AI Summary: This article compares the top daily.co alternative options for voice agents in the US in 2026, evaluating each platform on real-time WebSocket latency, model-agnosticism, per-minute pricing, and FCC and TCPA compliance requirements. As of 2026, the global conversational AI market is projected to exceed $29 billion by 2028, according to MarketsandMarkets, making telephony infrastructure selection a foundational decision for any AI product team. Developers building AI voice agents need a platform that targets sub-100ms latency, integrates with any STT, LLM, and TTS provider without lock-in, and handles carrier-level compliance automatically. FreJun Teler meets all three requirements, with outbound calling from $0.20 per minute and raw WebSocket streaming that works with any AI stack the team already uses.
Key criteria in this comparison: We ranked these platforms on real-time WebSocket latency, model-agnosticism, pricing transparency in USD, US carrier compliance, and documentation quality, since these are the factors that most directly affect a developer team’s build speed and total cost when shipping AI voice agents.
Quick Answer: The best daily.co alternative for voice agents in the US in 2026 is FreJun Teler, which targets sub-100ms latency over a persistent WebSocket connection and works with any STT, LLM, or TTS provider the team already uses. Teler’s outbound calling starts at $0.20 per minute with no model lock-in, making it the most developer-ready option for real-time AI voice in 2026.
The best daily.co alternative for voice agents in the US is FreJun Teler, a purpose-built Voice API that streams raw audio over WebSocket so AI models can respond in under 100ms without any proprietary conversion layer in the way.
What is a daily.co alternative for voice agents?
A daily.co alternative for voice agents is a programmable voice infrastructure platform that replaces Daily.co’s WebRTC layer with a telephony or streaming API purpose-built for AI-driven phone conversations. While Daily.co was designed primarily for browser-based video and audio rooms, AI voice agent developers in 2026 need platforms that expose raw audio streams, connect to PSTN phone networks, and integrate directly with STT (Speech-to-Text, the component that converts the caller’s voice into text the LLM can process), LLM (Large Language Model, the model that reads the text and decides what to respond), and TTS (Text-to-Speech, the component that converts the response back into natural-sounding audio) pipelines.
The best alternatives give developers a WebSocket (a persistent, full-duplex connection that keeps the audio channel continuously open between the caller and the developer’s server) or SIP (Session Initiation Protocol, the standard protocol for establishing voice calls over the internet) path to carrier networks, so their AI agents can make and receive real phone calls. US developers specifically need platforms that comply with FCC rules and the TCPA (Telephone Consumer Protection Act), which requires explicit consent before automated calls reach mobile numbers.
As of 2026, the global conversational AI market is projected to exceed $29 billion by 2028, according to MarketsandMarkets, and voice agents are the fastest-growing deployment pattern inside that market. What separates a basic WebRTC tool from a production-grade daily.co alternative in 2026 is the ability to stream raw audio to an AI inference server with latency low enough for natural, uninterrupted conversation, typically under 100ms end to end.
Which daily.co alternative for voice agents ranks highest in the US in 2026?
The table below ranks every platform covered in this guide by starting price, best-fit use case, and free credit availability so developers can shortlist quickly before reading the full profiles.
| # | Provider | Best for | Starting price (USD) | Free credits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | FreJun Teler | AI voice agent infrastructure | $0.20/min outbound, $15/channel/month | Yes, on first upgrade |
| 2 | LiveKit | WebRTC voice agents | $0.0100/min agent session | Yes, $2.50 inference allowance |
| 3 | Agora | Enterprise RTC voice | $0.10/min conversational AI | Yes, first 300 minutes free |
| 4 | Twilio | Programmable call control | Contact sales | Check website |
| 5 | Plivo | Budget SIP voice | $0.0033/min browser/SIP | Check website |
| 6 | Telnyx | Carrier-grade voice APIs | $0.002/min Voice API | Check website |
FreJun Teler leads on AI-readiness and latency, while LiveKit and Agora offer strong free tiers for prototyping. Read the full profiles below for a complete breakdown of each platform’s architecture, pricing, and limitations.
How to choose the best daily.co alternative for voice agents in the US?
