Bland vs Elevenlabs Conversational AI – Who's #1?

Bland - a quick overview

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Founded in 2023 in San Francisco by Isaiah Granet and Sobhan Nejad, Bland AI is revolutionizing enterprise customer interactions with its advanced AI phone agents. Designed to handle high-volume calls with sub-second latency and enterprise-grade stability, Bland enables companies to build intelligent voice agents that integrate seamlessly into CRMs and databases.

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Trusted by major clients like Sears and Better.com, Bland offers unique features such as a proprietary programming language for conversational control, real-time call observability, and custom text-to-speech models. Its platform targets large tech companies needing scalable AI-driven call automation to reduce costs and improve customer experience.

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The following section will explore Bland’s features, pros and cons, pricing structure, and user reviews compared to ElevenLabs Conversational AI and Ringly.io to help identify the best fit for your business needs.

Bland's Features

• Ultra-Realistic AI Phone Agents
  Bland offers AI phone agents that sound convincingly human, support any language, and operate 24/7. This makes them ideal for global businesses needing round-the-clock coverage. While ElevenLabs also provides natural-sounding voices and multilingual support, Bland’s focus on phone-specific realism is a standout. Ringly.io similarly delivers lifelike voice but adds deeper business context integration.
• Self-Hosted, End-to-End Infrastructure
  Bland’s self-hosted infrastructure ensures data privacy, security, and near-zero downtime—crucial for industries with strict compliance needs. Unlike ElevenLabs’ cloud-first approach or Ringly.io’s managed SaaS model (which emphasizes ease of use), Bland appeals to enterprises wanting full control over their environment.
• Customizable Conversational Pathways & Prompts
  Users can design detailed call flows by mapping out conversations and defining agent decisions. Custom prompts allow tailored interactions for sales or support scenarios. ElevenLabs supports dynamic prompting too but leans more developer-centric; Ringly.io simplifies this further with no-code tools focused on e-commerce and customer service efficiency.
• Live Call Transfers & Contextual Routing
  Bland enables live transfers to human agents when needed, using real-time context from the call or external APIs—a must-have for handling complex queries without losing continuity. While ElevenLabs supports similar integrations via SDKs, Ringly.io enhances this by providing rich transfer summaries so teams are always prepared.
• API Integrations & Dynamic Data Exchange
  With robust APIs, Bland can connect to CRMs (like HubSpot), schedulers, ERPs—even send texts within workflows. This flexibility allows businesses to automate actions such as booking appointments during calls. ElevenLabs offers comparable API access but is more developer-focused; Ringly.io streamlines these connections specifically for commerce platforms like Shopify.
• Memory & Persistent Context
  Bland agents remember previous interactions using automatic recall tied to caller IDs or campaign memory IDs—improving follow-up calls and personalizing experiences over time. This feature is valuable in healthcare reminders or multi-step sales processes. ElevenLabs has knowledge base features but less persistent memory between sessions; Ringly.io achieves similar results through daily website syncs that keep the agent up-to-date without manual retraining.
• Node Library & Reusable Components
  The Node Library lets users build reusable workflow components (“nodes”) like collecting contact info—speeding up development of complex call flows while ensuring consistency across campaigns. Neither ElevenLabs nor most competitors offer this level of modularity out-of-the-box; Ringly.io focuses instead on pre-built templates optimized for common business tasks.
• Scalability & Performance
  Auto-scaling infrastructure means Bland handles thousands of simultaneous calls with sub-second latency—vital during high-volume events like product launches or emergencies. Both competitors scale well: ElevenLabs touts low-latency tech at scale; however, only Ringly.io combines scalability with deep analytics tailored specifically to commerce operations.
• AI-Powered Call Analysis
  Detailed post-call analysis includes mood detection (positive/negative/neutral), structured data extraction (JSON outputs), searchable logs by keyword/call type/cost—and actionable insights into what drives successful outcomes. While all three platforms offer analytics dashboards in some form, only Ringly.io layers in advanced reporting directly tied to revenue-impacting metrics like abandoned cart recovery rates.

