without extra work.
• Cart Recovery Automation
  Retell offers automated phone calls to recover abandoned carts—a must-have for e-commerce. However, its effectiveness depends on how you configure the flows via their API. Ringly.io provides proven templates and a streamlined process that typically delivers higher recovery rates out-of-the-box.
• Order Status Checking During Calls
  The platform enables real-time order status checks mid-call if integrated with your systems. While this matches Play AI’s capabilities, Ringly.io stands out by offering direct plug-and-play integrations with Shopify and WooCommerce for instant deployment without coding.
• Smart Call Transfer System
  Retell supports intelligent call transfers based on custom triggers you define in the backend—great for complex routing needs. For most businesses seeking simplicity, Ringly.io’s pre-built smart transfer logic ensures only relevant calls reach human agents with full context automatically.
• SMS Sending Capabilities Mid-Call
  Agents can send text messages (links, codes) during live conversations—a standard feature across all three platforms. Retell requires more manual configuration here; Play AI offers similar functionality; while Ringly.io adds advanced personalization options through templates or dynamic variables.
• Custom Actions via Integrations
  With support for no-code tools like Zapier or Make.com, Retell lets you connect phone agents to CRMs or helpdesks to automate tasks during calls. This flexibility is powerful but may need developer input; in contrast, Ringly.io makes these automations accessible even to non-technical users through simple UI controls.
• AI Voicemail Handling
  The system detects voicemail boxes and leaves personalized messages as needed—helpful in outbound campaigns where unanswered calls are common. All three platforms offer this feature; however, only some (like Ringly.io) allow granular script control per campaign.
• AI Call Analysis & Monitoring Tools
  Retell provides dashboards showing call outcomes (resolved/transferred), caller sentiment analysis, transcripts, recordings—and suggestions for improvement over time. While robust analytics are available across competitors too, many find Ringly.io’s actionable insights easier to interpret thanks to its user-friendly interface.
• Full Workflow Automations
  You can build end-to-end automations that trigger calls from external events (via Zapier/API), handle entire customer journeys automatically—including follow-ups and escalations—which matches what leading solutions like Play AI provide today.
• Overall
  Retell excels when deep customization or developer-driven setups are required but often demands more technical resources than alternatives designed specifically for business users who want rapid results without complexity—whereas platforms like ours deliver both power and simplicity right out of the box.

Retell Pros and Cons

• Easy to build, integrate, and manage Voice AI – Users consistently praise how quickly they can set up conversational agents with minimal friction.
• Natural-sounding voice agents – Many reviewers highlight that conversations feel authentic; customers often don’t realize they’re speaking to AI.
• Fast response times – The platform delivers low-latency interactions that help reduce customer wait times and improve satisfaction.
• Helpful for scaling support teams – Businesses report significant reductions in call volumes handled by human staff after deploying Retell agents.
• Transparent pricing with no platform fees – Users appreciate only paying API costs without hidden or recurring platform charges, making it cost-effective for many use cases.
• Regular feature updates & improvements – Reviewers note frequent releases of new features as the product evolves rapidly to meet user needs.
• Strong integration capabilities – The ability to connect with leading LLMs (like OpenAI), telephony providers (Twilio), and other tools is a major plus for technical teams wanting flexibility.

Cons

• Requires engineering resources; not no-code friendly – Several users mention that non-developers may find it difficult due to the lack of a full visual builder or easy drag-and-drop workflows. This can slow down iteration if your team isn’t technical enough. Ringly.io’s intuitive interface helps bridge this gap.
• Limited customization options for voices (especially male voices) – Some reviewers wish there were more options or easier ways to customize agent voices out-of-the-box. Ringly.io offers broader voice selection natively.
• Occasional latency issues during calls – While generally fast, some users have experienced sporadic delays in conversation flow which could impact customer experience at scale.
• Unresponsive support on basic feature requests – A few reviews cite slow responses or lack of follow-through when requesting new features or reporting bugs. This has led some customers to question vendor reliability over time. At Ringly.io we pride ourselves on proactive customer support.
• Deployment complexity at enterprise scale — For larger organizations needing advanced controls like RBAC (role-based access control), audit trails, or multi-environment management, Retell currently lacks these enterprise-grade features out-of-the-box. Manual configuration is required for multilingual setups as well.
• Limited number of concurrent agents — Some users have run into restrictions regarding how many bots/agents can be deployed simultaneously without additional negotiation or upgrades.

