is Telmate n inmateaid the same thing?

No. Telmate is a prison telephone service provider whose contracts are won via government bidding process. Once they have a contract, they are the only provider for that facility. We would all love to have a business where people HAD to use it, but there was no competition for the service. Therefore, Telmate can pretty much set the prices wherever they want. InmateAid offers a service that is NOT a replacement for Telmate (and the other providers), but a solution for saving money by getting a telephone number that makes what they are charging less. In many cases, we can save $4-6 per call - for people speaking often to their inmate, the InmateAid Discount Telephone Service is a huge benefit and great value for only $19.95 per month. Please let us know if you have additional questions or if you need assistance setting this up.