The Pipecat Insider’s Guide
Everything we know about Pipecat in one document: what it costs, its grades, getting a refund, getting help and what else to look at. Read it here, or keep a copy.
Pipecat
The Insider’s Guide
Open source framework for building voice and multimodal AI agents
Every plan, grade, refund rule and rival among AI agents, read from Pipecat’s own pages.
Made by Daily · checked Nov 13, 2026 · toolgpa.com
Contents
- 01WelcomeWhat it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
- 02What it costsEvery plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
- 03What it doesIts main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
- 04Where it standsIts grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
- 05The alternativesThe tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
- 06Quick answersThe questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
- 07About ToolGPAWho made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
ToolGPA put this guide together from Pipecat’s own pages, its app-store listings and our grades. Every fact in it is on Pipecat’s page too, where it is kept up to date. Checked Nov 13, 2026.
Part 01 · Overview
Welcome
What it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
2.2
GPA, above 81 of the 178 other AI agents we grade
Pipecat is an open source Python framework for building voice and multimodal AI agents, with a pipeline model that connects speech, language and vision services from over 200 providers. It is maintained by Daily. Teams can self-host it or run agents on the paid Pipecat Cloud.
To get you started, here are 8 things to know about Pipecat, taken from its own pages and our grades.
- 1
Best for developers building voice agents in Python
It is code, not a no-code builder, you still pay your speech and language providers, and the team says it is joining Deepgram.
- 2
There is a free plan
Pipecat is open source and runs wherever Python runs; hosting on your own servers costs nothing beyond what you pay providers.
- 3
It runs on Web
Web.
- 4
Pipeline of frames
Frames stream through the pipeline as they are produced, so the agent can start responding while the user is still talking.
- 5
Any model, any transport
Swap services from 200+ providers and connect over WebRTC, SIP or PSTN.
- 6
Pipecat Flows
Structured conversation paths for cases where a dialog must follow a defined route.
- 7
A 2.2 GPA, above 81 of 178
That is against the other AI agents we grade, on value, the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms.
- 8
Keep it
To replace Pipecat you would be making an AI agent, with the models and the safeguards behind it. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.
Pipecat at a glance
- Pricing
- Free plan
- Free plan
- Yes
- Free trial
- None stated
- Runs on
- Web
- Made by
- Daily
- Category
- AI Agents
- Our grade
- 2.2 GPA, fair
The report card
Best for developers building voice agents in Python
Pipecat is an open-source Python framework for building voice and multimodal agents, with a hosted version, Pipecat Cloud, at $0.01 to $0.03 an active minute. It is code, not a no-code builder, you still pay your speech and language providers, and the team says it is joining Deepgram.
| Subject | Grade | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | C | Free to download, but it only runs if you host it yourself on a server, which is a C. Pipecat Cloud costs $0.01 to $0.03 an active minute. |
| Free plan and trial | B | Open source with no limits of its own. You still pay the model and phone providers you plug in, and hosting. |
| Features | C | Pipelines of frames, any model and transport, flows, a cloud host and a CLI. It does the orchestration job but needs speech, language and voice services from elsewhere to be useful. |
| Ease of use | D | You write Python and run it yourself. No store rating exists. |
| Platforms and integrations | B | Runs wherever Python runs, with seven integrations listed. No ready-made apps. |
An A is worth 4 points, a B 3, a C 2, a D 1 and an F nothing. The GPA is the average of the five.
Who Pipecat is for
- Fits if you write Python and want to own the voice agent pipeline
- Works for teams that want any model and any transport without lock-in
Who it is not for
- Not for you if you want no-code: it is a developer framework
- Watch out: providers for speech, language and voice are billed separately
- Watch out: the site says the Pipecat team is joining Deepgram, though it stays open source
- Pricey if you use phone calls on Cloud: dial-in or out is $0.018 a minute on top
Good to know
Good for
- Developers who want control over every stage of a voice agent
- Teams that want to self-host or deploy in their own AWS, Azure or GCP account
Worth knowing
- Pipecat Cloud is billed per active minute: agent-1x costs $0.01 a minute, agent-2x $0.02 and agent-3x $0.03.
- Daily WebRTC voice transport is free for 1:1 sessions on Pipecat Cloud; PSTN dial-in or out is $0.018 a minute.
- The site says the Pipecat team is joining Deepgram, and that Pipecat stays open source and vendor neutral.
