Rule № 1
Incoming: answered or free
Billing starts the moment you pick up — not the moment the phone rings.
Answered call
per second, from pickupMissed call
$0.00Failed connection
$0.00
The transparent business phone system
You're paying for calls nobody answered
On a typical phone bill, ring time and rounding are real line items. Here the meter starts when a human picks up: missed incoming calls are $0.00, outgoing rings cost $0.002/min, and talk time is billed per second. It's printed on every invoice.
Call activity
Statement excerpt · this month
- $0.06
Inbound — new customer
Answered · 4m 12s talk
- $0.001
Outbound — supplier
Rang 40s, no answer · ring rate only
- $0.01
Team call — dispatch
Answered · 12m 30s · internal
- $0.00
Inbound — unknown
Missed · incoming ring is never billed
missed — not billed ↑
Billed this period
Ring time: a tenth of a cent. The rest is conversation.
*Illustrative statement. Incoming ring time is always $0.00; outgoing ring time bills at $0.002/min — never at talk rates.
- 99.9% uptime infrastructure
- Numbers in 50+ countries
- No contracts
- 24/7 human support
How billing works
Two rules, printed on every invoice
Most providers start the meter when a call begins to ring, then round everything up to the minute. We wrote two rules instead — and every line on your bill follows them.
Rule № 2
Outgoing: full rate starts at pickup
While it rings, you pay $0.002/min — an honest pass-through, not the talk rate. If nobody answers, that's the entire charge.
Animated demonstration of call billing: while the call rings the meter accrues at $0.002 per minute; once answered, per-second talk billing begins.
Simulation. Outgoing ring time bills at $0.002/min; incoming ring time is always $0.00.
The same three calls, billed twice
A typical provider's bill
- $0.60
Outbound call — rang out
40s of ringing at the full rate, rounded up
- $1.20
Inbound call — answered
Ring time + talk time, rounded up
- $0.60
Inbound call — missed
Billed as a connection attempt
Mostly ring time and rounding
$2.40The same calls with TellicAI
- $0.001
Outbound call — rang out
Ring time at $0.002/min — that's all
- $0.42
Inbound call — answered
Talk time only, per second, from pickup
- $0.00
Inbound call — missed
Incoming ring time is never billed
Almost all of it talk
$0.42*Illustrative example — rates vary by destination. The rule never does: full-rate billing starts only when someone answers.
Get started
Find your number
Search real, available numbers and see the full monthly price before you commit.
Live availability
Must support:
- Instant activation
- Voice enabled
- SMS capable
- No setup fee
Badges on each number show its regulatory requirements — KYC, A2P, and more. Details below.
Your numbers
Your month, priced line by line
Slide in your real call volume and read the result the way you'd read your bill — under the two rules above.
Estimated monthly usage
- $6.00
Talk time
per second, from pickup
- $0.20
Outgoing ring time
$0.002/min until answered
- $0.00
Missed incoming calls
never billed
Usage under our rules
$6.20Typical provider, same calls
ring time at full rate, minutes rounded up
− $1.55
*Illustrative estimate: talk time priced at $0.01/min for both columns; the comparison column adds common industry practices — ring time at the full rate and per-minute rounding. Actual rates depend on destination and are shown before you dial.
Side by side
Read the rate card before you sign anything
Ours is short. Here is how it compares with how a typical provider bills the same line items.
| Line item | TellicAI | Typical provider |
|---|---|---|
| Outgoing ring time | $0.002/min until answered | Full per-minute rate from the first ring |
| Incoming ring time | Always $0.00 — billing starts when you pick up | Often billed from the first ring |
| Billing granularity | Per second | Rounded up to the minute |
| Internal & partner calls | $0.001/min | Standard rates apply |
| Setup fees | None | Common |
| Contract | None — cancel anytime | 12–24 month terms |
*Comparison reflects common industry billing practices; specific providers vary.
Anyone you call every week counts as internal
Link a client, vendor, or remote office as a partner account and calls between you drop to $0.001/min — about 10x cheaper than standard external rates. Not free, and we won't pretend otherwise: just priced honestly.
$0.001/min
Internal & partner rate
Account ledger — reclassification
- $0.01/min
Outbound — supplier
Standard external rate
- $0.001/min
Outbound — supplier
Internal & partner rate
Illustrative example. Reclassify a contact once and every call after it bills at the partner rate.
How it works
Live in under five minutes
01
Choose your number
Pick a local, national, or toll-free number in 50+ countries.
02
Verify your business
Regulators in most countries require identity checks before a number goes live. We tell you exactly what's needed for your country and walk you through it.
03
Activate
Your number goes live instantly — no hardware, no installation, no technician.
04
Start calling
Take calls in the app, on the web, or forward them to any phone you already own.
Most teams take their first call within five minutes of signing up.
Pricing
Simple, honest pricing
All features. No gates. Pay for what you need.
Everyone gets all features. No exceptions.