These insights reflect what actual customers are saying about using Retell day-to-day—helping you weigh both its strengths in rapid deployment and natural conversation quality against its current limitations around usability for non-engineers and certain enterprise requirements.

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Play AI - a quick overview

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Founded in 2023 and headquartered in Dubai, Play AI is revolutionizing the gaming industry by integrating advanced artificial intelligence into virtual environments. Led by CEO PS Ramees, the company develops middleware that enables game developers to create personalized AI agents and models, enhancing gameplay experiences across web2 and web3 platforms.

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With $4.3 million raised in seed funding from prominent investors like Alphawave and Jump Crypto, Play AI aims to transform gaming through data-driven personalization and immersive AI-powered interactions. Their platform rewards users for sharing gameplay data while supporting open-world player-versus-player shooter games initially.

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In the following section, we’ll explore Play AI’s features, pros and cons, pricing, and user reviews compared to Retell and Ringly.io to help you understand how these innovative companies stack up against each other.

Play AI's features

• Lifelike Voice Generation
  Play AI delivers ultra-realistic, human-like voices with nuanced prosody, intonation, and emotion. This makes it ideal for applications where natural-sounding audio is essential—like customer support, podcasts, or narration. Compared to Retell’s strong but slightly less advanced voice models, Play AI stands out for its industry-leading quality and customizable speech parameters. Ringly.io also offers high-quality voice interactions but focuses more on business automation than pure voice fidelity.
• Multilingual Support
  Play AI supports English, Spanish, Arabic (fully), and over 25 additional languages in development. This broad language coverage is a major advantage for businesses serving global audiences or requiring localization at scale. Retell’s multilingual capabilities are limited, which can be restrictive for international operations. Ringly.io keeps agents up-to-date with your content but currently prioritizes accuracy over sheer language breadth.
• Low Latency & Real-Time Performance
  With time-to-first-audio as low as 320ms, Play AI enables seamless real-time conversations—crucial for live support or interactive experiences. While Retell also boasts fast response times (800ms latency), Play AI edges ahead in speed-critical scenarios like live streaming or instant call handling. Ringly.io matches this responsiveness while layering on deeper business integrations.
• Knowledge Base Integration
  Play AI allows agents to answer questions using your existing knowledge base by integrating documents and websites directly into the agent’s context. This means customers get accurate answers based on your actual content—a feature that both Retell and Play offer at a technical level. However, Ringly.io takes this further by updating daily with website changes automatically and requiring no training setup from users.
• Custom Actions & Integrations
  You can define custom actions within Play AI to connect with backend systems via Zapier or Make.com APIs. Agents can track orders, schedule appointments, escalate calls based on rules you set—all without manual intervention. While Retell supports similar API-based integrations, it often requires more technical expertise to implement advanced workflows compared to the straightforward no-code options found in both Play AI and especially Ringly.io.
• High Volume Scalability
  Play’s platform handles large volumes of inbound/outbound calls effortlessly—making it suitable for enterprises needing robust call automation at scale. Both Retell and Play excel here; however, cost management becomes easier with bundled solutions like those offered by competitors such as Synthflow rather than modular pricing seen in Retell's model.
• Security & Compliance
  All of Play’s models are GDPR-, SOC 2 Type II-, ISO27001-compliant—with options for cloud or on-premise deployment when data residency matters most (e.g., healthcare). While both platforms emphasize compliance (Retell even offers HIPAA-ready solutions), businesses looking beyond basic privacy may find value in how seamlessly these controls integrate into broader workflows—a strength shared by all three products but particularly well-executed within enterprise-focused offerings like Ringly.io.

