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Comparison LabCompare 27 voice AI platforms and components across seven buying contexts, with sourced capabilities, current price captures and visible unknowns.Voice AI Price Index: prices, evidence and historyUnderstand the complete voice-agent cost stack: models, voice, transcription, telephony, subscriptions, capacity and add-ons.Know the cost before the first callEstimate monthly voice-agent costs, AI minutes, setup expenses and volume scenarios using your own transparent assumptions.AI voice agents for dentalAppointments, rescheduling and after-hours calls—with a person ready for clinical questions. Explore call flows, safe automation, integrations, tests and cost considerations.

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Cartesia vs Telnyx

Cartesia is positioned as speech models for teams assembling a voice stack, with a separate managed-agent product. Telnyx is positioned as voice-agent infrastructure combining a carrier network with hosted speech and model service

The decision in context

Cartesia is positioned as speech models for teams assembling a voice stack, with a separate managed-agent product. Telnyx is positioned as voice-agent infrastructure combining a carrier network with hosted speech and model services. Start by deciding who owns the missing layers, then inspect the documented differences below.

Voice Engines and Full Platforms are different product categories. An underlying engine or framework is not a complete substitute for a deployed agent workflow.

12 jointly documented catalog fields. This measures evidence coverage, not equivalent quality or an overall winner.

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Test opening hours, booking conflicts and an unanswered transfer.

2 of 4 slots
CartesiaTelnyx
Decision signals / differences first

Start where the records differ.

4 of 8 priority fields differ

Values and evidence states are compared together. Shared facts follow the differences; Unknown never means No.

Selected platforms: buyer-critical differences before detailed dimensions
Decision pointCartesiaTelnyx
Billing unitDifferent records
TTS/STT credits; Managed Agents conversation minutesVerified Yes · 2026-09-28
minuteVerified Yes · 2026-09-28Documented product/configuration only; see research notes · PAYG
Bring your telephonyDifferent records
YesConditional · 2026-09-28
UnknownUnknown after research · 2026-09-28Documented product/configuration only; see research notes
Bring your modelDifferent records
YesConditional · 2026-09-28Line SDK versus Managed Agents distinction
UnknownUnknown after research · 2026-09-28Documented product/configuration only; see research notes
Warm transferDifferent records
UnknownUnknown after research · 2026-09-28
YesConditional · 2026-09-28ai_assistant_start; single caller; configured warm message
Billing modelShared state
component-stackVerified Yes · 2026-09-28
component-stackVerified Yes · 2026-09-28Documented product/configuration only; see research notes · PAYG
HIPAA pathShared state
YesVendor claim · 2026-09-28Cartesia vendor statement; specific service/contract scope must be confirmed
YesVendor claim · 2026-09-28Eligible services and Telnyx-hosted AI path · BAA-covered account
Your requirements & next steps
Carried from your shortlist

Your requirements

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Ready-made / AI receptionist · Strict evidence mode

No personal requirements yet. Add criteria in Advanced Filter to prioritize this comparison.

Unknown ≠ No
Evidence, side by sideNo benchmark scores
CartesiaVoice Engines
TelnyxFull Platforms
Pricing model
Cartesia
component-stackVerified Yes · 2026-09-28

TTS/STT credit subscriptions and Managed Agents minute charges remain separate.

Telnyx
component-stackVerified Yes · 2026-09-28

Reviewed current public offer; retain original billing scope and units.

Documented product/configuration only; see research notes · PAYG
Headline / base price
Cartesia
Managed Agents $0.06/min; Cartesia-provided-number telephony $0.014/minVerified Yes · 2026-09-28

Speech model credits and selected LLM/evaluation charges have separate scope.

Telnyx
$0.05/min Voice AI engineVerified Yes · 2026-09-28

Reviewed current public offer; retain original billing scope and units.

Documented product/configuration only; see research notes · PAYG
Billing unit
Cartesia
TTS/STT credits; Managed Agents conversation minutesVerified Yes · 2026-09-28

Product-specific units preserved.

Telnyx
minuteVerified Yes · 2026-09-28

Reviewed current public offer; retain original billing scope and units.

Documented product/configuration only; see research notes · PAYG
Platform fee
Cartesia
$0 Free; $5 Pro; $49 Startup; $299 Scale; Enterprise customVerified Yes · 2026-09-28

Plan allowances include separate agent prepayment; do not double-count as universal included voice minutes.

