Comparison
Voxera vs OpenAI Realtime API
A speech-to-speech model API. One vendor, no platform layer, and everything above the model is yours to build.
Every OpenAI Realtime API figure below is quoted from developers.openai.com/api/docs/pricing as it read on . Pricing moves — check the source before deciding anything on it.
Start here
Where OpenAI Realtime API is the better choice
If any of these matter to you, stop reading and use them. A comparison that pretends otherwise is not worth your time.
- Lower latency by design. Speech goes straight into the model and comes back out; Voxera runs a staged speech-to-text, model, text-to-speech pipeline, and each stage adds time.
- One vendor, one bill, no intermediary between you and the model.
- Nothing is bundled, so at scale you pay for exactly what you use with no platform margin on top.
- The model hears tone and interruption directly, rather than a transcript of what was said.
Pricing
What each one costs
OpenAI Realtime API
- gpt-realtime audio in
- $32.00 / 1M tokens
- gpt-realtime audio out
- $64.00 / 1M tokens
- gpt-realtime-mini audio in
- $10.00 / 1M tokens
- gpt-realtime-mini audio out
- $20.00 / 1M tokens
- Platform fee
- none — you pay the model and nothing else
Voxera
- Free
- 60 min/mo, $0
- Hobby
- $19/mo, 500 min — about $0.038/min
- Growth
- $99/mo, 2,500 min — about $0.040/min
- Scale
- $299/mo, 10,000 min — about $0.030/min
Design
Where they actually differ
Not feature checkboxes — the choices that change how each one behaves.
What you are buying
OpenAI Realtime API
A model endpoint. Transport, session state, interruption handling, transcripts, keys, quotas and billing are yours to build.
Voxera
The platform around a model. Those pieces are the product; the model is swappable.
Comparing the price
OpenAI Realtime API
Billed per audio token, so a per-minute figure depends on how much each side actually talks. We are not going to invent that number for you.
Voxera
Billed per wall-clock minute of a connected session, whether or not anyone is speaking.
Provider choice
OpenAI Realtime API
OpenAI models only.
Voxera
Any OpenAI or custom HTTP endpoint per stage, on Growth and Scale.
Inspectability
OpenAI Realtime API
Audio in, audio out. What the model heard is not separately available.
Voxera
Each stage is a distinct call, so the transcript, the model input and the spoken output can each be logged and replayed.
Choose OpenAI Realtime API if
Latency is the thing you are optimising, you are happy on OpenAI alone, and you want to build the surrounding platform yourself — or you already have.
Choose Voxera if
You want the surrounding platform to exist already, want each pipeline stage inspectable and swappable, and would rather not be locked to one model vendor.
Other comparisons: Voxera vs Vapi, Voxera vs Retell AI