Step 1: Define your AI voice architecture
Before evaluating any platform, map the full Media Streaming Loop (the full real-time cycle: voice capture, STT, LLM, TTS, voice playback) your agent will run. Identify which STT engine, LLM, and TTS provider you already use or plan to use, since some platforms bundle these components and charge for them even when you bring your own. Conversational agents that must respond naturally need a latency target under 100ms end to end. Form-filling or appointment-booking bots can tolerate up to 500ms. Knowing your latency budget narrows the field immediately, because general CPaaS (Communications Platform as a Service, a cloud platform that adds voice, SMS, and video to applications via APIs) platforms abstract the audio layer in ways that add 100-200ms before your AI stack even sees the audio.
Step 2: Choose your integration path
Two paths exist for connecting a telephony platform to an AI voice agent. WebSocket streaming gives your server a continuous raw audio feed, typically in L16/8000Hz format, so your STT engine can transcribe in real time with no buffering delay. SIP trunking connects your existing SIP-enabled platform or AI orchestration layer to the carrier network using credential-based or IP-based authentication. WebSocket is the right choice when you are building a new AI voice agent from scratch and want the lowest possible latency. SIP trunking is the right choice when you are connecting an existing PBX, contact center platform, or AI provider like Vapi or Retell AI to a carrier network. Some platforms, including Teler, support both paths.
Step 3: Check US carrier and compliance requirements
In the US, the FCC and the TCPA govern automated outbound calling. The TCPA requires explicit prior written consent before an AI voice agent can call a mobile number using an automated dialing system. Developers must also check the National Do Not Call Registry before any outbound campaign. Platforms that provide US virtual numbers should confirm their numbers are compliant with FCC carrier registration rules. If your agent handles healthcare data, HIPAA requirements add a second compliance layer on top of TCPA. Choose a platform whose documentation addresses these requirements directly rather than leaving compliance entirely to the developer.
Step 4: Evaluate pricing in USD
Compare per-minute rates, channel costs, media streaming fees, and recording fees separately, since platforms bundle these differently. A low per-minute rate can be offset by a high channel minimum or a separate media streaming charge. Calculate a realistic monthly cost based on your expected call volume. For example, 10,000 outbound minutes per month at $0.20 per minute is $2,000 in calling costs before channel fees. If a platform charges $15 per channel per month with a 10-channel minimum, that adds $150 to the base cost. Transparent, published pricing in USD is a strong signal that a platform is built for developers rather than enterprise procurement teams.
Step 5: Test latency and audio quality before committing
Run a real call through the full Media Streaming Loop before signing any contract. Measure the round-trip time from when the caller stops speaking to when the agent’s first audio byte arrives back. If the platform offers free credits, use them to test under realistic conditions, including background noise, interruptions, and concurrent calls. Teler provides free credits on the first plan upgrade, so developers can validate the full WebSocket streaming path before paying for production capacity. A platform that performs well in a sandbox but degrades under concurrent load is not production-ready.
Top daily.co alternative for voice agents in the US for 2026
1. FreJun Teler – Purpose-built Voice API for AI voice agents
FreJun Teler is a developer Voice API that connects AI chatbots and LLMs to real phone calls over a persistent WebSocket connection, making it the most direct daily.co alternative for teams building production AI voice agents in the US.
Best for: AI voice agent infrastructure
Key features
- Raw WebSocket audio streaming in L16/8000Hz format delivers audio directly to your STT engine with no proprietary conversion layer, so the full Media Streaming Loop can target sub-100ms latency.
- Model-agnostic architecture means developers bring their own STT (Google STT, Deepgram, Whisper, AssemblyAI), LLM (OpenAI GPT, Anthropic Claude, Google Gemini), and TTS (ElevenLabs, Azure TTS, Play.ht) and pay those providers directly, with zero lock-in.
- SIP trunking path with TCP/TLS transport and credential-based or IP-based authentication connects existing SIP-enabled platforms, including Vapi, Retell AI, and Voiceflow, to Teler’s carrier network without rebuilding the telephony layer.
- REST API endpoints and webhook callbacks for call lifecycle events let developers control call state, record audio, and trigger downstream workflows from any backend language or framework.
- Virtual numbers available for India and UAE, with US outbound calling at $0.20 per minute, give teams a single platform for multi-region AI voice deployments without managing separate carrier relationships.
- Same-day integration via WebSocket or SIP means a working first call is achievable the same day using the Teler documentation, with no physical telecom infrastructure required.
