Agora

What is agora

Agora is a real-time engagement (RTE) platform that provides SDKs, APIs, and cloud services to add live voice, video, interactive streaming, and messaging into mobile and web applications. Developers use Agora to embed one-to-one and group audio/video calls, low-latency live streaming, real-time messaging, and server-side recording without building the real-time network stack in-house. The company focuses on delivering low end-to-end latency, global routing, and adaptive media transmission to optimize quality across network conditions.

Agora targets product teams and developers building communication-first features: telehealth platforms, online learning systems, large-scale live events, multiplayer games, social apps, contact centers, and video-enabled marketplaces. The platform offers a cross-platform SDK portfolio including Web, iOS, Android, Flutter, React Native, and Unity to simplify integration across client environments.

In addition to real-time audio and video, Agora provides supplementary services such as cloud recording, interactive live streaming with server-side mixing and CDN distribution, real-time messaging (RTM), audio/video analytics, and moderation tools. These capabilities let teams control media pipelines, persist session media, and integrate real-time features with existing backend systems.

Agora features

What does agora do?

Agora delivers a set of core capabilities for embedding live interaction into applications. The primary functions include real-time communications (RTC) for voice and video, interactive live streaming for large audiences with co-hosting and low-latency modes, and Real-Time Messaging (RTM) for lightweight signaling and chat. Developers can combine these primitives to build experiences such as multi-party calls, live broadcasts with audience interaction, and synchronous collaborative workflows.

Beyond core media transport, Agora provides tools for recording and archival via cloud recording and local recording options, server-side mixing and transcoding for adaptive streaming formats, and live stream distribution through integrated CDN push. The platform also offers AI-assisted features like noise suppression, background blur/virtual background, automated moderation (speech and content), and speech-to-text in some regions.

Integration and management features include SDK-based event hooks, webhooks for server notifications, project-level dashboard analytics, and enterprise controls such as token-based authentication, role-based permissions, and fine-grained usage and quota management. The SDKs expose quality-of-experience metrics and per-stream statistics so developers can instrument and react to network conditions programmatically.

Agora pricing

Agora offers these pricing plans:

• Free Plan: $0 starter credit for new accounts with limited free minutes and testing allowances
• Pay-as-you-go: $0.99 per 1,000 voice minutes, $3.99 per 1,000 video minutes for standard RTC (prices vary by codec, resolution, and region)
• Starter: $29/month subscription tier with included minutes and discounted overage rates
• Enterprise: Custom pricing with committed volume discounts, dedicated support, and private cloud options

Pricing is usage-based for most real-time and streaming services: charges typically depend on active participant minutes (user-minute), video resolution (SD/HD), interactive live-streaming modes, and additional services such as cloud recording, CDN egress, and advanced AI features. Check Agora's pay-as-you-go pricing for the most current regional rates, codec specifics, and enterprise options.

How much is agora per month

Agora starts at $29/month for the Starter subscription tier that includes an allocation of minutes and reduced overage pricing compared with pure pay-as-you-go. Monthly subscriptions are intended for teams that require predictable baseline usage and want to control cost volatility. The Starter plan typically suits small production apps or labs that need a committed minimum of real-time minutes and access to standard support.

For very low-scale development or experimentation, the Free Plan provides test minutes before any monthly charge applies. Usage beyond included minutes in any subscription or the free tier is billed at pay-as-you-go rates, which can vary by region and feature (voice vs. video vs. live streaming).

Large production customers often negotiate custom monthly or annual contracts under the Enterprise option to secure volume discounts, service-level commitments, and dedicated support or deployment topology.

How much is agora per year

Agora costs $348/year for the Starter plan when billed annually (equivalent to $29/month discounted to an annual commitment). Annual billing is typically used by teams that want to lock predictable base capacity and receive discounting relative to month-to-month subscriptions.

For pay-as-you-go customers there is no annual sticker price because charges are usage-driven; however, enterprises often sign annual agreements that guarantee minimum spend and include tailored pricing, onboarding services, and priority support. Cloud recording, CDN egress, and AI features may be billed separately or included in negotiated enterprise bundles.

