# AgentPhone vs Dial (2026): Two phone APIs for AI agents, compared

By Samuel Oram-Jones

For a person who wants an AI agent to call businesses, text them, and take calls back without building on a phone API, Bland's Agent Phone Plan, an [AI phone number](https://www.bland.ai/ai-phone-number) for one agent, is the answer to AgentPhone vs Dial: one dedicated US number, with calls and texts to the US and Canada included, for $9.99 for the first month (once per account owner), then $19.99 a month.

AgentPhone and Dial meter a call the same way, at $0.13 a minute when a developer's own model runs the call and $0.22 when the company's hosted model runs it, on a $3.00 basic number. They part ways on the extras: how a number gets permission to text, what iMessage and WhatsApp cost, and how much a free account can do. All figures here are as of November 2026, and the rest of the field sits in [AI agent phone plans compared](/compare/agent-phone-plan).

## Which is better, AgentPhone or Dial?

Neither AgentPhone nor Dial is the better choice for a person's AI agent, because both are developer APIs that bill call minutes by default, and Bland's Agent Phone Plan includes calls and texts to the US and Canada in one flat monthly price. Between the two, AgentPhone sells UK texting numbers on enabled accounts and iMessage lines from $150 a month, while Dial sells WhatsApp and a $35.00 number that can text from its first day.

| Feature | Bland Agent Phone Plan | AgentPhone | Dial |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly price | $9.99 for the first month (once per account owner), then $19.99 a month | $3.00 a number | $3.00 Virtual, $35.00 Local, or $300.00 All channels, per number |
| Calls | Included to the US and Canada, under fair use, plus $10 of international calling credits with the first plan purchase | $0.13 or $0.22 a minute | $0.13 or $0.22 a minute |
| US texts | Included, in and out | $0.02 a segment, in or out, and outbound US texts need 10DLC registration at $25 or $70 one time | Virtual: $0.02 a text after up to 3 days of 10DLC registration and a one-time fee. Local: included from day one |
| iMessage | No | $150 a month inbound-only, $250 a month to send | +$215 a month on Local |
| WhatsApp | No | Beta, switched on per account | +$100 a month on Local, allowlist only |

<details><summary>What these rows mean</summary>

- **US texts:** 10DLC is the US carrier system that registers businesses texting from an ordinary 10-digit number. AgentPhone requires it for outbound US texts, and receiving texts works without it. Dial handles it for a Virtual number and sells a Local number that texts without it.

</details>

## Where does AgentPhone fall short for an AI agent?

AgentPhone falls short for a person's AI agent because AgentPhone bills every minute and every text, and its number can't send a text to a US phone until the account has registered for 10DLC. AgentPhone describes itself this way: "AgentPhone gives your AI its own phone number. Handle voice and messages through one unified webhook."

Calls cost $0.13 a minute over a developer's own webhook or $0.22 on AgentPhone's hosted agent, billed per second with a 1 cent minimum, and texts cost $0.02 a segment each way. Registration for outbound US texts costs $25 one time, or $70 for high volume. Every new account gets $5 of credit with no card, though AgentPhone requires a real payment method on file before an outbound call. AgentPhone also caps calls at once and returns a busy error with a retry time when an agent hits the cap. Recording calls is a $5.00 monthly add-on.

<div class="cmp-proscons" data-rival="agentphone"><div class="cmp-proscons-pros"><p><strong>Pros</strong></p><ul><li>One number per agent, with calls and texts in both directions</li></ul></div><div class="cmp-proscons-cons"><p><strong>Cons</strong></p><ul><li>Every call minute and every text billed, so the month's total moves with use</li><li>Outbound US texts wait on 10DLC registration, at $25 or $70 one time</li><li>Outbound calls need a card on file, even with free credit</li><li>A cap on calls at once that returns a busy error</li></ul></div></div>

Don't use AgentPhone for:

- A monthly bill that stays the same whatever the agent spends on hold, because every minute is metered
- Texting a US business on the first day, because outbound US texts need registration first

## Where does Dial fall short for an AI agent?

Dial falls short for a person's AI agent because Dial bills calls per minute unless a number moves to a subscription priced only in its dashboard, and its cheapest number can't text until a registration of up to 3 days clears. Dial describes itself as "Calls, SMS, WhatsApp and iMessage for AI agents. One API, one CLI, one MCP server."

Dial sells three kinds of number. Virtual is a VoIP or toll-free number at $3.00 a month, Local is what Dial calls a "real carrier number" at $35.00, and All channels is a Local number with iMessage and WhatsApp at $300.00. A Virtual number waits on 10DLC registration, with a one-time fee, before it texts, and a Local number texts from day one. Without a subscription, calls cost $0.13 or $0.22 a minute on all three.

Until a free account's first top-up, each call stops at 5 minutes, with 2 calls at once. Signing up asks for a personal phone number that can receive a text. Dial sells an optional flat monthly or yearly subscription per number with unmetered usage, priced only inside its dashboard, and iMessage numbers can't join it. Dial's terms make the customer responsible for "all legally required notices and disclosures, including regarding automated or AI-driven communications and any call or message recording."