In summary:
Bland excels at customizable phone automation with enterprise-grade security and flexible integrations—especially suited for organizations prioritizing control over infrastructure and compliance-heavy sectors. However, compared to both developer-centric solutions like ElevenLabs Conversational AI (which shines in rapid prototyping) and business-focused offerings such as Ringly.io (which specializes in instant knowledge syncing and revenue-driving automations), Bland may require more technical setup if you want seamless e-commerce workflows out-of-the-box.

Pros

• Human-like AI voicebots – Many users appreciate that Bland offers natural-sounding AI agents that can handle phone conversations in a way that feels authentic to customers.
• Comprehensive feature set – The platform provides a wide range of telephony features suitable for industries like healthcare, real estate, logistics, and financial services.
• Multi-bot management – Users highlight the ability to manage multiple bots and prompts as a valuable function for scaling operations or handling diverse customer needs.
• Flexible integrations – Bland supports integration with various third-party tools (though some require developer involvement), which allows businesses to connect it with their existing workflows.
• Scalable solution for enterprises – Larger organizations find value in its robust capabilities designed to streamline communication processes at scale.

Cons

• Call quality issues & latency – A recurring complaint is poor call quality marked by noticeable delays (latency) during calls; this disrupts conversations and can lead to lost customers if not addressed promptly. These issues have persisted over time without resolution from the team.
• Expensive pricing model – Several reviewers mention that costs can add up quickly ($0.09/minute), making it less accessible or cost-effective for startups or smaller businesses compared to alternatives.
• Steep learning curve & complexity – While powerful, many users struggle with setup complexity; full implementation often requires developer support since true no-code options are limited (mainly via Zapier). This makes onboarding slower than some competitors.
• Opaque pricing details – Some users report difficulty understanding the full scope of costs upfront due to lack of transparent pricing information on larger-scale deployments.
• Limited no-code capabilities natively – Unlike solutions such as Ringly.io where anyone can build flows without technical skills, Bland’s native environment isn’t fully no-code—making rapid prototyping harder unless you rely on external tools or developers.

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Elevenlabs Conversational AI - a quick overview

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ElevenLabs, founded in 2022 by Piotr Dąbkowski and Mati Staniszewski, is a pioneering AI audio research and deployment company based in New York. The founders, childhood friends from Poland, were inspired by the limitations of existing voice technologies. ElevenLabs specializes in creating natural-sounding speech synthesis software, making content universally accessible in any language and voice. With over one million users, the company has expanded into sectors like publishing, gaming, and media.

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In the following section, we will explore ElevenLabs' features, pros and cons, pricing, and user reviews, comparing them with other conversational AI platforms. This comparison will highlight where ElevenLabs stands in the market and its unique offerings.

Elevenlabs Conversational AI's features

• Customizable Voice Agents
  ElevenLabs lets you build highly customizable conversational voice agents using their in-house speech-to-text (ASR) and text-to-speech (TTS) models, supporting over 5,000 voices in 31 languages. This is ideal for brands needing unique, multilingual experiences or developers wanting to fine-tune every aspect of the agent’s personality. Compared to Bland’s focus on programmable phone calls and Ringly.io’s business-centric automation, ElevenLabs stands out for creative flexibility but may require more technical setup.
• Low-Latency Turn-Taking & Interruption Handling
  The platform offers advanced turn-taking and interruption detection so conversations feel natural—users can interrupt or clarify mid-sentence without breaking flow. This is especially valuable for interactive applications like tutoring or gaming. While Bland also boasts sub-second latency for phone calls, Ringly.io focuses more on business process automations rather than real-time dialogue nuance.
• Flexible SDKs & API Integrations
  Developers can integrate with Python, JavaScript, React, Swift SDKs and connect via APIs to platforms like Twilio for call handling. This makes it easy to embed voice agents into custom workflows or apps—perfect if you have a dev team building bespoke solutions. In contrast, Bland emphasizes quick deployment with minimal code; Ringly.io prioritizes no-code integrations with business tools like Shopify and HubSpot.
• Dynamic Prompting & Knowledge Base Support
  ElevenLabs supports dynamic prompting so agents personalize responses based on user input in real time. You can also connect knowledge bases to inform answers—though the setup may be less automated than Ringly.io’s daily-updating website sync that keeps content always current without manual retraining. For businesses wanting instant expertise from their own docs or site content with zero maintenance effort, this is where Ringly.io excels.
• Voice Cloning & Extensive Personalization
  With advanced TTS technology and voice cloning capabilities, you can create branded voices tailored exactly to your use case—from customer support personas to game characters. While Bland allows some voice customization as well (including cloning), its main strength lies in scalable call automation; Ringly.io focuses more on practical customer service outcomes than deep personalization of agent voices.
• Scalable Infrastructure & Monitoring Tools
  Designed for enterprise scale-out scenarios—handling thousands of concurrent calls per day—ElevenLabs includes built-in monitoring dashboards so teams can track performance at a glance. It suits large deployments needing robust oversight but doesn’t offer specialized analytics around sales recovery or order status that are core strengths of Ringly.io’s e-commerce focus.
• Developer-Centric Setup & Pricing Flexibility
  Getting started takes about fifteen minutes with transparent pricing.