Growth
$10/month
$8.33/monthbilled annually as $100
- Phone Numbers3
- Agents5
- Workspaces5
Enterprise
$199/month
$165.83/monthbilled annually as $1990
- Phone Numbers10
- Agents20
- Workspaces20
Need more? Add-ons available: Extra Agent · $8/month
- Included with every plan
- 30-day money-back guarantee
- No contract — cancel anytime
- $0 setup fee
- 14-day free trial
Compliance
Compliance isn't fine print here
Phone numbers are regulated infrastructure. Depending on the country and number type, you may need proof of identity, a local address, or a business registration. We tell you what's required before you buy — and guide you through every step.
No provider can make you compliant by itself — anyone promising that is selling something else. What we do: flag what applies, give you the tooling, and stay precise about whose job is whose.
KYC & identity verification
Many countries require proof of identity or a local address before a number can go live.
Requirements are shown on each number before you buy — no surprises at checkout.
A2P 10DLC registration
US carriers require businesses to register before sending application-to-person texts.
We run the registration workflow with you. Carriers filter unregistered traffic, so this one isn't optional.
STIR/SHAKEN authentication
US and Canadian carriers cryptographically verify caller ID to fight spoofing.
Your outbound calls are signed. Attestation reduces spam labeling — it doesn't eliminate it, and we won't tell you otherwise.
E911 emergency calling
US law requires VoIP calls to 911 to carry a dispatchable address.
Address registration is built in. Keeping it current when you move is your side of the deal.
TCPA consent
US law requires consent before marketing calls and texts, with penalties assessed per message.
We give you opt-in records and automatic opt-out handling; the consent obligation itself stays yours.
HIPAA for healthcare
Health information in calls and messages triggers HIPAA safeguards.
Encryption, access logs, and a signed BAA are available. Day-to-day PHI handling remains your practice's responsibility.
- And the part you never think about
- Encrypted in transit
- 99.9% uptime on carrier-grade routes
- 24/7 human support
- No contracts — cancel anytime
Why we're building this
It started as an annoyance, not a business plan. We kept losing track of calls and paying enterprise prices — so we built something for ourselves: one number, an assistant that actually picks up, and notes on every caller. It just worked. So we gave it a UI and decided other small teams should stop missing calls too. Simple idea. Try it and see.
— The TellicAI team
Questions we get asked most
Do you charge for missed calls?
For incoming calls: never. A call you don't pick up costs exactly $0.00, and even on answered calls, billing starts only at the moment you pick up. For outgoing calls, you pay only a small ringing rate — $0.002/min — while it rings. If nobody answers, that's the entire charge. Ring time is never billed at talk rates.
Why is there a ringing charge on outgoing calls?
Because carriers charge us for ring time, and we'd rather pass it through at $0.002/min as its own honest line than hide it inside inflated per-minute rates the way most providers do. Many of them bill an unanswered outgoing call at the full rate, rounded up — we think that's the most dishonest line on a phone bill, so ours never carries it.
Is internal calling free?
No — and we won't pretend it is. Calls within your team and to linked partner organizations are billed at $0.001/min, roughly 10x cheaper than standard rates. It appears on your bill like everything else, priced honestly.
How does per-second billing work?
A 90-second call is billed as 90 seconds, not rounded up to two minutes. Across a month of calls, the difference is real money — and it's the fairest way we know to charge for a phone call.
Are there setup fees or hidden charges?
No setup fees, no activation fees, no 'regulatory recovery' surprises. Every rate is published before you dial, and your dashboard shows the cost of every call as it happens.
Is there a contract?
No. Plans are month-to-month and you can cancel anytime. If we're not a fit, there's a 30-day money-back guarantee — no questions, no retention call.
Can I keep my existing number?
Yes. You can port your existing business number in, and if you ever leave, you can port it back out. Your number is yours.
How fast can I get started?
Most teams are live in under five minutes: choose a number, verify your business, and start calling. No credit card is required to start.
What happens if a call fails to connect?
Failed connections and network errors cost nothing — not even the ringing rate. You're charged ring time only when a call is actually ringing, and talk time only after someone answers.
What do I need to provide to activate a number?
It depends on the country and number type. Some numbers activate instantly; others legally require proof of identity, a business registration, or a local address. We show each number's requirements in the search results before you buy, so you never find out after paying.
Will my outbound calls get flagged as spam?
We sign outbound calls with STIR/SHAKEN attestation, which meaningfully reduces spam labeling — no provider can honestly promise to eliminate it. Completing business verification and keeping consistent calling patterns are what keep answer rates healthy, and we guide you through both.
You pay when someone answers.
Incoming rings are free, outgoing rings cost a fraction of a cent, and talk time is billed per second — with no contracts and a 30-day money-back guarantee.
What it costs to start
Setup fee
$0.00Contract
$0.0014-day trial
$0.00
Due today
$0.00Get your number
- No credit card required to start
- 30-day money-back guarantee