Retell vs Air AI – Who's #1?

Retell - a quick overview

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Founded in 2023 in Saratoga, California by Todd Li, Evie Wang, Bing Wu, Weijia Yu, and Zexia Zhang, Retell AI is transforming contact centers with advanced AI phone agents. The platform empowers developers and businesses to build human-like conversational voice agents using its low-latency API—enabling seamless real-time interactions for customer service and high-volume call environments.

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Retell’s core users include developers building AI call agents or lifelike companions as well as businesses seeking to automate customer calls. Key features include rapid response times (averaging 800ms), interruption handling for natural conversations, easy LLM integration (including custom models like Llama 3), and WebSocket support for web or phone deployment. In the next section, we’ll compare Retell’s features, pros/cons, pricing, and user reviews with Air AI and Ringly.io.

Retell's features

• AI Voice Agent Platform
  Retell provides a robust platform for building, testing, deploying, and monitoring AI phone agents. Businesses can quickly create custom voice agents that handle inbound and outbound calls with natural-sounding interactions[1][3]. This is similar to Air AI’s core offering but with more granular control over deployment and agent customization. Ringly.io also offers rapid setup but stands out by focusing on e-commerce-specific automations.
• Appointment Booking Automation
  Retell’s AI can check availability, book appointments, confirm or reschedule bookings, and sync with tools like Cal.com—all while being time zone-aware[2]. This feature is ideal for service businesses needing seamless scheduling. Air AI supports appointment booking as well; however, Retell allows more direct integration into existing workflows. Ringly.io focuses less on general appointment scheduling and more on sales-driven tasks like abandoned cart recovery.
• Dynamic Knowledge Base Integration
  Retell lets users upload documents (PDFs, DOCX), add text content, or import entire websites to power its knowledge base[5][7]. The system auto-syncs updates from webpages so the agent always has current info—helpful for support teams needing up-to-date answers without manual intervention. While Air AI offers knowledge base capabilities too, Retell emphasizes real-time updates and multi-source integration. Ringly.io matches this strength but tailors it specifically to e-commerce stores by updating daily from your website or store data.
• Customizable Conversation Flows & Prompt Engineering
  Users can design single- or multi-prompt conversation flows tailored to their business needs[3]. Advanced prompt engineering options allow fine-tuning of how the agent responds in different scenarios—a must-have for companies wanting highly personalized customer experiences. Both Air AI and Ringly.io offer customization; however, Retell gives deeper technical control at the prompt level while Ringly.io prioritizes ease-of-use for non-technical users.
• Call Transfer (Cold & Warm)
  Retell supports both cold transfers (quick handoff) and warm transfers (with context briefing), letting you route calls efficiently based on triggers you define[9]. This ensures customers reach the right person fast—vital in high-touch industries like healthcare or finance. Air AI includes call transfer features as well; however, Retell’s ability to brief the next agent adds a layer of professionalism that not all competitors match. Ringly.io also enables smart call routing with detailed summaries but further integrates these actions into broader sales workflows.
• Batch Calling & API Integrations
  Businesses can deploy batch outbound campaigns via API integrations—ideal for proactive outreach such as reminders or follow-ups[3][7]. This capability helps scale operations quickly without manual dialing effort. While batch calling exists in other platforms too (including Air AI), Retell’s developer-friendly APIs make it especially attractive for tech-savvy teams looking to automate complex processes end-to-end.
• Monitoring & Post-Call Analysis
  A comprehensive dashboard tracks all calls in real time—including word-level timestamps—and provides post-call analysis tools so managers can review performance metrics easily[4][3]. These insights help refine scripts and improve customer interactions over time—a feature present across most leading platforms including Air AI and Ringly.io but executed here with strong focus on reliability improvements such as lower latency.

While both Retell and Air AI deliver powerful voice automation capabilities suitable across many industries—with flexible integrations—their approach often requires more technical setup compared to solutions designed specifically around e-commerce pain points like those addressed by Ringly.io: instant product expertise from your own site data; automated order status checks; abandoned cart recovery via phone; SMS follow-ups during live calls; plus deep workflow automations built just for online retail environments—all managed through an interface anyone can use without coding experience.[8][10]

Retell Pros and Cons

We studied dozens of reviews from real Retell users from platforms like G2, Capterra, and TrustRadius. Then we identified commonalities and summarized the main pros and cons of Retell based on real user feedback for you here:

Pros

• Easy to build, integrate, and manage Voice AI: Users consistently praise how straightforward it is to set up voice agents with Retell’s platform.
• Fast deployment: Businesses highlight that they can deliver unique Voice AI agents in a very short timespan—helpful for rapid prototyping or scaling customer service.
• Natural-sounding conversations: Many reviewers note that the AI voice agents sound so natural that customers often don’t realize they’re speaking with an AI.
• Responsive support team: Several users mention the highly responsive customer support—sometimes even delivering new features within hours of a request.
• No platform fees & cost-effective pricing: Unlike some competitors, Retell only charges API costs without additional platform fees, making it affordable for many businesses.
• Frequent feature updates: Users appreciate regular product improvements and new features being rolled out every few weeks.
• Strong integration capabilities: The ability to connect with major language models (like OpenAI) makes building advanced conversational flows easier for teams.

