โ€”โ€” Platform comparison

Platform comparison

โ€”โ€” Platform comparison

SignalWire vs.

Bland

Bland runs the agent. Twilio or your SIP carrier runs the call. SignalWire runs both, with agents you write in Python.

SignalWire vs. Bland
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Bottom Linear Gradient  Lines image
Bottom Linear Gradient  Lines image

SignalWire positioning

The agent and the phone network, on one platform.

A Bland agent runs on Blandโ€™s models, but calls reach it through a separate carrier.

SignalWire runs the agent and the carrier network on one platform: you write the agent in Python with the Agents SDK, and one tool result can text the caller, transfer the call, or start a recording.

Built by the team behind FreeSWITCH. 2,700+ companies. 2.7 billion minutes and messages a year.

Where the architecture differs

What Bland does well and where the architecture differs.

What Bland does well

Bland hosts its own speech and language models and ships a visual builder, an assistant that edits agents from plain English. It fits teams that want a no-code builder and want to run on Bland's in-house models.

The structural difference

Bland runs the models and your carrier runs the call. On SignalWire, the agent runs on the same network as the call, so its tools can text, transfer, conference, and record without a second vendor.

Side by side

SignalWire vs. Bland, category by category.

The scannable verdict, with the receipts. Every claim traces to a source.


Category

Bland

Vendors on a call

Bland for the agent; your SIP carrier for telephony

One. SignalWire runs the agent and its own carrier network

Phone system

An agent only. Queues, IVR, and call distribution come from another vendor

Queues, IVR, conferencing, recording, and warm transfer with full context

SMS

$0.02 per message; Enterprise plan required

$0.00415 per segment on 10DLC, pay as you go, sendable from inside a call

Governance

Model-led. The agent chooses its own path through the call

Code-led. The agent follows the path your code defines

Accuracy

Facts come from the model, which can hallucinate details

Facts come from your code, pulled straight from your CRM, calendar, or billing system

Voices

Limited to Bland's own voices

ElevenLabs, Rime, Cartesia, Inworld, and more

Endpoints

Phone numbers over Twilio, or SIP trunks from your carrier

Anything with an address is a call: phone numbers, SIP endpoints, WebRTC clients, other agents

Scaling

Daily call caps of 100, 2,000, or 5,000 by plan; raising the cap adds a $299 or $499 monthly fee

No platform fee, no daily call cap, $0 minimum

Bland

Vendors on a call

Bland for the agent; your SIP carrier for telephony

Phone system

An agent only. Queues, IVR, and call distribution come from another vendor

SMS

$0.02 per message; Enterprise plan required

Governance

Model-led. The agent chooses its own path through the call

Accuracy

Facts come from the model, which can hallucinate details

Voices

Limited to Bland's own voices

Endpoints

Phone numbers over Twilio, or SIP trunks from your carrier

Scaling

Daily call caps of 100, 2,000, or 5,000 by plan; raising the cap adds a $299 or $499 monthly fee

Vendors on a call

One. SignalWire runs the agent and its own carrier network

Phone system

Queues, IVR, conferencing, recording, and warm transfer with full context

SMS

$0.00415 per segment on 10DLC, pay as you go, sendable from inside a call

Governance

Code-led. The agent follows the path your code defines

Accuracy

Facts come from your code, pulled straight from your CRM, calendar, or billing system

Voices

ElevenLabs, Rime, Cartesia, Inworld, and more

Endpoints

Anything with an address is a call: phone numbers, SIP endpoints, WebRTC clients, other agents

Scaling

No platform fee, no daily call cap, $0 minimum

Migration

Migrating from Bland

Teams upgrading to Bland's new agent builder are already redesigning how the agent runs the call. That design work carries over.

01

Run in parallel, then port

Point a test number at SignalWire while Bland keeps taking traffic. Port-in is free.

02

Map pathways to steps

Each pathway node becomes a step with its own instructions, tools, and valid transitions. Disclosures and identity checks stay enforced by code.

03

Move tools to SWAIG functions

Each Bland tool becomes a function your agent exposes. Its result can text the caller or transfer the call directly.

04

Test before a call reaches it

swaig-test lists and runs every tool locally, no phone required.

05

Talk to a migration specialist

Not sure what your migration looks like? Get a validated estimate for your exact setup and architecture reviewed by an engineer.

01

Run in parallel, then port

Point a test number at SignalWire while Bland keeps taking traffic. Port-in is free.

