Editorial take
Why it stands out
LiveKit is easiest to recommend when the team sees realtime comms as a strategic capability and wants more control than a pure black-box video API.
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Tool profile
Open-source realtime communications stack with managed cloud pricing for voice, video, telephony, and AI agent infrastructure.
Realtime voice and video infrastructure for web and mobile apps
LiveKit has become one of the most important realtime infrastructure products because it serves both sides of the builder market. Teams can self-host the open-source media server and agent stack when they want control, or they can buy LiveKit Cloud when they want a managed environment for voice, video, telephony, and agent deployments. That makes it much more than just a video API.
Its pricing page reflects that product shape. LiveKit Cloud starts with a free Build tier, then moves to Ship at $50/month and Scale at $500/month, with usage meters for agent sessions, telephony, observability, and inference on top. That means LiveKit is a real infrastructure decision rather than a simple UI SDK purchase. Compared with Daily and Agora, it tends to appeal more to teams that want open-source leverage plus a serious managed path, especially for AI voice and agent workflows.
Quick fit
Editorial take
LiveKit is easiest to recommend when the team sees realtime comms as a strategic capability and wants more control than a pure black-box video API.
What it does well
Primary use cases
Fit notes
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Pressure-test this pick against nearby alternatives.
Pricing snapshot
LiveKit Cloud offers Build at $0/month, Ship starting at $50/month, Scale starting at $500/month, and Enterprise custom pricing. The free Build tier includes 1,000 agent session minutes, while paid tiers include larger bundles before charging $0.01/min for agent sessions. LiveKit's open-source media server and agent framework can also be self-hosted with no software license fee.
Agora
Free planRealtime voice, video, and livestreaming in customer-facing applications
Realtime engagement platform for voice, video, chat, signaling, and AI conversation features with broad usage-based pricing.
Choose Agora when platform breadth across realtime products matters more than open-source control.