Cons

• Occasional latency issues: Some users report intermittent delays in response times during calls or testing sessions, which can impact real-time interactions.
• Limited agent deployment capacity: There are restrictions on how many voice agents can be deployed simultaneously—a challenge as companies scale up their operations.
• Unreliable vendor perception by some users: A few reviewers express concerns about vendor reliability; if switching costs weren’t an issue, they would consider alternatives due to trust concerns around long-term stability or responsiveness to requests beyond basic support needs. Ringly.io addresses this by offering transparent SLAs and dedicated account management.
• Slow or unresponsive to certain feature requests: While general support is praised as fast, there are complaints about slow responses—or lack thereof—to more complex feature suggestions over time. This could hinder teams needing customizations outside standard offerings. Ringly.io’s roadmap process ensures prioritized feedback loops.
• Customization limitations (especially voices): Some customers wish there were more options for customizing male voices or other nuanced aspects of agent personality/design; this may limit brand alignment opportunities in specific industries like healthcare or finance where tone matters greatly. Ringly.io offers broader customization libraries out-of-the-box.

These insights reflect what actual users experience day-to-day—not just what’s promised on paper. If you’re comparing solutions like Ringly.io against Retell, notice how addressing these drawbacks (such as scalability limits or customization flexibility) can make a significant difference when deploying conversational AI at scale.

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Air AI - a quick overview

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Founded in 2022 in Phoenix, Arizona, Air AI was created by Caleb Maddix and Ryan O'Donnel to revolutionize customer engagement through advanced conversational artificial intelligence. Unlike traditional chatbots, Air AI delivers natural, human-like phone conversations lasting up to 40 minutes, understanding context, intent, and sentiment with remarkable accuracy. Its autonomous AI operates 24/7 across over 5,000 applications to enhance sales and customer service for businesses.

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Air AI serves a broad audience including sales teams and customer service departments seeking scalable solutions that save labor costs while maintaining high-quality interactions. Led by entrepreneur Caleb Maddix—recognized as a top motivational influencer—Air AI has garnered positive reviews for its innovative approach and continuous operation without breaks or training downtime.

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The following section will explore Air AI’s features, pros and cons, pricing models, and user feedback compared with competitors like Retell and Ringly.io to help identify the best fit for your business needs.

Air AI's features

• Infinite Memory & Perfect Recall
  Air AI remembers every customer interaction, enabling it to reference past conversations and provide highly personalized support. This is ideal for businesses that want consistent, context-aware service across multiple touchpoints. While Retell offers stateful multi-prompt agents for context retention, Air AI’s infinite memory is more robust in recalling detailed histories. However, Ringly.io matches this with real-time knowledge base updates and instant expertise from your own content—without the risk of outdated or made-up info[6][8][10].
• Natural Language Understanding (NLU)
  Air AI uses advanced NLU to interpret complex queries, slang, and nuanced language accurately. This allows it to handle a wide range of customer requests naturally and efficiently. Retell also provides human-like voice interactions with interruption handling but focuses more on turn-taking models than deep NLU capabilities[2][7]. Ringly.io leverages your actual business documentation for answers—ensuring responses are always grounded in real facts.
• Multi-Channel Support
  Air AI can operate across phone calls and other channels by integrating with over 5,000 applications via API connections. This flexibility supports diverse business workflows without manual intervention[6][10]. Retell primarily targets telephony (Twilio/Vonage) and web integrations[7], while Ringly.io not only covers phone but also enables SMS follow-ups during calls for seamless omnichannel engagement.
• Autonomous Task Execution
  The platform autonomously performs tasks such as scheduling appointments or updating CRMs across thousands of apps—no human needed after setup[6]. Retell supports tool calling within its agent workflows but may require more developer input for custom actions[2][5]. In contrast, Ringly.io empowers users to create unlimited no-code automations triggered by call events—making workflow customization accessible even without technical expertise.
• 24/7 Availability & Scalability
  Air AI operates continuously without downtime or breaks; it can scale instantly to handle high call volumes thanks to cloud infrastructure[6][10]. Retell offers similar scalability with concurrent calling options based on plan limits (up to unlimited on higher tiers)[1], but initial integration may be slower due to required engineering resources. With Ringly.io’s rapid setup (often minutes), you get always-on support plus automated abandoned cart recovery—a unique revenue-driving feature missing from both competitors.
• Realistic Human-Like Conversations
  With advanced natural language processing and lifelike voice synthesis, Air AI delivers conversations that closely mimic real humans—including tone variation and contextual awareness—which enhances customer experience significantly[8][10]. Retell excels here too through its proprietary turn-taking model allowing interruptions at any point in the conversation for a truly natural flow[2][9]; however, neither solution integrates daily website updates into their knowledge base like Ringly.io does.
• Analytics & Insights
  Air AI provides analytics dashboards showing call outcomes and performance metrics so businesses can optimize their processes over time

