TL;DR:
- Air.AI has effectively ceased operating. Its services went dark in late 2024 and it settled with the FTC over deceptive earnings claims. If you were on it, you need somewhere to go.
- For most call centers, the real replacement question is who fits your operation: a no-code generalist, a BPO outbound platform, or a developer toolkit you build on.
- For BPOs and pay-per-call agencies running real outbound volume on a dialer, the priorities are direct dialer integration, predictable pricing, and provable performance, exactly the things Air.AI lacked.
What happened to Air.AI
If you landed here, you probably already know the short version: Air.AI doesn't really work anymore.
The platform's core services (the agency program, outbound voice functionality, support channels) went dark in late 2024. In 2025 it settled with the Federal Trade Commission following allegations of deceptive earnings and refund claims, including an $18 million judgment (largely suspended) and a ban on marketing business opportunities. Public reviews cratered, refund requests stalled, and the product effectively stopped functioning.
So this isn't a "which is slightly better" comparison. It's a migration guide for operators who bet on Air.AI and got left holding a broken deployment.
How to choose a replacement
The mistake is picking the platform with the flashiest demo, which is exactly how a lot of people ended up on Air.AI in the first place. Match the tool to your operation instead:
No-code generalist. You want to build and run agents yourself, mostly inbound, no engineers.
BPO / pay-per-call outbound. You run real outbound volume on a dialer, you need qualification and warm transfer, and you care about predictable cost and verifiable performance.
Developer toolkit. You have engineers and want to build a custom voice stack with full control.
Those are genuinely different products. Here's how the main options sort out.
The 5 alternatives compared
| Platform | Best for | Deployment | Pricing model |
|---|---|---|---|
| Synthflow | No-code inbound automation | No-code, self-serve | Subscription + usage |
| Klariqo | BPO + pay-per-call outbound at scale | Done-for-you, into your existing dialer | Prepaid bulk minutes |
| Bland | High-volume programmable outbound | Developer / API-first | Per-minute |
| Retell | Custom voice apps | Developer, managed infra | Pay per connected call |
| Vapi | Fully custom voice stack | Developer, full control | Usage-based |
Synthflow is a no-code voice AI platform aimed at teams that want to automate high-volume calls without engineering. It leans toward inbound automation (appointment scheduling, support, lead qualification) with a large integration library. If Air.AI was your "no-code outbound caller," Synthflow is the closest no-code generalist replacement.
Klariqo is built for the segment Air.AI marketed to hardest and served worst: BPOs and pay-per-call operations running real outbound volume. Instead of a standalone caller, Klariqo registers into your existing dialer (VICIdial or Asterisk) as a remote agent. Roughly a 10-minute setup, no rip-and-replace. It qualifies callers and warm-transfers the hot ones to your human closers.
What matters most coming off an Air.AI experience:
- Open production benchmarks. Klariqo publishes anonymized data from tens of thousands of real production calls. After a platform that overpromised and disappeared, verifiable numbers matter.
- No telephony middleman. A self-hosted SIP bridge connects directly into your dialer with no Twilio relay, so you get lower latency and no per-minute carrier markup baked in.
- Transparent bulk pricing. Prepaid minute blocks, one predictable line item, no surprise metered bills.
Bland is an API-first platform with programmable conversation pathways and high concurrency. It supports bringing your own SIP or Twilio line. It's a capable outbound engine if you have a team to build and maintain the integration, but it doesn't register as a native dialer extension out of the box.
Retell is a developer-focused platform with managed infrastructure and a broad set of CRM and automation integrations. It removes some of the infrastructure burden of a fully DIY build, but you're still wiring it into your own call flows.
Vapi is a developer-first platform with deep control. Bring your own models, configure the full speech stack, and build exactly the call flow you want. Maximum flexibility, maximum build effort.
So which should you actually move to?
The honest segmentation:
- No-code, mostly inbound, no engineers: Synthflow.
- BPO or pay-per-call outbound at scale on a dialer you already run: Klariqo.
- High-concurrency outbound and you have a dev team: Bland.
- Custom build with managed infrastructure: Retell.
- Fully custom stack, maximum control: Vapi.
The lesson from Air.AI is simple: don't buy the pitch, buy the proof. Whatever you move to, ask for real production numbers and a deployment that fits the stack you already run, not a standalone tool that needs everything to go perfectly.
FAQ
Is Air.AI still operating in 2026? Not as a functioning platform. Its core services shut down in late 2024, and it settled with the FTC over deceptive earnings claims in 2025. Most users report it no longer works and that support and refunds are unresolved.
What's the best Air.AI alternative for a call center? It depends on your operation. For BPOs and pay-per-call agencies running outbound volume on a dialer, Klariqo is purpose-built. It integrates into your existing VICIdial or Asterisk setup and bills in predictable prepaid blocks. For no-code inbound automation, Synthflow is a strong generalist. For developer teams, Bland, Retell, or Vapi.
Why did Air.AI fail? Beyond the regulatory issues, the common operator complaint was a gap between the demo and production: call quality and reliability problems at real volume. That's the core thing to vet in any replacement: ask for verifiable production data, not a scripted demo.
Do I have to replace my dialer to switch? No, if you choose a platform that integrates with it. Klariqo, for example, registers into your existing VICIdial or Asterisk contact center as a remote agent, so you keep your dialer and your agents. Developer platforms require you to build that connection.
How do I avoid picking another platform that overpromises? Ask three questions: Can you show me real production numbers? How does this deploy into the dialer I already run? How exactly am I billed? Vague answers to any of those are the same red flags that defined Air.AI.
Moving off Air.AI?
If you run a BPO or pay-per-call operation and want a voice AI that plugs into your existing dialer with pricing and performance you can actually verify, the fastest path is a quick setup call.
Related: Klariqo vs Air.AI · Best Voice AI for VICIdial (2026) · Voice AI Cost Per Minute
By Ansh Deb, Founder & CEO, Klariqo Last updated: 2026-06-03