Bolna vs Retell: Finding the Right Voice AI Platform

Voice AI is becoming an essential part of how businesses communicate and operate. It is being used in healthcare to remind patients about appointments, in education to answer student queries, and in customer support to handle thousands of calls every day. Many industries are now turning to voice automation to make communication faster, easier, and more personal.

The value of Voice AI automation lies in its consistency. It can respond instantly, stay available at any hour, and keep conversations accurate no matter the scale. This helps companies improve customer satisfaction while reducing the workload on human teams.

Among the growing number of solutions, Bolna and Retell have emerged as two platforms that approach voice automation in distinct ways. Both aim to make AI-driven conversations sound natural and useful, but they differ in how they manage language support, customization, and overall performance.

This article looks at Bolna vs Retell to understand how each platform supports modern communication and which one fits better for businesses ready to adopt Voice AI.

What Problems Businesses Face with Voice AI

Many businesses struggle when integrating voice AI, not because the idea is weak but because real-world challenges often get in the way.

• Language diversity: Supporting multiple regional and global languages can be difficult. Many AI systems still find it hard to understand accents or local dialects.
• Latency and response quality: Delayed or robotic replies make conversations feel unnatural. Real interactions need speed, accuracy, and clear tone.
• Scalability: Managing large call volumes without losing quality requires strong infrastructure and consistent performance.
• Data privacy and control: Voice AI platforms must protect sensitive information such as financial or medical data while maintaining compliance standards.

The voice AI agents market is projected to reach USD 47.5 billion by 2034, driven by the growing use of automation across different sectors. These challenges highlight the need for a platform that balances technology, reliability, and ease of use.

Meet the AI Voice Agent Platforms

Several platforms are now helping businesses bring voice automation into everyday operations. Each one focuses on a slightly different aspect of communication, from handling customer calls to managing large outreach campaigns. Bolna and Retell are two of the most recognized names in this space, both aiming to make AI-driven conversations more natural and effective.

Bolna: A Feature-Packed Solution for Business Growth

Bolna is an Indian voice AI platform built for businesses that want automation to feel natural and human. It helps companies manage customer calls, schedule appointments, run surveys, and handle follow-ups through real conversations that sound clear and confident.

The platform supports multiple Indian and global languages, making it easy for businesses to connect with customers across different regions and cultures. This multilingual strength gives Bolna an edge in markets where local communication builds trust.

Bolna delivers a user-friendly and feature-rich experience designed to help businesses grow. From pre-made agents to advanced batch calling capabilities, Bolna provides all the tools needed to automate and simplify operations smoothly.

With Bolna, you can:

• Use pre-built agents for quick setup and faster deployment.
• Schedule appointments easily with voice-based automation.
• Scale large outreach campaigns through advanced batch calling.

Bolna focuses on both performance and privacy. Voice agents can be created in minutes, handle thousands of calls at once, and maintain fast response times. The platform also includes analytics, transcripts, and call recordings to help teams review and improve results.

Check out one of Bolna’s agents in action

Want to test Bolna yourself? Import an agent here and experience its capabilities firsthand.

Retell

Retell is a voice automation platform designed to create lifelike voice agents for simple and straightforward tasks. It focuses on quick setup and is often used by businesses testing voice automation or running small customer interaction projects. The platform uses speech generation and transcription tools to help teams automate basic conversations such as answering common questions or confirming appointments.

While Retell performs well for limited use cases, its customization and language options are more restricted compared to larger platforms. It primarily supports English, which can be a challenge for businesses working with diverse or multilingual audiences. Retell also provides fewer tools for detailed analytics and reporting.

Overall, it is a good starting point for companies exploring voice automation, but organizations aiming for long-term scalability and wider communication reach may find its capabilities limited.

Bolna vs Retell AI: Key Comparisons

Both Bolna and Retell are designed to make voice automation easier for businesses, but the way they perform and the features they offer are quite different. Here are some of the key areas where Bolna and Retell differ.

1. Pricing and Scalability

Bolna offers a cost-effective pricing model at around $0.03 per minute, making it ideal for companies that handle a large number of calls each day. Retell, on the other hand, costs about $0.10 per minute, which can make scaling more expensive over time.

Bolna also supports advanced batch calling and provides ready-made agents for multiple industries, helping teams grow without technical challenges. Retell’s scalability is limited by fewer features and integration options, which can slow down expansion for larger businesses.

