Air AI in 2026: The FTC Case, What It Cost, and the Best Alternatives
- The FTC sued Air AI Technologies and its owners in August 2025, alleging deceptive earnings claims and refund guarantees that took about $19 million from small businesses 1,2.
- The complaint says Air AI sold an Access Card for $15,000 to $30,000 and licences from $9,800 up to $100,000, and charged per minute for the AI 2.
- In March 2026 the company and owners agreed to an $18 million judgment, largely suspended for inability to pay, a $50,000 payment for consumer relief, and a ban on marketing business opportunities 3.
- Air AI's voice product is no longer sold, and air.ai now serves a defense software company called Air, formerly Govini 5,6.
- Alternatives in 2026 range from developer platforms billed by the minute (Retell, Vapi, Bland) to no-code platforms with flat plans; Convocore's Business plan is $99 a month and its White Label plan for agencies $199 7,8,9,10.
Air AI sold AI phone agents that it said could hold 10 to 40 minute calls like a real person, and licences to resell them for up to $100,000. In 2025 the FTC sued the company and its owners, and in March 2026 they agreed to a ban on marketing business opportunities. The air.ai domain now belongs to a different company. This page sets out what happened, what Air AI cost, and what to use instead, from the FTC's own documents.
· 14 sources · Published by Convocore, which sells white label AI agents. See method and limits.
Is Air AI still in business?
Not as a voice AI vendor. The air.ai domain now serves Air, an enterprise readiness product from the defense software company formerly called Govini, with no mention of phone agents 6. Retell AI, a competitor, reports that the Air AI voice product is no longer sold 11. Trustpilot shows no Air AI reviews in the 12 months to October 2026; the latest is dated 5 July 2025 5.
- Feb 2023Business startsBBB lists 9 February 2023 as the business start date in Phoenix, Arizona.
- Jul 2024BBB challengeBBB asks Air AI to back up or drop its 10 to 40 minute call claim; no response.
- Aug 2025FTC suesComplaint filed in the District of Arizona against the company, five related LLCs and three owners.
- Mar 2026Settlement$18M judgment largely suspended, $50,000 for consumers, ban on marketing business opportunities.
- Oct 2026Domain repurposedair.ai serves a defense software product called Air.
What the FTC alleged
On 25 August 2025 the FTC sued Air AI Technologies Inc (doing business as Air AI, Air.AI and Scale 13), five Arizona companies and owners Caleb Maddix, Ryan O'Donnell and Thomas Lancer under the Telemarketing Sales Rule and the Business Opportunity Rule 1. The complaint says the defendants took about $19 million from consumers over a few years, with individual losses as high as $100,000; the FTC press release puts the top loss at $250,000 1,2.
The complaint quotes Air AI's marketing: phone conversations of 10 to 40 minutes that sound like a real human, an agent that can do the entire job of a full time employee and requires zero management, and licence holders earning a million dollars every month 2. These are the FTC's allegations; the settlement did not include a court finding on them.
The complaint says prices were set depending on a consumer's ability to pay.
The March 2026 settlement
On 24 March 2026 the FTC announced that Air AI and its owners agreed to settle. The order imposes an $18 million judgment, largely suspended because of inability to pay, requires $50,000 for consumer relief, bans the defendants from selling business opportunities, and bars Telemarketing Sales Rule violations and unsubstantiated earnings claims 3. The proposed order needed court approval; the FTC case page still showed the matter as pending when we checked 12.
What customers said
On Trustpilot Air AI has 83 reviews with a TrustScore of 1.2, and 98% are one star; most describe refunds of about $6,000 to $100,000 that were not paid 5. The BBB rates Air AI F, not accredited, with 22 complaints in three years, 21 of them unanswered 4. Reviews on both sites are not verified.
Air AI alternatives in 2026
None of these sells licences or promises earnings. Prices come from each vendor's page on 29 October 2026.
| Platform | Who it suits | Published price | Resell to clients |
|---|---|---|---|
| Retell AI | Developers | $0.07 to $0.31 a minute; example $0.11 | Through your own product |
| Vapi | Developers | $0.05 a minute hosting plus model costs; Core $29 a month | Through your own product |
| Bland | Developers, outbound | $0.14 a minute free tier; Build $299 a month at $0.12 | Through your own product |
| Synthflow | Enterprises | No published price; annual contracts | Inside the contract |
| Goodcall | Small businesses, phone only | $79, $129 or $299 a month | No |
| Convocore | Businesses and agencies, no code | Business $99 a month plus $0.02 a minute and providers at cost | White Label $199 a month, flat pricing |
- Be wary of any AI vendor that sells a licence with promised income. Under the FTC's Business Opportunity Rule, sellers must give a disclosure document and back up earnings claims.
Where Convocore fits
Convocore is a no-code platform for AI voice and chat agents. One agent answers phone calls, website chat, WhatsApp, Instagram and Messenger. Business is $99 a month with 2 phone numbers and 3 concurrent calls; agencies that resell to clients use White Label at $199 a month with 20 client accounts and set their own prices. There is no licence fee and no earnings promise; you pay a monthly plan and usage, and you can cancel.
What the evidence does not show
- We could not open the FTC's stipulated order PDF, so the suspended amount and individual terms come from the FTC press release 3.
- The complaint confirms per-minute billing but not the rate; rates quoted elsewhere online are unverified.
- We found no reliable source for Air AI's funding.
- We found no official announcement of the air.ai domain changing hands; we describe what the site shows 6.