Telnyx
PAYG $0 monthly fee; Committed $500 monthly minimum; Enterprise $5,000 minimumVerified Yes · 2026-09-28

Reviewed current public offer; retain original billing scope and units.

Documented product/configuration only; see research notes · PAYG
Included usage
Cartesia
Free 20K credits / $1 prepaid agent; Pro 100K / $5; Startup 1.25M / $49; Scale 8M / $299Verified Yes · 2026-09-28

Separate credit and agent budgets; no arbitrary cross-product minute conversion.

Telnyx
Engine includes standard STT/TTS; not LLM and carrierVerified Yes · 2026-09-28

Reviewed current public offer; retain original billing scope and units.

Documented product/configuration only; see research notes · PAYG
Overage
Cartesia
UnknownUnknown after research · 2026-09-28

Free allowances and product rates are available; old changelog, bandwidth trial and speech volume controls do not establish these current billing terms.

Telnyx
Engine rounds each call to 60 seconds; recording $0.002/min; US local number $1/monthVerified Yes · 2026-09-28

Reviewed current public offer; retain original billing scope and units.

Documented product/configuration only; see research notes · PAYG
Pass-through costs
Cartesia
LLM tokens after promotional coverage; telephony and evaluation usageVerified Yes · 2026-09-28

LLM promotion ends October 1, 2026; quoted model/usage mix determines bill.

Telnyx
LLM token usage, carrier from $0.0032/min, recording/storage and number chargesVerified Yes · 2026-09-28

Reviewed current public offer; retain original billing scope and units.

Documented product/configuration only; see research notes · PAYG
Free offer
Cartesia
UnknownNot researched

Not yet researched against this buyer-critical field standard.

Telnyx
UnknownUnknown after research · 2026-09-28

60-second call rounding, token usage and carrier destinations require more than aggregate minutes.

PAYG
Complete cost ceiling
Cartesia
UnknownUnknown after research · 2026-09-28

Product mix, LLM promotion expiry, carrier routing and other metered components prevent a universal all-in ceiling.

Telnyx
UnknownUnknown after research · 2026-09-28

60-second call rounding, token usage and carrier destinations require more than aggregate minutes.

Documented product/configuration only; see research notes · PAYG
What remains unresolved
Cartesia
UnknownUnknown after research · 2026-09-28

Product mix, LLM promotion expiry, carrier routing and other metered components prevent a universal all-in ceiling.

Telnyx
60-second call rounding, token usage and carrier destinations require more than aggregate minutes.Verified Yes · 2026-09-28

Research conclusion about cost completeness, not a vendor capability.

Documented product/configuration only; see research notes · PAYG

Anyone with this link can view the encoded decision criteria.

Vendor documentation establishes a claim. Public model benchmarks are separate context, not measurements of these platforms.

Open saved comparison ↗

What to verify together.

Cartesia

A speech credit plan is not a complete phone-call bill.

Managed Agents $0.06/min; Cartesia-provided-number telephony $0.014/min · V3.3 evidence review · Managed Agents base rate; carrier/model charges and prepaid plan balances separate

Excluded / confirm: Complete cost cannot be established from this reference. Product mix, LLM promotion expiry, carrier routing and other metered components prevent a universal all-in ceiling. · LLM tokens after promotional coverage; telephony and evaluation usage

component-stackVerified Yes · 2026-09-28

TTS/STT credit subscriptions and Managed Agents minute charges remain separate.

Read the complete profile →

Telnyx

The $0.05 voice engine is not a complete phone-call price.

$0.05/min Voice AI engine · V3.3 evidence review · Voice AI engine component; token, carrier, recording and number costs separate

Excluded / confirm: Complete cost cannot be established from this reference. 60-second call rounding, token usage and carrier destinations require more than aggregate minutes. · LLM token usage, carrier from $0.0032/min, recording/storage and number charges

component-stackVerified Yes · 2026-09-28

Reviewed current public offer; retain original billing scope and units.

Documented product/configuration only; see research notes · PAYG
Read the complete profile →

The evidence overlap.

Both records have documented values for Product type, Technical setup, Pricing model, Published numeric pricing, Realtime / streaming audio, Function / tool calling, Silence handling, Webhooks, Published included concurrency at least, Local number availability, Checked within 30 days, Retained price snapshot. Matching availability does not measure behavior under your call conditions.

Run the same booking, tool failure and unsuccessful human-transfer cases. Record both outcomes and billable units before signing a deployment agreement.

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Editorial index gate: noindex-cross-category. Different product layers. This pair is useful for architecture inspection, not a like-for-like purchase ranking.