Retell Pros and Cons

• Easy to build, integrate, and manage Voice AI: Users consistently praise how straightforward it is to set up voice agents with Retell’s platform.
• Fast deployment: Businesses highlight that they can deliver unique Voice AI agents in a very short timespan—helpful for rapid prototyping or scaling customer service.
• Natural-sounding conversations: Many reviewers note that the AI voice agents sound so natural that customers often don’t realize they’re speaking with an AI.
• Responsive support team: Several users mention the highly responsive customer support—sometimes even delivering new features within hours of a request.
• No platform fees & cost-effective pricing: Unlike some competitors, Retell only charges API costs without additional platform fees, making it affordable for many businesses.
• Frequent feature updates: Users appreciate regular product improvements and new features being rolled out every few weeks.
• Strong integration capabilities: The ability to connect with major language models (like OpenAI) makes building advanced conversational flows easier for teams.

• Occasional latency issues: Some users report intermittent delays in response times during calls or testing sessions, which can impact real-time interactions.
• Limited agent deployment capacity: There are restrictions on how many voice agents can be deployed simultaneously—a challenge as companies scale up their operations.
• Unreliable vendor perception by some users: A few reviewers express concerns about vendor reliability; if switching costs weren’t an issue, they would consider alternatives due to trust concerns around long-term stability or responsiveness to requests beyond basic support needs. Ringly.io addresses this by offering transparent SLAs and dedicated account management.
• Slow or unresponsive to certain feature requests: While general support is praised as fast, there are complaints about slow responses—or lack thereof—to more complex feature suggestions over time. This could hinder teams needing customizations outside standard offerings. Ringly.io’s roadmap process ensures prioritized feedback loops.
• Customization limitations (especially voices): Some customers wish there were more options for customizing male voices or other nuanced aspects of agent personality/design; this may limit brand alignment opportunities in specific industries like healthcare or finance where tone matters greatly. Ringly.io offers broader customization libraries out-of-the-box.

These insights reflect what actual users experience day-to-day—not just what’s promised on paper. If you’re comparing solutions like Ringly.io against Retell, notice how addressing these drawbacks (such as scalability limits or customization flexibility) can make a significant difference when deploying conversational AI at scale.

Pricing - Retell 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.

Retell pricing

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Air AI pricing

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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: Retell vs Air AI

Retell

"Game-changer for calls" – Anonymous Reviewer
Retell’s ability to handle complex conversations with natural flow has made our customer support more efficient...

"Expensive and less customizable" – Synthflow AI Blog
When compared to Air, Retell provides middleware solutions that are less customizable and more expensive, which may be a turnoff for certain firms...

Note: There are no reviews found on G2, Capterra, or Trustpilot for Retell as of now. Users should be cautious and consider trialing the product before making large commitments.

Air AI

No online reviews available so people should be careful.

Summary Table

Product: Retell
Total Reviews: 8
Average Rating: 4.5/5
Review Platforms: Product Hunt

Product: Air AI
Total Reviews: None found
Average Rating: N/A
Review Platforms: No major platforms

Both products offer robust features tailored to different business needs—Retell focusing more on enterprise-level integrations (with higher costs), while Air AI emphasizes flexibility and accessibility. However, only Retell currently has verifiable public user feedback; prospective buyers should proceed carefully with either solution due to the overall scarcity of independent online reviews.

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 Air AI: Which is best for you?

