ElevenLabs Agents vs LiveKit Agents
ElevenLabs Agents (Voice-quality leader, agents platform) and LiveKit Agents (Realtime infra + agents (OSS + cloud)) are Voice AI platforms, priced from $0.05/min and $0.01/min respectively. Below: the bottom line, verified head-to-head facts, and real production costs.
These tools suit different teams. LiveKit Agents wins for technical teams: BYO LLM and BYO TTS, native SIP trunking, and a base rate of $0.01/min give developers maximum control and lower infrastructure cost. ElevenLabs Agents wins for non-technical or speed-focused teams: a no-code builder versus LiveKit having none, 75ms median latency, and 70 languages enable fast deployment without engineering resources. Neither dominates overall.
It is close, and the right pick depends on your use case. Start a free trial, or read the verdicts below.
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Head-to-head facts
Every row independently verified| Fact | ||
|---|---|---|
| Base price / min | ~$0.05Jul 15 | ~$0.01Jul 15 |
| Real production cost / min | n/a | $0.04-0.31Jul 15 |
| HIPAA BAA on base plan | ◑ Enterprise onlyJul 15 | ◑ Paid add-onJul 15 |
| Native SIP trunking | n/a | ✓ YesJul 15 |
| Concurrency limit (base) | n/a | ~5 concurrent agent sessionsJul 15 |
| Median e2e latency | ~75 msJul 15 | n/a |
| Bring-your-own LLM | n/a | ✓ YesJul 15 |
| Free tier credit | Free plan $0, 10k credits/monthJul 15 | 1,000 free agent session minutes monthly, no credit cardJul 15 |
Pricing: true cost at 3 usage tiers
All-in monthly: platform fee + per-minute + telephony. Assumes GPT-4o class model, ElevenLabs voice.Verdicts by use case
For no-code agency deploys and white-label resale, ElevenLabs Agents has a native no-code agent builder, which LiveKit explicitly lacks. Neither tool offers white-label sub-accounts: LiveKit explicitly states no, and ElevenLabs has no supporting fact for white-label either. ElevenLabs wins narrowly because its no-code builder directly enables non-technical agency users to deploy agents, which is the core requirement, while LiveKit requires code for every deployment.
For ecommerce support, low latency and ease of deployment matter most. ElevenLabs Agents offers 75 ms median end-to-end latency and a no-code agent builder, making it faster to deploy conversational order-flow agents without engineering overhead. LiveKit has no no-code builder, requiring developer effort. ElevenLabs also supports 70 languages, which is useful for global ecommerce. LiveKit has a cost advantage at $0.01/min base versus $0.05/min, but ElevenLabs wins on speed-to-market and latency for this use case.
For HIPAA-bound workflows, the key gating factor is whether a BAA is accessible without enterprise negotiation. LiveKit offers HIPAA as a paid addon on self-serve plans, making it achievable without a full enterprise contract. ElevenLabs restricts its HIPAA BAA to enterprise tier only, adding procurement friction and likely cost. SOC 2 signals exist only for LiveKit. LiveKit's paid-addon BAA path is meaningfully more accessible than ElevenLabs's enterprise-only requirement, giving LiveKit a narrow edge for healthcare compliance use cases.
LiveKit Agents explicitly lacks native outbound campaign support, which is a core requirement for outbound sales and call-center work. ElevenLabs Agents has no such disqualifying limitation in the facts. ElevenLabs also supports 70 languages, useful for broad sales outreach, and offers a no-code agent builder that speeds campaign setup. LiveKit has lower base pricing at $0.01/min versus ElevenLabs at $0.05/min (facts 7e98590c, f38effd1), which partially offsets the difference, but the missing outbound campaign capability is a decisive functional gap for this use case.
For an SMB receptionist use case, ease of setup and low latency matter most. ElevenLabs Agents offers a no-code agent builder that LiveKit lacks, so non-technical SMB owners can configure booking flows without developers. ElevenLabs also delivers 75ms median end-to-end latency, which is critical for natural receptionist conversations. LiveKit's base price is lower at $0.01/min versus $0.05/min, but the development effort required without a no-code builder offsets that cost advantage for typical SMBs. Both offer self-serve signup and free tiers, so ElevenLabs wins on accessibility and conversational responsiveness.
Common questions
Which is cheaper per minute, LiveKit Agents or ElevenLabs Agents?+−
LiveKit Agents has a base price of $0.01/min, compared to ElevenLabs Agents at $0.05/min. However, LiveKit passes LLM and TTS costs through at cost, so real production costs for LiveKit can range from $0.0435 to $0.3135/min depending on your stack. ElevenLabs pricing is more predictable upfront.
Do either tools offer a free tier with no credit card required?+−
Both platforms offer free tiers. LiveKit Agents provides 1,000 free agent session minutes per month with no credit card required. ElevenLabs Agents offers a free plan at $0 with 10,000 credits per month. Neither charges a monthly platform fee on their base plans.
Which platform is better for non-technical users who need a no-code builder?+−
ElevenLabs Agents includes a no-code agent builder, while LiveKit Agents does not. This makes LiveKit Agents better suited to developers who are comfortable working directly with code and APIs.
Is HIPAA compliance available on standard plans for either tool?+−
Neither tool includes a HIPAA BAA on standard plans. LiveKit Agents offers HIPAA compliance as a paid add-on, while ElevenLabs Agents restricts HIPAA BAAs to enterprise plans only. Healthcare teams should budget for these additional costs accordingly.
Which tool has lower voice AI latency?+−
ElevenLabs Agents claims a median end-to-end latency of 75 ms. No equivalent latency figure is available for LiveKit Agents in the provided facts, so a direct comparison on this metric cannot be made.
Does LiveKit Agents support SIP trunking and phone number provisioning?+−
LiveKit Agents supports native SIP trunking and allows you to buy or port phone numbers directly in the platform, with telephony priced at $0.01 per minute. No equivalent SIP support or number provisioning details are available for ElevenLabs Agents in this dataset.
Can I bring my own LLM or TTS voice to either platform?+−
LiveKit Agents explicitly supports bring-your-own LLM and bring-your-own TTS voice. No equivalent capability is confirmed for ElevenLabs Agents in this dataset. If custom model flexibility is a priority, LiveKit Agents holds a clear advantage based on available data.
How many languages does ElevenLabs Agents support?+−
ElevenLabs Agents supports 70 languages. No equivalent language count is available for LiveKit Agents in the provided facts, so buyers with strong multilingual requirements should verify LiveKit's language coverage directly with the vendor.
Best ElevenLabs Agents alternatives →Best LiveKit Agents alternatives →
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