kitio.aiHugging Face vs LiveKit
A side-by-side look at pricing plans, free tiers, features, pros and cons, updated for 2026. Hugging Face has the lower starting price: about $9 a month, against $50 for LiveKit.
At a glance
Best for
Category
Pricing model
Starting price
Free plan
Made by
Based in
Rating
Key features
- Model and dataset hub
- Spaces demo apps
- Inference Providers
- Inference Endpoints
- Transformers library
- Open-source Agents framework
- Turn detection
- Telephony integration
- LiveKit Inference
- Agent observability
- Global edge network
| Feature | Hugging Face | LiveKit |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | The main hub for open models, datasets and AI demo apps | Open-source framework and cloud for real-time voice and video AI agents |
| Category | Models & APIs | Models & APIs |
| Pricing model | Freemium | Freemium |
| Starting price | $9/mo | $50/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Made by | Hugging Face | LiveKit |
| Based in | United States | United States |
| Rating | No ratings yet | No ratings yet |
| Key features |
|
|
Pricing compared
Hugging Face has the lower starting price: about $9 a month, against $50 for LiveKit.
Free plan
Cheapest paid plan
Top plan
Free trial
4 plans
Free
Free
- Host unlimited public models and datasets
- Free CPU Spaces
PRO
$9/mo
- 10x private storage
- $2 inference credits monthly
- 8x ZeroGPU quota
- Spaces Dev Mode
Team
$20/mo
- Per user
- SSO (SAML and OIDC)
- Audit logs and resource groups
- Storage regions
Enterprise
$50/mo
- Per user
- Highest storage and rate limits
- SCIM provisioning
- Managed billing
4 plans
Build
Free
- Agent deployment
- Observability and simulations
- Inference credits
- No credit card
Ship
$50/mo
- Starting price
- Team collaboration
- Custom voices
- Instant rollback
Scale
$500/mo
- Role-based access
- Region pinning
- HIPAA
- Inference discounts
Enterprise
Custom
- Volume pricing
- SSO
- Support SLA
Prices in USD, checked Oct 28, 2026 or later. Plans change often, so confirm on each tool's site before you buy.
Pros and cons
Hugging Face
- Largest open model catalog
- Free hosting for demos
- Huge community
- Model quality varies widely
- Inference credits are small on free
- Can overwhelm newcomers
LiveKit
- Open source with a managed cloud
- Proven at very large scale
- Handles turn-taking for voice agents
- Per-minute costs add up at volume
- HIPAA requires the $500 Scale plan
- Needs developer skills to build on
Which one should you choose?
Choose Hugging Face if you want:
- Largest open model catalog
- Free hosting for demos
- Huge community
Watch out: model quality varies widely.
Choose LiveKit if you want:
- Open source with a managed cloud
- Proven at very large scale
- Handles turn-taking for voice agents
Watch out: per-minute costs add up at volume.
Hugging Face vs LiveKit FAQ
What is the difference between Hugging Face and LiveKit?
Hugging Face: The main hub for open models, datasets and AI demo apps. LiveKit: Open-source framework and cloud for real-time voice and video AI agents. Both are models & apis tools.
Is Hugging Face or LiveKit cheaper?
Hugging Face has the lower starting price: about $9 a month, against $50 for LiveKit.
Do Hugging Face and LiveKit have free plans?
Hugging Face: Yes. LiveKit: Yes.
Who makes Hugging Face?
Hugging Face is made by Hugging Face, based in United States.
Who makes LiveKit?
LiveKit is made by LiveKit, based in United States.
Which should I choose, Hugging Face or LiveKit?
Choose Hugging Face if you value largest open model catalog and free hosting for demos. Choose LiveKit if you value open source with a managed cloud and proven at very large scale.