Honest pros, cons, and verdict on this voice ai infrastructure tool
✅ OpenAI's Realtime API for Voice runs on LiveKit — production-validated at the highest scale
Starting Price
$0 (Apache 2.0)
Free Tier
No
Category
Voice AI Infrastructure
Skill Level
Developer
Open-source real-time media stack and agent framework — WebRTC infrastructure, telephony (SIP/PSTN), and LiveKit Agents, the SDK behind OpenAI's Realtime API and many production voice agents.
LiveKit started as the open-source successor to Twilio for WebRTC: a high-performance SFU/MCU media server, SDKs in every major language, telephony bridges (SIP and PSTN), recording, and an Egress/Ingress pipeline for streaming. Over the last two years it has become the standard real-time substrate for AI voice agents — partly because OpenAI's Realtime API for Voice runs on LiveKit infrastructure, and partly because LiveKit Agents (the open-source SDK in Python and Node) handles every hard problem in voice agent development: low-latency audio, turn detection, interruption handling, telephony bridging, function/tool calls, multimodal LLM streaming (OpenAI Realtime, Gemini Live, Anthropic), and TTS/STT swapping (Cartesia, ElevenLabs, Deepgram, Whisper, OpenAI). LiveKit Cloud is the managed offering with a global edge network and clear pricing: a free tier for development, Build at $50/month for production prototyping, Ship for higher-volume teams, and Scale / Enterprise for negotiated capacity with SOC 2, HIPAA, and private deployments.
per month
per month
per month
LiveKit delivers on its promises as a voice ai infrastructure tool. While it has some limitations, the benefits outweigh the drawbacks for most users in its target market.
Open-source real-time media stack and agent framework — WebRTC infrastructure, telephony (SIP/PSTN), and LiveKit Agents, the SDK behind OpenAI's Realtime API and many production voice agents.
Yes, LiveKit is good for voice ai infrastructure work. Users particularly appreciate openai's realtime api for voice runs on livekit — production-validated at the highest scale. However, keep in mind developer-only with no no-code agent builder — slower first hour than vapi or retell.
LiveKit starts at $0 (Apache 2.0). Check their pricing page for the most current rates and features included in each plan.
LiveKit is best for Production voice agents (sales, support, intake, healthcare triage) and Real-time tutors, language coaches, and AI interviewers. It's particularly useful for voice ai infrastructure professionals who need advanced features.
There are several voice ai infrastructure tools available. Compare features, pricing, and user reviews to find the best option for your needs.
Last verified March 2026