Vapi pricing, explained.
$0.05/min platform fee, plus model and carrier costs.
A like-for-like starting point
Outbound US calls with Deepgram Nova-3, GPT-5 mini, integrated Cartesia-class TTS, and no recording. Bundled providers ignore separate model choices.
When this pricing model makes sense
Teams that want broad provider choice and an API-first workflow.
The most important distinction is whether Vapi sells a complete agent minute or one layer of the stack. Its published rate is only part of the total, which gives you more provider control but requires component-level forecasting.
Carrier charges are still modeled separately because phone rates change by direction, destination, number type, and volume. Recording, storage, compliance, analytics, and human transfer time can also create material deltas.
Verify the current rate
Snapshot checked 2026-07-18. Provider pages can change without notice.
Vapi pricing questions
The short version of the assumptions and boundaries behind this profile.