Artificial Intelligence is transforming how businesses communicate—and AI voice agents are at the forefront of this transformation. From automating inbound support to placing outbound sales calls, voice AI platforms like Retell and Thoughtly promise to streamline workflows, reduce costs, and increase customer satisfaction.
But for small to medium-sized businesses (SMBs)—especially in New York City, where competition is fierce and operational efficiency is critical—choosing the right platform is about more than flashy demos and buzzwords. It comes down to pricing, flexibility, integration capabilities, and support.
In this article, we’ll delve into the differences between Retell and Thoughtly, comparing them across the key metrics that matter most to NYC startups, regional agencies, service-based SMBs, and enterprise consultants alike.
A Quick Overview
Retell AI and Thoughtly AI both provide powerful platforms for deploying voice AI agents. Both can:
- Place or receive phone calls
- Understand natural language
- Execute tasks via APIs and integrations
- Transcribe calls in real-time
- Offer analytics and insights
However, their approach to pricing, accessibility, implementation, and support couldn’t be more different.
Pricing: Pay-As-You-Go vs. High Monthly Minimums
Thoughtly: Commitment-Heavy
Thoughtly operates more like an enterprise SaaS vendor. It requires a minimum monthly spend of $500, making it prohibitive for smaller organizations or companies just beginning to test AI voice solutions.
Even worse, Thoughtly does not provide a self-service trial or usage-based billing for low-scale applications. This structure assumes:
- You’re doing high-volume calling
- You’re ready for a serious monthly commitment
- You can handle setup and support yourself or via a developer team
For large agencies or enterprise clients, that may be reasonable—but for SMBs? That’s a tough ask.
Retell: True Pay-As-You-Go
Retell flips the script. You can start with no minimum commitment, and pricing is fully usage-based:
- $0.07+/minute for voice calls
- $0.002+/message for AI chat
- Plus optional fees for phone numbers, integrations, or SIP/VoIP routing
This “pay-as-you-go” model makes Retell ideal for businesses of all sizes, especially those piloting new services, working on limited budgets, or scaling up from a small proof of concept.
Retell’s pricing structure encourages experimentation without financial risk—a huge win for marketing agencies, real estate groups, appointment-driven businesses, and NYC service providers.
Contract Flexibility: Short-Term Agility vs. Long-Term Lock-In
For fast-moving businesses, flexibility is essential.
Thoughtly: Annual Contracts and Usage Credits
Thoughtly structures its billing around usage credit buckets—which may sound flexible, but in reality, you’re prepaying for a volume tier. If you use less, you’ve overpaid. If you use more, you’re forced to re-up or renegotiate.
They also tend to require multi-month or annual agreements, which may include onboarding fees.
This makes the service feel more like a legacy telco wrapped in a modern UI.
Retell: Month-to-Month Freedom
Retell allows customers to scale usage up or down at any time, with no lock-in. You only pay for what you use—making it ideal for:
- Seasonal businesses
- Pilots and MVPs
- A/B testing campaigns
- Small call volumes or niche use cases
That flexibility also makes it easier for managed service providers (MSPs) or digital marketing agencies to offer AI Voice to clients without assuming financial risk.
Core Features: Comparable NLP, Better Infrastructure on Retell
Both Thoughtly and Retell offer natural language processing (NLP), call control, integrations, and transcription. But the infrastructure behind them varies greatly.
Shared Strengths:
- Text-to-Speech (TTS) with multiple voices
- Speech-to-Text (STT) transcription
- Support for multiple languages
- API and Webhook access
- Call recording
- Dialog building
Where Retell Pulls Ahead:
1. Superior Call Routing and SIP Integration
Unlike Thoughtly, which is more geared toward hosted deployments, Retell supports full SIP/VoIP trunking, which allows it to:
- Be integrated into existing phone systems like 3CX, Asterisk, FreePBX, or Twilio
- Deliver calls with lower latency and higher call quality
- Enable hybrid deployments where AI handles level-one support and humans take over via extension
This makes Retell more attractive to companies with in-house PBXs, VoIP platforms, or advanced call routing needs.