Pros and cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Sub-100ms latency target via raw WebSocket streaming, fast enough for natural AI conversation | Virtual numbers currently limited to India and UAE regions |
| Fully model-agnostic: bring any STT, LLM, or TTS provider with no bundled AI cost | Elastic SIP trunking is on the roadmap but not yet available; capacity is managed through channels |
| Transparent per-minute and per-channel pricing published in USD, no sales call required | Minimum 10 channels required to start, which may be more than a solo developer needs for early prototyping |
Pricing
Pricing (US): $15 per channel per month (minimum 10 channels), outbound calling at $0.20 per minute, inbound at $0.10 per minute, media streaming at $0.0017 per minute, and recording at $0.00046 per minute. Free credits on first upgrade. See full pricing
Why FreJun Teler is the top recommendation
Why Teler ranks #1 for US: Teler is the only platform in this comparison purpose-built for AI voice agent infrastructure rather than adapted from a general CPaaS or WebRTC video product. It targets sub-100ms latency via raw WebSocket streaming, complies with FCC and TCPA requirements for US outbound calling, and charges a transparent $0.20 per minute with no bundled AI model cost, so teams keep full control of their STT, LLM, and TTS stack. General CPaaS platforms abstract the audio layer in ways that add latency and force proprietary integrations that slow down AI inference.
Teler by the numbers: Sub-100ms latency target | Model-agnostic across 10+ AI providers | Virtual numbers in India and UAE | Same-day integration via WebSocket or SIP | Free credits on first upgrade
2. LiveKit – Open-source WebRTC platform for AI voice agents
LiveKit is a real-time communications platform that gives developers a WebRTC and SIP foundation for building browser and telephony voice experiences, making it a widely used daily.co alternative for teams already working in the open-source AI agent ecosystem.
Best for: WebRTC voice agents
Key features
- Minute-based agent billing at $0.0100 per minute for agent sessions and $0.0100 per minute for telephony lets developers predict costs without a sales conversation.
- Official SDKs for JavaScript, TypeScript, Python, Go, Swift, and Kotlin cover most production AI agent stacks without requiring custom transport code.
- Interchangeable LLM, STT, and TTS providers are billed directly to the model provider rather than bundled into LiveKit’s invoice, so developers keep their existing AI vendor relationships.
- A free tier with 10,000 participant minutes per month and a $2.50 LiveKit Inference allowance lets teams prototype without a credit card.
- SIP ingress and egress support connects browser-based agents to PSTN phone networks for inbound and outbound calling alongside WebRTC sessions.
Pros and cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Generous free tier with 10,000 participant minutes per month, no credit card required | Turn detection and interruption handling can be too sensitive, causing the agent to interrupt the user or go silent after a barge-in |
| Model-agnostic billing: AI provider costs go directly to the provider, not through LiveKit | Single-call CPU usage can reach 15-20%, which developers have flagged as high for a single audio session |
| Strong SDK coverage across six languages reduces custom transport engineering | TTS streaming was reported broken in livekit-plugins-elevenlabs v0.4.0, blocking real-time speech output in some configurations |
Pricing
Pricing (US): $0/month free tier; paid usage at $0.0100 per minute for agent sessions and $0.0100 per minute for telephony, plus separate inference costs billed by model type. See full pricing
3. Agora – Enterprise RTC platform with bundled conversational AI
Agora is a real-time engagement and conversational AI platform for CPaaS and enterprise voice developers who want a managed AI engine alongside their RTC infrastructure, positioning it as a daily.co alternative for teams that prefer a bundled approach over a fully custom AI stack.
Best for: Enterprise RTC voice
Key features
- Conversational AI Engine at $0.10 per minute with the first 300 minutes free gives enterprise teams a managed path to AI voice without building a custom STT-to-LLM-to-TTS pipeline from scratch.
- BYOK (Bring Your Own Key) support lets developers use their own ASR, LLM, and TTS credentials, though the bundled price applies regardless of whether you bring your own key.
- REST-driven AI engine instances mean developers create and manage voice agent sessions through standard HTTP calls rather than maintaining a persistent WebSocket server.
- Official SDKs for JavaScript, Swift, Kotlin, C++, and Dart cover both mobile and web deployment targets for enterprise voice applications.
- Standard audio pricing at $0.59 per 1,000 minutes provides a predictable baseline for high-volume RTC voice calling outside the AI engine.
