Pipecat
Pipecat: A composable Python framework for building and deploying voice and multimodal agents. Ranked #4 of 32 in AI Voice Agents by our editors (9.1/10); pricing: Open source; best for teams building composable voice pipelines.
At a glance
- Editor score9.1 / 10
- PricingOpen source
- Best forTeams building composable voice pipelines
- Paid fromFree
- Human handoffYes
- Facts checked19 Sep 2026
Where it wins
- Combines audio, video, text, image, AI-service, and transport components
- Supports multi-agent handoffs, parallel execution, and PSTN/SIP calling
- Offers CLI deployment workflows plus metrics, traces, and OpenTelemetry
Where it doesn't
- Building agents requires assembling pipeline components
- Pipecat Cloud hosting is priced per active agent minute
- The listed Cloud profiles range from voice-only to voice-and-video workloads
Our verdict on Pipecat
Pipecat is an open-source Python framework for developers building real-time voice and multimodal conversational agents. Its composable pipelines cover speech recognition, language models, text-to-speech, transport, tools, and conversation logic, so it suits teams that want to shape an agent stack rather than select a finished voice-agent application. Teams can self-host the framework or deploy through Pipecat Cloud, Daily’s managed hosting service. Web, iOS, Android, API, and self-hosted platforms are listed.
Its breadth is a defining strength: pipelines can combine audio, video, text, image, AI-service, and transport components. Multi-agent workflows include handoffs and parallel execution, while transports cover WebRTC, SIP, PSTN, and WebSocket. Inbound and outbound PSTN and SIP calling are supported, with telephony integrations including Twilio, Telnyx, Plivo, and Exotel. The integration ecosystem also names Anthropic, AWS, Cartesia, Deepgram, ElevenLabs, Google, OpenAI, and Daily. This is a fit for teams that need to connect AI services and communication channels in one pipeline; simpler projects that need a narrowly scoped, ready-made agent may not benefit from that breadth.
Pipecat itself is open source and self-hostable; paid pricing applies to Pipecat Cloud hosting and related services. The published Cloud profiles are agent-1x, with 0.5 vCPU and 1 GB memory for voice agents; agent-2x, with 1 vCPU and 2 GB for voice and video agents; and agent-3x, with 1.5 vCPU and 3 GB for voice and video agents with additional processing. Cloud pricing is per active agent minute, rather than a monthly profile fee. CLI scaffolding and deployment workflows, plus metrics, traces, and OpenTelemetry, support teams operating their own agent projects. Choose Pipecat when composition and control over the pipeline matter; consider an alternative if you want a turnkey agent without assembling its components.
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Pipecat pricing
All 3 Pipecat plans and prices →
Pipecat fact sheet
| Free plan | Not verified |
|---|---|
| Paid from | Free |
| Inbound calls | Yes |
| Outbound calls | Yes |
| Human handoff | Yes |
| Supported languages | Not verified |
| Concurrent calls | Not verified |
| Custom phone numbers | Yes |
| Deployment | Cloud, Mobile, Self-hosted |
| Platforms | Web, iOS, Android |
| Integrations | 12 integrations: Anthropic, AWS, Cartesia, Deepgram, ElevenLabs, Google … |
| Pricing | Open source (source) |
| Website | pipecat.ai |
| Facts checked | 19 Sep 2026 |
Pipecat integrations
Pipecat lists 12 integrations on its own site.
- Anthropic
- AWS
- Cartesia
- Deepgram
- ElevenLabs
- OpenAI
- Twilio
- Daily
- Telnyx
- Plivo
- Exotel
Alternatives to Pipecat
- Retell AIPractical inbound and outbound phone automation with transfers, testing, and analytics.9.4
- ToneA full voice-agent toolkit with free self-hosting and cloud usage priced per minute.9.3
- LiveKit AgentsAn open framework for building realtime voice agents, with optional managed cloud plans.9.2
See all Pipecat alternatives →
Pipecat vs the competition
- Pipecat vs Retell AI
- Pipecat vs Tone
- Pipecat vs LiveKit Agents
- Pipecat vs Deepgram Voice Agent API
- Pipecat vs Vapi
- Pipecat vs Cognigy
Compare Pipecat with any tool side by side →
Also Ranked In
Pipecat is ranked in 2 of our directories.
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Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026
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