Best LiveKit Agents Alternatives (2026)
LiveKit Agents is an open-source realtime framework (Apache-2.0) with optional LiveKit Cloud hosting. The free Build plan includes 1,000 agent session minutes and 5 concurrent sessions; Ship starts at $50/mo with 5,000 minutes, then $0.01/min per agent session, and LiveKit's pricing page estimates about $0.048/min all-in for a sample model stack. The alternatives below bill differently: a $0.05/min hosting fee with providers at cost (Vapi), pay-per-active-minute cloud hosting from $0.01/min with unlimited concurrency (Pipecat Cloud), a flat $0.05/min speech-native model (Ultravox), itemized $0.07–$0.31/min (Retell), or one all-in $0.14/min rate (Bland). Prices are from each vendor's own pricing page.
Shopping LiveKit alternatives? Start with whether you want to own the agent code (open source) or configure a managed platform — that split decides price and ops load more than the headline per-minute number.
Vapi, Pipecat, Ultravox, Retell AI and Bland AI compared with LiveKit Agents on published pricing, hosting model and concurrency.
| Tool | Starting price | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| $0 to start; $0.05/min Vapi hosting, models billed pass-through at cost | Developers who want to choose their own LLM, transcriber, voice and telephony provider | |
| Free (self-host); Pipecat Cloud from $0.01/min | Python developers who want full control of the voice pipeline and any model provider | |
| $0.05/min (first 30 min free) | Developers wanting a speech-native model at a flat per-minute rate | |
| $0 platform fee; $0.07–$0.31/min for voice agents | Teams that want a no-code flow builder plus an API with itemized per-minute pricing | |
| $0.14/min, $0 platform fee | Teams that want one flat per-minute price with no model pass-through bills |
What to check before you choose
- Decide open-source vs managed first. LiveKit Agents and Pipecat are frameworks you code and can self-host for free; Vapi, Ultravox, Retell and Bland are managed platforms where you configure agents without running your own agent process.
- Compare the whole minute, not the platform fee alone. LiveKit's sample stack is about $0.048/min all-in; Vapi's $0.05/min is hosting only (models pass through); Ultravox's $0.05/min already includes its speech model; Bland's $0.14/min includes LLM, STT and TTS.
- Watch included minutes and concurrency. LiveKit Build includes 1,000 session minutes and 5 concurrent sessions; Ship includes 5,000 minutes and 20 concurrent; Pipecat Cloud has unlimited concurrency at $0.01–$0.03 per active minute; Vapi starts at 4 concurrent; Ultravox pay-as-you-go caps at 5; Retell includes 20; Bland Start caps at 10 concurrent and 100 calls/day.
- Need phone numbers? LiveKit Cloud includes 1 free US local number on Build/Ship with inbound minutes; Pipecat Cloud bills Daily PSTN at $0.018/min; Vapi includes 1 number with no success package; Retell numbers are $2/mo; Bland Start includes an inbound number credit.
- HIPAA / BAA: LiveKit lists a signed BAA on Scale (from $500/mo); Vapi sells a HIPAA add-on at $2,000/mo; Bland lists BAA on Enterprise; Retell offers a self-serve BAA with no extra fee. Get the BAA signed before PHI hits the line.
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Prices from vendors' official pricing pages, checked October 17, 2026. Not sponsored; order isn't a ranking.