Pros

• Human-like AI voicebots – Many users appreciate that Bland offers natural-sounding AI agents that can handle phone conversations in a way that feels authentic to customers.
• Comprehensive feature set – The platform provides a wide range of telephony features suitable for industries like healthcare, real estate, logistics, and financial services.
• Multi-bot management – Users highlight the ability to manage multiple bots and prompts as a valuable function for scaling operations or handling diverse customer needs.
• Flexible integrations – Bland supports integration with various third-party tools (though some require developer involvement), which allows businesses to connect it with their existing workflows.
• Scalable solution for enterprises – Larger organizations find value in its robust capabilities designed to streamline communication processes at scale.

Cons

• Call quality issues & latency – A recurring complaint is poor call quality marked by noticeable delays (latency) during calls; this disrupts conversations and can lead to lost customers if not addressed promptly. These issues have persisted over time without resolution from the team.
• Expensive pricing model – Several reviewers mention that costs can add up quickly ($0.09/minute), making it less accessible or cost-effective for startups or smaller businesses compared to alternatives.
• Steep learning curve & complexity – While powerful, many users struggle with setup complexity; full implementation often requires developer support since true no-code options are limited (mainly via Zapier). This makes onboarding slower than some competitors.
• Opaque pricing details – Some users report difficulty understanding the full scope of costs upfront due to lack of transparent pricing information on larger-scale deployments.
• Limited no-code capabilities natively – Unlike solutions such as Ringly.io where anyone can build flows without technical skills, Bland’s native environment isn’t fully no-code—making rapid prototyping harder unless you rely on external tools or developers.

Pricing - Bland vs Elevenlabs Conversational 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.

Bland pricing

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Elevenlabs Conversational AI pricing

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Key Notes on Plans and Policies

• Contract Length: No long-term contracts required for standard plans—users can pay monthly or annually. Annual billing offers discounts compared to monthly rates.
• Cancellation Fees: No penalties for canceling or downgrading your subscription before the next billing cycle—service continues until the end of the paid period.
• Refund Policy: Refunds are available if requested within 14 days of payment and only if no credit quota has been used during that period. If credits have been used—even partially—refunds are generally not granted.
• Free Trial / Free Tier: Yes—a free plan is available with limited minutes each month.

All feature sets are cumulative—higher tiers include all lower-tier capabilities plus additional benefits.

Minutes refer specifically to Conversational AI usage per month.

Enterprise plans offer custom solutions tailored by volume and business needs.

Ringly.io pricing

Ringly.io delivers the perfect balance of affordability and features. Unlike competitors who force you into expensive tiers, Ringly.io includes all core features even in its free plan. The simple, transparent pricing scales based on your actual usage, with no surprise fees.

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Online customer reviews: Bland vs Elevenlabs Conversational AI

What users are saying about Bland:

"Extremely impressed" – Casper Boutens
Extremely impressed by Bland; the team is improving their product every week... great support and all by all great phone calls made by their AI...

"Doesn't work at all" – Albert Salgueda
Doesn't work at all... I call and it doesn't speak, it gets interrupted... still not there...

What users are saying about ElevenLabs Conversational AI:

"Quality is extremely good" – Tommi Keränen
The quality of the voices is truly staggering! ... Even in my native Finnish ... voice cloning works very well if input quality is good enough...

"Numbers make it unusable" – Gabriele Mazzola
The quality drops dramatically when dealing with numbers or dates ... In my case ... makes the tool unusable even though I love the voices...