02

Map pathways to steps

Each pathway node becomes a step with its own instructions, tools, and valid transitions. Disclosures and identity checks stay enforced by code.

03

Move tools to SWAIG functions

Each Bland tool becomes a function your agent exposes. Its result can text the caller or transfer the call directly.

04

Test before a call reaches it

swaig-test lists and runs every tool locally, no phone required.

05

Talk to a migration specialist

Not sure what your migration looks like? Get a validated estimate for your exact setup and architecture reviewed by an engineer.

01

Run in parallel, then port

Point a test number at SignalWire while Bland keeps taking traffic. Port-in is free.

02

Map pathways to steps

Each pathway node becomes a step with its own instructions, tools, and valid transitions. Disclosures and identity checks stay enforced by code.

03

Move tools to SWAIG functions

Each Bland tool becomes a function your agent exposes. Its result can text the caller or transfer the call directly.

04

Test before a call reaches it

swaig-test lists and runs every tool locally, no phone required.

05

Talk to a migration specialist

Not sure what your migration looks like? Get a validated estimate for your exact setup and architecture reviewed by an engineer.

Migration from Bland

copy

01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12

from signalwire import AgentBase
from signalwire.core.function_result import FunctionResult

class ServiceDesk(AgentBase):
    def __init__(self):
        super().__init__(name="service-desk", route="/service-desk")
        self.prompt_add_section("Role", "You book service appointments.")

        ctx = self.define_contexts().add_context("default")

        ctx.add_step("book") \
            .set_text("Find an open time that works and book it.") \
            .set_functions(["book_slot"]) \
            .set_valid_steps([])

        ctx.add_step("wrap_up") \
            .set_text("Confirm the booking and ask if they need anything else.") \
            .set_functions(["transfer_to_staff"])

        self.define_tool(
            name="book_slot",
            description="Book an open slot and text the caller a confirmation",
            parameters={"slot": {"type": "string"}},
            handler=self.book_slot,
        )

    def book_slot(self, args, raw_data):
        caller = raw_data["caller_id_num"]
        booking = schedule(args["slot"], caller)
        return FunctionResult(f"Booked for {booking.time}.") \
            .send_sms(to_number=caller, from_number=DESK_NUMBER,
                      body=f"Confirmed for {booking.time}.") \
            .swml_change_step("wrap_up")  # SMS and step change, one result

Migration from Bland

copy

01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12

from signalwire import AgentBase
from signalwire.core.function_result import FunctionResult

class ServiceDesk(AgentBase):
    def __init__(self):
        super().__init__(name="service-desk", route="/service-desk")
        self.prompt_add_section("Role", "You book service appointments.")

        ctx = self.define_contexts().add_context("default")

        ctx.add_step("book") \
            .set_text("Find an open time that works and book it.") \
            .set_functions(["book_slot"]) \
            .set_valid_steps([])

        ctx.add_step("wrap_up") \
            .set_text("Confirm the booking and ask if they need anything else.") \
            .set_functions(["transfer_to_staff"])

        self.define_tool(
            name="book_slot",
            description="Book an open slot and text the caller a confirmation",
            parameters={"slot": {"type": "string"}},
            handler=self.book_slot,
        )

    def book_slot(self, args, raw_data):
        caller = raw_data["caller_id_num"]
        booking = schedule(args["slot"], caller)
        return FunctionResult(f"Booked for {booking.time}.") \
            .send_sms(to_number=caller, from_number=DESK_NUMBER,
                      body=f"Confirmed for {booking.time}.") \
            .swml_change_step("wrap_up")  # SMS and step change, one result

Migration from Bland

copy

01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12

from signalwire import AgentBase
from signalwire.core.function_result import FunctionResult

class ServiceDesk(AgentBase):
    def __init__(self):
        super().__init__(name="service-desk", route="/service-desk")
        self.prompt_add_section("Role", "You book service appointments.")

