Top 9 of 49 alternatives
9 Cresta alternatives (2026)
The closest alternatives to Cresta in October 2026 are ElevenLabs Agents, VeraDial and PitchAI Agent Engine.
9 agents compared · entry plans $14.99 to $448 a month · 5 with a free plan · prices checked 2 September–24 October 2026
Reviewed by The Agents Index editorial team.
Cresta and its alternatives at a glance
| Agent | Best for | Starts at | Better than Cresta at | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cresta | Large enterprises running high-volume | On quote source | 13 September 2026 | |
| ElevenLabs Agents | Developers and product teams who want ElevenLabs' voice quality and cloning as the foundation of their agent, and are comfortable assembling the rest of the stack themselves. | Free, then $6/month source | Agent permissions, Claude | 18 October 2026 |
| Dify | Developers and teams who want an open-source, self-hostable platform to build RAG apps and agents with full data control. | Free, then $59/month source | Claude, GPT | 2 September 2026 |
Shortlist
Closest alternatives to Cresta
The ones people open most here come first, then the closest matches. How we rank
- 01
ElevenLabs Agents
Hosted platform for building voice and chat agents, with telephony, SDKs and a choice of LLM.
From FreeWhy it's on this listAgent permissions · YesTool use is gated per MCP server and per tool: always ask, fine-grained (auto-approved, requires approval, disabled), or no approval at all.Source ↗
Where it improves on Cresta
Trade-offs against Cresta
- −Admin controls · PartlyGuardrails constrain what an agent may say and per-tool approval constrains what it may do, but Guardrails is in Alpha and enabling MCP servers is not restricted to admins.Source ↗
- −Single sign-on · PartlySAML and OIDC with domain verification, plus SCIM provisioning, all Enterprise-only; SAML is service-provider-initiated only and Entra over OIDC is discouraged.Source ↗
- 02
VeraDialVerified owner
AI receptionist and verified US/Canadian business line that answers calls and texts and places outbound calls.
From $14.99/monthWhy it's on this listGPT · YesOpenAI is one of the named providers that can run the live conversation, and it is the sole provider used for two-way call translation.Source ↗
Where it improves on Cresta
- +How it meters · YesBilling is a flat monthly or annual subscription per plan with pooled minute allowances, explicitly not per seat and with no activation fee; extra lines are a fixed monthly add-on.Source ↗
- +Free tier · PartlyThere is no standing free plan, which the vendor states outright, but Vera Lite and Vera Plus each open with a 7-day free trial on capped minutes, Vera Business starts paid with no trial, and a browser demo needs no signup.Source ↗
Trade-offs against Cresta
- −Done-for-you service · NoYou run the software yourself: the vendor explicitly removes the onboarding call and sales demo, and setup is a self-serve number pick plus a website URL, though the Business tier suggests a pre-purchase scoping conversation.Source ↗
- −Claude · NoClaude is supported only as a client that reads your account through the MCP connector; the vendor's own complete list of voice providers for AI calls does not include Anthropic, so Claude does not drive the conversations.Source ↗
- −API access · PartlyNo public REST API is documented; programmatic reach is signed outbound event webhooks from Vera Plus upward, plus a read-only connector, so you can receive events but not drive the product from your stack.Source ↗
- 03
PitchAI Agent EngineVerified owner
Scheduled agents that run recurring office administration across accounting, CRM and mail systems.
From €400/month (about $448)Why it's on this listClaude · YesAnthropic's Claude and Claude Code both appear in the vendor's model and agent inventory, with no tier restriction attached to the list.Source ↗
Where it improves on Cresta
- +GPT · YesOpenAI GPT and Codex are named in the same model inventory, and the edge-privacy page names OpenAI again as an approved external processor.Source ↗
- +Model choice · PartlyThe Engine, not the buyer, chooses a model per task; the vendor's claim is portability of the task definition across models rather than user-level model selection.Source ↗
Trade-offs against Cresta
- −Seat model · NoNo tier is priced or limited per user: all three published plans quote a monthly fee against a monthly credit allowance, with no seat count, floor or ceiling anywhere in the table.Source ↗
- −Admin controls · PartlyConstraints are agreed per process as human checkpoints and a completion rule rather than enforced through any admin console or policy setting the vendor describes.Source ↗
- −Certifications · PartlyGDPR compliance is asserted for processing, but no SOC 2, ISO 27001 or other audited certification is claimed on either published page.Source ↗
- 04
KalyvoxVerified owner
AI phone receptionist that answers inbound calls, qualifies them, transfers or books appointments.
