Agora
Real-time voice, video, messaging and conversational AI SDKs running on a global network.
Updated · AppBreakup editorial · Web, Windows, macOS, iOS, Android
Is Agora free?
Free plan, plus paid plans
- Starting price:
- $0.59 per 1,000 RTC minutes
Checked on Agora's site Nov 8, 2026
Full Agora pricing and plansSwitch from Agora to
All 7- Verified facts
- 6 of 6
- Alternatives ranked
- 7
- Approved reviews
- 0
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About Agora
Agora is one of the largest real-time engagement platforms, used by apps for social audio, live shopping, gaming voice chat, online classes and telehealth. Its RTC SDKs handle video calls, voice calls and interactive live streaming over Agora's own software-defined network, and separate products cover signaling and in-app chat. More recently it has added a Conversational AI Engine for voice agents that can use any LLM with your choice of speech recognition and text-to-speech. SDKs cover web, iOS, Android, Windows, macOS and game engines. Pricing is pay-as-you-go: each product has a monthly free allowance, then per-minute or per-message rates, with custom pricing for large customers. The network is proprietary and cloud-only, which keeps setup simple but means you cannot self-host it. Agora is particularly strong in Asia and in high-concurrency consumer apps.
Best for: Consumer apps that need voice, video or live streaming at very large scale across regions.
Agora pricing (checked Nov 8, 2026)
Each line is quoted from Agora's own site, with the page it came from.
| Plan or term | What it says | Checked | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| RTC price | From $0.59 per 1,000 minutes | Nov 8, 2026 | agora.io |
| Conversational AI | From $0.10 per minute, first 300 minutes free | Nov 8, 2026 | agora.io |
| Starting price | $0.59 per 1,000 RTC minutes | Nov 8, 2026 | agora.io |
| Chat | From $0.05 per monthly active user | Nov 8, 2026 | agora.io |
Pros and cons
What works
- Large free monthly allowance of RTC minutes
- Proven at very high concurrency
- Separate products for signaling, chat and voice AI
Why people leave
- Proprietary network with no self-hosted option
- Many products and SKUs make costs hard to estimate
- Larger deals require talking to sales
Agora vs LiveKit, CometChat and 100ms
From each app's listing and the prices verified on its own site. A dash means we haven't verified it yet.
| Attribute | Agora | LiveKit | CometChat | 100ms |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan + paid | Open source | Paid | Free plan + paid |
| Verified price | $0.59 per 1,000 RTC minutes | From $50/month | $239/month billed annually | $0.004 per participant minute |
| Free plan | Yes | $0/month Build plan | Development only, up to 100 users | 10,000 conferencing minutes/month |
| Open source | No | Yes | No | No |
| Self-hostable | No | Yes | No | No |
| Platforms | Web, Windows, macOS, iOS, Android | Web, iOS, Android, Self-hosted | Web, iOS, Android | Web, iOS, Android |
Top Agora alternatives
See all 7- 1
LiveKit68.8Open-source and self-hostable, with a strong agents framework for voice AI.
- 2
CometChat66.2Bundles chat and calling with prebuilt UI and a no-code website widget.
- 3
100ms64.8Simpler pricing and a prebuilt UI for teams that mainly need video calls and live classes.
- 4DaDaily61.8
WebRTC platform with HIPAA BAAs, popular for telehealth and Pipecat voice agents.
- 5
Stream54.4Combines video calling with richer chat, feeds and moderation products.
Why people left Agora
In reviewers' own words, from reviews of the apps they moved to. These are their opinions, not ours.
No switching stories yet. If you moved away from Agora, review the app you switched to and tell us why.
Reviews
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Agora: common questions
What is Agora?
Agora: Real-time voice, video, messaging and conversational AI SDKs running on a global network. Best for consumer apps that need voice, video or live streaming at very large scale across regions. Available for Web, Windows, macOS, iOS and Android.
Is Agora free?
Agora has a free plan and paid plans.
How much does Agora cost?
Agora is free with paid plans. RTC price: From $0.59 per 1,000 minutes; Conversational AI: From $0.10 per minute, first 300 minutes free; Starting price: $0.59 per 1,000 RTC minutes; Chat: From $0.05 per monthly active user. Checked on Agora's own site, November 2026.
Is Agora open source?
No, Agora is not open source. Open-source alternatives include LiveKit.
What platforms does Agora run on?
Agora is available for Web, Windows, macOS, iOS and Android.
What are the best alternatives to Agora?
The highest-ranked Agora alternatives right now are LiveKit, CometChat and 100ms. See the full ranked list for pricing, platforms and verified facts.
Agora vs LiveKit: what's the difference?
Agora is free with paid plans; LiveKit is free and open source. Verified prices: Agora $0.59 per 1,000 RTC minutes, LiveKit From $50/month. LiveKit is open source and Agora is not. Only Agora runs on Windows and macOS.