A video conferencing API (also called a video call API) gives your application real-time, two-way video and audio between participants, with a delay under half a second. The provider runs the WebRTC servers around the world, so you build only the interface. In October 2026 the main options are Twilio Video, Daily, LiveKit and Agora. Most bill per participant-minute, about $0.004 for video at list price, and Daily, LiveKit and Agora include free minutes every month.
This guide explains what the API provides, compares the providers (prices checked on each vendor's page on 18 October 2026), works through the cost of 20 small meetings and shows how to choose. It is one of the six kinds of video API.
What a video conferencing API does
You could assemble real-time video from open-source parts, but connecting people across networks, firewalls and devices at low latency is hard to run. A video call API gives you:
- Rooms that participants join with a token your server issues.
- SDKs for web, iOS and Android that handle cameras, microphones, screen sharing and device changes.
- Media servers (SFUs) worldwide that route each participant's stream to the others.
- Extras you pay for separately: recording, composing a recording into one MP4, transcription, phone dial-in, and live streaming of a call.
Typical uses are telehealth, tutoring, interviews, virtual events with a few speakers and, increasingly, AI voice and video agents that join a room and talk to users. If viewers only watch, a live streaming API is cheaper per person.
Video call APIs compared
| Provider | Pricing | Free tier |
|---|---|---|
| Twilio Video | Group Rooms $0.004 per participant-minute; recording $0.004 per participant-minute; composition (one MP4) $0.01 per minute | Trial credit after sign-up (amount not stated) |
| Daily | $0.004 per participant-minute, falling to $0.0015 at 50 million minutes; audio-only $0.00099; recording $0.01349 per recorded minute | 10,000 participant minutes a month |
| LiveKit Cloud | Build $0; Ship from $50 a month (150,000 minutes, then $0.0005 per minute); Scale from $500 a month (1.5 million minutes, then $0.0004). Open-source server you can self-host | Build: 5,000 WebRTC minutes a month |
| Agora | Per 1,000 participant minutes: audio $0.99, HD $3.99, Full HD $8.99, 2K $15.99. Prepaid bundles from $45.99 a month for 50,000 minutes | 10,000 minutes a month (service stops at the limit, no overage billing) |
Checked on 18 October 2026. Sources: Twilio Video pricing, Daily pricing, LiveKit pricing, Agora pricing.
Twilio announced the end of Twilio Video in 2024 and reversed the decision on 21 October 2024; it remains a standalone product with a roadmap focused on healthcare, services and retail. Vonage also sells a Video API, but we could not verify its current price on its own pages, so it is not in the table.
AI agents. We found no official MCP server that acts on a Twilio or Daily account. LiveKit, Agora and Vonage publish MCP servers for their documentation only (LiveKit at docs.livekit.io/mcp, Agora at mcp.agora.io), which help a coding assistant write the integration but cannot run your rooms. Checked 18 October 2026.
What the prices mean: a worked example
Take 20 meetings a month, each with 4 participants for 30 minutes. Billing counts every participant separately: 4 × 30 = 120 participant-minutes per meeting, so 20 × 120 = 2,400 participant-minutes a month, with cameras on.
| Provider | Calculation | Total a month |
|---|---|---|
| Twilio Video | 2,400 × $0.004 | $9.60 |
| Daily | 2,400 is under the 10,000 free participant minutes | $0 |
| LiveKit Cloud (Build) | 2,400 is under the 5,000 free minutes | $0 |
| Agora (HD) | 2,400 is under the 10,000 free minutes; at list price 2.4 × $3.99 | $0 (list price $9.58) |
At this size, three of the four are free. Scale the same pattern to 100 meetings (12,000 participant-minutes) a month: Twilio costs 12,000 × $0.004 = $48.00; Daily costs (12,000 − 10,000 free) × $0.004 = $8.00; LiveKit moves to the Ship plan at $50 a month, which includes 150,000 minutes; and Agora at list price is 12 × $3.99 = $47.88, although its free bundle stops service at 10,000 minutes instead of billing the rest.
Recording is extra. If you record all 20 meetings on Daily, 600 recorded minutes × $0.01349 = $8.09 (recording is billed by wall-clock time, not per participant). On Twilio, recording each participant adds 2,400 × $0.004 = $9.60. Audio-only calls are much cheaper: Daily charges $0.00099 per participant-minute, but only if nobody sends video.
How to choose
- A standard video app with a generous free tier: Daily.
- AI voice or video agents, or you want to self-host: LiveKit. Its server is open source, and the cloud has a free Build plan.
- You already use Twilio for SMS, voice or verification: Twilio Video keeps one vendor and one invoice.
- Large global audiences: Agora prices by resolution (HD, Full HD, 2K). Check its free bundle suspends service at the limit instead of billing overage.
- One speaker, many watchers: use a live streaming API.
Calls often end up as recordings. Store and play them with a video hosting API, and if you want a polished version (intro, captions, branding) a video editing API can render it from the recording.
Frequently asked questions
What is a video conferencing API?
A video conferencing API gives an application real-time two-way video and audio between participants. The provider runs the WebRTC media servers and SDKs for web and mobile, and you build the interface. Twilio Video, Daily, LiveKit and Agora are the main options in 2026.
How much does a video call API cost?
Most charge about $0.004 per participant-minute for video at list price: Twilio $0.004, Daily $0.004 (falling to $0.0015 with volume), Agora $3.99 per 1,000 minutes for HD. Four people in a 30-minute meeting use 120 participant-minutes, about $0.48. Twenty such meetings a month cost $9.60 on Twilio and nothing on the free tiers of Daily, LiveKit or Agora. Prices checked on 18 October 2026.
Is there a free video call API?
Yes. Daily and Agora include 10,000 minutes a month, and LiveKit Cloud Build includes 5,000 WebRTC minutes a month. Twilio gives a trial credit after sign-up. Agora suspends service when the free minutes run out instead of billing. Checked on 18 October 2026.
Is Twilio Video still available?
Yes. Twilio announced its end of life in March 2024 and reversed the decision on 21 October 2024. It is a standalone product again, with a roadmap focused on healthcare, services and retail.
What is the difference between a video call API and a live streaming API?
A video call API connects participants who all send and receive video, with under half a second of delay, and bills per participant-minute. A live streaming API sends one feed to many viewers who only watch, with a few seconds of delay, and is cheaper per viewer.
Which video call APIs work with AI agents?
LiveKit, Agora and Vonage publish MCP servers for their documentation, which help an assistant write code but do not control your rooms. We found no official MCP server for acting on a Twilio or Daily account (checked 18 October 2026). LiveKit also has tooling for AI voice agents that join rooms.
More in this section: video APIs: the six types and how to choose, live streaming API and video hosting API.
Published on October 18th, 2026