From $95/monthWhy it's on this listAgent permissions · YesWhat the assistant may do is bounded by configuration: call reasons, questions, transfer rules and business information you enter, and the vendor publishes deliberate limits including refusing to answer outside that scope or to place outbound calls.Source ↗
Where it improves on Cresta
- +How it meters · YesBilling is a fixed monthly subscription chosen by team size plus metered voice usage at €0.19 (about $0.21) per minute of actual assistant conversation time, with no prepaid minute bundle and the same rate on every plan.Source ↗
- +Free tier · PartlyYou can start without talking to sales or entering a card, but only for seven days: there is no standing free plan, and after the trial you either pick a paid plan or the account pauses.Source ↗
Trade-offs against Cresta
- −API access · PartlyThere is a documented public REST API with bearer keys, ticket endpoints, cursor pagination and a ticket.created webhook, plus a public OpenAPI 3.1 spec — but key creation is only offered from the Pro plan upwards, so Solo customers cannot drive it from their own stack.Source ↗
- −Admin controls · PartlyAdmins constrain behaviour through roles and permissions, system instructions, transfer rules and the data scope shared with ChatGPT, but the vendor documents no policy engine, approval workflow or spend control.Source ↗
- −Certifications · PartlyGDPR compliance is claimed directly with a named DPO contact, AES-256 and TLS 1.3 encryption and regular penetration tests, but the only certification cited is ISO 27001 held by the AWS hosting layer; no SOC 2 or Kalyvox-held ISO certificate is published.Source ↗
- 05
Gumloop
Multiplayer AI agent builder: teams build agents over their apps while IT keeps governance and spend control.
From $37/monthWhy it's on this listWrites code · YesAgents generate and execute Python and shell code in a per-conversation cloud sandbox that is on by default, and can ship code as a shareable artifact.Source ↗
Where it improves on Cresta
- +Agent permissions · YesPer-connector approval modes range from always-allow to never-allow, with a read-free write-gated middle setting and per-tool custom rules.Source ↗
- +Claude · YesAnthropic is a first-class provider in the model picker and the docs list nine Claude models served directly by Anthropic.Source ↗
Trade-offs against Cresta
- −Done-for-you service · NoGumloop sells self-serve software your own team builds on; the only people-led option is an optional embedded expert on Enterprise, not a done-for-you build service.Source ↗
- −Admin controls · PartlyPro limits connector guardrails to a single agent's scope; org-wide policies, role-based access and model access control are Enterprise-only rows in the same table.Source ↗
- −Single sign-on · PartlySAML single sign-on and SCIM provisioning work with any identity provider but the plan table marks SCIM/SAML support Enterprise-only.Source ↗
- 06
MixdeskVerified owner
Omnichannel customer engagement platform with AI Agents for support, sales and lead qualification.
From FreeWhy it's on this listGPT · YesThe privacy policy states that AI chat and content generation run on the OpenAI GPT model, and that conversation data is transmitted to OpenAI for processing after explicit consent.Source ↗
Where it improves on Cresta
- +Model choice · PartlyThe built-in AI Agent gives no model picker, but you can route conversations to a Dify or Coze bot you built yourself, including a self-hosted Dify deployment, where the model choice is yours.Source ↗
- +How it meters · YesBilling is a flat monthly plan with usage allowances rather than seats: conversations, connected channel accounts and AI messages are metered, with extra AI messages sold in packs and WhatsApp fees billed by Meta.Source ↗
Trade-offs against Cresta
- −Done-for-you service · NoYou run the software yourself on a subscription; the vendor sells plans and provides onboarding help on higher tiers rather than operating agents for you.Source ↗
- −Runs autonomously · PartlyAI Agents reply to customers around the clock without a person present, but they only act once assigned through an automation workflow and the vendor tells you to configure a fallback and human handoff.Source ↗
- −Multi-agent · PartlyYou can run several AI Agents with different roles and route conversations to each, but the docs describe one agent per conversation assignment rather than agents coordinating on one task.Source ↗
- 07
Dify
Open-source platform for building agentic workflows, AI agents and RAG knowledge pipelines.
From FreeWhy it's on this listClaude · YesAnthropic models are among the providers covered by bundled message credits; you can also add your own Anthropic key.Source ↗
Where it improves on Cresta
Trade-offs against Cresta
- −Done-for-you service · NoYou run the software: open-source Community edition, self-serve Cloud, or Enterprise where Dify hosts or you deploy in your own VPC.Source ↗
- −Single sign-on · PartlySAML/OIDC SSO is an Enterprise feature; Cloud sign-in uses GitHub/Google social login instead.Source ↗
- −Certifications · PartlyGDPR handling is documented in the privacy policy (SCCs, EEA/UK/Swiss rights, DPA); SOC 2 Type II and ISO 27001 are asserted only in the Enterprise page metadata, with no trust page or report to verify.Source ↗
- 08
TaleVerified owner
Open-source project workspace where teams assign tasks to AI coding agents running in sandboxes.
