# Bland Agent Phone Plan vs Allo (2026): Which phone number should an AI agent use? An AI agent sent to ask a hotel about a late checkout, or to text a contractor about a delivery window, needs a phone number that dials out. Allo is a business phone system for small teams, and Allo says plainly of its AI receptionist: "Today it answers calls, it does not place them." Bland's Agent Phone Plan gives one AI agent its own US number that places calls, takes calls, and sends and receives texts, for one flat monthly price. The wider field is in [AI agent phone plans compared](/compare/agent-phone-plan). ## Which is better, Bland or Allo? For an AI agent that has to place calls and send texts on its own number, Bland's Agent Phone Plan is the better fit, because the plan's agent dials out and texts from a dedicated US number, while Allo's AI receptionist only answers inbound calls. Allo makes more sense for a small team that wants a shared business phone line, with people answering, an AI receptionist covering missed calls, and every call written into a CRM.

Use Bland when

Use Allo when

| Feature | Bland Agent Phone Plan | Allo | |---|---|---| | Built for | One AI agent running one person's errands | Business phone teams under 250 people | | Number | One dedicated US local number | One number per seat | | AI places outbound calls | Yes | No, the AI receptionist answers only | | AI takes inbound calls | Yes | Yes, as a paid add-on | | Texts from the number | Sends and receives | Receives on every plan, sends on Business and Ultra | | Where it calls and texts | US and Canada, plus $10 of international calling credits with the first plan purchase | Calls to 192 destinations, texts within five countries | | Price | $9.99 first month (once per account owner), then $19.99 a month | $32 a seat a month billed yearly, or $45 monthly, on Business | | Agent can sign itself up | Yes, with the owner's approval | No |
What these rows mean - **Number:** Bland's plan gives the agent one US local number, provisioned when the plan starts. Allo gives every seat its own number, and the team shares call history, tags, and texts. - **AI places outbound calls:** Allo's AI receptionist answers inbound calls and does not place them. Allo's Power Dialer is a separate add-on that runs a call list for the team. - **Texts from the number:** Allo sends texts only on Business and Ultra, and sending to US and Canadian numbers needs a one-time A2P 10DLC registration. 10DLC is the US carrier registration for business texting from a local number. - **Where it calls and texts:** Bland's plan calls and texts US and Canada numbers. Allo's texts go to numbers in the same country as the Allo number, in the US, Canada, France, the UK, or Belgium. - **Agent can sign itself up:** Bland's agent can start a signup that the owner finishes and approves in a browser. Allo sells seats to people through a checkout, and Allo's terms don't permit accounts registered by bots.
## How do Bland and Allo compare? The biggest difference between Bland and Allo is who the phone is for. Bland's Agent Phone Plan gives a phone line to one AI agent working for one person, while Allo gives a phone line to each person on a team and adds AI that answers and writes up calls. ### Bland overview Bland's Agent Phone Plan is a self-serve plan that gives an AI agent one dedicated US local number. The agent places outbound calls and returns a transcript and summary, takes inbound calls on the same number, and sends texts, and when someone replies, Bland answers from the number toward the goal the agent was given. Calls and texts go to US and Canada numbers, with unlimited voice minutes and SMS subject to fair use. The agent asks and reports back, so a business still decides whether a table or an appointment change goes through. More on the plan is on Bland's [AI phone number](https://www.bland.ai/ai-phone-number) page.

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### Allo overview Allo is a business phone system for teams, with "a shared business number for the whole team, AI that answers and writes up every call, and the follow-up actions landing in your CRM", in Allo's own words. Every seat comes with its own number, national calls are unlimited, and the team can call 192 destinations, 47 of them unlimited in the plan. Allo's AI Receptionist is an add-on that answers when nobody on the team can, picks up several calls at the same time, and hands a call to a person when it needs one. Allo records, transcribes, and summarizes every call by default and keeps recordings until a customer deletes them. Allo also says it isn't for enterprises.

