An honest comparison of two voice AI platforms. See why developers are switching to Burki for faster performance and lower costs.
| Feature | Burki | vapi.ai |
|---|---|---|
| Platform Fee | $0.03/min | $0.05/min |
| Free Trial | 200 minutes | Limited |
| Hidden Fees | None | Various add-ons |
| Provider Markup | 0% (BYO mode) | Markup on all |
| Feature | Burki | vapi.ai |
|---|---|---|
| Response Latency | 0.8 seconds | 4-5 seconds |
| Time to First Token | ~300ms | ~1.5s |
| Concurrent Calls | Unlimited | Plan-limited |
| Global Edge | Coming soon | Available |
| Feature | Burki | vapi.ai |
|---|---|---|
| LLM Providers | 50+ | ~10 |
| TTS Providers | 15+ | ~5 |
| Voice Cloning | Yes, any provider | Limited |
| Voice Analyzer | Included free | Not available |
| AWS Lambda Discovery | Auto-discovery | Manual setup |
| Tool Calling | Advanced | Basic |
| Feature | Burki | vapi.ai |
|---|---|---|
| Dashboard UI | Modern, intuitive | Basic |
| Documentation | Comprehensive | Good |
| API Design | RESTful + WebSocket | RESTful |
| BYO API Keys | Full support | Limited |
| Live Transcripts | WebSocket streaming | Polling |
Real feedback from developers who made the switch.
4-5 second response times made conversations feel unnatural and frustrated users.
Burki's 0.8s latency creates natural, flowing conversations.
Hidden fees and markups made it hard to predict monthly costs with vapi.ai.
Burki's transparent $0.03/min + direct provider costs. No surprises.
Stuck with vapi.ai's limited provider selection and couldn't use preferred models.
Burki supports 50+ providers. Use any LLM, TTS, or STT you want.
No built-in way to analyze calls, extract insights, or improve over time.
Burki's Voice Analyzer provides sentiment, transcripts, and AI insights free.
Common questions about switching from vapi.ai to Burki.
Yes, Burki is definitively cheaper than Vapi. Burki charges $0.03 per minute while Vapi charges $0.05 per minute - a 40% cost reduction. On a typical 10,000 minute monthly usage, you'd save $200 with Burki. Additionally, Burki offers 200 free trial minutes with no credit card required, while Vapi's free trial is much more limited. Both platforms have no bulk minimum requirements.
Yes, migrating from Vapi to Burki is straightforward. Burki's API follows similar patterns, so developers familiar with Vapi will find the transition smooth. Most migrations complete within an hour. Simply sign up for a free Burki account (no credit card required), configure your voice agents in our dashboard, import your prompts and settings, and update your API calls. We provide detailed migration documentation and support.
Yes, Burki is significantly faster than Vapi. Burki achieves an average response latency of 0.8 seconds, while Vapi typically ranges from 4-5 seconds. This 5x speed improvement is crucial for voice AI - sub-second responses create natural, flowing conversations, while multi-second delays make interactions feel robotic and frustrating for users.
Burki actually supports more providers than Vapi. Burki integrates with 50+ LLM, TTS, and STT providers including OpenAI (GPT-4, GPT-4o), Anthropic (Claude), Google (Gemini), ElevenLabs, Deepgram, Cartesia, and many more. Vapi supports approximately 10-15 providers. With Burki's BYO (Bring Your Own) mode, you can use your own API keys and pay providers directly.
Yes, Burki is HIPAA compliant with BAA (Business Associate Agreement) available at no additional cost. This is a significant advantage over Vapi, which charges approximately $1,000 per month extra for HIPAA compliance. Both platforms are SOC 2 Type II certified. Burki also offers GDPR compliance with EU data residency options, automatic PII redaction, and configurable data retention policies.
Burki offers several unique features not available in Vapi: IVR Explorer automatically maps any phone tree into an AI assistant; Voice Analyzer provides free post-call analytics with sentiment analysis, transcripts, and insights; a three-tier memory system (semantic, episodic, procedural) for context retention; AWS Lambda auto-discovery for instant tool configuration; and AI-powered spam detection. These features are included at no extra cost.
Switch to Burki in minutes. Our API is designed to be familiar.
200 free minutes. No credit card required.
This comparison is based on publicly available information from official documentation and pricing pages. Prices and features may change. Always verify current information on official websites.