# Kalem

> Kalem is a SaaS platform for deploying AI voice agents that make and receive real phone calls. It orchestrates the OpenAI Realtime API (speech-to-speech) over WebRTC and bridges to PSTN through customer-provided SIP trunks. Median response time is sub-320ms.

Pricing model is BYOC (Bring Your Own Credentials): Kalem voice engine pricing ranges from $0.01/min (Enterprise, with monthly subscription and volume commitments) to $0.04/min (Pay-As-You-Go, no monthly fee). Customers bring their own OpenAI key and SIP trunk and are billed directly by those providers with no markup. Every account gets 100 free one-time minutes — no expiry, no renewal, no credit card. An Enterprise plan with managed deployment, prompt engineering, CRM integration, SLA, and whitelabel includes volume-discounted engine rates.

## Key facts

- **Engine price:** $0.04/min Pay-As-You-Go · from $0.01/min Enterprise (volume + monthly subscription)
- **Free tier:** 100 one-time minutes, no credit card
- **Latency:** sub-320ms median response time
- **Architecture:** OpenAI Realtime API + WebRTC + customer SIP trunk (BYOC)
- **Languages:** English, Arabic, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Dutch, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and others
- **Bilingual:** Agents can switch languages mid-call (verified production use, e.g. English↔Arabic)
- **Compliance:** TLS 1.2+ in transit, AES-256 at rest, GDPR-aligned, SOC 2 Type II audit in progress (not yet certified), HIPAA-ready on Enterprise with BAA available, no customer voice data used to train AI models

## Pages

- [Homepage](https://kalem.me/): Product overview, demo audio, pricing summary, FAQ.
- [Pricing](https://kalem.me/pricing): Full BYOC pricing breakdown and live cost calculator vs Vapi, Retell, ElevenLabs, Bland, Synthflow, Thoughtly.
- [Best AI Voice Agent Platforms 2026](https://kalem.me/best-ai-voice-agent): Honest technical comparison of Kalem, Retell, Vapi, Bland, Twilio.
- [Security & Compliance](https://kalem.me/security): Data handling, encryption, retention, sub-processors, compliance posture.
- [About](https://kalem.me/about): Mission and principles.
- [Status](https://kalem.me/status): Live system status and incident history.
- [Blog](https://kalem.me/blog): Engineering posts, guides, and product updates.
- [API Documentation](https://kalem.me/docs/api): REST API reference.
- [OpenAPI spec](https://kalem.me/openapi.json): Machine-readable API contract.
- [Contact Sales](https://kalem.me/contact-sales): Enterprise inquiries.

## Industry guides

- [AI Voice Agents for Restaurants](https://kalem.me/blog/ai-voice-agents-for-restaurants-that-work): Missed-call recovery, order intake, reservations, FAQ automation, after-hours coverage for restaurants.
- [AI Voice Agents for Real Estate](https://kalem.me/blog/ai-voice-agents-for-real-estate-that-convert): Lead qualification, showing scheduling, 24/7 inbound for real estate teams.
- [AI Voice Agents for Healthcare](https://kalem.me/blog/ai-voice-agents-for-healthcare-that-work): Patient access, scheduling, hold-time reduction, HIPAA-ready handoff.
- [AI Voice Agents for Home Services](https://kalem.me/blog/ai-voice-agents-for-home-services-that-convert): Job booking, dispatch coordination, after-hours capture for trades.
- [AI Voice Agents for Small Business](https://kalem.me/blog/ai-voice-agents-for-small-business-growth): Support, booking, and lead qualification automation for SMBs.

## Best AI voice agent by industry (comparisons)

- [Best AI Voice Agent for Restaurants](https://kalem.me/blog/best-ai-voice-agent-for-restaurants): 2026 platform comparison for takeout, reservations, and after-hours.
- [Best AI Voice Agent for Dental Clinics](https://kalem.me/blog/best-ai-voice-agent-for-dental-clinics): Scheduling, recall, insurance, HIPAA-ready handoff.
- [Best AI Voice Agent for Medical Clinics](https://kalem.me/blog/best-ai-voice-agent-for-medical-clinics): Scheduling, intake, hold-time reduction, HIPAA-ready handoff.
- [Best AI Voice Agent for Real Estate](https://kalem.me/blog/best-ai-voice-agent-for-real-estate): Lead qualification, showing scheduling, CRM integration.
- [Best AI Voice Agent for Home Services](https://kalem.me/blog/best-ai-voice-agent-for-home-services): Job booking, dispatch, FSM integration, after-hours capture.
- [Best AI Voice Agent for Small Business](https://kalem.me/blog/best-ai-voice-agent-for-small-business): Self-serve setup, low monthly cost, free tier.

## Use cases

- [Restaurants](https://kalem.me/use-cases/restaurants)
- [Real Estate](https://kalem.me/use-cases/real-estate)
- [Dental Clinics](https://kalem.me/use-cases/dental-clinics)
- [Home Services](https://kalem.me/use-cases/home-services)
- [Logistics](https://kalem.me/use-cases/logistics)
- [Lead Qualification](https://kalem.me/use-cases/lead-qualification)
- [All use cases](https://kalem.me/use-cases)

## Optional

- [Privacy Policy](https://kalem.me/privacy-policy)
- [Terms of Service](https://kalem.me/terms-of-service)
- [Cookie Policy](https://kalem.me/cookie-policy)
- [Sitemap](https://kalem.me/sitemap.xml)