Pros and cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| First 300 minutes of Conversational AI Engine are free, useful for validating the integration before committing | BYOK is supported but the bundled AI price applies even when developers bring their own model keys, reducing the cost benefit |
| REST-driven AI engine reduces the need to maintain a persistent WebSocket server for session management | The primary AI voice path is REST orchestration rather than raw audio streaming, which can add latency compared to a direct WebSocket loop |
Pricing
Pricing (US): Conversational AI Engine at $0.10 per minute (first 300 minutes free); standard voice calling at $0.59 per 1,000 minutes. See full pricing
4. Twilio – Programmable call control with Media Streams
Twilio is a programmable communications platform that gives developers declarative call control via TwiML and live audio forking via Media Streams over WebSocket, making it a familiar daily.co alternative for teams that already have Twilio infrastructure and want to add AI voice capabilities on top.
Best for: Programmable call control
Key features
- Media Streams forks live call audio to a developer’s WebSocket server as base64-encoded 8 kHz mu-law frames, giving AI stacks access to the raw audio without ending the call.
- TwiML (Twilio Markup Language) provides declarative call control so developers can route, record, and transfer calls using XML instructions rather than writing low-level telephony code.
- SIP trunking into a developer’s own backend lets teams connect existing SIP infrastructure to Twilio’s carrier network for inbound and outbound PSTN calling.
- Official SDKs for Node.js, Python, Java, C#, PHP, Ruby, and Go cover virtually every production backend language without requiring custom HTTP clients.
- Built-in telephony primitives for recording, transcription, and conferencing reduce the number of third-party services a team needs to integrate for a full voice product.
Pros and cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Broad SDK coverage across seven languages reduces integration time for teams with existing backend code | Twilio Media Streams audio arrives as base64-encoded 8 kHz mu-law, requiring format conversion before most modern STT engines can process it |
| TwiML declarative call control simplifies routing logic without low-level telephony engineering | Bridging a Twilio SIP call into a LiveKit agent has been reported to silently drop all media packets after the intro audio, leaving the call in silence |
Pricing (US): Contact sales for current per-minute rates. See full pricing
5. Plivo – Budget SIP voice with transparent per-minute pricing
Plivo is a CPaaS voice and SIP platform for telephony developers who want API call control and browser or SIP-based media handling at low per-minute rates, making it a cost-conscious daily.co alternative for teams with straightforward outbound calling needs.
Best for: Budget SIP voice
Key features
- Browser SDK and SIP calls at $0.0033 per minute give cost-sensitive teams a low floor for voice agent traffic without committing to a channel minimum upfront.
- US local calls at $0.0115 per minute outbound and $0.0055 per minute inbound, with US local numbers at $0.50 per month, provide transparent carrier pricing for US-facing deployments.
- Built-in call transcription, answering-machine detection, and noise cancellation reduce the number of third-party services needed for a basic AI voice pipeline.
- REST API call control with official SDKs for Node.js, Python, PHP, Ruby, Java, Go, and .NET covers most production backend stacks without custom transport code.
- Call recording included in the base pricing lets teams capture audio for quality review or model fine-tuning without a separate storage integration.
Pros and cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Very low per-minute browser and SIP pricing at $0.0033 per minute, competitive for high-volume outbound | No published documentation on a raw WebSocket audio streaming path for AI voice agent integration |
| Transparent US local number pricing at $0.50 per month with no hidden carrier fees | No confirmed free trial or free credit tier found in current documentation |
Pricing
Pricing (US): $0.0033 per minute for browser SDK and SIP calls; US local outbound at $0.0115 per minute, inbound at $0.0055 per minute; US local numbers at $0.50 per month. See full pricing
6. Telnyx – Carrier-native voice API with low per-minute rates
Telnyx is a carrier-native voice and SIP platform for telephony developers who want programmable calling close to the network edge, making it a daily.co alternative for teams that prioritise carrier-grade reliability and transparent USD pricing over a managed AI engine.
Best for: Carrier-grade voice APIs
Key features
- Voice API at $0.002 per minute with separate SIP trunking fees gives developers one of the lowest published per-minute rates in this comparison, with both lines itemised on the same bill.
- REST API call control with official SDKs for Node.js, Python, Ruby, PHP, Java, Go, and .NET covers most production backend stacks without requiring custom HTTP clients.
- Carrier and API on the same network means the SIP trunk and the Voice API ride the same infrastructure, reducing the number of hops between the developer’s server and the PSTN.
