Best Janus Gateway Alternatives in 2026
The top Janus Gateway alternatives are api.video, Mux Video and Daily: 15 video APIs our editors would look at instead of Janus Gateway, in our ranking order.
Janus Gateway: A flexible self-hosted foundation for custom WebRTC media infrastructure. Where it falls short: requires users to compile, deploy, and operate the software themselves..
Switching from Janus Gateway? For most video apis buyers the best Janus Gateway alternative is api.video, built for video hosting and delivery APIs. On a budget, Whereby Embedded starts at $9.99/mo. Daily offers the most maximum participants (100000 participants).
Why People Look for a Janus Gateway Alternative
- Requires users to compile, deploy, and operate the software themselves
- Mobile SDK support is not available
- Recording storage is managed by the customer
- No mobile SDKs — 10 of the alternatives below have it
Quick Picks by What You Need
- Best overallapi.video9.4
Video hosting and delivery APIs
Visit api.video - Lowest priceWhereby Embedded8.2
Paid plans from $9.99/mo
Visit Whereby Embedded - Best free optionapi.video9.4
Has a free plan
Visit api.video - Most maximum participantsDaily9.0
100000 participants
Visit Daily - Best for mobile sdksapi.video9.4
Mobile SDKs (Janus Gateway: no)
Visit api.video
All 15 Janus Gateway Alternatives, Ranked
Advertiser disclosure: iTechGuides is reader-supported. Vendors can pay for top positions in our rankings and for a place on other products' pages, and we may earn a commission when you click some links. Bought places stand at the number bought; this page and our disclosure say so. Paying vendors may get a fuller, more detailed review from our editors, and that review can change their score. How we rank.
Sponsored alternatives to Janus Gateway Sponsored alternative
-
Best forVideo hosting and delivery APIs
- Better than Janus Gateway:
- Mobile SDKs
- Editor score 9.4 vs 7.0
A broad video infrastructure API with a free sandbox and usage-based pricing.
- Mobile SDKs
- Real-time video
- Recorded video
9.4/10★★★★★Visit api.video -
Best forProduction video platforms with analytics
- Better than Janus Gateway:
- Editor score 9.2 vs 7.0
A production-focused video API with analytics, protection, and live streaming.
9.2/10★★★★★Visit Mux Video -
Best forLarge-scale real-time video applications
- Better than Janus Gateway:
- Mobile SDKs
- Editor score 9.0 vs 7.0
A broad video API platform for building real-time calls, recording, and streaming.
- Mobile SDKs
- Real-time video
- Recorded video
9.0/10★★★★☆Visit Daily -
Best forFlexible embedded video and live streaming
- Better than Janus Gateway:
- Mobile SDKs
- Editor score 8.9 vs 7.0
A flexible video API with conferencing, streaming, recording, SDKs, and usage-based pricing.
- Mobile SDKs
- Real-time video
- Recorded video
8.9/10★★★★☆Visit 100ms -
Best forFeature-rich calls and livestreaming
- Better than Janus Gateway:
- Mobile SDKs
- Editor score 8.8 vs 7.0
A broad video API stack for teams building calls, livestreams, recordings, and moderation.
- Mobile SDKs
- Real-time video
- Recorded video
8.8/10★★★★☆Visit Stream Video -
Best forReal-time video with AI meeting features
- Better than Janus Gateway:
- Mobile SDKs
- Editor score 8.7 vs 7.0
A broad video API for teams building calls, streaming, recordings, and AI meeting workflows.
- Mobile SDKs
- Real-time video
- Recorded video
8.7/10★★★★☆Visit VideoSDK -
Best forHigh-scale embedded meetings
- Better than Janus Gateway:
- Mobile SDKs
- Editor score 8.6 vs 7.0
A broad video toolkit for developers building high-scale embedded meetings.
- Mobile SDKs
- Real-time video
- Recorded video
8.6/10★★★★☆Visit Zoom Video SDK -
Best forEnterprise-scale interactive video
- Better than Janus Gateway:
- Mobile SDKs
- Editor score 8.5 vs 7.0
A broad video API for building interactive sessions, broadcasts, and recorded experiences.
- Mobile SDKs
- Real-time video
- Recorded video
8.5/10★★★★☆Visit Vonage -
Best forManaged video hosting with delivery controls
- Better than Janus Gateway:
- Editor score 8.4 vs 7.0
A developer-focused video platform with broad delivery, access, and analytics controls.
8.4/10★★★★☆Visit site -
Best forMature enterprise video infrastructure
- Better than Janus Gateway:
- Mobile SDKs
- Editor score 8.3 vs 7.0
Mature video infrastructure with broad capabilities and tiered usage-based pricing.
