kitio.aiLiveKit vs ZenML
A side-by-side look at pricing plans, free tiers, features, pros and cons, updated for 2026. ZenML has the lower starting price: about $39 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
- Open-source Agents framework
- Turn detection
- Telephony integration
- LiveKit Inference
- Agent observability
- Global edge network
- Python pipeline orchestration
- Runs on your own infrastructure
- Agent session replay with Kitaru
- Evaluators and experiment runs
- Model and artifact control planes
- Self-hosted open source
| Feature | LiveKit | ZenML |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Open-source framework and cloud for real-time voice and video AI agents | Open-source orchestration for ML pipelines and AI agents |
| Category | Models & APIs | Models & APIs |
| Pricing model | Freemium | Freemium |
| Starting price | $50/mo | $39/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Made by | LiveKit | ZenML |
| Based in | United States | Germany |
| Rating | No ratings yet | No ratings yet |
| Key features |
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Pricing compared
ZenML has the lower starting price: about $39 a month, against $50 for LiveKit.
Free plan
Cheapest paid plan
Top plan
Free trial
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
4 plans
Open Source
Free
- Self-hosted
- Evaluators and experiment runs
- Community support
Kitaru Cloud
$39/mo
- 3 agents and 2 seats
- 90-day session retention
- Hosted dashboard
- 14-day full-access trial
Scale
$999/mo
- 2,000 executions per month
- 3 projects
- Model and artifact control planes
- Audit logs
Enterprise
Custom
- Air-gapped deployment
- Custom limits
Prices in USD, checked Oct 29, 2026 or later. Plans change often, so confirm on each tool's site before you buy.
Pros and cons
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
ZenML
- Apache 2.0 open source core
- Works with existing orchestrators and clouds
- Replays real sessions to test agent changes
- Flat $39 plan for Kitaru Cloud
- Scale plan starts at $999 a month
- Requires Python engineering skills
- Self-hosting means running it yourself
Which one should you choose?
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.
Choose ZenML if you want:
- Apache 2.0 open source core
- Works with existing orchestrators and clouds
- Replays real sessions to test agent changes
Watch out: scale plan starts at $999 a month.
LiveKit vs ZenML FAQ
What is the difference between LiveKit and ZenML?
LiveKit: Open-source framework and cloud for real-time voice and video AI agents. ZenML: Open-source orchestration for ML pipelines and AI agents. Both are models & apis tools.
Is LiveKit or ZenML cheaper?
ZenML has the lower starting price: about $39 a month, against $50 for LiveKit.
Do LiveKit and ZenML have free plans?
LiveKit: Yes. ZenML: Yes.
Who makes LiveKit?
LiveKit is made by LiveKit, based in United States.
Who makes ZenML?
ZenML is made by ZenML, based in Germany.
Which should I choose, LiveKit or ZenML?
Choose LiveKit if you value open source with a managed cloud and proven at very large scale. Choose ZenML if you value apache 2.0 open source core and works with existing orchestrators and clouds.