LiveKit vs Retell AI
Pricing last verified from each vendor's own site.
Verdict
LiveKit: Build $0/mo, Ship from $50/mo, Scale from $500/mo, plus $0.01/min agent sessions, telephony and per-model inference. Retell: pay as you go $0.07–$0.31/min with a no-code builder and $10 free credits.
- Consider LiveKit if: You are building your own agent in code and want to self-host or customise.
- Consider Retell AI if: You want a no-code phone agent without running infrastructure.
Factual summary
- Both are listed under Voice AI & Dialers.
- Directly comparable starting prices are not available for both: LiveKit — Build $0/mo; Ship from $50/mo; Scale from $500/mo; Enterprise custom; usage on top: agent session $0.01/min, US local telephony $0.01/min, and LLM, speech-to-text and text-to-speech inference billed per minute by model (the page's example totals about $0.048/min); Retell AI — Pay as you go, $0.07–$0.31/min; $10 free credits.
- LiveKit lists channels Retell AI does not: video.
This is a factual comparison drawn from vendor sites, not a recommendation. Which fits depends on your channels, volume and budget.
| LiveKit | Retell AI | |
|---|---|---|
| Summary | Open-source framework and cloud for building, deploying and scaling real-time voice and video AI agents. | AI phone agents priced per minute. |
| Starting price | From $50/mo | See vendor |
| Pricing details | Build $0/mo; Ship from $50/mo; Scale from $500/mo; Enterprise custom; usage on top: agent session $0.01/min, US local telephony $0.01/min, and LLM, speech-to-text and text-to-speech inference billed per minute by model (the page's example totals about $0.048/min) | Pay as you go, $0.07–$0.31/min; $10 free credits |
| Model | freemium | usage |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Free plan | Yes | — |
| Channels | phone, video | phone |
| Last verified | 2026-10-31 | 2026-10-28 |
FAQ
What is the difference between LiveKit and Retell AI?
LiveKit: Build $0/mo, Ship from $50/mo, Scale from $500/mo, plus $0.01/min agent sessions, telephony and per-model inference. Retell: pay as you go $0.07–$0.31/min with a no-code builder and $10 free credits.
Which is cheaper, LiveKit or Retell AI?
We can't compare entry prices directly. LiveKit: Build $0/mo; Ship from $50/mo; Scale from $500/mo; Enterprise custom; usage on top: agent session $0.01/min, US local telephony $0.01/min, and LLM, speech-to-text and text-to-speech inference billed per minute by model (the page's example totals about $0.048/min). Retell AI: Pay as you go, $0.07–$0.31/min; $10 free credits.
When should I choose LiveKit over Retell AI?
Consider LiveKit if: You are building your own agent in code and want to self-host or customise. Consider Retell AI if: You want a no-code phone agent without running infrastructure.
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