Cresta vs Relay Agents: 2026 comparison
Conversational AI agent assist for contact centers — coaches reps and automates after-call work in real time.
Human-in-the-loop workflow agents that connect 100+ apps with approvals.
Cresta vs Relay Agents — specs
| Spec | Cresta | Relay Agents |
|---|---|---|
| Agent Rank | 78 / 100 (A) | 72 / 100 (A) |
| Autonomy | Semi-autonomous | Semi-autonomous |
| Pricing | Subscription · Free tier | Freemium · from $18 |
| Open source | No | No |
| Capabilities | Voice, Tool use, Memory, RAG | Tool use, Memory |
| Integrations | 4 apps | 4 apps |
| Verified | Verified | Verified |
| Released | Mar 2025 | Mar 2025 |
Agent Rank breakdown
- Autonomy fit
- 8
- Capabilities
- 8
- Integrations
- 8
- Pricing value
- 9
- Polish & maturity
- 4
- Verifiability
- 10
Auto-computed from autonomy, capabilities, integrations, pricing, maturity and editorial verification. Updated every deploy. How is this computed?
- Autonomy fit
- 8
- Capabilities
- 4
- Integrations
- 8
- Pricing value
- 8
- Polish & maturity
- 5
- Verifiability
- 10
Auto-computed from autonomy, capabilities, integrations, pricing, maturity and editorial verification. Updated every deploy. How is this computed?
Pros & cons
- +Best-in-class real-time coaching — recommendations during the call
- +Auto-summarizes calls + drafts after-call work, saving reps 5+ min per call
- +Strong deployments at Fortune 500 contact centers
- −Enterprise-only — minimum seat counts in the hundreds
- −Implementation requires conversation-data training (4–8 weeks)
- −Augments humans rather than replacing them — different positioning than fully autonomous tier
- +Strongest human-in-the-loop pattern of any no-code agent
- +Connects 100+ apps with conditional logic and approval gates
- +Free tier is real — not a trial in disguise
- −AI features are lighter than purpose-built agent platforms
- −Per-seat pricing scales fast for larger teams
- −No native phone / voice support
Pricing
- +Real-time agent assist
- +Conversation intelligence
- +After-call work automation
- +200 runs/mo
- +All app integrations
- +2,000 runs/mo
- +Multi-step approvals
- +Conditional branching
- +Shared workflows
- +Audit log
- +Role-based access
Which one should you pick?
Pick Relay Agents if its specific capabilities (Tool use, Memory) match what you need.
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Frequently asked
Should I pick Cresta or Relay Agents in 2026?+
Pick Cresta if cost is the main constraint. Pick Relay Agents if its specific capabilities (Tool use, Memory) match what you need. Most working teams running both can use Cresta for primary work and Relay Agents for the workflows where its specific strengths matter.
What's the price difference between Cresta and Relay Agents?+
Cresta starts at Subscription · Free tier; Relay Agents starts at Freemium · from $18. Cresta is the cheaper entry option. For team deployments the TCO can differ — use the AI Agent Rank TCO calculator for your specific volume.
Which is more autonomous, Cresta or Relay Agents?+
Both Cresta and Relay Agents are Semi-autonomous agents — neither has a meaningful autonomy advantage over the other. The decision should hinge on capabilities and pricing instead.