When evaluating yearly costs, include both the subscription or committed spend and estimated overage charges for peak usage, along with any add-on services such as dedicated network routing, regional deployment, or compliance services.

How much is agora in general

Agora pricing ranges from $0 (free trial) to custom enterprise contracts starting in the low thousands per month. At the low end, developers use the Free Plan and pay negligible amounts during prototyping; at the mid-range, apps with modest user-bases commonly use the Starter subscription plus pay-as-you-go overages. At scale, organizations move to Enterprise agreements to reduce marginal costs per user-minute and to secure SLAs.

Total cost is strongly influenced by session characteristics: number of concurrent participants, average session length, whether video is used, chosen resolution, recording requirements, and whether live streaming is distributed to large audiences via CDN. Additional features such as interactive whiteboards, real-time transcription, or content moderation can add incremental costs.

Estimate monthly or annual spending by modeling typical session patterns (peak concurrent users, average session duration, and proportion of users on video vs. audio) and then applying Agora's minute-based rates and any subscription offsets.

What is agora used for

Agora is used to embed real-time audio, video, and messaging into applications where live interaction is a core user experience. Common application categories include telemedicine consultations, virtual classrooms and tutoring, social and multiplayer apps with voice chat, interactive live-streamed events and webcasts, and business collaboration tools that need in-app calling and presence.

Product teams also use Agora for use cases like customer support callbacks, virtual audition or interview platforms, remote fitness classes with instructor-led sessions, and auction or betting platforms that require sub-second latency for fairness and engagement. The platform is suitable both for small-scale apps and for large-scale broadcasts with thousands or millions of viewers when combined with CDN delivery.

Because Agora exposes developer-level controls for media routing, recording, and moderation, it is also used in regulated or compliance-sensitive contexts where audit logs, encrypted transport, and access control are necessary. Enterprises can integrate Agora into existing identity and access management systems and log communications for retention or compliance.

Pros and cons of agora

Pros:

• Low end-to-end latency and adaptive bitrate algorithms that improve call quality on variable networks
• Wide cross-platform SDK support (Web, Android, iOS, Flutter, React Native, Unity) enabling rapid integration
• Variety of complementary services: cloud recording, interactive live streaming, real-time messaging, and AI-powered audio/video enhancements

Cons:

• Usage-based billing can be difficult to predict without careful session modeling; high-volume streaming can lead to substantial monthly charges
• Feature parity and pricing can vary by region; advanced features and enterprise-grade compliance may require custom contracts
• Integrating complex flows like server-side mixing, multi-tenant routing, or bespoke moderation workflows can require significant backend engineering

Additional considerations include vendor lock-in risk when real-time transport and recording are deeply embedded and the need to plan for CDN and storage costs for archived media. On the positive side, Agora's global network reduces the need for building regional media routing and scalability infrastructure in-house.

Agora free trial

Agora provides a Free Plan with starter credits and test minutes that developers can use to evaluate SDKs and basic features. The free tier is designed for proof-of-concept work, demo environments, and early product iterations and includes access to developer tools and a limited allocation of real-time minutes for voice and video.

To access the free trial, developers sign up for a developer account and receive console access and API keys. The platform enforces usage limits on the free tier to prevent abuse, and additional minutes can be purchased via pay-as-you-go billing or by upgrading to a Starter subscription.

For teams evaluating production readiness, Agora also offers sandbox and staging guidance in the developer documentation so you can test concurrency and recording under controlled conditions before moving to paid plans. See the Agora developer documentation for instructions on creating projects and claiming free credits.

Is agora free

Yes, Agora offers a free plan that provides starter credits and limited testing minutes for developers. The free tier is intended for prototyping and early development; it is not intended for sustained production usage at scale. If you exceed the included minutes, you will be billed at pay-as-you-go rates or prompted to upgrade to a paid subscription.

Free accounts have access to most SDK features for development and testing, but advanced enterprise features, higher concurrency, dedicated support, and compliance options are typically available only on paid plans or under enterprise agreements. The free plan is a good way to validate integration and basic media quality before committing to ongoing spend.