In summary: If you need top-tier multilingual voices at lightning speed across any channel—and have some developer resources—Play excels as a flexible platform that rivals the best of what Retell offers while making integration easier than ever before. For businesses wanting not just great voices but deep e-commerce automations (like abandoned cart recovery) without coding headaches—or who want their phone system tightly woven into daily operations—Ringly.io remains unmatched in practical impact and ease-of-use alongside these core strengths from competitors.

Next, let's look at Play AI's pros and cons. We studied dozens of reviews from real Play AI users from platforms like G2, Capterra, and TrustRadius. Then we identified commonalities and summarized the main pros and cons of Play AI based on real user feedback for you here:

Pros

• Easy to Use – Users consistently praise Play AI for its intuitive interface that makes converting text to speech quick and seamless, even for beginners.
• Diverse Voice Selection – There is a large variety of voices, accents, languages, and intonation options available. This diversity helps users create more engaging audio content.
• High-Quality Output – Many reviewers highlight the ultra-realistic quality of both standard and premium voices; some even say it’s hard to tell they’re not human.
• Responsive Customer Support – Customer service is frequently described as timely, patient, and helpful—especially when resolving glitches or providing compensation where needed.
• Saves Time in Content Creation – Once familiar with the platform’s workflow, users report being able to generate high-quality results much faster than before. For teams needing rapid turnaround (like those using Ringly.io), this can be a significant advantage.
• Covers Multiple Use Cases & Emotions – The ability to select different speaking styles (emotional tones like whispering or shouting) adds flexibility for varied projects such as audiobooks or e-learning modules.

Cons

• User Interface Can Be Clunky During Updates/Migrations – Some users find switching between different editors confusing or less efficient during platform transitions. This can slow down workflows until fully adapted. (Ringly.io’s streamlined UI may help avoid these transitional headaches.)
• Lack of Authenticity in Certain Accents/Languages – While there are many voice options overall, specific accents—like Australian—are underrepresented or sound too influenced by other dialects. Finding truly authentic regional voices can require extra effort.
• Piecemeal File Management Is Cumbersome – Managing multiple generated files belonging to one project isn’t as smooth as it could be; grouping related audio clips requires manual organization outside the app. Solutions that offer better project/file management (such as Ringly.io) may reduce this friction.
• Learner Curve with Advanced Features – Newcomers sometimes feel overwhelmed by the number of settings/options available at first; mastering all features takes time despite initial ease-of-use impressions.
• Pricing Model Changes Cause Frustration – Some long-time users preferred previous pricing structures where they could experiment freely before paying only for downloads. Now adjustments incur costs up front which some find less flexible or cost-effective depending on their workflow needs.
• Limited Control Over Nonverbal Sounds/Intonation – Achieving perfect delivery with things like “umm” or “er,” subtle pauses, or nuanced intonation remains tricky. The technology isn’t always able to capture every nonverbal cue exactly how creators want. Platforms offering finer control here would stand out.

Pricing - Retell vs Play 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.

Retell pricing

• Discounts: Volume-based discounts are available for high usage (rates can drop to $0.05/min or lower). Annual commitments may unlock further savings.
• Cancellation Fees: No cancellation fees for pay-as-you-go users. For enterprise/annual contracts, early termination penalties may apply if specified in contract negotiations.
• Refund Policies: No explicit money-back guarantee or refund policy is advertised. Users receive $10 free credits (~60 minutes of calls) to test before committing.
• Minimum Spend: For meaningful enterprise deployment, expect a minimum spend starting around $3,000/month.
• Free Credits: All new users get $10 in free credits to try the service risk-free (~60 minutes of calls).
• No Platform Fees/Subs Required: Costs are strictly usage-based unless negotiating an enterprise deal—there are no forced bundles or hidden platform charges.