From FreeWhy it's on this listWrites code · YesProject agents run on a coding harness that reads and writes files and runs commands in a sandbox, so new code is authored from the task brief.Source ↗
Where it improves on Cresta
- +Claude · YesClaude Code is a supported harness with managed or direct credentials, and Anthropic subscriptions are served through a subscription broker as well as API keys.Source ↗
- +GPT · YesCodex runs as a supported harness and OpenAI is listed among the cloud providers Tale serves, with ChatGPT subscriptions usable through the broker.Source ↗
Trade-offs against Cresta
- −Ships it · NoWork stops at collected deliverables and a review verdict; the vendor states plainly that a review does not merge a pull request, and connector writes are refused to agents.Source ↗
- −Runs autonomously · PartlyAn agent completes a task unattended and posts its report, but it must stop at In review and cannot approve its own result, so a person or a separate reviewer agent closes the loop.Source ↗
- −Certifications · PartlyRuler GmbH holds ISO/IEC 27001 covering Tale Enterprise and offers a GDPR/FADP DPA with a custom DPA on Enterprise, but no SOC 2 report is published.Source ↗
- 09
Dust
Platform for building and running company agents on connected tools, data and 20+ models.
From FreeWhy it's on this listClaude · YesClaude is named in the plan feature list of frontier models, and the admin model tier tables list several Claude models across Basic through Ultra tiers.Source ↗
Where it improves on Cresta
- +GPT · YesGPT is named in the Business plan model bullet, and the model access tier tables list GPT variants in every tier including Ultra.Source ↗
- +Model choice · YesThe buyer picks the model per agent and nothing is gated behind a higher plan, though admins may cap which model tiers members can select and costlier models burn more credits.Source ↗
Trade-offs against Cresta
- −Done-for-you service · NoDust sells software a buyer configures, self-serve for Business or sales-assisted for Enterprise; Enterprise adds a dedicated CSM and onboarding, not a team that builds agents for you.Source ↗
- −Runs autonomously · PartlyAgents run unattended on schedules and event triggers, but a root task started from the web app or extension pauses for human confirmation once it reaches 600 credits of AI spend.Source ↗
- −API access · PartlyBusiness plans get the Conversation API only; the Data Source API is added on Enterprise, and both sit on top of a documented REST platform with a JavaScript SDK.Source ↗
What to watch for
- CrestaFull-platform pricing (AI Agent, Conversation Intelligence, Knowledge Agent) is not published, only the narrower Agent Assist SKU has any public price.
- ElevenLabs AgentsCovers the voice + LLM-orchestration layer, not a turnkey ops product, CRM/helpdesk workflows, observability and compliance UI are yours to build.
- DifyThe "open-source" licence carries extra conditions beyond Apache-2.0, not unrestricted for every commercial use.
Side by side
Compare Cresta with the shortlist
Compare alternatives to Cresta
The digest
Which agents actually ship. New agents and articles, by email, at most once a week.
Questions buyers ask
What are the best alternatives to Cresta?
ElevenLabs Agents, VeraDial and PitchAI Agent Engine are the closest. They share the most of Cresta's features.
What is the cheapest alternative to Cresta?
ElevenLabs Agents, Mixdesk and Dify and 2 more have a free plan. The lowest paid plan is VeraDial, from $14.99/month. Price checked on 22 September 2026.
Which agents here have a free plan?
5 of the 9: ElevenLabs Agents, Mixdesk, Dify, Tale and Dust.
How much do Cresta alternatives cost?
Entry plans run from $14.99 to $448 a month, and half cost $37 or less.
When were these prices checked?
Between 2 September 2026 and 24 October 2026, each read on the maker's own pricing page.
Sources and method
Closest first: most of Cresta's features, then the fewest gaps. How we rank
Every price here was read on the maker's own pricing page.
- Cresta: cresta.com/llm-info, checked 13 September 2026
- ElevenLabs Agents: elevenlabs.io/pricing/agents, checked 2 September 2026
- VeraDial: veradial.com/pricing, checked 22 September 2026
- PitchAI Agent Engine: agents.pitchai.net, checked 3 October 2026
- Kalyvox: kalyvox.ai/en/pricing, checked 26 September 2026
- Gumloop: gumloop.com/pricing, checked 24 October 2026
- Mixdesk: mixdesk.com/pricing, checked 3 October 2026
- Dify: dify.ai/pricing, checked 24 October 2026
- Tale: tale.dev/pricing, checked 24 October 2026
- Dust: dust.tt/home/pricing, checked 1 October 2026
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Last issue · No. 1 · 13 October 2026Devin vs Claude Code: Which Should You Pick?
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Last issue: Devin vs Claude Code: Which Should You Pick? · 13 October 2026