AgentPhone review (2026): What it is and why agent owners choose Bland
Samuel Oram-Jones, 9 min read
An AI agent with its own phone number costs very little until the month it gets busy. AgentPhone charges by the piece: $3.00 a month for the number, 13 or 22 cents a minute for calls, and 2 cents a segment for every text in either direction, so a contractor's reply to the agent costs the same as the agent's question. Bland's Agent Phone Plan puts calls and texts on one dedicated US number at one flat monthly price, as of November 2026. The AgentPhone alternative post and AI agent phone plans compared cover the wider field.
What is AgentPhone and how does it work?
AgentPhone is a developer telephony API that gives each AI agent its own US or Canadian number for calls and texts through one webhook, while Bland's Agent Phone Plan gives one AI agent a dedicated US number for calls and texts at one flat monthly price.
AgentPhone is run by Relay Innovations, Inc. and backed by Y Combinator. Each number is attached to a single agent, so a second agent needs a second number. Standard numbers come from the US and Canada, with UK numbers that only text on accounts AgentPhone has enabled.
A call runs in one of two modes: in webhook mode, a developer's own agent answers over the webhook at $0.13 a minute, and in hosted mode AgentPhone hosts the agent at $0.22 a minute.
What features does AgentPhone offer?
AgentPhone has a Python SDK, a Node SDK, a REST API, and a hosted MCP server. MCP, short for Model Context Protocol, is the standard way an AI assistant plugs into an outside service. AgentPhone says it works with Claude Code, Cursor, OpenClaw, Windsurf, and any MCP client, and its MCP server signs a person in through a browser with no key to paste. Beyond calls and SMS, AgentPhone sells MMS, browser calls that need no number, and WhatsApp and RCS in beta, switched on per account when a customer asks.
AgentPhone sells iMessage as a separate line: $150 a month for an inbound-only line, $250 a month for a dedicated line that also sends, and $75 one time for a chosen area code. An outbound iMessage line can reach 50 new contacts a day. Bland's Agent Phone Plan number does calls and SMS, not iMessage.
How much does AgentPhone cost?
AgentPhone charges per use, with $3.00 a month per number, $0.13 or $0.22 a minute for calls, and $0.02 per text segment, while Bland's Agent Phone Plan costs $9.99 for the first month (once per account owner), then $19.99 a month.
AgentPhone sells no plans, seats, or monthly minimum. Calls are billed per second with a 1 cent minimum per call. SMS costs $0.02 a segment whether it goes out or comes in, MMS costs $0.03 a message, and carrier surcharges pass through at cost. Outbound texts beyond the US and Canada are priced by country across 200 countries, with the UK at $0.07 a segment.
Call recording is an add-on at $5.00 a month for the account. Sending texts to US numbers needs a one-time carrier registration, $25 for a sole proprietor or a standard brand and $70 for high volume. Every new account starts with $5 of credit and no card, which AgentPhone says covers a number and about 100 texts, but outbound calls need a real payment method on file.
Worked from AgentPhone's published prices, a hosted agent on one number that talks for 100 minutes and sends or receives 200 text segments in a month costs $29: $3 for the number, $22 for the minutes, and $4 for the texts. Recording makes it $34, and the first month adds $25 to register for US texting. A hosted agent with no texts passes $19.99 at 78 minutes in a month, and a webhook agent passes it at 131 minutes.
Is AgentPhone easy to set up, and is it safe?
AgentPhone lets an AI agent sign itself up with a code emailed to its owner and adds an AI greeting to calls placed through its MCP server, while Bland has the owner approve its plan before the card is charged.
Setup and everyday use
AgentPhone's self-signup takes two steps: the agent sends its owner's email address, AgentPhone emails the owner a 6-digit code, and once the agent passes the code back, AgentPhone creates the account, the number, a starter agent, and an API key in one go.
Texting takes more setup than calling. Inbound SMS works at once, but outbound texts to US numbers need 10DLC registration, the US carrier registration for business texts sent from a local 10-digit number, at the fee above. AgentPhone sets daily SMS limits by the campaign type and vetting score the carriers assign.
Safety and privacy
Outbound calls placed through AgentPhone's MCP server always open by identifying the agent as an AI, and the caller can't turn that greeting off.
Recording is off on AgentPhone until a customer pays for the add-on, and then every call on the account is recorded. A single call can skip the audio, and AgentPhone still keeps that call's transcript. Recording links open without an API key. AgentPhone keeps calls, messages, recordings, and transcripts while the account is active and deletes them on request.
AgentPhone has completed a SOC 2 Type 1 examination, with Type 2 in progress. AgentPhone numbers don't support 911 or E911, and AgentPhone's terms ban unsolicited marketing calls or texts that break the TCPA, the US law on telemarketing consent.
On Bland, every MCP tool carries read-only and destructive annotations, so well-behaved clients ask before they dial, and Bland advises keeping tool approval on.
What are AgentPhone's pros and cons?
AgentPhone suits a developer wiring numbers, webhooks, and metered billing into an app it builds, and its cons for a person with one AI agent come down to a bill that grows with every number, minute, and text, which Bland's Agent Phone Plan replaces with one monthly price.
