specification: FinOps Framework
specificationVersion: '1.0'
schema: https://www.finops.org/framework/
provider: Retell AI
providerId: retell-ai
created: '2026-05-08'
# Provenance stamped 2026-08-11: this artifact was written by the API Evangelist
# bulk sweep dated 2026-05-08, not harvested from the provider. See roadmap#35.
method: generated
modified: '2026-05-08'
reconciled: true
tags:
- AI
- Voice
- Agents
- Realtime
- Conversational
- FinOps
- Cost Management
- FOCUS
description: >-
  FOCUS-aligned FinOps view of Retell AI. Retell uses a component-based per-minute model:
  Retell infrastructure fee plus pass-through TTS, LLM, and telephony charges. Chat agents
  are priced per message. Concurrent call slots over 20 are billed monthly at $8/slot.
notes: Choice of LLM and TTS provider materially changes per-minute cost; FinOps optimization usually centers on those.
sources:
- https://www.retellai.com/pricing
- https://docs.retellai.com/
- https://focus.finops.org/focus-specification/v1-3/
alignedWith:
  framework: FinOps Foundation Framework
  frameworkUrl: https://www.finops.org/framework/
  dataSpec: FOCUS
  dataSpecVersion: '1.3'
  dataSpecUrl: https://focus.finops.org/focus-specification/v1-3/
publisherName: Retell AI
serviceCategory: AI
billingModel:
  pricingCategory: Usage-Based (Per Minute Components + Per Message)
  billingFrequency: Monthly
  billingCurrency: USD
  chargeCategories:
  - Usage
  - Purchase
  - Adjustment
focusColumns:
  ServiceName: Retell AI Voice and Chat Agents
  ServiceCategory: AI
  ProviderName: Retell AI
  PublisherName: Retell AI
  InvoiceIssuerName: Retell AI
  BillingCurrency: USD
  ChargeCategory: Usage
meters:
- name: voice_infrastructure_minutes
  description: Retell platform per-minute fee (~$0.055/min).
  unit: minute
  aggregation: sum
  dimensions:
  - account
  - call_id
- name: tts_minutes
  description: Pass-through TTS cost per minute.
  unit: minute
  aggregation: sum
  dimensions:
  - account
  - voice_provider
- name: llm_minutes
  description: Pass-through LLM cost per minute.
  unit: minute
  aggregation: sum
  dimensions:
  - account
  - model
- name: telephony_minutes
  description: Pass-through telephony cost per minute.
  unit: minute
  aggregation: sum
  dimensions:
  - account
  - country
- name: chat_messages
  description: Per-message charge for chat agent usage.
  unit: message
  aggregation: sum
  dimensions:
  - account
  - chat_agent
- name: concurrency_slots
  description: Monthly fee for additional concurrent call slots beyond the included 20.
  unit: slot-month
  aggregation: sum
  dimensions:
  - account
principles:
- name: Visibility
  description: Use Retell call analytics and per-call cost breakdowns (product_costs, combined_cost) returned by the API.
- name: Allocation
  description: Tag agents and phone numbers to business units to allocate per-call cost.
- name: Optimization
  description: Switch LLM models and TTS voices to control cost per minute; right-size concurrency slot purchases.
- name: Accountability
  description: Assign owners for each component vendor (TTS, LLM, telephony) since pricing flows through.
maintainers:
- FN: Kin Lane
  email: kin@apievangelist.com