# Vapi Pricing (2026): What You'll Actually Pay

> Pricing breakdown, checked July 2026. Source: https://vapi.ai/pricing

Last checked: July 2026. HTML version: https://www.seldonframe.com/vapi-pricing

## The short version

- **Starts at:** no platform fee — pay per use
- **What stacks on top:** **$0.05/min** — but this is only the platform's own cut.
- **SeldonFrame comparison:** **$29/mo** **flat**, **unlimited workspaces** — no meters
- **Free tier:** 60+ minutes included to start; no ongoing free tier

## Plans

| Plan | Price | Who it's for |
|---|---|---|
| Build (self-serve, usage-based) | no platform fee — pay per use | Developers building voice agents |
| Scale (annual contract) | custom — talk to sales | Production/enterprise deployments |

## What stacks on top

- **Vapi hosting fee:** **$0.05/min** — but this is only the platform's own cut.
- **Model, voice & telephony pass-through:** Speech-to-text, the LLM, text-to-speech, and telephony are passed through at cost (free only if you bring your own API keys) — real-world all-in cost is reported around **$0.10–$0.30/min** depending on the stack, not shown on the pricing page.
- **Extra concurrency, SMS, compliance add-ons:** Extra concurrency runs **$10** per line/month beyond 10; SMS/chat is **$0.005**/msg; HIPAA compliance is **$2,000/mo** and Zero Data Retention is **$1,000/mo**.

## Free tier

60+ minutes included to start; no ongoing free tier

## The bottom line

The advertised **$0.05/min** is only Vapi's hosting fee — the model, voice, and telephony providers bill separately, and a real call commonly costs 2–6x that headline number. HIPAA compliance alone adds **$2,000** a month.

## How this compares to SeldonFrame

SeldonFrame is **$29/mo** **flat**, unlimited workspaces, with AI and telephony on your own keys at raw provider cost — no meters to track. See the full comparison: https://www.seldonframe.com/compare/seldonframe-vs-vapi and https://www.seldonframe.com/alternative-to-vapi.

## FAQ

**How much does Vapi cost?**

The advertised $0.05/min is only Vapi's hosting fee — the model, voice, and telephony providers bill separately, and a real call commonly costs 2–6x that headline number. HIPAA compliance alone adds $2,000 a month.

**Does Vapi have a free plan?**

60+ minutes included to start; no ongoing free tier

**What's the cheapest Vapi alternative?**

SeldonFrame: $29/mo flat, unlimited workspaces, first workspace free forever, with AI and telephony on your own keys at raw provider cost. https://www.seldonframe.com/alternative-to-vapi

## Sources

Prices checked July 2026 on https://vapi.ai/pricing

## Get started

- Start free (build the workspace in ~3 minutes, before signing up): https://www.seldonframe.com/signup
- All pricing pages: https://www.seldonframe.com/alternatives