Ring, answer or first word?
Billing from the moment the phone rings can add 10 to 20 seconds to every call, including the ones nobody answers. Ask for billing from answer.
BILLING GUIDE The unit decides the bill
Compare AI calling rates: per-minute vs per-second billing
Two AI calling quotes with the same rate can differ by half once you know how they count time. Some bill every second, some round each call up to 30 seconds or a full minute, and some start the meter while the phone is still ringing. This guide compares every billing unit you will meet in India, with worked numbers and the contract lines that protect you.
- 6 billing units compared
- Live billing calculator
- Contract lines to ask for
6Billing units compared
2×Bill gap: per minute vs per second
60 secMost common rounding unit
1 secTroika billing unit
The basics
What a billing unit is, and why it matters
A billing unit is the slice of time a provider charges in. With per-second billing, a 12-second call costs 12 seconds. With a 60-second unit, the same call costs a full minute, and a 61-second call costs two. The rate per minute can be identical; the bill is not.
Rounding matters most when calls are short, and AI calling lists are full of short calls: a wrong number, a customer who says "busy, call later", a quick "not interested". On a typical outbound list, half of the answered calls end inside 20 seconds. Every one of them is rounded up.
So when you compare AI calling rates, the first question is never "what is the rate?" It is "what unit do you bill in, and when does it start?" The rest of this page shows how much the answer is worth.
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Every unit
How three calls are billed under 6 billing units
A 12-second call, a 45-second call and a 75-second call: 132 seconds of real talk in all.
| 12-second call | 45-second call | 75-second call | Total billed | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Per second | 12 sec | 45 sec | 75 sec | 132 sec |
| 6-second pulse | 12 sec | 48 sec | 78 sec | 138 sec |
| 15-second pulse | 15 sec | 45 sec | 75 sec | 135 sec |
| 30-second pulse | 30 sec | 60 sec | 90 sec | 180 sec |
| First minute, then 30 seconds | 60 sec | 60 sec | 90 sec | 210 sec |
| Per minute | 60 sec | 60 sec | 120 sec | 240 sec |
1,000 calls
The same 1,000 answered calls, six different bills
500 short calls of 12 seconds, 300 of 45 seconds and 200 of 75 seconds, all at the same ₹6 a minute: 575 minutes of real talk.
| Billed minutes | Bill at ₹6/min | Extra vs per second | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Per second | 575 | ₹3,450 | – |
| 6-second pulse | 600 | ₹3,600 | +4% |
| 15-second pulse | 600 | ₹3,600 | +4% |
| 30-second pulse | 850 | ₹5,100 | +48% |
| First minute, then 30 seconds | 1,100 | ₹6,600 | +91% |
| Per minute | 1,200 | ₹7,200 | +109% |
Try your numbers
Per-minute vs per-second for your calls
Change the share of short calls and their length to match your list. The gap usually grows as calls get shorter.
Example values. Change them to match your campaign.
You pay for fewer minutes with per-second billing0%
Same calls, same talk time. Per-minute billing rounds every call up to the next full minute, so short calls cost the most. Troika bills per second (1 credit = 1 second).
See Troika plans
The clock
When the meter starts, and what keeps it running
Unanswered and failed attempts
Some per-attempt plans charge for every dial. With a typical 30% to 65% pick-up rate, that can double what you pay per conversation.
Voicemail and phone menus
Ask whether the agent detects voicemail and company phone menus and hangs up, or keeps talking on your money.
Silence and hold time
A sensible silence timeout ends calls where the customer has gone. Without it, dead air is billed.
Transfers to your team
Time spent connecting a hot lead to your staff usually counts as talk time. It is money well spent, but know it is there.
Retries
Retrying every unanswered number three times triples the attempts. Retry valuable leads, not the whole list.
Put it in writing
8 billing lines to get in your contract
- The billing unitPer second, or the exact pulse length.
- When billing startsAt answer, not at ring.
- Unanswered attemptsNot charged, or the exact charge per attempt.
- Voicemail and phone-menu handlingDetected and ended quickly.
- Transfer billingHow transferred minutes are counted.
- Fixed feesPlatform, plan and number charges, in rupees.
- Credit validityWhen unused credits expire.
- A sample billOne month of your expected calls, billed line by line.
How Troika bills
Troika's billing, in plain words
- Per second1 credit = 1 second of connected talk. A 12-second call uses 12 credits.
- No monthly plan feePrepaid AI Calling Wallet; each recharge is valid for 7 days.
- Setup freeAgent, script structure, knowledge base, call flow, testing and go-live.
- 9 Indian languagesIncluded at the same rate, with switching mid-call.
- Transparent extrasTransferred time counts as talk time; CRM integration and dedicated numbers are quoted separately; GST is extra.
Compare further
Two more ways to compare AI calling rates
Turn any quote into its real per-minute cost, see Indian AI calling rates by provider type, or plan a monthly budget with GST on faq.troikatech.in:
Hear it
Real AI calls, billed per second
🏢 Real EstateOutbound
Lead Qualification · Hindi
Qualifies a project enquiry and captures budget, in Hindi.
1:28
🎓 EducationOutbound
Lead Qualification · English
Checks eligibility and interest on an admissions call.
0:58
🩺 HealthcareOutbound
Renewal · Hindi
Explains a health policy renewal and records the reply.
1:28
🏢 Real EstateOutbound
Live Transfer · English
Hands a warm buyer straight to the sales team, mid-call.
0:44
About Troika
Troika, the AI calling company behind this page
Who we are
Troika Tech Services is an AI calling company founded in 2012, with its team in Mira Road East. Businesses across the country know us as an AI calling company in India that sets up and runs the calls for them, not just a software login.
In Mumbai
As an AI calling company in Mumbai, we meet clients in person, write and test scripts with them and stay on call after launch. See how our AI calling agents in Mumbai work for local businesses.
What we build
Our AI calling agents call leads, answer incoming calls, qualify, book visits and transfer hot leads. They are part of a wider set of AI agents for chat and follow-ups.
See every plan and price in 10 secondsEnter your number and the plans unlock instantly. No sales pressure.
FAQ
Per-minute vs per-second AI calling: questions
01What is the difference between per-minute and per-second AI calling?
Per-minute billing rounds each call up to the next full minute; per-second billing charges only the seconds spoken. For the same 1,000 calls in our example, per-minute billing cost more than twice as much.
02Which AI calling billing unit is the cheapest?
Per second, followed closely by short pulses of 6 or 15 seconds. 30-second pulses and per-minute rounding cost far more on short calls.
03What is pulse billing?
Billing in fixed slices of time, such as 15, 30 or 60 seconds. Each call is rounded up to the next full pulse.
04Does billing start when the phone rings?
It depends on the provider. Ask for billing from the moment the call is answered, and get it in writing.
05Are unanswered calls charged?
On some per-attempt plans, yes. At Troika, you pay for seconds of connected talk.
06How does Troika bill AI calls?
Per second of connected talk, from a prepaid AI Calling Wallet with free setup and 9 Indian languages. GST is extra.
07How can I compare quotes with different billing units?
Put each quote through the real-rate calculator with your own call pattern.
08Where can I compare AI calling rates in India?
See the India rate report and the 2026 price guide.
Explore
More about AI calling pricing
Try it on your own phone
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