Rapport

What is Rapport?

Rapport is a browser-based platform for building conversations with AI avatars, now marketed as a high-stakes conversation readiness tool for sales, leadership and customer-facing teams. Organisations design scenarios, personas and objectives, and employees then talk to lifelike, emotionally responsive avatars that react in real time. The platform scores each conversation against criteria the organisation defines and tracks how skills improve over time, which turns role-play practice into measurable training.

The product is powered by Speech Graphics, whose audio-driven facial animation has been used in video games such as Hogwarts Legacy and The Last of Us Part 2. Rapport launched its self-service avatar platform in July 2024 from London and Edinburgh, with Gregor Hofer named as CEO in the launch release. At that time it was pitched for retail, healthcare, education, HR and marketing, and it has since narrowed its message towards training. The official site reports more than 610,000 role plays and lists customers such as Qualcomm, NBC, KDDI and the University of Edinburgh.

Key Features

• Lifelike AI avatars: Rapport avatars speak with synchronised facial expressions and lip movement driven by Speech Graphics animation. The result feels closer to a face-to-face conversation than a text chatbot, which matters for practising tone and composure.
• Scenario and persona builder: Creators customise scenarios, personas and objectives for each role play. You can load your own frameworks, content and evaluation criteria, so a pharma sales call and a difficult feedback talk can each follow your house methods.
• Skills measurement: Rapport measures skills and behaviours against criteria you define and tracks improvement over time. End-user performance reports, included even in the trial, let managers review sessions in batches rather than watching each one.
• Scenario templates: Ready-made templates cover use cases such as sales enablement, onboarding and customer experience. They give new creators a starting point, so a first role play can go live without designing every prompt from scratch.
• LMS and SCORM delivery: Rapport role plays can be deployed through an LMS, a browser link or the Rapport platform itself. SCORM support means L&D teams can track completions inside the learning systems they already run.
• Choice of AI providers: Rapport connects to large language models including ChatGPT and Google Gemini, with AWS and Azure speech services, according to its launch release. Directory listings also mention Grok and ElevenLabs voices, giving teams some freedom over which AI powers each avatar.
• 50-language support: The official site states that Rapport supports 50 languages. Global companies can run the same scenario for staff in different regions without building separate tools for each market.

Pros

• Trial with real minutes: The 14-day trial includes 50 minutes of avatar conversations, reports and scenario templates, with no credit card required. That is enough to build and test a real role play rather than a locked demo.
• Proven animation technology: Speech Graphics animation has been used in major video games, so facial movement is a strength. Realistic expressions help learners practise reading and responding to emotion, not only words.
• Measurable training outcomes: Performance reports and criteria-based scoring turn practice sessions into data. L&D teams can show managers how skills changed after training instead of relying on attendance figures alone.
• Fits existing learning stacks: SCORM support and LMS deployment let Rapport slot into current training programmes. Learners stay in familiar systems, which reduces the effort of rolling it out to large groups.
• Low entry price: The Pro plan costs $19 a month for 100 usage minutes, which works out at about $0.19 a minute. Small teams can run a pilot before committing to an enterprise contract.

Cons

• No permanent free plan: The free option is a 14-day trial capped at 50 minutes, so ongoing use needs a paid plan. An earlier free Explorer tier mentioned in the 2024 launch release no longer appears on the pricing page.
• Usage minutes run out: Pro includes 100 minutes and Business 500 minutes a month, with overage at $0.21 a minute. Large cohorts doing long role plays can push monthly costs well above the headline price.
• Branding and seats gated: Removing Rapport branding and adding more than one creator require the Business plan or higher. Directory listings also place custom 3D avatar uploads at Business level, which raises the cost for brand-led projects.
• Enterprise features need sales: GDPR compliance support, custom reporting, unlimited creators and private hosting sit in the custom-priced Enterprise plan. Regulated organisations must go through a sales process before they can compare costs.
• No mobile app: One directory notes that Rapport has no dedicated mobile app. Learners use the browser, so teams wanting offline practice or native mobile features will need to look elsewhere.

Who is Using Rapport?

• Sales enablement teams: Sales leaders give reps realistic practice calls with avatar buyers and score them against their sales framework.
• L&D and HR departments: Training teams run onboarding, leadership and feedback role plays at scale through their LMS.
• Universities and medical schools: Institutions such as Simon Fraser University and UCSF appear on Rapport’s customer list for education uses.
• Customer experience teams: Service teams rehearse difficult customer conversations and complaints before speaking to real customers.

Pricing

Rapport offers a free trial and three plans billed by usage minutes (official prices, October 2026).

The July 2024 launch release described a free Explorer tier and a Creator tier at $0.21 a minute, which has since been replaced by the current plans. Usage minutes count all time spent talking to avatars, so estimate session lengths before choosing a tier, and recheck the pricing page because allowances can be revised.

What Makes Rapport Unique?

Rapport builds on a facial animation engine that was made for video games rather than for marketing videos. Speech Graphics drives expressions and lip sync from audio in real time, so avatars react while the learner is still talking, which supports practice of emotionally difficult conversations. On top of that sits a training layer with criteria-based scoring, SCORM delivery and performance reports. Many avatar tools stop at producing a talking head, whereas Rapport links the conversation to a measurable skills record that L&D teams can report on.

Compatibilities and Integrations

• Platforms: Runs in web browsers, with role plays deployed through an LMS, a shared link or the Rapport platform.
• Learning systems: SCORM support, with the official site citing 100 LMS integrations.
• AI and speech providers: ChatGPT, Google Gemini, AWS and Azure, with directories also listing Grok and ElevenLabs.
• Developer options: Directory listings mention web embedding plus Unity and Unreal integration through an API or SDK.

Rapport Tutorials

A first avatar role play can be built during the free trial.

1. Start the 14-day trial on rapport.cloud without entering card details.
2. Pick a scenario template, then set the persona, objectives and evaluation criteria.
3. Choose an avatar and the AI model and voice that will power the conversation.
4. Share the role play by link or package it for your LMS through SCORM.
5. Review the performance reports and adjust prompts before rolling out to more learners.

How We Rated It

Summary

Rapport suits sales, L&D and customer experience teams that want measurable role-play practice with realistic avatars. Its main limitation is the minute-based pricing, because larger groups can exceed allowances and pay $0.21 for each extra minute. Branding removal and multiple creators also require the Business plan. Use the free trial to build one scenario with your real assessment criteria, then time a few sessions so you can choose the right plan.