Who Retell is best for…

• Tech-savvy teams and developers: If you want full control to customize conversation flows, agent behaviors, or even integrate your own LLM models with detailed prompt engineering, Retell is a great fit. It’s developer-friendly with lots of API access.
• Businesses needing advanced appointment booking or workflow automation: Retell’s easy calendar integrations and flexible workflow options work well for service businesses, healthcare, or offices managing lots of calls and schedules.
• Companies looking for no platform fees and straightforward per-minute pricing: If predictable, cost-effective billing matters to you, Retell’s simple pay-as-you-go pricing can help.
• Those who don’t mind some technical setup: If you have engineering resources or don’t mind occasional technical bumps (like minor latency), you’ll likely get the most out of Retell’s features.

Who Air AI is best for…

• Medium to large teams needing multi-channel support and integrations: If you want to connect your calls with 5,000+ apps or need your AI to handle sales and service both on calls and other channels, Air AI’s broad integrations help automate a lot.
• Businesses seeking ultra-natural, long phone conversations: Air AI is built to keep customers talking for up to 40 minutes and remembers every interaction, making it great for sales teams or service lines that need deep, ongoing customer conversations.
• High-volume calling organizations willing to pay a premium: Its per-minute costs are higher and there’s a large license fee for enterprises, so it’s best for bigger teams with more advanced customer engagement goals and the budget to match.
• Teams wanting minimal manual management: Air AI takes pride in its “autonomous” operation—set it up, and let it run 24/7 without breaks.

Who Ringly.io is best for…

• E-commerce brands and online stores (big or small): Ringly.io is specially built for online stores! It automatically knows your products, recovers abandoned carts, checks order statuses, and answers real questions using your own website content—out-of-the-box and with no coding needed.
• Businesses who want fast, easy automation without technical headaches: The setup is simple (often just minutes), with no need for developers to get started. Even non-technical team members can launch and manage phone agents.
• Teams looking for the best value for money: Unlike others, Ringly.io includes all essential features—like SMS follow-ups, unlimited no-code automations, and daily knowledge updates—even on free and entry plans. Plus, there’s an industry-leading 110% money-back guarantee.
• Companies demanding reliability, simple pricing, and top-rated support: Get transparent SLAs, dedicated account management, and responsive help based on real customer feedback. Ringly.io’s customers love the human-sounding voices, fast response times, and the fact that it “just works” to close more deals and keep customers happy.

Why Ringly.io is the overall best choice: If you want a dependable, easy-to-use AI phone agent that just works—no tech headaches, no hidden fees, and it’s proven to drive sales and customer happiness—Ringly.io is the best fit for most businesses. Whether you're just starting or already scaling, you’ll get powerful features, industry-leading value, and a supportive team behind you, making it the clear winner for all sizes and experience levels.

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 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.‍‍‍

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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

When it comes to AI voice agent platforms, Retell, Air AI, and Ringly.io each bring something valuable—but they serve different needs and business sizes. Here’s the quick verdict on when to choose each, and what you should keep in mind:

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• Retell is ideal for tech-focused teams wanting deep customization and workflow integration. If you’re a developer or have in-house engineering, Retell gives you tools to build and fine-tune every detail, connect to your favorite LLMs, and manage large call volumes with powerful APIs. Just note: setup can be technical and customization around voice and branding may feel limited compared to other solutions.
• Air AI shines for large organizations needing omnichannel reach and ultra-natural, memory-driven phone conversations. Its vast integration network and robust recall make it great for sales-centric or support-heavy teams willing to pay a premium for 24/7 highly autonomous agents. However, it comes with higher costs and less transparent user feedback, so due diligence and careful planning are needed.
• Ringly.io stands out as the all-in-one solution for e-commerce and growing businesses. With instant, no-code setup, richly human-sounding AI, and purpose-built automations (like cart recovery and live order tracking), it makes advanced phone AI accessible to everyone—not just the tech elite. Transparent pricing, rave reviews, and a try-it-free guarantee make it a risk-free option for businesses that want results today, not next quarter.

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Key Takeaways

• If you want ultimate power and don’t mind technical complexity (and have an engineering team), Retell offers robust APIs and advanced control for intricate use cases.
• If you’re a big team that values depth of conversation and channel flexibility, and budget isn’t a concern, Air AI brings impressive conversation memory and massive integration reach.
• If you want the easiest, most effective way to automate phone calls for sales and support—especially in e-commerce—Ringly.io gives you instant results, a seamless interface, and unbeatable value with every essential feature built-in.

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All in all, your choice depends on your business structure, resources, and goals. But for most teams—especially those in e-commerce or SMBs who want to focus on growing their business instead of managing tech headaches—Ringly.io is the clear winner for real-world results, top-rated support, and peace of mind.

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Ready to transform your customer calls into sales and satisfaction? Try Ringly.io for free and see why businesses everywhere are making the switch.

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

• Air AI vs Bland
• Air AI vs Synthflow
• Air AI alternatives

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

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