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LiveKit

Paid

Build voice, video, and physical AI agents

4.5
Inputs: video, textOutputs: video, text
Type
Saas

About LiveKit

LiveKit is an open source framework and developer platform for building, testing, deploying, scaling, and observing voice, video, and physical AI agents in production. It provides a complete stack including an inference gateway for TTS, LLM, and STT models, a cloud platform for global deployment and scaling, telephony integration via phone numbers and SIP, and full-stack observability for every agent session. LiveKit powers billions of calls annually and is used by OpenAI for ChatGPT's Advanced Voice, as well as thousands of developers from startups to Fortune 500 companies. The platform supports automatic turn detection, interruption handling, and runs millions of concurrent calls with enterprise-grade infrastructure (GDPR, SOC 2 Type II, HIPAA compliance).

Key Features

Open source framework for building and testing AI agents
Inference gateway for TTS, LLM, and STT models
Cloud platform for deploying and scaling agents globally
Phone numbers and SIP integrations for telephony
Full-stack observability for every agent session
Automatic turn detection and interruption handling
Global edge network with low latency (1000ms global latency)
Enterprise compliance: GDPR, SOC 2 Type II, HIPAA
SDKs for Python, Node.js, and web/mobile apps
Pricing calculator for per-minute cost estimation

Pros & Cons

Pros
  • Open source framework allows self-hosting and customization
  • Supports millions of concurrent calls with deterministic scaling
  • Global edge network with 1000ms latency and multiple regions
  • Enterprise-grade security and compliance (GDPR, SOC 2, HIPAA)
  • Used by OpenAI for production-grade voice AI (ChatGPT Advanced Voice)
  • Integrated inference gateway for popular STT, TTS, and LLM models
  • Full-stack observability and session metrics built-in
  • Free tier available with Build plan ($0/month)
Cons
  • Pricing per-minute can be complex to estimate (multiple components: agent session, telephony, LLM, STT, TTS, observability)
  • Advanced features like HIPAA compliance require Scale plan ($500/month)
  • Dependency on LiveKit Cloud for managed infrastructure and global scaling (though open source framework allows self-hosted alternatives)
  • Limited free tier minutes; beyond that, costs can add up for high-usage scenarios

Best For

Voice AI agents (e.g., customer support, assistants)Video AI agents (e.g., realtime video interactions)Robotic AI agents (physical AI integration)Telephony agents (make and take phone calls)Realtime voice assistants with interruption handlingScalable AI applications with global user base

Alternatives to LiveKit

FAQ

What is LiveKit?
LiveKit is an open source framework and developer platform for building, deploying, and scaling voice, video, and physical AI agents. It provides tools, APIs, and cloud infrastructure to create realtime AI applications.
How does pricing work?
LiveKit offers four plans: Build (free, $0/month), Ship ($50/month), Scale ($500/month), and Enterprise (custom). Costs are also calculated per-minute for agent sessions, telephony, and inference (LLM, STT, TTS). A pricing calculator is available to estimate costs.
What compliance certifications does LiveKit have?
LiveKit Cloud is compliant with GDPR, SOC 2 Type II, and HIPAA. The Scale plan includes security reports and HIPAA support.
Can I use LiveKit for telephony?
Yes, LiveKit provides phone numbers and SIP integrations, allowing voice agents to make or take phone calls. The Build plan includes one free phone number.
Is LiveKit open source?
Yes, the LiveKit agents framework is open source (GitHub repository with 11.4K stars). The LiveKit Cloud platform is a managed service built on top of the open source project.
What models does LiveKit support for inference?
LiveKit's inference gateway supports multiple providers for STT (e.g., Deepgram, AssemblyAI), TTS (e.g., Cartesia), and LLM (e.g., OpenAI, Google Gemini, Anthropic, xAI, and others). Detailed pricing per model is available on the pricing page.