- It is a developer framework, not a no-code builder.
Part 02 · Pricing
What it costs
Every plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
1
plan
Pipecat has a free plan.
Free to download, but it only runs if you host it yourself on a server, which is a C.
Open source
$0
Self-host the framework on your own infrastructure; you pay your model and transport providers.
The free plan
Pipecat is open source and runs wherever Python runs; hosting on your own servers costs nothing beyond what you pay providers.
Read from daily.co on Nov 13, 2026.
Part 03 · Features
What it does
Its main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
1
Place it runs: Web
Open source framework for building voice and multimodal AI agents. Here is what it does, as its own site describes it, and what it covers: open source, self-hostable, public API, AI agents.
Pipelines of frames, any model and transport, flows, a cloud host and a CLI.
- Pipeline of frames
- Frames stream through the pipeline as they are produced, so the agent can start responding while the user is still talking.
- Any model, any transport
- Swap services from 200+ providers and connect over WebRTC, SIP or PSTN.
- Pipecat Flows
- Structured conversation paths for cases where a dialog must follow a defined route.
- Pipecat Cloud
- Managed hosting for agents, with unlimited concurrency and per-minute billing.
- CLI and observability
- A pipecat init command scaffolds a project; metrics, traces and OpenTelemetry are supported.
Where it runs
- Web
What it works with
- Deepgram
- Cartesia
- OpenAI
- Anthropic
- ElevenLabs
- Soniox
Pipecat is made by Daily.
Part 04 · Standing
Where it stands
Its grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
81/178
Other AI agents it is graded above
Pipecat's GPA of 2.2 is higher than 81 of the 178 other AI agents we grade, and level with 41.
It stands best on free plan and trial (B, above 144 of 178) and worst on ease of use (D, above 0).
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 179 AI agents we grade, cut by the letter each got. Pipecat’s own letter is outlined.
- CValue for moneyAbove 28 of 178
- BFree plan and trialAbove 144 of 178
- CFeaturesAbove 2 of 178
- DEase of useAbove 0 of 178
- BPlatforms and integrationsAbove 47 of 178
Keep it, or make your own?
Whether this is something you could build for yourself with an AI app builder, and what you would give up.
Keep it
To replace Pipecat you would be making an AI agent, with the models and the safeguards behind it. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.
Pipecat is open source, so there is a third way: take its code and run it yourself.
What you could not
- An AI agent, with the models and the safeguards behind it.
- It plugs into other products, Deepgram, Cartesia and OpenAI among them, and has an API.
What this rests on. Pipecat’s listing: what it does, where it runs, what it plugs into and what it costs. It is a judgement about the kind of software this is. We have not built a replacement for it, and making your own means looking after it too. How we decide, and every tool’s verdict.
Part 05 · Alternatives
The alternatives
The tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
LiveKit Agents, Vapi, Retell AI, Ultravox and LangGraph
The 5 tools Pipecat is most often weighed against, with where each one differs from it.
- 2.2GPA
LiveKit Agents
Free plan · from $50/mo
Open source framework and cloud for voice and video AI agents.
- Pipecat is self-hostable, according to its own site.
- 2.2GPA
Vapi
Free trial · from $29/mo
Developer platform for building and running voice AI agents.
- Pipecat has a free plan. Vapi does not, though it has a free trial.
- Pipecat is open source and self-hostable, according to its own site.
- 2.4GPA
Retell AI
Free trial · from $0
Pay-per-minute platform for AI phone and chat agents.
- Pipecat has a free plan. Retell AI does not, though it has a free trial.
- Pipecat is open source and self-hostable, according to its own site.
- Retell AI also covers chatbots.
- 1.6GPA
Ultravox
Free trial · from $100/mo
Speech-native voice AI platform and API for building voice agents.
- Pipecat has a free plan. Ultravox does not, though it has a free trial.
- Pipecat is open source and self-hostable, according to its own site.
- Ultravox also covers voice cloning.
- 2.6GPA
LangGraph
Free plan · from $39/mo
Open-source framework for building controllable AI agents.
- LangGraph also covers workflow automation.
Part 06 · Questions
Quick answers
The questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
12
Questions, each answered in a line or two
The short version of everything above, for when you only need the answer. Each one is told in full in its part of the guide.
Is Pipecat free?