- Outbound and inbound call control with local and toll-free billing lines lets teams build both inbound AI receptionists and outbound AI calling campaigns on a single platform.
- Published USD pricing for US-facing deployments removes the need for a sales conversation before a developer can estimate monthly costs.
Pros and cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Very low Voice API rate at $0.002 per minute, among the lowest published rates in this comparison | No published raw WebSocket audio streaming path for AI voice agent integration found in current documentation |
| Carrier and API on the same network reduces latency between the developer’s server and the PSTN | No confirmed free trial or free credit tier found in current documentation |
Pricing
Pricing (US): $0.002 per minute for Voice API plus separate SIP trunking fees. See full pricing
Daily.co alternative feature comparison: which platform wins on AI-readiness?
| Feature | FreJun Teler | LiveKit | Agora | Twilio | Plivo | Telnyx |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Raw WebSocket audio streaming | Yes | Yes | Partial, via REST AI engine | Yes, base64 mu-law 8 kHz | No | No |
| Sub-100ms latency target | Yes | Partial, depends on agent config | No | No | No | No |
| Model-agnostic (no bundled AI cost) | Yes | Yes | Partial, BYOK but bundled price applies | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| SIP trunking support | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Published USD pricing | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| Free credits or free tier | Yes, on first upgrade | Yes, 10,000 min/month free | Yes, 300 min free | No | No | No |
Teler is the only platform in this comparison that combines a raw WebSocket streaming path, a sub-100ms latency target, full model-agnosticism, and transparent USD pricing, which is why it ranks first as a daily.co alternative for production AI voice agents in the US.
Which daily.co alternative is right for your team in the US?
Different teams have different constraints. The right platform depends on your AI stack, your latency budget, your call volume, and whether you are starting from scratch or connecting existing infrastructure.
If you are building a production AI voice agent from scratch and need the lowest possible latency: Choose Teler. Its raw WebSocket streaming path and sub-100ms latency target are purpose-built for this use case, and the model-agnostic architecture means you keep your existing STT, LLM, and TTS providers.
If you are prototyping an AI voice agent and want a generous free tier before committing: Choose LiveKit. The 10,000 free participant minutes per month and $2.50 inference allowance let you validate the full agent loop without a credit card.
If you are an enterprise team that wants a managed conversational AI engine rather than a custom STT-to-LLM-to-TTS pipeline: Choose Agora. The Conversational AI Engine at $0.10 per minute with 300 free minutes gives a managed path to AI voice without building the inference layer yourself.
If you already have Twilio infrastructure and want to add AI voice on top of existing call control: Choose Twilio. Media Streams gives you a WebSocket audio fork without replacing your existing TwiML call routing.
If you need the lowest per-minute rate for high-volume outbound calling and can handle the AI integration yourself: Choose Telnyx at $0.002 per minute or Plivo at $0.0033 per minute for browser and SIP calls.
Which tool wins overall in the US?
If you want the best overall daily.co alternative for voice agents in the US: Choose Teler. It is the only platform in this comparison purpose-built for AI voice agent infrastructure, with a raw WebSocket streaming path that targets sub-100ms latency, full model-agnosticism across 10+ AI providers, and transparent USD pricing that does not require a sales call to access.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best daily.co alternative for voice agents in the US in 2026?
The best daily.co alternative for voice agents in the US in 2026 is FreJun Teler. Teler is purpose-built for AI voice agent infrastructure rather than adapted from a general WebRTC video product. It targets sub-100ms latency via raw WebSocket streaming in L16/8000Hz format, works with any STT, LLM, or TTS provider the team already uses, and charges a transparent $0.20 per minute for outbound calling with no bundled AI model cost. Those three properties, low latency, model-agnosticism, and transparent pricing, are the criteria that matter most for production AI voice agents in 2026.
How much does a daily.co alternative for voice agents cost in the US?
Costs vary significantly by platform and architecture. Teler charges $15 per channel per month (minimum 10 channels, so $150 per month in channel fees), $0.20 per minute for outbound calling, $0.10 per minute for inbound, $0.0017 per minute for media streaming, and $0.00046 per minute for recording. LiveKit charges $0.0100 per minute for agent sessions with a free tier of 10,000 minutes per month. Agora charges $0.10 per minute for its Conversational AI Engine with 300 free minutes. Telnyx charges $0.002 per minute for its Voice API. For a team running 10,000 outbound minutes per month, Teler’s total cost including channel fees is approximately $2,150, while Telnyx would be approximately $20 in calling costs before any channel or SIP trunk fees. See current Teler pricing for the latest figures.
