# LiveKit Agents vs Pipecat

> LiveKit Agents vs Pipecat: Pipecat is our pick, leading for healthcare and outbound sales. Base rates $0.01 vs $0.01/min. They split on hipaa baa on base plan.

![LiveKit Agents logo](https://www.versusref.com/logos/livekit-agents.png)

Both Voice AI platforms, LiveKit Agents (Realtime infra + agents (OSS + cloud)) and Pipecat (Open-source Python framework for real-time voice and multimodal conversational agents, maintained by Daily, with Pipecat Cloud as the managed production runtime.) go head to head here, priced from $0.01/min and $0.01/min respectively. Start with the bottom line, then the verified fact table and real production costs.

Voice AI platforms · 26 facts compared · all sourced · pricing verified Jul 30, 2026

## Bottom line

Pipecat wins two use cases outright against LiveKit Agents' one, and those wins rest on concrete advantages. In healthcare compliance, Pipecat includes a HIPAA BAA at no extra tier, while LiveKit Agents treats it as a paid add-on, a meaningful difference for any regulated deployment. In outbound sales campaigns, Pipecat's BSD-2-Clause open-source license and self-host option give teams full pipeline control, and its telephony rate of $0.018/min competes closely with LiveKit Agents' $0.01/min when factoring in that LiveKit Agents' real production costs run $0.0435 to $0.3135/min. Pipecat also includes GDPR tooling and supports warm transfers to humans, both operationally critical for outbound work. LiveKit Agents takes ecommerce support, but that single win cannot overcome Pipecat's compliance and deployment flexibility edges across the broader use-case record.

## Verdict summary

| Use case | Winner | Why |
| --- | --- | --- |
| No-code agency deploys | Tie | For a no-code agency deploying and reselling voice AI, the two most critical capabilities are a no-code agent builder and white-label sub-accounts. |
| Custom pipeline control | Tie | For engineering teams building custom pipelines, the ability to bring your own LLM and operate fully API-first are the deciding factors. |
| Ecommerce support and orders | LiveKit Agents | For ecommerce support, broad integrations and a built-in knowledge base are the deciding factors. |
| Healthcare compliance | Pipecat | For HIPAA-bound healthcare workflows, the single most critical requirement is a HIPAA BAA. |
| Outbound sales campaigns | Pipecat | For outbound sales campaigns, the most critical attribute is native outbound campaign support. |
| SMB receptionist and booking | Tie | Both platforms have a $0/mo platform fee, making the cost of entry equal for an SMB. |

## LiveKit Agents vs Pipecat: head-to-head facts

| Fact | LiveKit Agents | Pipecat | Verified |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Base price / min | ~$0.01 ([source](https://livekit.com/pricing)) | $0.01 ([source](https://www.daily.co/pricing/pipecat-cloud/)) | Jul 15 |
| Real production cost / min | $0.04-0.31 ([source](https://livekit.com/pricing)) | n/a | Jul 15 |
| HIPAA BAA on base plan | ◑  Paid add-on ([source](https://livekit.com/pricing)) | ✓  Included ([source](https://www.daily.co/products/pipecat-cloud/)) | Jul 15 |
| Native SIP trunking | ✓  Yes ([source](https://livekit.com/pricing)) | ✓  Yes ([source](https://www.daily.co/pricing/pipecat-cloud/)) | Jul 15 |
| Concurrency limit (base) | ~5 concurrent agent sessions ([source](https://livekit.com/pricing)) | n/a | Jul 15 |
| Bring-your-own LLM | ✓  Yes ([source](https://docs.livekit.io/intro/overview/)) | ✓  Yes ([source](https://github.com/pipecat-ai/pipecat)) | Jul 15 |
| Free tier credit | 1,000 free agent session minutes monthly, no credit card ([source](https://livekit.com/pricing)) | n/a | Jul 15 |

## LiveKit Agents vs Pipecat pricing: true cost at 3 usage tiers

All-in monthly: platform fee + per-minute + telephony. Assumes GPT-4o class model, ElevenLabs voice.

| Volume | Buyer | LiveKit Agents | Pipecat | Note |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1K min/mo | Solo builder | $179 | $10 | Includes estimated telephony. Free credits can offset the first month. |
| 10K min/mo | Agency | $1,785 | $100 | Volume pricing typically starts to apply at this tier. |
| 100K min/mo | Call center | $17,850 | $1,000 | Both platforms offer custom contracts at this tier. Negotiate. |

## LiveKit Agents vs Pipecat: verdicts by use case

### No-code agency deploys → Tie

For a no-code agency deploying and reselling voice AI, the two most critical capabilities are a no-code agent builder and white-label sub-accounts. LiveKit Agents explicitly has no no-code builder and no white-label support. Pipecat is open-source and API-first, so it also lacks a native no-code builder or white-label sub-account system out of the box. Neither tool publishes these features, which are the deciding factors for this use case. On production cost, LiveKit Agents carries an estimated real cost of $0.0435–$0.3135/min versus Pipecat's $0.01/min base with a telephony rate of $0.018/min compared to LiveKit's $0.01/min, giving a slight cost edge to LiveKit depending on stack. Neither tool offers native outbound campaigns. Both lack platform fees at the base level. Because both tools fail on the two heaviest requirements for this use case, neither wins.

### Custom pipeline control → Tie

For engineering teams building custom pipelines, the ability to bring your own LLM and operate fully API-first are the deciding factors. Both LiveKit Agents and Pipecat support bring-your-own LLM and are fully API-first, so neither pulls ahead on the two most critical capabilities. Both also support bring-your-own TTS voices and native SIP trunking, leaving those attributes balanced as well. No latency benchmarks or simulation and testing suite facts are published for either tool, so those tiebreakers cannot be applied. Pipecat's BSD-2-Clause open-source license and self-host option give engineering teams maximum pipeline transparency and deployment flexibility, while LiveKit Agents offers a managed cloud with 1,000 free monthly session minutes and a $0/mo platform fee as entry points. These represent different architectural philosophies that suit different teams rather than one being objectively superior for custom pipeline control.

