← Back to livekit Overview
The Showdown

Agoravslivekit

Why pay monthly fees for Agora when you can self-host livekit for free? Let's look at the facts.

Agora

The Expensive Option

  • Closed Source (Black box)
  • Expensive monthly fees per user
  • Data stored on their servers
WINNER

livekit

The Freedom Choice

  • 100% Open Source Code
  • Free forever (Self-hosted)
  • You own your data completely
Get livekit Now
Interactive Calculator

Calculate Your "SaaS Tax"

SaaS pricing is designed to scale with your success. See how much wealth transfers from your bank account to Agora's shareholders.

10 people
150100200+
$

*Estimated standard pricing for Agora. Adjust if needed.

Estimated Annual Waste
$1,440
Monthly Burn Rate$120
5-Year Projection$7,200
Cost with Self-Hosted$0
Start Saving Today

Calculations based on 10 users at $12/mo.

Detailed Breakdown

0
Data processed on provider servers
Self-hosted on private infrastructure
1
Requires complex third-party middleware
Native support for AI agents and LLMs
2
Usage-based metered billing
No per-minute usage fees