LiveKit vs Red5
A head-to-head comparison of LiveKit and Red5, And what features does Video SDK offer?
Livekit is a collection of SDKs that enables the integration of live video and audio into your native applications. It offers various notable features, including live streaming, in-game communication, video calls, and more. Livekit utilizes a modern, end-to-end WebRTC stack to deliver seamless and high-quality real-time communication experiences.
Red5 is a free and open-source media server that enables real-time streaming of video and audio over the internet. It is a flexible platform that can be used to build a wide variety of streaming applications on demand. However, RED5 is expensive to run for large-scale streaming due to high computing resource requirements and lack of pre-built applications.
How Video SDK make a difference?
LiveKit and Red5 are both live streaming platforms that offer a variety of features and options. LiveKit is WebRTC platforms that leverages the Web Real-Time protocol for communication, while Red5 is an open-source media server that supports various protocols, including RTMP and WebRTC. but there are some key differences between the two that may make one a better fit for your needs than the other. It's essential to be aware of their limitations.
Presenting the Video SDK - a robust and user-friendly video conferencing SDK that offers an extensive array of features, including chat, polls, break-out rooms, streaming capabilities, and RTMP out. It's the perfect solution for businesses and organizations of any size that require creating top-notch and captivating real-time communication experiences.
Here is a comparison of Video SDK with LiveKit vs Red5, and understand why Video SDK emerges as a much better choice for all your requirements.
Features Comparison : LiveKit vs Red5 vs Video SDK
features | LiveKit | Red5 | Video SDK |
---|---|---|---|
No. of participants (Including hosts) | ✕ Limited | ✕ Upto 250 Participants | ✓ Up to millions of viewers |
Ease of SDK Integration | ✕ Development is moderately tough | ✕ Complex Integration | ✓ Avg. integration takes only 2 weeks |
Adpative audio/video quality | ✕ Not Available | ✓ Available | ✓ Available |
Works behind the Firewall, Private Network | ✕ No | ✕ No | ✓ Yes |
Role Management, Permissions, Policy and Templates | ✕ Limited to host & participant roles | ✓ Yes | ✓ Available |
Automatic video and audio track degrade due to bandwidth in-consistency | ✓ Available | ✕ Not Available | ✓ Available |
Dynamic Layout for Studio and RTMP Live Streaming | ✕ Not Available | ✕ Not Available | ✓ Available |
Build collaborative features like chat, poll, Q & A, whiteboard etc. | ✕ Not Available | ✕ Not Available | ✓ Available |
Virtual Background, Live Transcription & ML Middleware | ✕ Not Available | ✕ Not Available | ✓ Available |
Webhooks | ✕ Not Available | ✓ Available | ✓ Available |
Pricing Model | ✕ Subscription based | Subscription Based | ✓ Usage based |
Interactive Live Streaming | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
Cloud Recording | ✓ Yes | ✕ No | ✓ Yes |
Interactive Whiteboard | ✕ No | ✕ No | ✓ Yes |
Multi-platform | ✕ No | ✕ No | ✓ Yes |
Interactive Participant Support | ✕ Limited | ✕ Upto 1000 | ✓ Up to 5,000 |
Mobile browser support | ✕ Limited | Limited (25%) | ✓ 90% |
Automatic audio / video degrade, re-connectivity | ✓ Yes | ✕ No | ✓ Yes |
Audio & Video powered by AI | ✕ No | ✕ No | ✓ Yes |
Independent of Open Source Dependency | ✕ No | ✕ No | ✓ Yes |
Customised RTMP, Cloud Recording, HLS | ✕ No | ✕ No | ✓ Yes |
API for building specific features such as collaborative games, polls etc | ✕ No | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
API to build social features such as merging rooms, battles, coins, gifts sending etc | ✕ No | ✕ No | ✓ Yes |
Full HD recording | ✕ No | ✕ No | ✓ Yes |
Open source templates | ✕ No | ✕ No | ✓ Yes |
Full Custom roles | ✕ Limited | No | ✓ Yes |
HLS Streaming | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
Cost-effective | ✕ No | ✕ No | ✓ Yes |
Prebuilt SDK | ✕ No | Separate SDK | ✓ Yes |
Fully customizable UI | ✕ No | ✕ No | ✓ Yes |
Metaverse platform support | ✕ No | ✕ No | ✓ Yes |
Legacy Solution | ✕ No | ✓ No | |
Session analytics | ✕ No | ✕ No | ✓ Yes |
Data Tracks | ✕ No | ✕ No | ✓ Yes |
Price Comparison : LiveKit vs Red5 vs Video SDK
features | LiveKit | Red5 | Video SDK |
---|---|---|---|
Volume Discount | ✕ No | ✕ No | ✓ Yes |
Video Conferencing |
| Developer Pro: $29.99 per month Small- to medium-sized companies: $7,500 per year Enterprise services: $57,000 High volume: Custom pricing Startup Pro: $109 |
|
Analytics | ✓ Free | ✕ No | ✓ Free |
Separate pricing for video and audio | ✓ Yes | ✓ No | ✓ Yes |
Free 10,000 minutes every month | ✕ No | ✕ No | ✓ Yes |
Minimum price for video calls | $0.02 per participant minute | Not Available | $0.002 per participant minute |
Minimum price for audio-only calls | $0.005 per participant minute | Not Available | $0.0006 per participant min |
Advanced Firewall Control | ✕ No | ✕ No | ✓ Free |
Cloud recording pricing | No accurate data available | On $3,399 per month Plan |
|
RTMP pricing | No accurate data available | On $3,399 per month Plan |
|
ILS pricing |
| Basic live streaming: $29.99 per month Growth Pro: $89 per year or $99 per month Bulk discounts: Available for large enterprise installations" |
|
Storage pricing | No accurate data available | Developer Pro: $29.99 per month Small- to medium-sized companies: $7,500 per year Enterprise services: $57,000 High volume: Custom pricing Startup Pro: $109 |
|
Support Comparison : LiveKit vs Red5 vs Video SDK
features | LiveKit | Red5 | Video SDK |
---|---|---|---|
Support | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
Cost | Only accounts having Standard or Enterprise plan | Basic live streaming: $29.99 per month Growth Pro: $89 per year or $99 per month Small- to medium-sized companies: $7,500 per year Enterprise services: $57,000 per year High volume: Custom pricing | Free |
Access to Testing | ✕ No | ✓ Yes | ✓ All paid accounts get access to testing support from Video SDK. |
Access to TAM / CS Engineer | ✕ No | ✕ No | ✓ Dedicated CS & Solution Engineers |
SLAs | ✕ Only accounts having Enterprise plan | ✓ Yes | ✓ Inexpensive SLA with 99.9% uptime |
Discover why Video SDK is the top choice for customers

“We switched from a major international player to Video SDK due to their responsiveness to feedback, superior product, and better service. They outshine bigger players in the market and have been excellent in resolving issues promptly.”
Shilpa Jain ,
CEO & Co-Founder at Talk Your Heart Out
FAQ