LiveKit vs Vapi
A side-by-side comparison of LiveKit and Vapi, drawn from Ignaite's continuously-verified listings.
Compared from listings verified as of
LiveKit
InfraOpen-source framework and cloud for realtime voice, video, and physical AI agents.
View LiveKitAt a glance
| Attribute | LiveKit | Vapi |
|---|---|---|
| Category (differs) | Infra | Voice |
| Pricing | FREEMIUM | FREEMIUM |
| License (differs) | Open core | Proprietary |
| Deployment (differs) | Hybrid | Cloud |
| Platforms (differs) | Web, API, CLI | API, Web |
| Model support (differs) | Model-agnostic | Multi-model |
| Vendor (differs) | LiveKit, Inc. | Vapi |
| Capabilities (differs) |
|
|
The honest brief
LiveKit
The open-source realtime layer most voice-agent stacks run on — sub-second STT-LLM-TTS with turn detection, interruptions, and telephony, BYO models.
- Powers ChatGPT Advanced Voice in production
- Self-hostable, with telephony built in
- BYO STT/LLM/TTS — no model lock-in
- Reliable turn detection and interruptions
- Managed cloud option alongside the OSS
- Developer infrastructure, not a no-code product
- You assemble and pay for STT/LLM/TTS separately
- Realtime media ops add operational complexity
Vapi
Solves the hard parts of phone agents — telephony, low-latency turn-taking and barge-in — while leaving STT/LLM/TTS fully pluggable.
- Telephony and interrupts handled
- Pluggable STT + LLM + TTS stack
- Fast to a working phone agent
- Generous developer free tier
- Per-minute costs stack across layers
- Latency depends on chosen models
- Complex configuration surface
- Cloud-only orchestration
When to pick which
Across the signals we compare, LiveKit and Vapi differ on license, deployment, and platforms:
- License
- Open core · Proprietary
- Deployment
- Hybrid · Cloud
- Platforms
- Web, API, CLI · API, Web
Their capability lists differ in recorded depth — compare the full lists above before deciding.