### Ecommerce support and orders → LiveKit Agents

For ecommerce support, broad integrations and a built-in knowledge base are the deciding factors. Pipecat connects to 100+ AI services including Twilio, Telnyx, and LiveKit, giving it an edge in integration depth. However, LiveKit Agents includes a built-in knowledge base, while no such feature is confirmed for Pipecat. LiveKit Agents also charges $0/mo as a platform fee with self-serve signup and 1,000 free monthly minutes, lowering the barrier to launch. Pipecat telephony runs $0.018/min versus LiveKit Agents at $0.01/min, making per-call costs higher on Pipecat. Balancing the integrations advantage against the knowledge base, lower telephony cost, and zero platform fee, LiveKit Agents edges ahead overall.

### Healthcare compliance → Pipecat

For HIPAA-bound healthcare workflows, the single most critical requirement is a HIPAA BAA. Pipecat includes the HIPAA BAA at no extra charge, while LiveKit Agents treats it as a paid add-on. That difference alone is decisive for any compliance-first healthcare buyer. Pipecat also confirms GDPR tooling and warm transfer to human, adding further compliance depth. LiveKit Agents holds SOC 2 Type II certification, but without a HIPAA BAA included in the base plan, it requires additional spend and negotiation before a healthcare deployment can proceed. Pipecat's combination of included HIPAA coverage and verified compliance features makes it the stronger fit here.

### Outbound sales campaigns → Pipecat

For outbound sales campaigns, the most critical attribute is native outbound campaign support. LiveKit Agents explicitly lacks this capability, which is a direct gap for the use case. Pipecat has no confirmed native outbound campaign support either, but it does confirm warm transfer to human agents, which is critical for call-center workflows. On production cost, LiveKit Agents ranges from $0.044 to $0.31 per minute, while Pipecat's telephony rate is $0.018 per minute versus LiveKit's $0.01 per minute, making overall costs comparable. Both tools offer native SIP trunking. The decisive difference is LiveKit Agents' confirmed lack of native outbound campaign capability, while Pipecat supports warm transfers to human agents.

### SMB receptionist and booking → Tie

Both platforms have a $0/mo platform fee, making the cost of entry equal for an SMB. LiveKit Agents offers a built-in knowledge base and in-platform number provisioning, which are clear advantages for a receptionist setup. However, it has no no-code agent builder, a critical need for SMBs without developer resources, and no confirmed warm-transfer capability. Pipecat supports warm transfers and carries a BSD-2-Clause open-source license that enables self-hosting, but it also lacks a no-code builder and a built-in knowledge base. Neither tool satisfies the no-code requirement, and the two split the other key attributes evenly.

## LiveKit Agents vs Pipecat: common questions

### Is LiveKit Agents cheaper than Pipecat?

It depends on which cost you compare. Both platforms charge the same base rate of $0.01/min for agent sessions. However, telephony costs differ: LiveKit Agents charges $0.01/min while Pipecat charges $0.018/min. Real all-in costs for LiveKit Agents, including LLM and TTS pass-through, can reach $0.04 to $0.31/min depending on your stack. Neither platform has a clear blanket pricing advantage without knowing your exact usage mix.

### Does LiveKit Agents or Pipecat include a HIPAA BAA without upgrading to a paid add-on?

Pipecat includes a HIPAA BAA at no extra cost. LiveKit Agents offers HIPAA compliance as a paid add-on, so healthcare teams that need it from the start will find Pipecat the simpler path.

### Is LiveKit Agents or Pipecat better for teams that want to self-host their voice AI infrastructure?

Pipecat explicitly supports self-hosting and on-premises deployment. LiveKit Agents does not list a self-host option, so teams with strict data-residency or private-cloud requirements will likely prefer Pipecat.

### How does LiveKit Agents telephony pricing compare to Pipecat at scale?

LiveKit Agents charges $0.01/min for telephony, while Pipecat charges $0.018/min. Both pass through LLM and TTS costs at cost. At high call volumes, that difference adds up, making LiveKit Agents meaningfully cheaper on the telephony line item alone.

### What does LiveKit Agents actually cost per minute in a real production build?

The base rate is $0.01 per minute, but factoring in LLM, TTS, and telephony costs, the real all-in cost is estimated at roughly $0.04 to $0.31 per minute, depending on the AI services you stack on top.

### Does LiveKit Agents offer a free tier to test before paying?

Yes. LiveKit Agents provides 1,000 free agent session minutes every month with no credit card required, and there is no monthly platform fee, so you can build and test at zero upfront cost.

### Is Pipecat or LiveKit Agents better for open-source-first development teams?

Pipecat is released under a BSD-2-Clause open-source license, giving developer teams full access to inspect, fork, and modify the codebase. LiveKit Agents does not carry an equivalent open-source license based on available details.

### Does LiveKit Agents support concurrent agent sessions, and is there a cap?

LiveKit Agents allows up to 5 concurrent agent sessions on the base plan. Teams expecting bursts beyond that should confirm higher limits directly with LiveKit before committing.

### Is LiveKit Agents or Pipecat better for regulated industries that also need GDPR tooling?

Pipecat offers a HIPAA BAA included on base plans and verified GDPR tooling with EU residency options. LiveKit Agents holds SOC 2 Type II certification but lists HIPAA only as a paid add-on and does not include GDPR tooling in its available details.

Source: https://www.versusref.com/voice-ai/livekit-agents-vs-pipecat/