The AI-first alternative to Retell AI
Retell does AI phone agents well. Orbit does AI voice agents and every other channel, so the conversation never has to leave the platform.
Orbit vs Retell AI, in one answer
Orbit is the AI-first alternative to Retell AI with the rest of the stack included: build AI voice agents on a low-latency streaming pipeline, then follow up over SMS, WhatsApp, email, video, and a built-in contact center — all on one platform and one pay-as-you-go bill.
of B2B technology search queries now surface an AI-generated answer — up from 36% a year earlier.
BrightEdge, 2026
Retell AI is a platform for building conversational AI phone agents — a focused voice-AI product.
| Feature | Orbit | Retell AI |
|---|---|---|
| AI voice agents | ||
| Native AI voice agents | ||
| Real-time, low-latency streaming voice pipeline | ||
| Open choice of third-party LLM & voice-model providers | ||
| Real-time Voice AI Quality Index (per-call 0–100 score) | ||
| Automatic post-call summary, action items & sentiment | ||
| Cross-call memory (recalls a caller's prior calls automatically) | ||
| Published voice-agent latency budget & methodology | 1 | |
| Multilingual voice agents (follow a mid-call language switch) | ||
| Every other channel, same platform | ||
| Programmable SMS & MMS API | ||
| WhatsApp Business messaging | ||
| RCS Business Messaging | ||
| Apple Messages for Business | ||
| Email API | ||
| Instagram + Facebook Messenger (Meta social DMs) | ||
| OTT chat (Telegram, LINE, Viber) | ||
| Embeddable video / RTC | ||
| Human + AI contact center (ACD) | ||
| Native customer data platform (identity resolution, golden records, audiences) | ||
| Platform & commercial model | ||
| Published pricing on website | ||
| Self-serve signup (no sales call) | ||
| Pay-as-you-go usage billing | ||
| One platform & one bill for every channel | ||
| Owns its wholesale voice network | ||
| Single BAA covers the whole voice AI stack (LLM, STT, TTS, telephony) | 2 | |
- 1Per-stage latency budget & methodology published on Orbit's voice-agent latency page.
- 2Business Associate Agreement available on request for qualifying healthcare customers — see Orbit's compliance status.
Comparison data as of Q3 2026. Competitor pricing and feature details sourced from public vendor documentation, G2, and Gartner Peer Insights. Subject to change at the vendor's discretion. Yes Partial No
Orbit vs Retell AI — frequently asked
- Is Orbit a good Retell AI alternative?
- Orbit is the AI-first alternative to Retell AI. Retell AI is a focused voice-AI product; Orbit pairs AI voice agents with SMS, WhatsApp, email, video, and a contact center on one platform. You get AI voice agents plus every other channel on one platform and one pay-as-you-go bill, with self-serve signup and no annual contract minimum.
- What does Orbit offer that Retell AI doesn't?
- Retell AI is a focused voice-AI product; Orbit pairs AI voice agents with SMS, WhatsApp, email, video, and a contact center on one platform. Orbit runs AI voice agents, SMS and MMS, WhatsApp, email, embeddable video, and a built-in contact center on a single platform with one unified bill, instead of separate products you integrate and reconcile yourself.
- How does Orbit's pricing compare to Retell AI?
- Orbit is pay-as-you-go with pricing published on the website, self-serve signup, and no annual contract minimum. Every channel is billed on one account, so you get a single invoice across voice, messaging, email, and video instead of a separate bill per product — and the rate you see is the whole cost: no per-product fees, no carrier or compliance surcharges, and no paid support tier stacked on top of usage.
- Can I build AI voice agents on Orbit like I do on Retell AI?
- Yes. Orbit is AI-first: you build and deploy AI voice agents on a real-time streaming pipeline, the same core Retell AI is built around. The difference is that on Orbit those agents sit next to SMS, WhatsApp, email, video, and a human contact center on one platform, so a conversation can move across channels without leaving the account. Orbit also runs the LLM, speech-to-text, text-to-speech, and telephony legs of that pipeline itself, so a healthcare customer can cover the whole stack under one Business Associate Agreement with Devotel — whereas Retell AI's bring-your-own-API-key model means you connect your own providers, so your organization is responsible for separately obtaining and managing a BAA with each one.
Ready to build on the AI-first platform?
Start free and ship an AI voice agent today, or talk to our team about moving from Retell AI. No annual contract, one pay-as-you-go bill across every channel.
See transparent pay-as-you-go pricing · Read the full “Best Platforms to Build AI Voice Agents 2026” guide · Read “AI Voice Agent Pricing in 2026: Cost Breakdown, Comparisons & ROI”
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