"How much do numbers for an AI agent cost?" has no single answer, because the total depends on choices only you can make — which countries, which number types, how many calls, and in which direction. What we can do is break the cost into its parts so you can build an honest estimate for your own deployment. This is a companion to the pillar, virtual numbers for AI voice agents; for actual figures, the portal shows live per-route rates once you sign in.
A note on how we talk about price: Temptera is a carrier, and pricing is consumption-based with no monthly base fee and no lock-in. We do not publish a headline "cheapest" claim, because the number that matters is your mix, not a marketing figure. The parts below are what move that number.
On this page
The parts of the cost
Most deployments have two recurring costs and a couple of one-offs. The recurring ones are a rental for each number and per-minute usage for the calls. The occasional ones are any verification a country requires and any porting to bring a number in. Number type, destination country and concurrency then shape those figures. The table frames each part by what makes it go up.
| Cost part | What it is | What increases it |
|---|---|---|
| Number rental | A recurring fee to hold each DID. | More numbers, and number types or markets that rent for more. |
| Per-minute usage | The charge for call minutes, rated by route. | Call volume, longer calls, and pricier destinations. |
| Number type | Local, national, toll-free or mobile. | Toll-free moves the inbound minute cost to you; types differ by market. |
| Concurrency | How many calls run at once (channels). | Higher simultaneous call volumes need more capacity. |
| Verification / porting | One-off steps to activate or move a number. | Markets with document checks, and inbound ports. |
Number rental
Each number you hold has a recurring rental, independent of whether it takes any calls. This is usually the smaller, predictable part of the bill, and it scales with how many numbers you keep. It is also where over-buying shows up: holding local numbers in markets you don't yet serve adds rental for no return, so add numbers as you enter markets rather than ahead of them.
Per-minute usage
Calls are charged by the minute, and inbound and outbound are rated separately by route. For an AI agent this is typically the largest variable, because it scales directly with how much the agent talks — call volume multiplied by average call length. Two agents with the same number can have very different bills if one handles long conversations and the other short confirmations. Because it is consumption-based, a number that sits idle costs only its rental.
Number type and country
The number type changes who pays and how much. A toll-free number is free to the caller, which means you carry the inbound minutes instead of them — good for encouraging inbound contact, but a cost to plan for. Local, national and mobile-range numbers each rent and rate differently, and every figure varies by country. Outbound to mobiles or to higher-cost destinations is rated differently from a local inbound call, so the countries and directions in your plan matter as much as the volume.
Concurrency
Concurrency is how many calls your agent handles at the same time, counted in channels (one channel is one live call). An agent running a campaign at peak may need many channels for a short window; a support line may need only a few. Size it to your busiest expected moment rather than your average, because too little drops calls and too much pays for headroom you never touch. Concurrency and its limits also serve as an anti-fraud control, described on the security page.
Verification and porting
Two one-off costs can appear at the edges. Some markets attach verification to their number ranges, which is mostly a matter of lead time and effort rather than a large fee, and is shown per number at order time — see regulations & KYC. And if you bring an existing number in, porting has its own process and timeline; it protects a number your customers already know, which is often worth more than its cost. Neither is a recurring charge.
Building an honest estimate
To estimate spend without a single misleading number, add it up the way it is billed:
- List the countries and number types you'll use, and count the numbers in each — that gives your rental.
- Estimate minutes per direction (inbound and outbound) from expected call volume and average length.
- Apply the live per-route rates from the portal to those minutes.
- Add concurrency for your peak, and any one-off verification or porting.
That produces a figure grounded in your own usage. Because there is no base fee or lock-in, you can start small and let the bill follow real traffic.