Retell AI vs LiveKit: Features, Pricing and User Reviews 2026
LiveKit
Open-Source Real-Time Video, Audio & AI Platform
LiveKit
Open-Source Real-Time Video, Audio & AI Platform
What are Retell AI and LiveKit?
Retell AI is an AI voice agent platform that lets businesses build, test, and deploy smart phone agents. These agents can handle both incoming and outgoing calls with human-like conversation skills and response times of under one second.
Unlike traditional phone systems that use robotic voices and menu options, Retell AI creates natural conversations. The agents can understand what callers are saying, respond appropriately, and even handle interruptions just like real people would.
The platform integrates with existing phone systems, customer databases, and business tools. It supports over 18 languages and meets important security standards like HIPAA and GDPR. Businesses can use these voice agents for customer support, sales calls, appointment scheduling, lead qualification, and many other phone-based tasks without needing large call center teams.
LiveKit is a complete real-time communication platform that uses WebRTC technology to enable low-latency audio, video, and data exchange between users and AI agents. Unlike traditional communication tools, LiveKit is built specifically for developers who want to create custom real-time experiences.
The platform consists of several parts: the open-source LiveKit server that handles media routing, client SDKs for all major platforms, and LiveKit Cloud for managed hosting. It uses a Selective Forwarding Unit (SFU) architecture, which means it can efficiently handle many participants without heavy server processing.
LiveKit is especially strong for AI applications. It can connect voice agents to phone systems, enable real-time transcription, and support multimodal AI that can see and hear simultaneously. Whether you want to build a simple video chat or a complex AI assistant, LiveKit provides the foundation you need.
Features of Retell AI and LiveKit
Human-like voice agents with sub-second response times
Multi-language support for 18+ languages
BYOC telephony integration with major providers
Warm transfers and IVR navigation capabilities
Real-time webhooks and API connectivity
Batch calling and verified phone numbers
Enterprise security and compliance (SOC 2, HIPAA, GDPR)
Advanced testing and monitoring tools
Knowledge base auto-sync
Custom LLM integration support
Real-time video and audio streaming with WebRTC
AI voice agent framework with popular integrations
SDKs for all major platforms and languages
Self-hosted or managed cloud deployment options
End-to-end encryption and security features
Telephony and phone system integration
Global edge network for low latency
HIPAA compliant for healthcare applications
Enterprise SSO and access controls
Use Cases of Retell AI and LiveKit
Pricing of Retell AI and LiveKit
Retell AI uses a simple pay-as-you-go pricing model with no platform fees or hidden costs. All new users receive $10 in free credits, equal to about 60 minutes of calls to test the platform.
Standard pricing starts at $0.07-$0.08 per minute depending on voice quality and features selected. This includes voice synthesis, speech recognition, and basic telephony. Additional costs may apply for premium voice models and advanced language models.
Enterprise plans offer significant discounts for high-volume users, with rates dropping to as low as $0.05 per minute for customers spending over $3,000 monthly. Enterprise customers also receive dedicated support through private Slack channels and priority assistance.
The transparent pricing model means you only pay for actual usage, making it cost-effective for businesses of any size without requiring large upfront investments.
LiveKit offers flexible pricing plans designed to scale with your project's growth:
Build Plan (Free): Perfect for getting started with 100 concurrent participants, 5,000 connection minutes monthly, 50GB bandwidth, and 1,000 telephony minutes. Includes community support and basic analytics.
Ship Plan ($50/month): For production applications with 1,000 concurrent participants, 150,000 connection minutes (then $0.50 per thousand minutes), 500GB bandwidth (then $0.12 per GB), and enhanced features like noise cancellation and email support.
Scale Plan ($500/month): Advanced plan with higher limits, priority support, and additional enterprise features like SSO and shared Slack channels.
Enterprise Plan (Custom pricing): Tailored for large organizations with dedicated support engineers, HIPAA compliance, on-premise deployment options, and custom SLAs.
All plans include the core platform features, with higher tiers adding operational support, compliance certifications, and dedicated assistance for scaling applications.
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