2. Easier Troubleshooting and Call Debugging
If you’ve ever been stuck trying to debug a failed call with no logging, you know the pain.
Retell offers detailed real-time logs, call event traces, and test modes that enable you to simulate calls without incurring minutes. Their developer dashboard is built for visibility—you can see:
- STT confidence scores
- Transcription mismatches
- Flow paths and decision branches
- Integration/webhook response times
In contrast, Thoughtly’s interface—while clean—obfuscates technical detail, leaving you to submit support tickets for issues that could be self-resolved.
3. Voicemail and DTMF Handling
Retell also offers native voicemail detection and DTMF signal handling—essential for appointment systems, IVRs, and any business requiring caller input.
Thoughtly lacks robust support here, often requiring workarounds.
Onboarding & Support: One is DIY, The Other Is Guided
Thoughtly: Developer-First
Thoughtly is ideal for technical teams who know exactly what they’re doing. But if you’re a business owner or non-technical marketer looking to get started, you’re mostly on your own.
Documentation is solid, but support is limited to email, and community help is sparse.
They expect you to have:
- A developer who can manage integrations
- Internal telephony knowledge
- Time to troubleshoot complex call flows
Retell: Built for SMBs and Non-Tech Teams
Retell offers a drag-and-drop flow builder, a guided setup wizard, and fast-response customer support that can walk you through setup—even on free-tier accounts.
You don’t need to be an AI expert to deploy an agent.
And if you are an expert? Retell’s API and webhook control gives you all the power Thoughtly does—without the complexity.
Use Case Fit: Who Should Choose What?
Choose Retell If You:
- Are a small to mid-size business testing AI voice
- Want to integrate with your existing SIP/VoIP system
- Need flexible pricing with no commitments
- Have non-technical staff deploy AI workflows
- Prioritize support and real-time visibility
- Want to scale usage seasonally or per campaign
- Are a managed service provider deploying bots for clients
Choose Thoughtly If You:
- Are an enterprise with consistent call volumes over $500/month
- Already have an engineering team managing your flows
- Don’t mind contractual lock-in
NYC Spotlight: Why Retell Wins for Local Businesses
For businesses in New York City, the stakes are higher. Competition is fierce, and customer expectations are sky-high.
Retell’s pay-as-you-go structure and SIP/VoIP capabilities are particularly valuable in a market where:
- Local service providers (law offices, salons, doctors, realtors) need fast, affordable automation
- Digital agencies want to bundle AI voice into marketing services
- Startups want to test new ideas without burning budget
- Field service and appointment-based businesses need real-time scheduling and voicemail handling
And with Retell’s strong support team and developer visibility, NYC-based agencies can deliver AI voice to clients without becoming the default IT helpdesk.
Final Verdict: Retell Offers More Flexibility, Visibility, and Value
Both Retell and Thoughtly offer strong AI voice platforms—but only one makes it accessible to growing businesses without sacrificing power.
| Feature | Retell | Thoughtly |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing Model | Pay-as-you-go | $500/month minimum |
| Contracts | No lock-in | Often requires annual terms |
| SIP/VoIP Support | Full SIP trunking | Not Supported |
| Flow Builder | Drag-and-drop + APIs | Developer-driven / Drag-and-drop |
| Troubleshooting Tools | Real-time logs, test calls | Limited user-side visibility |
| Support | Responsive, even on free plans | Primarily email |
| Ideal For | SMBs, MSPs, agencies, startups | Large enterprises |
For small to medium-sized businesses looking for voice AI automation, Retell is the clear winner. Its flexibility, pricing transparency, and ease of use make it a powerful tool in the hands of both technical and non-technical teams.
Ready to Get Started?
If you’re considering adding AI voice to your business—and want to start small, scale wisely, and keep costs low—Retell is ready when you are.
Whether you’re in Manhattan, Brooklyn, or the Bronx, there’s never been a better time to test voice AI. Retell’s tools and pricing are made for your pace—and your budget.
