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Livekit

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Scalable real-time audio and video infrastructure for developers

From $50/mo (free plan available)
Freemium Cloud & Infrastructure Developer Tools Video & Media
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Tracked since 2025

The Bottom Line

Price
From $50/mo (free plan available). Compare plans

Key facts

  • LiveKit is an open-source WebRTC platform for real-time video and audio
  • It provides infrastructure for building video conferencing and streaming apps
  • Free self-hosted option, Cloud pricing based on usage

Pros

  • Open source WebRTC
  • Good performance
  • Self-hostable
  • Good documentation
  • Active development

Cons

  • Learning curve
  • Setup complexity
  • Cloud pricing
  • Resource intensive
  • Enterprise features paid

What is Livekit?

Editorial review
LiveKit provides real-time audio and video infrastructure. WebRTC, rooms, and scaling-the backend for applications with live communication. The quality is good. The scaling is handled. The integration is straightforward. Developers building video features choose LiveKit for real-time communication infrastructure.

Available on: Web

how we evaluate Source livekit.io ↗

Key Features

  • WebRTC platform
  • Video conferencing
  • Real-time audio
  • Open source
  • Scalable
  • Low latency

Pricing Plans

Free Trial

Pricing checked Oct 6, 2026

Livekit plans and prices, checked October 2026
PlanPriceDetails
Build

$0

1K agent min

  • 5 concurrent
  • 1 deployment
  • Community support
Ship Popular

$50/month

5K agent min

  • 20 concurrent
  • 2 deployments
  • Email support
Scale

$500/month

50K agent min

  • 1K concurrent
  • HIPAA
  • Metrics APIs
Enterprise

Custom

Unlimited

  • SSO
  • SLA
  • Dedicated support
Calculate your cost View full pricing

Is Livekit worth the price?

Good value

Livekit's pricing is quite generous, especially with the free 'Build' tier offering 1K agent minutes.

The 'Ship' tier at $50/month for 5K agent minutes is competitive, and the 'Scale' tier at $500/month for 50K agent minutes provides good value for growing applications. It's best for developers and startups looking for a flexible and scalable WebRTC solution.

Hidden Costs & Gotchas

Overage fees of $0.01/min can add up quickly.

WebRTC minutes are an additional $0.0004-0.0005/min.

Higher concurrent users require 'Scale' or 'Enterprise' tiers.

Full Livekit pricing: every plan, hidden costs and alternatives

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Best Livekit Alternatives

Top alternatives based on features, pricing, and user needs.

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Twilio Paid

Build communication features with programmable APIs for SMS, voice, video, and more

4.2
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Agora Freemium

Real-time voice and video engagement for immersive digital experiences.

4.1
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Still deciding?

Most buyers shortlist 2 or 3 tools before committing. Pull a side-by-side comparison or browse the full alternatives shortlist below.

Livekit vs Twilio Head-to-head: features, pricing, who wins Livekit vs Agora Head-to-head: features, pricing, who wins

Explore More

Livekit FAQ

How does LiveKit support real-time communication in applications?

LiveKit provides scalable real-time audio and video infrastructure for developers. It handles WebRTC, manages communication rooms, and scales the backend for applications requiring live communication features.

Which teams would benefit most from using LiveKit?

LiveKit is best suited for developers and engineering teams who are building applications that require robust real-time audio and video communication. Its open-source nature and self-hostable option appeal to teams needing control over their infrastructure.

How is LiveKit's pricing structured?

LiveKit offers a free tier for initial use, with paid plans available for increased usage and access to more advanced features. The pricing model is cloud-based, which developers should consider for their operational costs.

Can LiveKit be self-hosted, or is it only a cloud service?

Yes, LiveKit is self-hostable, providing developers with the flexibility to deploy and manage their real-time communication infrastructure on their own servers. This is a key strength compared to purely cloud-based alternatives.

What kind of trade-offs should developers consider when adopting LiveKit?

Developers should be aware of LiveKit's learning curve and potential setup complexity due to its powerful capabilities. While it offers a free tier, enterprise features are part of paid plans, and it can be resource-intensive.

How does LiveKit compare to a competitor like Twilio for real-time communication?

LiveKit provides open-source WebRTC infrastructure that is self-hostable, offering developers more control over their deployment. In contrast, Twilio typically provides a more managed service for real-time communication, which may suit different operational preferences.

Source: livekit.io

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