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LiveKit vs Stream

Reviewed byRoman K
Tagline
LiveKit: Open-source WebRTC infrastructure
Stream: Chat & activity feeds API
Pricing Model
LiveKit: freemium
Stream: freemium
Starting Price
LiveKit: $50/mo
Stream: $0/mo
Free Plan
LiveKit: Yes
Stream: Yes
GitHub Stars
LiveKit: 19.5k
Stream:
npm Downloads/wk
LiveKit: 890.0k
Stream: 394.7k
GitHub Forks
LiveKit: 2.1k
Stream:
Open Issues
LiveKit: 182
Stream:
Tags
LiveKit: webrtc, open-source, ai-agents, voice
Stream: chat, activity-feeds, realtime, sdk

LiveKit vs Stream: which to choose

LiveKit has the larger community with 19.5k GitHub stars against — for Stream, which usually means more integrations, examples and third-party help when you get stuck.

Both charge from day one, but Stream starts lower at $0/mo versus $50/mo for LiveKit.

Choose LiveKit if you lean toward webrtc and open-source; choose Stream if chat and activity-feeds matters more for your stack. All figures above are pulled from live GitHub and pricing data, not vendor marketing.

Frequently asked questions

Is LiveKit or Stream better?

It depends on your priorities. LiveKit has 19.5k GitHub stars and uses a freemium pricing model, while Stream has — stars and uses a freemium model. Both offer a free plan so you can try each before committing.

Is LiveKit cheaper than Stream?

LiveKit starts at $50/mo while Stream starts at $0/mo. LiveKit has a free plan. Stream has a free plan.

What are the main differences between LiveKit and Stream?

LiveKit is tagged as webrtc, open-source, ai-agents while Stream is tagged as chat, activity-feeds, realtime. LiveKit uses a freemium pricing model and has a community of 19.5k GitHub stars. Stream uses a freemium model.

Does LiveKit or Stream have a free plan?

Yes, both LiveKit and Stream offer a free plan.

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