2. Customization and Functionality

Customization is one of the strongest differences between Bolna and Retell. Bolna offers a simple bot builder powered by OpenAI, allowing users to adjust prompts and workflows without any coding experience. This makes it easy to create voice agents that reflect a company’s tone and communication style.

Bolna also provides a wide range of pre-built templates for both inbound and outbound use cases, including recruitment, healthcare, real estate, and food services. Teams can deploy these agents quickly and make small edits to fit their needs.

Retell, in comparison, offers basic manual setup options and lacks built-in templates or advanced customization tools. For companies that want more control and flexibility, Bolna delivers a smoother and more complete experience.

3. Performance and Reporting

Performance plays a key role in how effective a voice AI system can be. Bolna provides faster and smoother conversations with latency between 500 and 800 milliseconds, allowing calls to feel natural and uninterrupted. Retell’s latency ranges between 1100 and 1200 milliseconds, which can lead to slower or less responsive interactions.

Bolna also includes detailed analytics and reporting features directly on the platform. Users can view call summaries, transcripts, and recordings in one place, helping teams track performance and make improvements easily. Retell offers only limited reporting, such as basic call duration and latency data, giving users less insight into overall quality and performance.

4. Support and Setup Experience

Customer support and ease of setup can make a major difference in how quickly a business gets value from voice AI. Bolna provides 24-hour live chat, onboarding calls, and personalized demo sessions to guide users through setup and agent creation. Most agents can be deployed within minutes, even by non-technical users.

Retell offers limited support options, mainly through email and Discord, which can slow down troubleshooting. Its setup process takes longer and often requires manual configuration. Bolna’s intuitive interface and quick-start tools make it easier for any team to begin using voice automation with confidence and minimal effort.

5. Security and Data Privacy

Security plays a crucial role when businesses manage customer data through voice AI. Bolna ensures that all call data, transcripts, and recordings are handled securely and remain protected within the platform. It also follows strong data protection standards, giving companies more confidence when dealing with sensitive information.

Retell offers basic data management but does not provide advanced security options or detailed control over data storage. For organizations that work in regulated sectors or prioritize compliance, Bolna provides a safer and more transparent environment for managing voice data.

What Makes Bolna Stand Out for Businesses

Bolna stands out as a complete and reliable voice AI platform for both growing and established businesses. It combines fast performance, flexible customization, and multilingual communication to create an experience that fits real business needs. Companies can handle calls, automate tasks, and reach customers in their preferred languages while keeping every interaction clear and efficient.

Unlike platforms that require heavy setup or technical expertise, Bolna focuses on simplicity and speed. Teams can deploy agents within minutes, run large-scale campaigns, and track performance directly through the platform. With its affordable pricing, round-the-clock support, and strong data protection standards, Bolna gives businesses the tools to communicate better and scale faster.

For organizations that value quality, control, and accessibility, Bolna delivers a voice AI experience that is both powerful and easy to manage.

How to Choose the Right Voice AI Platform for Your needs

Choosing a voice AI platform depends on what matters most to your business. Some companies look for fast setup and affordable pricing, while others need language flexibility, scalability, or detailed performance insights. The right choice should balance all these factors while fitting easily into your existing workflows.

When evaluating options like Bolna and Retell, consider how well the platform understands your customers, supports multilingual communication, and maintains call quality under high volumes. It should also give you clear visibility through analytics and make deployment simple for any team.

Bolna checks these boxes with a focus on accessibility, speed, and real results. Whether you are a startup looking to automate calls or an enterprise aiming to scale customer engagement, Bolna offers the reliability and support needed to grow confidently.

Conclusion

Voice AI is becoming a key part of how modern businesses communicate. It helps teams handle more calls, answer faster, and stay connected with customers in a consistent way. What was once seen as a complex technology is now an everyday tool that brings real efficiency and better service.

Bolna offers a simple yet powerful way to bring this transformation into your business. It focuses on clarity, speed, and natural communication across multiple languages, making it easier for companies to scale and stay personal at the same time.

You can see the platform in action through a live demo, explore the API documentation, or speak directly with our engineers to learn how Bolna can fit into your business needs. You can also schedule a call with our team to discuss your goals and find the right solution for you.

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