LiveKit Agents

Overview

LiveKit Agents is a developer framework and cloud platform for building realtime voice, video, and physical AI agents. It suits teams that want to build agents in Python or Node.js and choose between managed cloud deployment and their own environment. Its breadth across media, integrations, and telephony is compelling, but operating it means working with a framework rather than simply configuring a finished assistant.

Key features

Python and Node.js programs can join LiveKit rooms as realtime participants, processing voice, video, and text input and producing output in any modality. That makes the framework a fit for agents built around live interactions, not just text exchanges. LLM tool use, frontend RPC calls, and multi-agent handoffs support more involved workflows, though they also make this a developer-oriented choice.

Teams can deploy to LiveKit Cloud or a custom environment. LiveKit Inference connects to models from OpenAI, Google, AssemblyAI, Deepgram, Cartesia, and ElevenLabs; open-source plugins extend provider options. Native SIP connects agents to phone systems, with inbound and outbound calls, custom phone numbers, and human handoff among the listed capabilities.

LiveKit Cloud’s agent insights include session replay, transcripts, trace spans, logs, and session reports, giving teams several ways to inspect agent sessions. LiveKit says prompts, audio, and completions processed through LiveKit Inference and its model providers are not logged or retained. It lists SOC 2 Type II, GDPR, HIPAA, CCPA / CPRA, and the EU–US Data Privacy Framework; PCI DSS and ISO 27001 are in progress. BAAs are available to Scale and Enterprise customers handling protected health information.

Agent Builder is a narrower route: it is intended for simple voice-agent prototypes and produces Python code for deployment to LiveKit Cloud. It is not a substitute for the broader framework when a project needs a custom environment.

Pricing

The free Build plan costs $0/mo and includes 1,000 agent session minutes, five concurrent agent sessions, one agent deployment, $2.50 in inference credits, and community support. It is a practical starting point for a small prototype, but its session and deployment caps limit how far a live service can grow before an upgrade.

Ship starts at $50/mo, billed starting at $50/mo. It raises the allowance to 5,000 session minutes, then $0.01 per minute, 20 concurrent sessions, and two deployments, and adds email support. This is the first paid tier and a more workable fit for a small production workload, although overage charges matter for services with sustained use.

Scale starts at $500/mo, billed starting at $500/mo. It includes 50,000 session minutes, then $0.01 per minute, up to 600 concurrent sessions, four deployments, region pinning, security reports, and HIPAA. The higher allowance and controls suit larger or regulated deployments, but make it difficult to justify for a small project. Enterprise has custom pricing and adds volume pricing, a shared Slack channel, SSO, and a support SLA.

Platforms

LiveKit Agents supports Android, iOS, Linux, macOS, Windows, and web, as well as API access and self-hosted deployment. That range gives developers options across client platforms and hosting environments.

Who it's for

LiveKit Agents is best suited to developers and teams building realtime agents that need multiple media modalities, phone connectivity, or a choice of deployment environment. Its free tier lowers the cost of a small start, while the cloud insights and higher concurrency tiers address more demanding operations. It is a poor fit for someone seeking a simple no-code voice agent beyond a prototype, or a small project that cannot absorb the paid tiers or usage overages.

Pros and cons

• Pro: Realtime voice, video, and text support, plus flexible output modalities, suit agents that need to work with live media.
• Pro: Native SIP, inbound and outbound calling, custom numbers, and human handoff make phone workflows part of the platform.
• Pro: Cloud deployment and custom environments let teams choose how to run agents; cloud insights include replay, transcripts, traces, logs, and reports.
• Con: Build is capped at 1,000 session minutes, five concurrent sessions, and one deployment, so it is a limited base for a growing service.
• Con: Ship’s 5,000-minute allowance is followed by $0.01-per-minute charges, so costs rise with usage.
• Con: Agent Builder only targets simple voice prototypes and deploys generated Python code to LiveKit Cloud.

Alternatives

Rapida AI is another freemium option; its free Launch plan includes one agent, requires bring-your-own STT, TTS, LLM, and SIP, and includes 10-day observability retention. It may suit teams prepared to supply those components themselves.

Yellow.ai has a free plan with one AI agent, 500/month included, a two-agent limit, 1,000 records, and one active campaign. Consider it when those included limits and its web, iOS, and Android platforms fit the project.

Bland AI is a paid alternative with a free plan; its Start plan is billed at $0.14/min, with a $0 platform fee, 10 concurrent calls, and 100 calls per day.

Tone offers a free self-host plan with unlimited agents, calls, and workflows, using a bring-your-own LLM, voice, and telephony setup. It may suit teams that prefer that self-hosted arrangement.

Intervo is another freemium option for web.

Ring AI has a free tier with 100 minutes per month for testing, while its Enterprise plan is billed per minute at $0.10 per contact.

Dialzara is a paid web option with no free plan and a free trial.

Genesys Cloud Agentic Virtual Agent is a paid alternative with no free plan.

For category browsing, see AI Voice Agents and Conversational AI Platforms.

Verdict

Choose LiveKit Agents if you are building a developer-led realtime agent and value media flexibility, telephony, and the option to self-deploy. The free Build plan is useful for a bounded start, but session caps and paid overages matter as usage grows. Look elsewhere if you need a ready-made assistant or a generous production allowance at no cost.