Hume EVI (Empathic Voice Interface) vs Retell AI API + MCP

Hume EVI (Empathic Voice Interface)

Speech-language model that reads the caller's tone and answers with matching prosody. One account-wide key, sent in the WebSocket and Twilio webhook URLs.

Retell AI API + MCP

Published per-minute price for every component, from $0.07 a minute all in. Call data kept indefinitely unless retention is set per agent.

Hume EVI (Empathic Voice Interface)

1. Create a config with a voice first, EVI 3 has no default
2. Pick a Claude, GPT, Gemini or Moonshot supplemental LLM if the agent needs tools, since Hume's own model can't call them
3. Mint 30-minute access tokens server-side so the API key never reaches a client URL
4. Turn on 'Do not retain data' and 'Do not use for training' at app.hume.ai before sensitive calls
5. Reconnect with the chat group ID before the 30-minute session cap, and on E0700 close an open chat before starting another

Retell AI API + MCP

1. Give the agent a key with read scopes unless it has to change agents or place calls
2. Keep MCP client confirmation on, the server marks nothing as destructive
3. Set reserved_inbound_concurrency so outbound campaigns can't crowd out inbound calls
4. Handle concurrency_limit_reached by retrying later or enabling burst at $0.10 a minute extra
5. Set a data retention period on each agent that handles personal data