Pros
- Calls and texts through one webhook, an SDK, or MCP
- No plans, seats, or monthly minimum
- iMessage lines, with WhatsApp and RCS in beta
Cons
- Every number, minute, and text segment is billed, including texts that come in
- Outbound US texts need a one-time registration of $25 or $70
- Recording is a $5.00 monthly add-on that records every call once on
- iMessage costs $150 to $250 a month per line on top
How does Bland compare with AgentPhone?
Bland's Agent Phone Plan gives one AI agent a dedicated US number that places calls, takes calls, and sends and receives texts for one flat monthly price, while AgentPhone bills each number, minute, and text separately.
On Bland, the agent places a call and returns a transcript and summary, and when someone replies to a text, Bland answers from the number toward the goal the agent was given. The agent asks and reports back, so the contractor still decides when the job gets done. More is on Bland's AI phone number page.
What does Bland's plan cost and include?
Bland's Agent Phone Plan costs $9.99 for the first month (once per account owner), then $19.99 a month, and the plan renews monthly on the card on file until cancelled. The price covers the number and unlimited voice minutes and SMS to US and Canada numbers, subject to fair use, with no per-minute or per-text charges. The first plan purchase also includes an extra $10 of international calling credits, so the agent can make international calls, and the plan includes live call transfer to the owner and voice cloning.
Limits are one call at a time across the account, 20 calls an hour, 50 calls a day, 1,000 call minutes a day, 60 minutes per outbound call, 20 texts an hour, and 100 texts a day, with calls and texts to the US and Canada, and international calls on the $10 of credits that come with the first plan purchase. There is no trial on the plan, so the card is charged when the owner approves. A person can try Bland for free; that try covers outbound calls only, from a shared Bland number, with no dedicated number, no texting, and no incoming calls. An owner cancels in Billing and Plans or through the API. More calls at once need Bland's Build plan, on the pricing page. Enterprise pricing is custom, set with Bland's sales team.
How does Bland connect to an AI agent?
Bland's MCP server for phone calls gives an agent the tools to call and text. In ChatGPT, a person turns on developer mode for apps and connectors, adds Bland's MCP server as a custom connector, and signs in with Bland; ChatGPT places outbound calls and reads results, and the plan is bought in the Bland dashboard. A person should check that their ChatGPT plan can add a custom connector with write actions before subscribing. In the Claude app, a custom connector under Settings, Connectors points at Bland's MCP server, followed by sign in with Bland, and Claude Code takes one command, then sign in with Bland or an API key. Bland isn't partnered with or endorsed by OpenAI or Anthropic.
An agent can also start its own signup with no key: it shows the owner a link and a code, the owner signs up and approves in a browser, and the agent receives a key, plus a number if the owner chose the plan.
Pros
- A dedicated US number that calls and texts in both directions
- One flat monthly price with no per-minute or per-text charges
- The agent can start its own signup, and the owner approves it
- Connects from ChatGPT, Claude, and Claude Code over MCP
Cons
- Built for one agent running one person's errands, one call at a time, so a team placing calls at volume needs Bland's Build plan or Enterprise
Verdict: AgentPhone or Bland for one AI agent?
Bland is the better choice for a person who wants an AI agent to call and text from its own US number without a meter running, because AgentPhone bills the number, every minute, and every text both ways, and a modestly busy month on AgentPhone passes Bland's monthly price.
Use Bland when
- An AI agent needs its own US number to place calls, take calls, and text
- A person wants one monthly price that doesn't move with minutes or texts
Use AgentPhone when
- A developer wants to wire numbers, webhooks, and per-minute billing into an app it builds itself
- A team will pay per line for iMessage, or asks AgentPhone to switch on WhatsApp or RCS in beta
The head-to-head detail is in Bland Agent Phone Plan vs AgentPhone, and AgentPhone vs Dial compares two metered phone APIs.
Frequently asked questions
Is AgentPhone worth it?
AgentPhone is worth it for a developer building a phone agent into an app and paying for usage, but less so for one agent running errands: worked from its published prices, a hosted AgentPhone agent costs more than Bland's $19.99 monthly renewal price once it talks for 78 minutes in a month.
How much does AgentPhone cost per month?
AgentPhone has no monthly plan: a number costs $3.00 a month, calls cost $0.13 a minute over webhook or $0.22 hosted, and texts cost $0.02 a segment each way. Recording adds $5.00 a month, and iMessage lines cost $150 or $250 a month.
Does AgentPhone record calls?
AgentPhone records calls only with its $5.00 monthly add-on, and then records every call on the account. A single call can skip the audio while AgentPhone keeps its transcript.
Do AgentPhone calls say they come from an AI?
Outbound calls placed through AgentPhone's MCP server always open by identifying the agent as an AI, and the caller can't turn that off. Bland's API offers an AI disclosure guard rail, tcpa:ai_disclosure, as an option a caller sets.
What is the best alternative to AgentPhone?
For one AI agent that needs its own number, Bland's Agent Phone Plan is the best alternative to AgentPhone, with a dedicated US number that places and takes calls and sends and receives texts for $9.99 for the first month (once per account owner), then $19.99 a month.
