12 Best Video Conferencing SDKs and APIs Tested (2026)

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TL;DR: 

We compared 12 video conferencing SDKs and APIs (Banuba, Zoom, ZEGOCLOUD, Agora, Daily.co, Jitsi, Twilio, Vonage, 100ms, LiveKit, and Cloudflare RealtimeKit) across platform, language, license, deployment, pricing, and AR feature support, based on hands-on testing on Android, iOS, and web.

• A video conferencing API lets you access a third-party app from your own. A video conferencing SDK is a ready-made module that you can integrate into your app and get certain features;
• The use cases of a video conferencing SDK/API include remote work, telehealth, eLearning, social media, and virtual events;
• Using a video conferencing SDK lets you save on development, launch faster, get better security, and achieve a more streamlined user experience;
• Some of the top 12 products in this niche are Banuba Face AR SDK, Zoom, Agora, and Zegocloud.

What is a Video Conferencing API & SDK?

Before diving into the specifics, let’s clarify the fundamentals: What are video conferencing APIs and SDKs, and how do they differ?

A video conferencing API (application programming interface) is a set of programming instructions and protocols that allow your app to communicate with external video conferencing services via the internet, typically relying on cloud-based infrastructure. It's ideal if you need quick integration with minimal code, but customization options may be limited.

A video conferencing SDK(software development kit) provides tools and pre-built components (libraries, documentation, and code samples) to embed video conferencing features directly into your app. SDKs enable deeper customization and tighter integration within your application’s native interface and workflows.

Simply put, use an API for quick connectivity with less customization, and choose an SDK if you require extensive control over user experience and integration depth. If you want AR built into either approach, Banuba's video conferencing api adds face filters, virtual backgrounds, and beautification directly to the call.

Building from Scratch vs. API/SDK Integration 

When considering the integration of video conferencing capabilities, developers typically face two choices: build a solution entirely from scratch or integrate existing APIs and SDKs.

Developing a fully custom video conferencing app from scratch involves extensive engineering effort, potentially taking up to 6 to 12 months, with costs ranging from $50,000 to over $200,000 depending on complexity, scale, and required functionality.

On the other hand, integrating pre-built APIs and SDKs can drastically reduce both development timelines and budget, enabling teams to roll out powerful video features in a matter of weeks or even days. And the cost depends on the solution you choose — you can leverage open-source video conferencing APIs.

Cloud-hosted vs. Self-hosted SDKs 

The choice primarily describes how you, as an SDK user, will deploy and manage it. Basically, the difference lies in whether the SDK’s services will be running on a remote cloud server or your own infrastructure. Let’s explore in more detail and compare cloud-hosted and self-hosted approaches.

A cloud-hosted SDK means that you use the whole toolset to build an application, but the app’s data and core features rely on the SDK owner's cloud infrastructure. The provider or vendor handles all the maintenance, updates, security issues, etc. This allows global accessibility and fast launch; however, it gives you less control over data and makes you vendor-locked in.

A self-hosted SDK means you install and run the core services on your own servers (on your physical data center or private cloud). You and your tech team are responsible for managing the whole infrastructure, including security and updates. While it gives you total control and makes you independent, you will have to deal with all the maintenance, scalability challenges, and higher costs.

Video Conferencing API & SDK: Use Cases

Let’s discuss typical use cases to see the growing potential of video calling solutions.

Remote Work

​​According to Dialpad, 83% of employees spend 1/3 of their workweek on video meetings. Video calls, team meetings, screen sharing, and real-time chat integrated within productivity apps enhance performance for 94% of surveyed businesses.

Online Education

Educational institutions and platforms have embraced video conferencing to support virtual classrooms, webinars, and interactive learning sessions.

According to a TechValidate survey, 87% of educators and administrators in colleges and universities plan to increase their investments in online collaboration tools. Almost 90% believe video conferencing can help more people get advanced degrees.

Telehealth 

Healthcare providers utilize video conferencing for telemedicine services, enabling remote consultations and patient monitoring. In 2021, the last year with a nationally representative US estimate from the National Health Interview Survey, 37.0% of adults had used telemedicine in the past 12 months, rising to 43.3% among adults aged 65 and over. For a worked example of the effects layer in that setting, see how telehealth providers add AR effects with a video conferencing API. The telehealth industry is expanding at an annual rate of 28.9%, with over 116 million users globally.

