CallRail vs CallTrackingMetrics
Both trackers are American, both bill monthly and neither lists a permanently free plan, but they package usage in opposite ways. CallRail's $50 entry plan arrives with five numbers and 250 minutes, and every overage rate is printed beside it. CTM starts at $79 on a month-to-month basis and then meters numbers, minutes and several AI features separately. CTM also covers numbers in more than 80 countries and states that porting away costs nothing, while CallRail serves four countries and says nothing about porting on the pages we read.
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Choose CallRail ifyou advertise in the United States, Canada, the UK or Australia and want a small bill you can predict from bundled numbers and minutes. You also want a plan ladder where form tracking and conversation analysis are clearly separate steps.
Choose CallTrackingMetrics ifyou need tracking numbers outside those four countries, or you want the option to add a softphone and dialler later without changing vendor. You also want a written promise that moving your numbers elsewhere carries no extra fee.
CallRail and CallTrackingMetrics side by side
| CallRail | CallTrackingMetrics | |
|---|---|---|
| Our call tracking rank | #5 of 14 | #4 of 14 |
| Established in | United States | United States |
| List price, 6 November 2026 | $50 to $195 a month across four plans, with 5 numbers and 250 minutes in the entry tier and overage rates printed | Monthly or annual billing from Marketing Lite at $79, usage charged on top, first plan month waived |
| Free tier | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Self-hostable | — | — |
| Built for | Local service businesses and their agencies advertising in one supported country | Marketing teams that may later want agents answering calls in the same tool |
| Not for | Campaigns needing local numbers across Europe, Asia or Latin America | Buyers who want one all-in monthly figure with usage bundled |
Both are reviewed in full in our call tracking ranking: CallRail and CallTrackingMetrics.
Where they differ
CallRail 3 · CallTrackingMetrics 2 · open 1- 01
Five numbers and 250 minutes for $50
CallRail's Lead Tracking plan costs $50 a month and includes five numbers, 250 minutes, call and text tracking, recording, routing, transcription and automation rules. Lead Tracking Complete at $95 adds form tracking, Lead Conversion at $150 adds conversation intelligence with 10,000 analysis minutes, and Lead Conversion Complete costs $195. A buyer can see where each feature starts before opening a trial, and the entry fee already covers recording and transcription.
Edge: CallRail
- 02
Plan fee first, usage on top
CTM lists Marketing Lite at $79 monthly ($65 on annual billing), Marketing Pro at $179 ($149), Sales Engage at $329 ($274) and Enterprise at $1,999. Lite has unlimited users and standard recording. The first month's plan fee is waived. Calls, numbers and AI features are charged as usage in addition to the plan, so the headline figure is only the starting point for a busy account. The entry fee is higher than CallRail's.
Edge: CallRail
- 03
What happens when a number pool grows
CallRail prints its overage rates: local numbers $3 each, local minutes $0.05 to $0.06, toll-free numbers $5, toll-free minutes $0.08, texts $0.03 and transcription minutes $0.025 to $0.04. CTM prints US local numbers from $2.00 a month and toll-free from $3, but its FAQ gives no per-minute call rate. A site-wide pool for keyword tracking will pass five numbers quickly, so CallRail's list is easier to price in advance.
Edge: CallRail
- 04
Reaching beyond four countries
CallRail states that it is available in the United States, Canada, the UK and Australia, which rules it out for campaigns elsewhere. CTM says it has numbers in more than 80 countries, with prices that vary by country, and the FAQ points to a separate portal for international rates. For an advertiser running traffic into several European or Asian markets, only CTM gives a way to publish local numbers, though the cost needs checking per country.
Edge: CallTrackingMetrics
- 05
Moving numbers in and out
CTM's FAQ says there is no additional fee to port numbers away to a new provider, and that porting in takes two to four weeks for US numbers. CallRail's call tracking page describes installing a JavaScript snippet for number insertion but the page says nothing about porting numbers in or out. If you print a tracking number on vans, signs or brochures, a stated exit route matters, and only CTM gives one in writing.
Edge: CallTrackingMetrics
- 06
Trial, contract and company
CallRail gives each new account two weeks of free use, no card needed, and the company is based in Atlanta, Georgia. CTM waives the first month's plan fee, sells month-to-month with no contracts, lets you cancel inside the software, and is based in Millersville, Maryland. CTM says it is wholly owned by its founders and has been profitable from day one. Neither lists a free plan, so the choice rests on trial style rather than a free tier.
Depends on the buyer
When neither fits
If you want a lower entry fee with a simpler agency setup, look at WhatConverts, which sits in the same category. If you need a European operator for UK or continental numbers, Mediahawk is worth a comparison before you commit to either American vendor.
CallRail or CallTrackingMetrics: questions
3 answersWhich of these two lets me upgrade only for form tracking?
On CallRail, Lead Tracking Complete at $95 is the step that adds form tracking over the $50 entry plan. On CTM, form tracking with 5,000 submissions starts on Marketing Pro at $179 monthly. CallRail's step is the smaller jump on the published prices.
Can I leave either vendor and keep my printed phone numbers?
CTM's FAQ says porting numbers away to a new provider carries no additional fee. CallRail's call tracking page does not mention porting, so you would need to ask its sales team before you print numbers. Get the answer in writing in either case.
Does either tracker have a plan that never expires?
No, the pages we read list no permanently free plan for either. CallRail lets you test for 14 days with no card, and CTM waives the first month's plan fee. After that both charge a monthly subscription.
Sources
Checked 6 November 2026- CallRail pricing: the four plan fees, bundled numbers and minutes, the overage rate list, the 14-day trial and the four-country availability.
- CallRail call tracking: the JavaScript snippet install and the absence of any porting statement.
- CallRail integrations: the named ad, analytics and CRM connections.
- CallRail contact: the Atlanta, Georgia head office address.
- CTM plans: Lite, Pro, Sales Engage and Enterprise fees, the form tracking and transcription start point, and the first-month waiver.
- CTM FAQ: number rates, month-to-month terms, free porting away, two to four weeks for US porting in and 80-plus countries.
- CTM company: founder ownership and profitability since the start.
- CTM contact: the Millersville, Maryland address.