Agora API

Agora exposes multiple APIs and SDKs to implement different parts of the real-time workflow. The primary surface includes client-side SDKs (WebRTC-based and native wrappers) for real-time voice and video, a Real-Time Messaging (RTM) SDK for lightweight signaling and chat, RESTful admin APIs for project and token management, and server-side APIs for cloud recording and stream management. Developers use these interfaces to create rooms, manage participants, mute/unmute streams, and fetch usage statistics.

Key API capabilities include token-based authentication for access control, webhook events for session lifecycle notifications, cloud recording REST endpoints for starting and retrieving recorded files, and stream mixing/transcoding parameters to configure server-side layouts. The SDKs provide callbacks and metrics to monitor network quality, packet loss, and jitter so developers can implement adaptive UI and DTX policies.

Agora maintains language-specific SDKs and sample apps to accelerate common flows such as one-to-one calls, group calls, live broadcasts with audience interaction, and interactive co-hosting. The developer documentation includes end-to-end tutorials, code samples, and guidance on scaling architecture and integrating with CDNs. See the Agora developer guides and API reference for full interface descriptions and code examples.

10 Agora alternatives

Here are ten platforms commonly compared to Agora for real-time audio, video, and streaming capabilities:

• Twilio — Communications platform offering Programmable Video, Voice, and Programmable Chat with global carrier integrations and extensive telephony features
• Vonage — Formerly Nexmo; provides voice, video, messaging APIs and SIP trunking oriented toward communication workflows
• Daily — Real-time video APIs focused on low-latency, embedding meeting and broadcast experiences with developer-friendly SDKs
• Mux — Video infrastructure optimized for streaming and VOD with analytics; pairs well with real-time providers for mixed workflows
• Dolby.io — Audio and media enhancement APIs with SDKs for high-quality voice and spatial audio features
• Jitsi — Open-source video conferencing stack; self-hosting option for teams seeking full control
• WebRTC — The browser-native real-time protocol; used directly or via managed services
• Vonage Video API — (brand overlap) Developer APIs for real-time communications and session management
• AWS Chime SDK — Amazon's programmable real-time audio and video SDKs with AWS ecosystem integrations
• Zoom SDK — Embeddable video SDKs for meetings and webinars with Zoom's infrastructure and features

Paid alternatives to agora

• Twilio: Global telephony, programmable video and voice, and extensive support for PSTN integration. Typically priced per minute with add-ons for recording and media processing.
• Vonage: Video and voice APIs with a focus on telephony and messaging integrations. Strong in markets needing carrier-level features.
• Daily: Simple developer experience for embedding low-latency video and broadcast features; pricing is usually tiered based on usage and concurrency.
• Dolby.io: Premium audio quality and spatial audio features; pricing reflects value-add audio processing and specialized codecs.
• AWS Chime SDK: Deep integration with AWS services; suitable for teams already on AWS looking for pay-as-you-go video and audio with fine-grained infrastructure control.

Open source alternatives to agora

• Jitsi: A widely used open-source conferencing solution that can be self-hosted and extended. Good for teams that want full control and no vendor lock-in.
• Janus Gateway: Modular, C-based WebRTC server that supports many plugin-based scenarios for custom media servers.
• Kurento: Media server with support for computer vision and server-side processing; more developer effort required to operate at scale.
• Pion: Go-based WebRTC implementation suitable for custom server-side real-time applications and integration into Go backends.
• mediasoup: Node.js-based SFU and routing framework for building bespoke conferencing and streaming systems.

Frequently asked questions about Agora

What is Agora used for?

Agora is used for adding real-time audio, video, live streaming, and messaging to apps. Developers integrate Agora to create in-app voice/video calls, interactive live broadcasts, virtual classrooms, telehealth sessions, and multiplayer voice channels. The SDKs and cloud services handle media routing, quality adaptation, and optional recording.

Does Agora offer a free tier?

Yes, Agora provides a free plan with starter credits and test minutes. The free tier is intended for prototyping and evaluation; production usage and higher concurrency require paid minutes or subscription plans. Free accounts include access to most SDKs for development and testing.