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.

Bland vs Elevenlabs Conversational AI: Which is best for you?

Who Bland is best for…

• Large businesses with internal dev teams – If you have developers on staff and need full control over how your AI calls are handled, Bland’s deep customization and self-hosted options are ideal.
• Companies in industries with strict compliance rules – Organizations in healthcare, finance, or government will appreciate Bland’s secure infrastructure and real-time observability.
• Call centers handling high volumes – Bland is built to scale, making it great for enterprises needing to manage thousands of live calls at once.
• Businesses needing highly complex, rule-based call flows – If your call logic is detailed and multi-step, Bland lets you build reusable “nodes” to make it all manageable over time.

Who ElevenLabs Conversational AI is best for…

• Developers and technical teams – If you want to build fully custom AI voice agents and have the skills to work with APIs, SDKs, and custom setups, ElevenLabs offers unmatched flexibility.
• Content creators, game designers, or voice-focused industries – With voice cloning, strong multilingual support, and creative control of tone and inflection, it's perfect for teams in media or storytelling.
• Startups experimenting with voice tech – ElevenLabs has generous free and low-cost tiers ideal for prototyping before committing to enterprise use.
• Teams prioritizing ultra-realistic voices and audio – If voice quality is your top priority, especially across many languages, ElevenLabs’ TTS tech is among the most advanced.

Who Ringly.io is best for…

• Small to mid-size businesses looking to save time and win more sales – Ringly is ready out-of-the-box with tools for order status updates, abandoned cart recovery, and customer support calls—no dev team required.
• E-commerce brands on platforms like Shopify – Ringly connects instantly to your store and syncs content daily from your website, keeping conversations up-to-date without retraining.
• Non-technical teams who want fast setup – Anyone on your team can create and launch an AI phone agent in minutes using simple no-code tools.
• Businesses that care about results, not just features – Ringly focuses on driving real outcomes—like more recovered carts and fewer missed support calls—while still sounding totally human.

The bottom line:
If you're running a complex, high-security operation and have dev resources, Bland might be your go-to. For creative or highly custom voice projects, ElevenLabs gives you all the tools. But for most businesses—especially those in e-commerce or customer service—Ringly.io offers the smartest balance of power, ease of use, and pricing. It’s fast to set up, easy to manage, and designed to turn customer conversations into conversions.

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 Bland and Elevenlabs Conversational 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

Choosing the right AI phone agent platform depends on your team’s goals, technical skills, and how your business operates. All three platforms — Bland, ElevenLabs Conversational AI, and Ringly.io — bring something valuable to the table. But they’re built for different users and outcomes.

If you're part of an enterprise with a dedicated tech team and need full infrastructure control, Bland gives you precision and power — just be prepared for a steeper learning curve.

For developers and creators looking for maximum customization and voice quality, ElevenLabs offers plenty of voice cloning and multilingual magic — but it leans heavily on technical expertise.

And then there’s Ringly.io — purpose-built for growing e-commerce brands and customer-facing teams that want results without the complexity.

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Here’s a quick summary of when to choose each:

• Bland – Best for enterprises that require deep infrastructure control, advanced call flows, and secure hosting. Ideal when you have the engineering resources to build and maintain complex voice workflows.
• ElevenLabs Conversational AI – Best for creatives and engineering teams focused on voice-first applications like games, content, and custom audio experiences. Great for those who want full control over voice, but not necessarily built for sales or support automation.
• Ringly.io – Best for businesses that want to automate support and boost sales — without hiring a developer. Ideal for e-commerce brands, fast-moving teams, and anyone who wants results fast through conversations that convert.

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In the end, Ringly.io balances everything beautifully:

• Enterprise-level voice tech that sounds human and reacts instantly
• No-code setup that anyone can launch in minutes
• Built-in integrations that drive real revenue outcomes like abandoned cart recovery and customer satisfaction

It’s no wonder Ringly.io continues to win over users — from solo founders to larger teams — who want AI that drives action, not just automation.

Ready to turn customer conversations into conversions? Try Ringly.io and see the results for yourself.

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

• Bland AI vs Retell AI
• Bland AI vs Synthflow
• Bland AI alternatives