What is Daily?
Daily is WebRTC infrastructure for developers building voice, video, and AI agent experiences. It powers human-to-human calls via a Video SDK and ships Pipecat, an open-source framework for realtime voice AI agents, deployable on Pipecat Cloud. Bought by engineering teams who want low-latency global media without running their own SFUs.
Voice agents and conversational AI platforms for calls, qualification, scheduling, support, and audio workflows.
See the full Voice AI guide to compare more tools, buyer criteria, and related workflows.
Use cases to evaluate
Embedding video calls into a SaaS product
Building voice AI agents with Pipecat
Telehealth and HIPAA-compliant video
Live streaming and recording for events apps
Fit to evaluate
Developers shipping realtime audio/video features
Voice AI startups using Pipecat
Telehealth platforms needing HIPAA compliance
Engineering teams replacing Agora or self-hosted SFUs
Business fit
Right for you if you're building a product that needs realtime audio/video and you'd rather call an API than operate a media stack. Especially strong if you're building voice AI agents and want an open-source orchestration layer (Pipecat) instead of a closed vendor. Skip if you just need a turnkey meeting product like Zoom, or if your usage is too small to justify learning an SDK. Daily competes head-on with Agora, LiveKit, and Twilio Video.
How to evaluate Daily
Use this category when missed calls, slow qualification, or phone support volume affects revenue.
Confirm the exact workflow
Map Daily to one concrete workflow first, such as embedding video calls into a saas product. Avoid buying before the owner, trigger, output, and success metric are clear.
Check category fit
Test voice quality, latency, interruptions, and escalation behavior.
Compare practical alternatives
Shortlist Daily against Retell AI, Vapi, Bland AI so the decision is based on fit, effort, and workflow ownership rather than brand recognition alone.
Validate cost and rollout effort
Video SDK starts with 10,000 free minutes/month, then usage-based per participant-minute. Pipecat Cloud and WebRTC Infrastructure are usage-based with scale discounts; specific per-minute rates aren't published on the pricing page and require contacting Daily for a quote. Also confirm implementation time, support needs, and whether the medium setup matches your team.
Compare Daily with alternatives
Use this quick comparison before booking demos or moving data into a new system.
| Primary workflow | Embedding video calls into a SaaS product, Building voice AI agents with Pipecat |
|---|---|
| Best-fit team | Developers shipping realtime audio/video features, Voice AI startups using Pipecat |
| Implementation effort | Medium setup and maintenance profile |
| Pricing check | Usage-based |
| Closest alternatives | Retell AIVapiBland AISynthflow |
Daily pricing
| Model | Usage-based |
|---|---|
| Snapshot | Video SDK starts with 10,000 free minutes/month, then usage-based per participant-minute. Pipecat Cloud and WebRTC Infrastructure are usage-based with scale discounts; specific per-minute rates aren't published on the pricing page and require contacting Daily for a quote. |
| Checked |
Common questions about Daily
What is Daily?
Daily is WebRTC infrastructure for developers building voice, video, and AI agent experiences. It powers human-to-human calls via a Video SDK and ships Pipecat, an open-source framework for realtime voice AI agents, deployable on Pipecat Cloud. Bought by engineering teams who want low-latency global media without running their own SFUs.
What is Daily used for?
Common use cases: Embedding video calls into a SaaS product; Building voice AI agents with Pipecat; Telehealth and HIPAA-compliant video; Live streaming and recording for events apps.
How much does Daily cost?
Video SDK starts with 10,000 free minutes/month, then usage-based per participant-minute. Pipecat Cloud and WebRTC Infrastructure are usage-based with scale discounts; specific per-minute rates aren't published on the pricing page and require contacting Daily for a quote.
Who is Daily best for?
Daily fits Developers shipping realtime audio/video features, Voice AI startups using Pipecat, Telehealth platforms needing HIPAA compliance, Engineering teams replacing Agora or self-hosted SFUs. Right for you if you're building a product that needs realtime audio/video and you'd rather call an API than operate a media stack. Especially strong if you're building voice AI agents and want an open-source orchestration layer (Pipecat) instead of a closed vendor. Skip if you just need a turnkey meeting product like Zoom, or if your usage is too small to justify learning an SDK. Daily competes head-on with Agora, LiveKit, and Twilio Video.
What are alternatives to Daily?
Common alternatives to Daily include Retell AI, Vapi, Bland AI, Synthflow, ElevenLabs Conversational AI, PolyAI.