How much does Agora cost per user-minute?

Agora's pay-as-you-go rates typically start near $0.99 per 1,000 voice minutes and $3.99 per 1,000 video minutes. Actual rates vary by region, resolution, codec, and features like recording or CDN egress. Consult Agora's regional pricing table for precise per-minute rates.

Can Agora record calls and store media?

Yes, Agora offers cloud recording and local recording options. Cloud recording lets you capture and store session audio/video on cloud storage or object storage, with REST APIs to manage recordings and retrieval. Local recording APIs allow client-side capture when required by the application.

Does Agora provide low-latency live streaming?

Yes, Agora supports low-latency interactive live streaming modes. These modes reduce end-to-end delay so hosts and audiences can interact with sub-second to a few-second latency, depending on network conditions and chosen streaming topology.

What SDKs and platforms does Agora support?

Agora provides SDKs for Web, iOS, Android, Flutter, React Native, and Unity. These SDKs cover native and cross-platform environments and include example apps and samples to accelerate integration for mobile, desktop, and game engine scenarios.

Is Agora secure and compliant?

Agora supports industry-standard transport encryption and enterprise controls. The platform offers token-based authentication, TLS for signaling, and optional private deployment or dedicated routing for customers with strict compliance needs. Enterprise contracts can include additional certifications and contractual security commitments.

Can I use Agora with my CDN for large audiences?

Yes, Agora integrates with CDN workflows for wide-audience distribution. Interactive sessions can be mixed or transcoded server-side and pushed to a CDN for scalable broadcast delivery. This hybrid model combines low-latency interaction for hosts with scalable delivery to viewers.

Does Agora provide moderation and AI tools?

Yes, Agora offers optional AI-powered features like noise suppression, speech-to-text, and content moderation. These capabilities can be used to moderate live conversations, generate captions, and improve audio quality; availability varies by region and plan.

How do I scale Agora for thousands of concurrent viewers?

Scaling for large audiences typically uses interactive-host plus CDN distribution patterns. Host participants interact over Agora's RTC with sub-second latency while the mixed or transcoded output is pushed to a CDN for mass delivery. For very large scale or strict latency SLAs, coordinate with Agora on an Enterprise plan for architecture review and capacity planning.

agora careers

Agora maintains engineering, product, and customer-facing roles focused on real-time media, cloud services, and global networking. Career opportunities often include positions in SDK engineering, media infrastructure, machine learning (for audio/video enhancement), developer advocacy, and enterprise sales. Job listings are periodically posted on the company website and major job boards.

Large engineering teams at real-time companies focus on protocol optimization, codec efficiency, global routing, and platform reliability. Candidates looking to join should expect interview topics around networking, multimedia processing, and distributed systems.

For roles involving customer success or enterprise sales, experience with real-time deployments, compliance needs, and multi-region architecture is often preferred. Check Agora's official careers page for up-to-date openings and application instructions.

agora affiliate

Agora does offer partner and affiliate programs targeted at solution providers, ISVs, and channel partners that build products on top of its real-time platform. Partner programs typically provide technical enablement, co-marketing opportunities, and revenue-sharing or referral incentives depending on the level of partnership.

Independent developers and agencies that embed Agora features in commercial apps should review partner program terms to understand eligibility, benefits, and technical requirements. For enterprise reseller arrangements, Agora negotiates custom commercial terms, support SLAs, and integration assistance.

Contact Agora's partnership team through the company website to inquire about affiliate or reseller arrangements and to request partnership documentation and technical onboarding.

Where to find agora reviews

Independent reviews and user feedback for Agora can be found on software review sites, developer forums, and cloud vendor comparison pages. Look for platform performance reports, customer case studies, and forum threads that discuss real-world latency, call quality, and billing experiences.

For technical validation, look for third-party benchmarks comparing codec efficiency, latency under packet loss, and global routing performance. Also review developer testimonials and case studies available on Agora's site for representative implementation patterns. When evaluating reviews, compare notes on support responsiveness, regional coverage, and total cost of ownership for production deployments.