Overview

LiveKit Agents is an open-source framework and cloud platform for developers building realtime voice, video, and physical AI agents. It is best suited to teams comfortable building in Python or Node.js who want control over deployment and live-media workflows. Its breadth is a strength, but it is a framework to build with—not a finished assistant to configure.

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. LLM tool use, frontend RPC calls, and multi-agent handoffs let teams build workflows beyond a single conversational exchange, with the corresponding need to design and implement those workflows.

Deployment can be on LiveKit Cloud or in a developer-chosen environment, giving teams a choice between managed hosting and their own setup. LiveKit Inference connects to models from OpenAI, Google, AssemblyAI, Deepgram, Cartesia, and ElevenLabs; open-source plugins extend provider options. Native SIP enables phone-system connections, including inbound and outbound calls, custom phone numbers, and human handoff.

LiveKit Cloud’s agent insights include session replay, transcripts, trace spans, logs, and session reports, useful for examining agent sessions. LiveKit says prompts, audio, and completions handled by 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.

Pricing

Build is free at $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 useful starting point, but the session and deployment caps make it a constrained base for ongoing or multi-agent work.

Ship starts at $50/mo, billed starting at $50/mo. It includes 5,000 agent session minutes, then charges $0.01 per minute, allows 20 concurrent agent sessions and two deployments, and adds email support. This is the entry paid plan for teams that need more room than Build provides; the per-minute overage matters as usage grows.

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. Its larger concurrency allowance and compliance-related features target substantial workloads rather than early prototypes.

Enterprise has custom pricing and includes volume pricing, a shared Slack channel, SSO, and a support SLA. It is the option for organizations needing those terms and support arrangements. Build includes community support, Ship email support, and Enterprise a support SLA.

Platforms

LiveKit Agents supports Android, iOS, Linux, macOS, Windows, web, API, and self-hosted environments. The mix reflects its developer framework and deployment choices rather than a single end-user app.

Who it's for

Choose LiveKit Agents if your team can build and operate an agent framework and needs realtime media, telephony, provider flexibility, or a choice of cloud and custom deployment. Agent Builder is intended for simple voice-agent prototypes and produces Python code for deployment to LiveKit Cloud; it is not positioned for larger production workflows. Teams seeking a finished assistant with little development work should look elsewhere.

Pros and cons

Pro: Realtime voice, video, and text, plus multimodal output and agent handoffs, support more than text-only conversational flows.
Pro: Cloud or custom deployment, native SIP, and model integrations give developers several ways to shape an implementation.
Pro: Cloud session replays, transcripts, traces, logs, and reports offer multiple views for inspecting sessions.
Con: Building workflows in a Python or Node.js framework requires developer effort; Agent Builder is limited to simple voice prototypes targeting LiveKit Cloud.
Con: Build caps usage at 1,000 minutes and five concurrent sessions, while Ship adds per-minute charges after 5,000 minutes.
Con: The listed PCI DSS and ISO 27001 status is in progress, so those certifications should not be treated as completed.

Alternatives

For a broader set of voice-agent choices, browse AI Voice Agents; for platforms centered on conversational AI, see Conversational AI Platforms.

Consider Intervo if a self-hosted option with source code under an MIT License is the priority. Tone is another self-hosted choice, with its free plan specifying unlimited agents, calls, and workflows and the option to bring your own LLM, voice, and telephony.

Rapida AI may suit teams wanting a free one-agent launch plan that uses their own STT, TTS, LLM, and SIP, with 10-day observability retention. Kore.ai is a paid alternative with project-tailored custom pricing.

Ring AI offers a free tier with 100 minutes per month for testing, which may fit a small trial. Yellow.ai has a free plan specifying one AI agent, 500/month included, a two-agent limit, 1,000 records, and one active campaign.

Vapi is a paid option with usage-based billing, $5 free credits to get started, one included phone number, and four concurrent calls. Fonema is another option for call-center plans contracted through sales.

Verdict

LiveKit Agents is a strong choice for developer teams building realtime, multimodal agents that need flexible deployment, telephony, and cloud session insights. Its main trade-off is the engineering work of building on a framework, compounded by tight free-plan caps and usage-based overages on paid plans. Choose it for control over agent architecture; look elsewhere if you want a ready-made assistant or a generous free workload.

	LiveKit Agents	Voicefox AI
Free plan	Yes
Paid from	$50/mo
Platforms	Android, api, iOS, Linux, macOS, self-hosted, Web, Windows	api, Web
Free plan	Yes
Paid from	50 /mo
Inbound calls	Yes	Yes
Outbound calls	Yes	Yes
Human handoff	Yes	Yes
Concurrent calls	20 calls
Custom phone numbers	Yes	Yes
Voice channel	Yes
Chat channels	text; web/mobile apps; telephone
Generative AI	Yes

LiveKit Agents vs Voicefox AI

LiveKit Agents

Voicefox AI