        ctx = self.define_contexts().add_context("default")

        ctx.add_step("book") \
            .set_text("Find an open time that works and book it.") \
            .set_functions(["book_slot"]) \
            .set_valid_steps([])

        ctx.add_step("wrap_up") \
            .set_text("Confirm the booking and ask if they need anything else.") \
            .set_functions(["transfer_to_staff"])

        self.define_tool(
            name="book_slot",
            description="Book an open slot and text the caller a confirmation",
            parameters={"slot": {"type": "string"}},
            handler=self.book_slot,
        )

    def book_slot(self, args, raw_data):
        caller = raw_data["caller_id_num"]
        booking = schedule(args["slot"], caller)
        return FunctionResult(f"Booked for {booking.time}.") \
            .send_sms(to_number=caller, from_number=DESK_NUMBER,
                      body=f"Confirmed for {booking.time}.") \
            .swml_change_step("wrap_up")  # SMS and step change, one result

Migration from Bland

copy

01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12

from signalwire import AgentBase
from signalwire.core.function_result import FunctionResult

class ServiceDesk(AgentBase):
    def __init__(self):
        super().__init__(name="service-desk", route="/service-desk")
        self.prompt_add_section("Role", "You book service appointments.")

        ctx = self.define_contexts().add_context("default")

        ctx.add_step("book") \
            .set_text("Find an open time that works and book it.") \
            .set_functions(["book_slot"]) \
            .set_valid_steps([])

        ctx.add_step("wrap_up") \
            .set_text("Confirm the booking and ask if they need anything else.") \
            .set_functions(["transfer_to_staff"])

        self.define_tool(
            name="book_slot",
            description="Book an open slot and text the caller a confirmation",
            parameters={"slot": {"type": "string"}},
            handler=self.book_slot,
        )

    def book_slot(self, args, raw_data):
        caller = raw_data["caller_id_num"]
        booking = schedule(args["slot"], caller)
        return FunctionResult(f"Booked for {booking.time}.") \
            .send_sms(to_number=caller, from_number=DESK_NUMBER,
                      body=f"Confirmed for {booking.time}.") \
            .swml_change_step("wrap_up")  # SMS and step change, one result
Top Linear Gradient  Lines image

Customer proof

2,000+ companies build on SignalWire

Angular Gradient Image

โ€œWeโ€™re able to meet our customersโ€™ requests in hours. Not even days. Our development time is so short because SignalWire has so many of the capabilities built in.โ€

Avatar

Justin Massey

Founder and CEO at RelayHawk

Angular Gradient Image

โ€œWeโ€™re able to meet our customersโ€™ requests in hours. Not even days. Our development time is so short because SignalWire has so many of the capabilities built in.โ€

Avatar

Justin Massey

Founder and CEO at RelayHawk

Frequently asked questions

Frequently asked questions

What changed in Bland's October 2026 update?

Bland rebuilt its platform around a single agent whose model leads the conversation. Pathways became a tool the agent calls for strict steps. Production pathways and personas move to the new agent builder by November 15, 2026, with tools to migrate as-is or upgrade.

How do Bland pathways map to SignalWire?

A pathway node maps to a step. Each step carries its own instructions, the tools available in it, and the steps it can move to. Your tool handlers can move the call to any step directly.

Do I need a separate telephony provider?

No. Numbers, SIP, WebRTC, and messaging run on SignalWire's own carrier network, on the same platform as the agent.

Can I keep my phone numbers?

Yes. Port-in is free, and both platforms can run in parallel during cutover.

Is SMS available without an Enterprise plan?

Yes. SMS is pay as you go on 10DLC, plus carrier fees. An agent can send one mid-call from a tool result.

Which voices can I use?

ElevenLabs, Rime, Cartesia, Inworld, and other TTS providers, set per agent and per language.

How do I test an agent before it takes calls?

swaig-test lists your agent's tools and executes them locally. Run every step transition and tool result in CI before a number points at the agent.

What protocols are supported, and does context survive across them?

PSTN, SIP, WebRTC, and messaging share the same logic. Context carries across transfers, so a human picking up a call gets the full conversation.


Moving off Bland? See the difference on your own stack.

Spin up test credentials in minutes, or walk your Bland migration through with an engineer. No flag-day risk.

Top Linear Gradient  Lines image

Moving off Bland? See the difference on your own stack.

Spin up test credentials in minutes, or walk your Bland migration through with an engineer. No flag-day risk.

Top Linear Gradient  Lines image

Moving off Bland? See the difference on your own stack.

Spin up test credentials in minutes, or walk your Bland migration through with an engineer. No flag-day risk.

Top Linear Gradient  Lines image

Moving off Bland? See the difference on your own stack.

Spin up test credentials in minutes, or walk your Bland migration through with an engineer. No flag-day risk.

Top Linear Gradient  Lines image