Vapi Alternative 2026: EU Region, GDPR, Real Costs and When Vapi Is the Better Choice

In short: Vapi is a platform for developers. You pay Vapi $0.05 per minute and add speech recognition, the language model and the voice at cost. According to Vapi's own calculator, that comes to roughly $0.08 to $0.13 per minute, before telephony through Twilio. Vapi has an EU region in its Premier package, a data processing agreement in its terms and describes itself as SOC 2 and HIPAA compliant. Per minute, Vapi is clearly cheaper than EchoCall. EchoCall fits when you start without a development team, want to plan in euros with fixed plans, want phone, website chat and reception in one account, or resell agents under your own brand.

Last reviewed on 9 October 2026. Everything we say about Vapi comes from Vapi's own website, pricing page, terms of service and documentation.

What Vapi is and who it is built for

Vapi is a toolkit for phone and voice agents. You choose a provider for every part of the conversation: speech recognition, language model, voice, telephony. Vapi handles the orchestration in between, meaning when the agent speaks, when it listens and how it deals with interruptions. If you want, you can replace every component with your own server, including the language model. [3]

In the Vapi dashboard you create assistants and test them. Connecting them to your systems, testing real processes and building a portal for your own clients usually happens through the API, webhooks and your own code. That is Vapi's strength: developers get a lot of control. And it is the reason companies without a development team look for an alternative.

What Vapi really costs

Vapi bills in US dollars and by component. The platform fee is fixed, and according to the pricing page, Vapi passes model costs through without a markup. [1]

On top comes an optional package. Without one, you get $5 of starting credit, four concurrent calls, one phone number and 14 days of raw data retention. [1]

Extra concurrent lines cost $10 a month, an extra organization $20. The HIPAA add-on with a Business Associate Agreement costs $2,000 a month. [1] The EU region is only available with the Premier package. [2]

Worked example: Vapi and EchoCall at the same volume

Vapi's calculator shows $82 to $129 for 1,000 minutes a month, without a package and without Twilio. That works out to roughly $0.08 to $0.13 per minute. We applied this range to EchoCall's plan sizes. [1][11]

So per minute, Vapi is clearly cheaper. We say that openly. The difference is in what you get for the money. With Vapi you pay for components and build the rest. With EchoCall you pay for a minute plan in euros and get a ready agent with a knowledge base, phone number management, call transcripts, handover to your team and a website chat in the same account. Add your developers' hours to the Vapi side before you compare the figures.

For agencies and resellers the calculation is different. In the PartnerNet partner program, EchoCall charges from €0.19 per voice minute with no base fee, and from €0.11 in the SaaS Titan model. [12]

Vapi's EU region: what it covers and what it does not

Often searched and often answered wrongly: yes, Vapi has an EU region. According to Vapi it is available only with the Premier Success Package, which Vapi prices on request. [2][1] It is a separate, isolated environment with its own dashboard at dashboard.eu.vapi.ai, its own API at api.eu.vapi.ai and its own SIP host at sip.eu.vapi.ai. Every organization belongs to exactly one region, and all its assistants, tools and phone numbers live there. [2]

The region alone does not give you data residency, though. Vapi's own data flow documentation says: [3]

• Storage: for data in a specific region, connect your own storage bucket in that region.
• Models: run the language model and voice in the region, through your own server or a provider with regional endpoints.
• System logs: internal system logs always stay on Vapi's infrastructure and are never uploaded to your storage.

On its GDPR page, Vapi states that personal data is also processed outside the EU, mainly in the United States, under standard contractual clauses. [4]

What this means for you: Vapi can be used in a GDPR-compliant way, but you have to set it up that way. Check these points before you start:

1. Book the Premier package, create the organization in the EU region and use only the EU endpoints.
2. Choose providers that process in the EU for speech recognition, language model and voice, or your own servers.
3. Connect your own storage in the EU or turn on Zero Data Retention. Vapi then stores no recordings, transcripts or summaries. It is included from the Core package. [5][1]
4. Review the data processing agreement, which is part of Vapi's terms of service as a Data Processing Addendum, and go through the list of subprocessors in the Trust Center. [7]
5. Assess transfers to the US with standard contractual clauses and a transfer impact assessment.

DPA, SOC 2 and HIPAA: Vapi and Retell compared

When people compare Vapi and Retell AI, they mostly ask about evidence. Here is what both providers state themselves, and where EchoCall stands.

Two details on Vapi's HIPAA mode: it always applies to the whole organization, and it cannot be combined with Zero Data Retention. You have to choose one of the two. [5][6]

If you process health data in the United States and need a BAA, Vapi or Retell are the right choice. EchoCall is built for the European market and does not offer one.

White label and agencies: Vapi through third parties, EchoCall directly

Vapi itself does not sell a client portal under your brand. In its documentation, Vapi lists third-party tools for that, such as Vapify, VoiceAIWrapper, ChatDash and Voicerr AI. These put a branded dashboard with billing on top of Vapi's API. [8] Vapi also runs a partner program for consultancies, systems integrators and agencies that build solutions for their clients. [9]

What this means for you: two contracts, two invoices and two data processors in the chain that you have to review.

With EchoCall, reselling is part of the platform. [12]

If you want to run the client portal yourself, use EchoCall's open-source portal. It is licensed under Apache 2.0, runs with Docker on your own server and shows your clients only your brand. Hosting providers can also connect EchoCall through the WHMCS plugin.