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## How much do Bland and Allo cost? Bland's Agent Phone Plan costs $9.99 for the first month (once per account owner), then $19.99 a month, and Allo's Business plan costs $32 a seat a month billed yearly or $45 monthly, before its AI Receptionist add-on, as of November 2026. ### Bland pricing Bland prices the plan at $9.99 for the first month (once per account owner), then $19.99 a month. Renews monthly on the card on file until cancelled. That 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. Daily allowances reset at midnight UTC and hourly ones on the hour. There's no trial on the plan, so the card is charged when the owner approves. Bland also offers a free try that covers outbound calls only, from a shared Bland number, with no dedicated number, no texting, and no incoming calls. Cancel 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. ### Allo pricing Allo prices per seat: Business is $32 a seat a month billed yearly or $45 monthly, and Ultra is $100 a seat a month billed yearly or $120 monthly. Allo's AI Receptionist is billed on top, per agent, and Allo gives two figures for it: $32 a month per agent billed yearly, and $45 a month per agent. The Power Dialer is $50 a month for the whole team, an extra number starts at $5 a month, and texting US and Canadian numbers needs a one-time A2P 10DLC registration at $24. Business includes $5 of credit per seat a month for international calls and texts. Allo offers a 3-day free trial on Business, with a card on file that is charged on day 3. ## How does each one connect to ChatGPT, Claude, or other AI agents? Bland and Allo both run hosted MCP servers, and the difference is what an AI can do once connected: Bland's tools let the agent place calls and send texts from its number, while Allo's tools let an AI read and manage a team's phone system. MCP, the Model Context Protocol, is the standard way an AI assistant plugs into an outside service. Bland isn't partnered with or endorsed by OpenAI or Anthropic. ### How Bland connects Bland's [MCP server for phone calls](https://www.bland.ai/ai-phone-number/phone-call-mcp-server) connects to these AI clients: - **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 then 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. Bland's page on how to [give ChatGPT a phone number](https://www.bland.ai/ai-phone-number/chatgpt-phone-calls) walks through it. - **Claude:** In the Claude app, a person adds a custom connector under Settings, Connectors, pointing at Bland's MCP server, then signs in with Bland. - **Claude Code:** One command adds Bland's MCP server, followed by a sign-in with Bland or an API key. - **OpenClaw:** OpenClaw takes Bland's MCP server under mcp.servers in ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json, with the key in the BLAND_API_KEY environment variable, or signs itself up from Bland's docs. 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. ### How Allo connects Allo connects to Claude and ChatGPT through sign-in connectors, with Allo in the ChatGPT plugin directory and a custom MCP server as the other route, and to Claude Code, Cursor, VS Code, and Windsurf through its MCP server. Clients other than the sign-in connectors and Allo's Cursor plugin use an API key, which only an admin or owner can create. Allo's MCP needs the Business or Ultra plan. Allo's tools search calls and texts, read transcripts, send an SMS from an Allo number, tag calls, report team analytics, add numbers to a team member's Power Dialer queue, and set up the AI receptionist. None of Allo's tools places a call. ## Why is Bland the best Allo alternative for an AI agent? Bland is the best Allo alternative for an AI agent because Bland's Agent Phone Plan lets the agent place and take calls and send and receive texts on its own US number, for one flat monthly price, with no seat or add-on to buy. Allo builds its phone system around people, and the AI it sells waits for the phone to ring. An agent owner who wants an assistant to request an appointment change or text a landlord needs that assistant to dial out, which is the job the plan was built for. The [Allo review](/blog/allo-review) and the list of [Allo alternatives](/blog/allo-alternatives) go further. ## Frequently asked questions ### Is Bland better than Allo? Bland is better than Allo for an AI agent that needs to place calls and send texts from its own number, because Allo's AI receptionist answers calls and doesn't place them. Allo is the better fit for a small team that wants a shared business line answered by people, with AI covering missed calls. ### Is Bland cheaper than Allo? Yes, Bland's Agent Phone Plan costs less than Allo for one AI agent: $9.99 for the first month (once per account owner), then $19.99 a month, with the number, calls, and texts included. Allo's Business seat costs $32 a month billed yearly or $45 monthly, and its AI Receptionist is billed per agent on top. ### Can Allo's AI make outbound calls? No, Allo's AI receptionist answers inbound calls and does not place them, and Allo says it is not a cold-calling agent. Allo's outbound tool is the Power Dialer add-on, which runs a call list for a team. Bland's plan agent places outbound calls from its own number and reports back with a transcript and summary. ### Can Allo send texts from its number? Yes, Allo sends texts from its numbers on the Business and Ultra plans, while Bland's plan sends and receives texts on the agent's US number, to US and Canada numbers. Every Allo plan receives texts, sending to US and Canadian numbers needs a one-time $24 A2P 10DLC registration, and a text goes only to a number in the same country as the Allo number. ### Does Allo work with ChatGPT and Claude? Yes, Allo connects to ChatGPT and Claude through sign-in connectors and to other AI clients through its MCP server, on the Business or Ultra plan. Allo's tools read calls, send texts, and manage the team's phone system, and none of them places a call. Bland connects to ChatGPT, Claude, Claude Code, and OpenClaw, and its agent places calls and sends texts. ### Can an AI agent sign up for Allo by itself? No, Allo sells seats to people through a checkout, and Allo's terms don't permit accounts registered by bots or other automated methods. On Bland, an agent can start its own signup, and the owner finishes it and approves the plan in a browser. ### What happens to the phone number after cancelling Bland or Allo? Bland's plan number stays on the account after the plan is cancelled. Allo lets a customer port a number out, and porting is free in both directions.