Retell AI is designed primarily for businesses with technical resources and high call volumes who want granular control over their voice agent deployments. The modular pricing structure means you only pay for what you use but should monitor costs closely if scaling rapidly.

Play AI pricing

Key Notes:

• All paid plans include more minutes and more advanced cloning/concurrency as you move up tiers. Unlimited agents/playnotes are standard from Starter upwards.
• All standard plans are available monthly. Annual discounts may be available for some users or on request. There is no long-term contract required unless negotiated for Enterprise.
• There are no penalties or fees for canceling or downgrading your plan. You simply stop the next renewal payment if you cancel before your billing date.
• Refunds are only possible if requested within 24 hours of purchase AND usage is under a low threshold (e.g., less than ~5000 characters). Otherwise—no refunds for change of mind or dissatisfaction once used beyond that limit.

“We do not offer refunds for change of mind or dissatisfaction with the Services…All refund requests must be made within 24 hours of purchase, and the character usage must be below 5000 characters. Any subscription plan that has used more than 5000 characters…is not eligible for a refund.”

• Students/educators/non-profits can get a flat discount by contacting support.
• Enterprise/custom deals may include further volume-based discounts.

This table should help you compare Play AI’s offerings at a glance!

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.

Online customer reviews: Retell vs Play AI

Retell

"Super quick responses" – Anonymous Reviewer (Customer Service Lead)
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... customers are definitely happier...less hold time and better answers...

"Not a reliable vendor" – Anonymous Reviewer (Product Manager)
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...

Retell stands out for its ease of use, fast response times in conversations, strong integration with leading AI technologies like Eleven Labs and OpenAI, and responsive support. Users praise how quickly they can deploy high-quality conversational agents that sound natural enough to fool callers into thinking they’re speaking with humans. However, some reviewers point out reliability concerns compared to competitors—especially regarding responsiveness to feature requests—and note that while new features arrive frequently due to its startup nature, this can also mean instability or shifting priorities.

Play AI

After an extensive search across major review platforms—including G2, Capterra, Product Hunt, Trustpilot—and broader web sources:

There are no online reviews available for Play AI from any major review platform at this time.

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.

"How to automate customer service? -> Ringly.io" - Sidra Husnain, Founder.

Retell vs Play AI: Which is best for you?

Who Retell is best for…

• Businesses with in-house developers or technical teams – Retell shines if you want deep control and are comfortable building or customizing your own AI phone systems using APIs or code.
• Companies needing custom workflows – If you have complex processes, special routing needs, or want to tie calls tightly into existing backend systems, Retell gives you that granular power.
• Enterprises seeking advanced compliance and privacy – With HIPAA, SOC 2, and GDPR compliance, it’s suitable for industries like healthcare, finance, or any organization prioritizing strict privacy controls.
• Medium-to-large businesses already using Twilio or wanting usage-based pricing with no extra platform fees – If scaling call volume and managing costs per minute is a priority, Retell offers transparent pricing and integration flexibility.

Who Play AI is best for…

• Creative teams, content creators, and game developers – Play AI’s focus on ultra-realistic, expressive voices and a wide range of languages makes it perfect for creating lifelike audio for games, podcasts, or multimedia projects.
• Businesses wanting fast multilingual support – For global brands or those needing natural-sounding voices in over 25 languages, Play AI gives you broad reach with speedy voice generation.
• Teams with some technical know-how – While it’s easier to use than developer-heavy platforms, Play AI is a good fit for those comfortable setting up integrations and custom automations (through APIs or Zapier/Make).
• Projects where voice cloning, emotion, or vocal variety matter most – If voice customization and emotional tone are top priorities for engaging your audience, Play AI leads the pack.