- Mobile SDKs
- Real-time video
- Recorded video
8.3/10★★★★☆Visit Agora -
Best forTeams embedding branded video meetings
- Better than Janus Gateway:
- Mobile SDKs
- Editor score 8.2 vs 7.0
A flexible video API with prebuilt UI, SDKs, recording, and usage-based plans.
- Mobile SDKs
- Real-time video
- Recorded video
8.2/10★★★★☆Visit Whereby -
Best forSelf-hosted multi-protocol streaming
- Better than Janus Gateway:
- Editor score 8.1 vs 7.0
A broad video engine for teams that need protocol flexibility and deployment control.
8.1/10★★★★☆Visit Ant Media -
Best forCommercial low-latency streaming deployments
- Better than Janus Gateway:
- Editor score 8.0 vs 7.0
A protocol-rich video server for commercial low-latency deployments.
8.0/10★★★★☆Visit Red5 Pro -
Best forEnterprise live encoding and ad workflows
- Better than Janus Gateway:
- Editor score 7.9 vs 7.0
An enterprise-focused live encoder for complex streaming, advertising, and delivery workflows.
7.9/10★★★★☆Visit Bitmovin -
Best forAWS-native live video streaming
- Better than Janus Gateway:
- Mobile SDKs
- Editor score 7.8 vs 7.0
A flexible AWS service for low-latency streaming, live interaction, and recorded video workflows.
- Mobile SDKs
- Real-time video
- Recorded video
7.8/10★★★★☆Visit Amazon IVS
Janus Gateway Alternatives: Common Questions
What is the best alternative to Janus Gateway?
api.video: #1 in our Video APIs ranking, with an editor score of 9.4 out of 10. A broad video infrastructure API with a free sandbox and usage-based pricing.
Is there a free alternative to Janus Gateway?
Yes. api.video, Mux Video, Daily, 100ms and Stream Video have a free plan or a free tier (9 of the 15 alternatives on this page).
What is the cheapest paid alternative to Janus Gateway?
Of the alternatives here that publish a price, Whereby Embedded starts lowest, at $9.99/mo.
Why do people look for Janus Gateway alternatives?
Requires users to compile, deploy, and operate the software themselves; Mobile SDK support is not available; Recording storage is managed by the customer.
Which Janus Gateway alternative has the most maximum participants?
Daily, with 100000 participants.
How do I switch from Janus Gateway?
Export your data from Janus Gateway (most tools have an export in their settings). Sign up for the alternative; start on its free plan or trial if it has one. Import your export and set up the integrations your team relies on. Run both side by side for a short while, then cancel Janus Gateway.
How to Switch from Janus Gateway
- Export your data from Janus Gateway (most tools have an export in their settings).
- Sign up for the alternative; start on its free plan or trial if it has one.
- Import your export and set up the integrations your team relies on.
- Run both side by side for a short while, then cancel Janus Gateway.
Janus Gateway vs Each Alternative
| # | Tool | Free plan | Paid from | Real-time video | Recorded video | Mobile SDKs | Recording storage | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 23 | Janus Gateway | Free | Yes | Yes | No | Customer | 7.0 | |
| 1 | api.video | Yes | $0.0017/unit usage-based | Yes | Yes | Yes | Vendor | 9.4 |
| 2 | Mux Video | Yes | $20/mo | 9.2 | ||||
| 3 | Daily | Yes | $0.004/unit usage-based | Yes | Yes | Yes | Both | 9.0 |
| 4 | 100ms | Yes | $0.0012/unit usage-based | Yes | Yes | Yes | Both | 8.9 |
| 5 | Stream Video | Yes | $0.30/unit usage-based | Yes | Yes | Yes | Both | 8.8 |
| 6 | VideoSDK | Yes | $0.004/unit usage-based | Yes | Yes | Yes | Both | 8.7 |
| 7 | Zoom Video SDK | No | $0.0035/unit usage-based | Yes | Yes | Yes | Both | 8.6 |
| 8 | Vonage Video API | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Both | 8.5 | |
| 9 | Cloudflare Stream | No | $5/unit/mo | 8.4 | ||||
| 10 | Agora Video Calling | Yes | $45.99/mo | Yes | Yes | Yes | Both | 8.3 |
| 11 | Whereby Embedded | Yes | $9.99/mo | Yes | Yes | Yes | Both | 8.2 |
| 12 | Ant Media Server | Yes | $89/device/mo | 8.1 | ||||
| 13 | Red5 Pro | No | $29.99/mo | 8.0 | ||||
| 14 | Bitmovin Live Encoder | No | 7.9 | |||||
| 15 | Amazon Interactive Video Service | No | $0.07/unit usage-based | Yes | Yes | Yes | Customer | 7.8 |
Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026
Last updated · How we research and update