Affiliate programs: Vapi, Retell and EchoCall

Vapi runs the Vapi Affiliate Program at affiliates.vapi.ai. We found no public terms for it, so we do not compare commissions here. Vapi also has a partner program for agencies and integrators. [9] Retell AI pays 15 percent of a referred customer's revenue for twelve months. [10] EchoCall pays 20 percent recurring for as long as the referred customer stays, paid out via PayPal from €50. [13]

When Vapi is the better choice

A fair comparison also names the cases where you are better off with Vapi:

• You have developers and want to choose every component yourself, down to your own language model on your own server.
• Price per minute decides, because you run a very high number of minutes and build the rest yourself.
• You need a HIPAA BAA for health data in the United States.
• Your procurement requires a SOC 2 report from the platform provider.

When EchoCall is the better alternative

• No development team: you set up the agent in the dashboard, with a knowledge base, phone number, handover to your team and call transcripts.
• Predictable costs in euros: fixed plans from €75 for 250 minutes instead of five line items in US dollars, €0 setup, API included in every plan. [11]
• More than the phone: phone agent, website chat with handover to your team and Presence at reception run in one account.
• Reselling under your own brand: PartnerNet, open-source portal and WHMCS plugin from one provider.
• Hosting in Germany: IONOS data centres in Frankfurt and Karlsruhe, DPA and subprocessors on the GDPR page. [14]

Switching from Vapi to EchoCall in five steps

1. Copy the prompt. Take the system prompt and greeting from your Vapi assistant. Adjust variable names if you use any.
2. Recreate tools as webhooks. Vapi tools that call your server become webhook integrations in EchoCall. Your server stays as it is.
3. Load your knowledge. Upload documents or let EchoCall read your website.
4. Connect a phone number. Book a number in the dashboard or connect your own Twilio or SIP trunk.
5. Test in parallel. With the starting credit of 30 voice minutes, make test calls, check handovers and measure the response time from your own network. Only then switch over.

Frequently asked questions about Vapi and Vapi alternatives

Does Vapi have an EU region?

Yes, with the Premier Success Package. Vapi runs a separate EU region with its own dashboard, API and SIP host. Every organization belongs to exactly one region. For full data residency, Vapi additionally recommends your own storage and models in the region. System logs stay with Vapi.

Is Vapi GDPR compliant?

Vapi describes its legal bases, data subject rights and security measures on its own GDPR page. It covers transfers to the United States with standard contractual clauses. Whether your use is compliant depends on your setup: region, providers, storage, retention and contract.

Does Vapi offer a data processing agreement (DPA)?

Yes. The Data Processing Addendum is part of Vapi's terms of service, so it applies to every customer. Vapi lists its subprocessors in its Trust Center.

Does Vapi have SOC 2 and HIPAA?

Vapi describes itself on its website as SOC 2, HIPAA and PCI compliant. HIPAA is a paid add-on with a Business Associate Agreement, $2,000 a month according to the pricing page. HIPAA mode applies to the whole organization and cannot be combined with Zero Data Retention.

How much does Vapi cost per minute?

Vapi charges $0.05 per minute for the platform. Speech recognition, language model and voice are added at cost. According to Vapi's calculator, 1,000 minutes cost $82 to $129, so roughly $0.08 to $0.13 per minute without Twilio telephony and without a package.

Does Vapi have an affiliate program?

Yes. Vapi runs the Vapi Affiliate Program at affiliates.vapi.ai, but we found no public terms for it. Vapi also has a partner program for agencies and integrators. EchoCall pays affiliates 20 percent recurring for as long as the referred customer stays.

Is Vapi available as white label?

Not directly from Vapi. Vapi's documentation points to third parties such as Vapify or VoiceAIWrapper that put a branded portal on top of Vapi. With EchoCall, white label is part of the partner program, with your own domain in the SaaS Titan model or through the open-source portal.

Can I control EchoCall through an API like Vapi?

Yes. The API is included in every plan at no extra cost. Developers control agents through the API, everyone else works in the dashboard.

Sources

1. Vapi, pricing, packages and add-ons, retrieved 6 October 2026: vapi.ai/pricing
2. Vapi Docs, EU region and data residency: docs.vapi.ai
3. Vapi Docs, Data flow: docs.vapi.ai
4. Vapi Docs, GDPR Compliance: docs.vapi.ai
5. Vapi Docs, Zero Data Retention: docs.vapi.ai
6. Vapi Docs, HIPAA Compliance: docs.vapi.ai
7. Vapi, terms of service with Data Processing Addendum, last updated 14 September 2026, home page and Trust Center: vapi.ai/terms-of-service, vapi.ai, security.vapi.ai
8. Vapi Docs, Vapify integration, as an example of a white-label provider: docs.vapi.ai
9. Vapi, Partnerships and Affiliate Program: vapi.ai/partnerships, affiliates.vapi.ai
10. Retell AI, security and compliance, pricing page and affiliate program, retrieved 6 October 2026: docs.retellai.com, retellai.com/pricing, retellai.com/affiliate
11. EchoCall pricing: echocall.de/en/pricing
12. EchoCall PartnerNet: echocall.de/en/partnernet
13. EchoCall affiliate program: echocall.de/en/affiliates
14. EchoCall GDPR, DPA and subprocessors: echocall.de/en/gdpr. IONOS on the ISO/IEC 27001 certification of its data centres (in German): ionos.de/sicherheit

All links were checked on 6 October 2026, the EU region, packages and affiliate program again on 9 October 2026. Third-party prices may change. The provider's current price list applies.

Read next

• Retell AI alternative 2026: costs, GDPR and white label compared
• White-label AI agents: the open-source portal for resellers
• AI voice agent statistics 2026: figures with sources
• Parloa alternative for enterprises