<div class="cmp-proscons" data-rival="dial"><div class="cmp-proscons-pros"><p><strong>Pros</strong></p><ul><li>WhatsApp and iMessage on the same number as calls and texts</li></ul></div><div class="cmp-proscons-cons"><p><strong>Cons</strong></p><ul><li>Calls billed per minute without a subscription</li><li>The $3.00 Virtual number waits up to 3 days for 10DLC registration, with a one-time fee</li><li>A number that texts on day one costs $35.00 a month before any calls</li><li>Free accounts stop each call at 5 minutes</li><li>Subscription prices shown only in the dashboard</li></ul></div></div>

Don't use Dial for:

- A hold queue on a free account, because each call ends at 5 minutes until the first top-up
- A known monthly price, because Dial prices its unmetered subscription only inside its dashboard

## What do AgentPhone and Dial cost next to Bland?

AgentPhone charges a number fee plus every call minute, and Dial does the same without a subscription, while Bland's Agent Phone Plan is one monthly price with calls and texts to the US and Canada included. The difference grows with every minute an agent spends listening to hold music, and an hour of it costs $13.20 on either hosted meter before anyone picks up. Bland has a longer page on a [flat monthly plan vs pay per minute](https://www.bland.ai/ai-phone-number/ai-phone-number-cost).

### Bland pricing

$9.99 for the first month (once per account owner), then $19.99 a month. Renews monthly on the card on file until cancelled. The plan includes one dedicated US local number and unlimited voice minutes and SMS to US and Canada numbers, subject to fair use. 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. Bland can be tried for free, and that try covers outbound calls only, from a shared Bland number, with no dedicated number, no texting, and no incoming calls.

Fair use means one call at a time across the account, 20 calls an hour, 50 calls a day, 1,000 call minutes a day, 60 minutes at most per outbound call, 20 texts an hour, and 100 texts a day. An account owner cancels in Billing and Plans or through the API. More calls at once need Bland's Build plan, on the [pricing page](https://www.bland.ai/pricing). Enterprise pricing is custom, set with Bland's sales team.

### A month of calls, worked from published prices

These totals use the metered hosted rate of $0.22 a minute and Bland's $19.99 monthly price. Once a $3.00 number has used about 77 minutes of hosted calls, either rival costs more than Bland's month, before texts or registration fees. At 120 minutes, AgentPhone and a Dial Virtual number each come to $29.40, and a Dial Local number comes to $61.40. On Bland the same month is $19.99, within fair use.

## Why do people comparing AgentPhone and Dial choose Bland?

People comparing AgentPhone and Dial choose Bland because Bland's Agent Phone Plan gives one AI agent a dedicated US number that calls, texts, and takes calls, at a flat monthly price, without a developer building a product around it. AgentPhone and Dial are developer APIs that leave a person running errands to build the app and, by default, pay the meter. Bland also runs a [phone number API for AI agents](https://www.bland.ai/ai-phone-number/phone-number-api-for-ai-agents) for developers.

The agent places a call with a task, such as asking about a late checkout, then reports back with a transcript and summary. When someone replies to a text, Bland answers from the number toward the goal the agent was given, and people can call the number back. The plan's number does calls and SMS, not iMessage or WhatsApp.

Setup runs through Bland's hosted MCP server. MCP, the Model Context Protocol, is the standard way an AI assistant plugs into an outside tool. Claude Code takes one command to add Bland's MCP server, then a sign-in with Bland or an API key. Cursor adds Bland's MCP server with an API key. OpenClaw adds Bland's MCP server under mcp.servers in ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json, with the key in the BLAND_API_KEY environment variable, or can be asked to sign itself up from Bland's docs. Bland isn't partnered with or endorsed by Anthropic.

<div class="cmp-proscons cmp-proscons-own"><div class="cmp-proscons-pros"><p><strong>Pros</strong></p><ul><li>Calls and texts to the US and Canada included in one monthly price, under fair use</li><li>A dedicated US number that calls, texts, and takes calls</li><li>Text replies answered from the number toward the agent's goal</li></ul></div><div class="cmp-proscons-cons"><p><strong>Cons</strong></p><ul><li>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</li></ul></div></div>

Each rival also has its own page against Bland: [Bland vs AgentPhone](/compare/agent-phone-plan-vs-agentphone) and [Bland vs Dial](/compare/agent-phone-plan-vs-dial).

## Frequently asked questions

### Is AgentPhone better than Dial?

Neither is better for a person's AI agent, because AgentPhone and Dial both bill call minutes by default at the same $0.13 or $0.22 rate, and Bland's Agent Phone Plan includes calls and texts to the US and Canada in one monthly price.

### What is the best alternative to AgentPhone and Dial?

Bland's Agent Phone Plan is the best alternative to AgentPhone and Dial for a person's AI agent, because it gives the agent a dedicated US number that calls, texts, and takes calls for $9.99 for the first month (once per account owner), then $19.99 a month.

### Can AgentPhone or Dial send texts from an agent's own number?

Yes, AgentPhone and Dial both send texts from an agent's own number, with conditions. AgentPhone needs 10DLC registration, at $25 or $70 one time, before texts go out to US phones. Dial's $3.00 Virtual number waits up to 3 days for registration, and its $35.00 Local number texts from day one.

### Which is cheaper, AgentPhone, Dial, or Bland?

AgentPhone and a Dial Virtual number are cheaper than Bland for an agent that makes few calls, and Bland is cheaper once the agent passes about 77 minutes of metered hosted calls a month. A Dial Local number costs $35.00 a month before its first call, more than Bland's $19.99 month.

### Do AgentPhone and Dial support iMessage and WhatsApp?

Yes, both sell iMessage, and both offer WhatsApp with limits. AgentPhone charges $150 or $250 a month for an iMessage line and switches WhatsApp on per account in beta. Dial adds iMessage for $215 a month and allowlist-only WhatsApp for $100 a month to a Local number. Bland's plan number does calls and SMS only.

### Do AgentPhone and Dial work outside the US?

Yes, AgentPhone and Dial both sell numbers outside the US. AgentPhone sells US and Canadian numbers, plus UK numbers that only text on enabled accounts, and texts to 200 countries. Dial sells US, Canadian, and international numbers and prices texts to other countries in seven tiers. Bland's plan gives a US number, with calls and texts to the US and Canada and $10 of international calling credits in the first plan purchase.