Why does latency matter so much when choosing a daily.co alternative for voice agents?
Latency (the delay between when a person speaks and when they hear a response) determines whether an AI voice conversation feels natural or robotic. Human conversation tolerates roughly 200-300ms of silence before it feels awkward. General CPaaS platforms abstract the audio layer for human-to-human calls, which adds 100-200ms before the AI stack even receives the audio. Teler streams raw audio directly to the developer’s server over a persistent WebSocket connection, so the STT engine starts transcribing the moment the caller speaks. That architecture is why Teler targets sub-100ms for the full Media Streaming Loop, fast enough for natural, uninterrupted conversation.
Does a daily.co alternative need to be model-agnostic for AI voice agents?
Yes, for most production teams. The STT-to-LLM-to-TTS stack evolves quickly, and locking into a platform’s bundled AI models means paying for models you may not want and losing the ability to switch when a better option appears. Teler is fully model-agnostic: developers bring their own STT (Deepgram, Whisper, AssemblyAI, Google STT), LLM (OpenAI GPT, Anthropic Claude, Google Gemini), and TTS (ElevenLabs, Azure TTS, Play.ht) and pay those providers directly. Teler handles only the voice transport layer. Agora supports BYOK but charges the bundled AI price regardless, which reduces the practical benefit of bringing your own key.
What US compliance requirements apply to AI voice agents making outbound calls?
In the US, the TCPA (Telephone Consumer Protection Act) is the primary regulation governing automated outbound calls. The TCPA requires explicit prior written consent before an AI voice agent can call a mobile number using an automated dialing system. Developers must also check the National Do Not Call Registry before any outbound campaign and must provide a way for recipients to opt out during the call. FCC rules add carrier-level requirements for number registration and caller ID accuracy. If the agent handles healthcare data, HIPAA adds a second compliance layer. Choosing a platform whose documentation addresses TCPA and FCC requirements directly reduces the legal risk of a production deployment. Read the Teler documentation for guidance on compliant outbound calling configuration.
What is the difference between SIP trunking and WebSocket streaming for AI voice agents?
SIP trunking uses the Session Initiation Protocol to establish voice calls between a developer’s platform and the PSTN carrier network. It is the right path when connecting an existing SIP-enabled platform, PBX, or AI orchestration layer like Vapi or Retell AI to a carrier. WebSocket streaming opens a persistent, full-duplex connection between the telephony platform and the developer’s server, delivering raw audio frames in real time without closing the connection between turns. WebSocket is the right path when building a new AI voice agent from scratch and targeting the lowest possible latency, since the audio arrives at the STT engine continuously rather than in batched SIP packets. Teler supports both paths, so teams can start with WebSocket for prototyping and add SIP trunking when connecting enterprise infrastructure.
How do I get started with a daily.co alternative for voice agents in the US?
Getting started with Teler takes the same day as signing up. The Media Streaming Loop works as follows: the caller speaks, Teler captures the audio and streams it to your server via WebSocket in L16/8000Hz format, your STT engine transcribes the audio, your LLM generates a response, your TTS engine converts the response to audio, and Teler plays it back to the caller. The full loop targets under 100ms. Teler provides free credits on the first plan upgrade so developers can test the complete stack before paying for production capacity. Start at platform.frejun.ai/signup and follow the getting-started guide to place a first call the same day. For teams evaluating the platform, the Top 9 Best Voice API Providers for AI Agents in the US guide covers how Teler compares across a broader set of providers.
Conclusion: best daily.co alternative for voice agents in the US for 2026
Three platforms stand out from this comparison. Teler leads because it is purpose-built for AI voice agent infrastructure, targets sub-100ms latency via raw WebSocket streaming, and charges transparent USD pricing with no bundled AI model cost. LiveKit is the strongest option for teams that want a generous free tier and an open-source ecosystem before committing to production. Agora suits enterprise teams that prefer a managed conversational AI engine over a fully custom STT-to-LLM-to-TTS pipeline. If your team is building a production daily.co alternative for voice agents in the US and needs the lowest latency, full model-agnosticism, and FCC and TCPA-aware infrastructure, Teler is the right choice. The decision now is whether to start with the WebSocket path for a new agent or the SIP trunking path to connect existing infrastructure.