Pipecat has a free plan. Pipecat is open source and runs wherever Python runs; hosting on your own servers costs nothing beyond what you pay providers.
How much does Pipecat cost?
Pipecat lists one plan. Open source: $0.
What platforms does Pipecat work on?
Pipecat is available on Web.
Does Pipecat have an Android app?
No Android app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 13, 2026. Pipecat is listed for Web.
Does Pipecat have an iPhone app?
No iPhone app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 13, 2026. Pipecat is listed for Web.
Is Pipecat open source?
Yes. Pipecat is open source, according to its own site.
Does Pipecat have an API?
Yes. Pipecat offers a public API, according to its own site.
What does Pipecat integrate with?
Pipecat's listing names Deepgram, Cartesia, OpenAI, Anthropic, ElevenLabs, Google and Soniox.
Who makes Pipecat?
Pipecat is made by Daily.
What are the alternatives to Pipecat?
The closest alternatives to Pipecat in our directory are LiveKit Agents, Vapi, Retell AI, Ultravox and LangGraph.
How does Pipecat compare with other AI agents?
Pipecat's GPA of 2.2 is higher than 81 of the 178 other AI agents we grade, and level with 41.
Could I make my own version of Pipecat?
To replace Pipecat you would be making an AI agent, with the models and the safeguards behind it.
Where this guide comes from
The prices, plans, platforms and features were read from Pipecat’s own pages on Nov 13, 2026, and the grades were given on Nov 13, 2026. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Pipecat's own pages on 13 November 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews.
Every tool we list gets five grades, A to F, each with its reason, and a GPA that averages them. How each is decided is at toolgpa.com/grades. This guide is ToolGPA’s own work; it is not made, paid for or approved by Daily. Prices change, so check pipecat.ai before you buy.
Part 07 · About
About ToolGPA
Who made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
7,721
Tools graded, in 95 categories
ToolGPA grades software the way a school report grades a pupil: five subjects, a letter for each with the reason written beside it, and a GPA that averages them. Prices, plans and platforms are read from each maker’s own pages and dated, so you always know how fresh a figure is.
Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. Every tool on the site has a guide like this one, free to download and pass on. It all lives at toolgpa.com.
7,721
tools graded
95
categories
739
price changes on record
579
apps priced in 12 countries
What else is on toolgpa.com
- Pipecat, kept up to dateEverything in this guide, with prices and grades as they are todaytoolgpa.com/tools/pipecat
- How grades are givenThe rules behind every letter and every GPAtoolgpa.com/grades
- Value chartsWhat each tool costs against what it scores, for every categorytoolgpa.com/charts
- CompareAny two tools side by side, plan by plantoolgpa.com/compare
- Price changesEvery price rise and cut on record, each with its sourcetoolgpa.com/price-changes
- Prices by countryWhat apps cost on the App Store in 12 countriestoolgpa.com/prices-by-country
- Pay lessEvery public discount: yearly billing, students, nonprofitstoolgpa.com/save
- Keep or makeWhich tools are worth paying for, and which you could build yourselftoolgpa.com/keep-or-make
Scan for the live page
Prices and grades as they are today
Quoting this guide?
Please name ToolGPA and link to the live page, so readers can check the figures for themselves:
ToolGPA, "Pipecat: The Insider's Guide", checked Nov 13, 2026. https://toolgpa.com/tools/pipecat
Know someone choosing between AI agents?
Send them this guide: toolgpa.com/tools/pipecat/guide
ToolGPA elsewhere: youtube.com/@toolgpa
See our other guides
The best-graded AI agents after Pipecat, each with an Insider's Guide of its own.
- AI Agents Insider's GuideEvery one of the 179 AI agents we grade, compared
- Genspark Insider's GuideAI workspace with an agent for research, slides, sheets and docs3.2 GPA
- Manus Insider's GuideGeneral AI agent for research, slides, websites and browser tasks3.2 GPA
- OpenClaw Insider's GuideOpen-source personal AI agent you run yourself and message in chat3.2 GPA
Choosing software? Every tool graded, every price dated.
Compare tools at toolgpa.com ›Everything in this guide is ToolGPA’s own summary of what Pipecat’s pages, its app-store listings and public reviews said on the dates shown. Grades are our judgement under the rules at toolgpa.com/grades. Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. Pipecat is a trademark of its owner, and this guide is not made, paid for or approved by Daily. Prices and plans change: check pipecat.ai before you buy.