How Clerk Chat Outshines Retell AI for Smart Teams

Retell’s advertised pay‑as‑you‑go price hides a web of per‑minute and per‑feature charges. Using Retell means paying $0.07–$0.08 per minute for voice, $0.003–$0.06 per minute for the language model and $0.015 per minute for telephony. On top of that, knowledge‑base queries add $0.005 per minute and branded caller ID adds $0.010 per outbound call. If you need a phone number, it’s another $2/month and toll‑free numbers cost more. To send texts, you have to file a 10DLC brand ($4–$45) and campaign ($15) application that can take weeks. Clerk Chat charges a flat $10/user/month that includes unlimited messaging, AI voice and RCS—no hidden fees.

Consider a team that handles 1 000 minutes of calls per month. With Retell AI, the voice engine ($0.07/min), LLM ($0.06/min) and telephony ($0.01/min) add up to about $0.14 per minute, or ≈$140/month — and that’s before adding knowledge‑base, chat messages, branded caller ID, phone numbers and SMS campaign fees. Clerk Chat charges $10 per user per month for unlimited messaging and AI voice, so even a small team can save over 60 % every month. Larger teams or high‑volume call centers save thousands of dollars annually by eliminating per‑minute billing and hidden add‑ons.

Yes. Clerk Chat's Ultimate plan includes unlimited two‑way SMS and RCS texting along with built‑in AI voice and chat agents. In contrast, Retell’s messaging is limited to one‑way SMS sent during a call. To even enable texting, you must register a U.S. number, pay a brand and campaign fee and wait for manual approval. Retell also imposes daily message segment caps and warns that campaigns can be suspended if real‑world traffic doesn’t match your sample messages. Clerk Chat removes these restrictions so you can text customers freely and automate follow‑ups without surprise costs.

With Clerk Chat, you can start messaging customers within minutes; our onboarding takes about 5 minutes and we handle 10DLC registration for you, usually approving brands in under 48 hours. Retell AI requires you to buy a U.S. phone number and submit separate business profile and campaign applications (fees range from $4–$45 plus $15). Their documentation notes that this manual review can take a couple weeks. If your application is rejected, there’s no refund, and you must reapply. Clerk Chat’s streamlined process eliminates the waiting game and lets you start engaging customers immediately

Clerk Chat customers get personal, responsive support from a dedicated team. There’s no phone tree or endless hold music; our experts respond quickly via chat, email or phone. Retell AI relies on Discord and email for standard support, and there’s no guaranteed response time. Trustpilot reviewers report difficulty getting help, having accounts blocked without warning and struggling to cancel or delete accounts. Another review notes that the platform is unusable in the UK. When you need assistance—whether it’s onboarding, troubleshooting or scaling — Clerk Chat is there for you.

Yes! Retell’s enterprise plan requires a minimum spend of $3 000 per month and may involve negotiated terms. Many businesses feel locked in because of these minimums and unpredictable usage bills. Clerk Chat offers month‑to‑month contracts with no long‑term commitments. Our onboarding specialists can port your existing numbers, migrate your campaigns and ensure there’s no downtime. If you’re worried about early termination fees, reach out to sales@clerk.chat — we’ll help design a migration plan that avoids penalties and lets you start saving immediately.