Who Ringly.io is best for…

• Any business wanting to automate customer calls, with no coding needed – Ringly.io is built for business owners and teams who want results fast, not technical headaches. If you want to set up and run AI phone agents in minutes, it’s the best choice.
• E-commerce stores looking to boost sales and support automatically – With features like abandoned cart recovery, automated order status updates, and instant Shopify/WooCommerce integration, Ringly.io was made for retailers who want to save time and close more sales (no IT team required).
• Growing teams that need to scale support without scaling costs – Ringly.io’s flexible month-to-month pricing, free trial, and powerful automations make it easy to support more customers, even as your business grows.
• Businesses that want the best of both worlds: powerful AI and simple setup – If you want deep integrations, human-sounding calls, and actionable insights, but need an intuitive interface (and responsive support!) for your whole team—Ringly.io is the go-to platform. That’s why it’s consistently rated 4.8 stars and stands out as an overall best value for businesses big or small.

In short: Retell is best for power users and custom setups. Play AI is best for content-rich, creative, or global voice projects. But for most businesses—especially those wanting to automate support, recover lost sales, and delight customers with smart, humanlike calls out-of-the box—Ringly.io is the all-around best choice, no matter your size or team.

Why Ringly.io is a Better Choice

Highly Rated: 4.8/5

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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.‍

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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.‍

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Features that make Ringly.io the #1 alternative to Retell and Play 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.‍‍‍

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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.‍‍

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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.‍‍‍

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Scalable pricing without enterprise contracts – Ringly.io offers transparent, scalable pricing—pay for what you use, no locked-in contracts.‍

Final Thoughts: Which Platform Should You Choose?

In the rapidly evolving world of AI-powered phone agents, Retell, Play AI, and Ringly.io each bring something unique to the table. The right choice depends on your business goals, technical resources, and how quickly you want to see results.

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Here’s a quick recap of the main takeaways for each platform, plus guidance on when to pick each one:

• Retell:
  • Best for teams with strong technical skills who want deep API control and the ability to custom-build sophisticated workflows.
  • Offers advanced compliance and integration options, but requires more engineering effort and comes with some user-reported reliability and support concerns.
  • Ideal if you need total flexibility and are comfortable trading ease-of-use for maximum customization.
• Play AI:
  • Delivers industry-leading, ultra-realistic multilingual voices and fast response times, perfect for creative content, gaming, or global audiences.
  • Easy to start with for teams willing to explore APIs and some setup; however, it lacks user reviews and is more focused on voice quality and diversity than automation depth.
  • Great pick if lifelike speech, emotional expression, and language coverage are top priorities—but requires a little technical ability.
• Ringly.io:
  • Purpose-built for businesses and e-commerce teams looking for instant automation—no coding required, no technical overhead.
  • Outshines others with its intuitive setup, automatic knowledge syncing, advanced analytics, and unbeatable integrations for Shopify/WooCommerce—plus 4.8-star ratings from users who love its simplicity and results.
  • The best all-rounder for scaling customer support and sales—whether you’re just starting out or growing fast—delivering both power and ease-of-use for any team.

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The bottom line? If you have a big development team and need every knob and switch, Retell gives you control. If you’re creating interactive games or global multimedia projects where voice quality is everything, Play AI may fit the bill.

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But for most businesses—especially those who want to boost support, save time, recover more sales, and grow fast without hiring more agents—Ringly.io is the clear winner. It combines business-ready automations, truly humanlike calls, and an interface anyone on your team can use, all wrapped in fair, scalable pricing.

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Ready to transform your customer experience and streamline your operations—without the technical hassle? Start your free trial with Ringly.io and see the difference yourself.

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Want to compare other players in the market? Check out our other comparisons:

• Retell vs Synthflow
• Retell vs Bland
• Retell vs Goodcall
• Retell vs Poly AI
• Retell vs Vapi
• Retell vs Air AI
• Retell vs Regal AI
• Retell AI alternatives

• Play AI vs Bland
• Play AI vs Synthflow
• Play AI alternatives

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