Replacing Air AI
If you bought an Air AI licence, the FTC's press release explains the settlement; it does not promise refunds beyond the $50,000 relief fund. For a working replacement, choose a developer platform such as Retell or Vapi if you have engineers, or a no-code platform such as Convocore if you want agents live without code and, as an agency, to resell them under your own brand.
Switching from Air AI to Convocore
The Air AI voice product is no longer sold (see the findings above), so anyone still relying on it needs a replacement with CRM sync, booking and client reporting. Here is how to move from Air AI to Convocore without a gap in coverage, what carries over, and what it costs. You can build the agent and test it in chat on the Free plan before paying.
Steps
- Export what you have in Air AI. Copy your call scripts, prompts, objection handling and any CRM field mapping while you can still log in, and note which numbers route to Air AI today.
- Rebuild the agent in Convocore. Create an agent, paste your prompt and greeting, pick a voice, and rebuild each tool or function as a tool node or webhook. Keep the same names and fields so your downstream systems see the same data.
- Load the knowledge base. Crawl your website or upload files (PDF, Word, TXT, Markdown, CSV, JSON or HTML). On Business the crawler refreshes weekly, and daily on White Label, so answers stay current without re-uploading.
- Connect a phone number and channels. Start with call forwarding from one existing line so callers dial the same number. Then attach numbers properly: buy one inside Convocore, connect your own Twilio account, or bring your carrier over SIP trunking.
- Test before you move the numbers. Run test calls and the agent simulator against your real scripts, then move one number first and read every transcript for a week.
- Move the remaining numbers. Point the rest of the numbers at Convocore once the first line holds up. There is no parallel run to wind down.
What transfers
- Knowledge base
- Transfers fully. Re-crawl the same URLs or upload the same files. Workspace limits are 25,000 documents on Pro, 100,000 on Business and 500,000 on White Label.
- Prompts and instructions
- Copy over as text. Remove Air AI specific variable syntax and function names, then retest each tool call.
- Phone numbers
- Keep them. Numbers on Twilio connect through your own Twilio account; numbers on another carrier connect over SIP trunking or can be ported. Forward calls during a port so no calls drop.
- Integrations
- Not copied automatically; reconnect them. Calendar and email integrations are on every paid plan, CRM integrations and live handoff start on Pro, and webhooks, the full REST API and MCP start on Business.
- Conversation history
- Stays in Air AI. Export transcripts and recordings you need for records before you cancel. Convocore logs every conversation from the first day.
Timeline
A single agent with a few tools usually takes 2 to 5 days to rebuild, then a 14 day parallel run. Plan 2 to 3 weeks end to end per agent, faster for copies of the same agent.
Cost of running both
There is no Air AI bill to overlap with, so the cost is the Convocore plan. Voice starts on Business at $99 a month ($66 a month billed annually) with 2 number slots, 3 concurrent calls and $25 of monthly usage credit; call minutes beyond that are billed as usage. Agencies running client accounts use White Label at $199 a month.
Method and limits
- FTC material comes from the FTC's press releases, case page and complaint, opened on 29 October 2026. Claims from the complaint are allegations.
- Convocore's prices come from the pricing catalog. Convocore competes with the platforms listed, so it has a commercial interest. If you find an error, write to support@convocore.app.
Sources
- US Federal Trade Commission. 25 August 2025.
- US Federal Trade Commission. 25 August 2025.Allegations, not findings.
- US Federal Trade Commission. 24 March 2026.
- Air AI business profileSecondary reportBetter Business Bureau. Read 29 October 2026.
- air.ai reviewsSecondary reportTrustpilot. Read 29 October 2026.Reviews are not verified.
- Air, Enterprise ReadinessPrimary sourceAir (formerly Govini). Read 29 October 2026.
- PricingPrimary sourceRetell AI. Read 29 October 2026.
- PricingPrimary sourceVapi. Read 29 October 2026.
- PricingPrimary sourceBland. Read 29 October 2026.
- Convocore pricingPrimary sourceConvocore. Read 29 October 2026.
- Air AI is gone: what happened and what to use insteadSecondary reportRetell AI. Updated 2026.Written by a competitor.
- FTC v. Air Ai Technologies, Inc., case pagePrimary sourceUS Federal Trade Commission. Updated 24 March 2026.
- PricingPrimary sourceSynthflow. Read 29 October 2026.
- PricingPrimary sourceGoodcall. Read 29 October 2026.
Questions
Is Air AI still in business?
Not as a voice AI vendor. Its voice product is no longer sold, the FTC settled with the company and its owners in March 2026, and the air.ai domain now serves a defense software product called Air.
What happened to Air AI?
The FTC sued Air AI Technologies and its owners in August 2025, alleging deceptive earnings claims and refund guarantees that took about $19 million from small businesses. In March 2026 they agreed to an $18 million judgment, largely suspended, a $50,000 consumer relief payment and a ban on marketing business opportunities.
How much did Air AI cost?
According to the FTC complaint, Air AI sold an Access Card for $15,000 to $30,000 and licences from $9,800 up to $100,000, plus per-minute fees for using the AI.
Is Air AI free?
No. Air AI never published a free plan; the FTC complaint describes access and licence fees in the thousands of dollars.
Was Air AI a scam?
The FTC alleged that Air AI made deceptive earnings and refund claims. The case settled without a court finding on those allegations, and the owners are now banned from marketing business opportunities.
What is the best Air AI alternative?
Developers often choose Retell AI or Vapi, which bill by the minute. Businesses and agencies that want no-code voice and chat agents with a flat monthly plan can use Convocore, whose White Label plan lets agencies resell under their own brand.