Social Apps 

Video conferencing APIs and SDKs power social platforms and entertainment apps. These technologies enable real-time engagement, enhancing user interaction and content delivery with interactive features and augmented reality experiences.

Face filters in Banuba Face AR SDK

Virtual Events

Notably, 99% of companies surveyed consider webinars and virtual events an essential part of their marketing strategy. It helps reach broader audiences and maintain engagement.

Key Takeaways

• A video conferencing SDK offers deeper customization and control, while APIs enable faster, lighter integrations.
• Building from scratch can take 6–12 months and cost over $200K, whereas SDK/API integration delivers advanced features in days at a fraction of the cost.
• Cloud-hosted SDKs ensure quick deployment, elastic scaling, and vendor-managed updates, while self-hosted options provide full data control and are better for regulated industries.
• Typical use cases span remote work, online education, telehealth, and social or virtual events, all requiring low latency, HIPAA compliance, and increasingly, augmented reality enhancements.
• Leveraging the best video conferencing SDKs (including open-source and enterprise-grade solutions) reduces time-to-market, lowers infrastructure risk, and creates differentiated user experiences.

Benefits of Using Video Conferencing APIs and SDKs

Leveraging APIs and SDKs for video conferencing offers key advantages for developers and businesses:

• Rapid integration: Quickly add advanced video features, shortening development cycles from months to weeks;
• Enhanced UX: Deliver HD video, minimal latency, and interactive collaboration, improving user satisfaction;
• Flexible customization: Easily tailor features and UI to meet specific app requirements and ensure seamless integration;
• Built-in security: Gain robust security features, including encryption and compliance with standards such as HIPAA and GDPR;
• Cost savings: Avoid significant infrastructure and maintenance costs, focusing resources on core functionalities;
• Plug-and-play AR and AI features: Save time and budget on adding tech-narrow features like augmented reality filters, overlays, and face recognition;
• Cross-platform support: Ensure consistent experiences across web, Android, iOS, and desktop platforms.

Top 12 Best Video Conferencing APIs & SDKs in 2026

Before we dive into reviewing the 12 best video conferencing SDKs and APIs in 2026, let us introduce you to our methodology:

How We Tested 

To help you choose the best video conferencing SDK, we’ve conducted an in-depth analysis, run tests on Android, iOS, and the web, and gathered developers’ feedback on the 12 solutions on the market in 2026, across platforms such as G2, Reddit, and GitHub.

We evaluated each SDK by reviewing vendor demos and public benchmarks. We also reviewed official documentation and sample apps to verify the integration flow and assess customization potential. Our observations are based on real developer experiences and publicly available performance data.

1. Banuba Video Conferencing SDK

Banuba Video Conferencing SDK stands out as the leading solution for integrating powerful and immersive AR conferencing features into Android, iOS, and web platforms.

Core features:

• Advanced AR features, including:
  • Virtual backgrounds
  • Face masks and beauty AR SDK filters
  • Multi-face detection
  • AI-powered beautification
• Highly detailed rendering thanks to 3,308 face mesh vertices;
• Extensive Asset Store of ready-to-use AR effects and assets;
• AR pipelines are tuned for 15/30/60 fps. The camera FPS can be kept at 30 using fixed mode, with performance depending on effect complexity;
• Background replacement runs at a minimum of 30 FPS on a 1280x720 camera (recommended) on iOS 13+ and Android 8.0+, which is the threshold a composited conferencing stream needs to stay smooth;
• On the web build, the core BanubaSDK.wasm binary is 12 Mb uncompressed, 3.5 Mb gzipped and 2.5 Mb with Brotli, so precompressing the assets directly cuts first-load time and bandwidth spend;
• GDPR-compliant data handling, optional HIPAA-ready setup, and basic accessibility support;
• Comprehensive documentation and easy-to-use SDK for rapid and easy integration.
• White-labeling and customization options across web/iOS/Android/Mac/Windows; 
• Create and upload your custom augmented reality effects via Banuba Studio;
• Native integration with Agora’s SDK for quickly making reliable video calling apps. 

“Banuba’s SDK was by far the most developer-friendly AR solution we tested. We had multi-party calls with live filters running at 30+ FPS on mid-tier Android devices in no time. Face tracking held up even in poor lighting and partial occlusion. Just note: on low-end devices, heavy effects may impact frame rate. Web support is solid via WebAssembly, though older browsers might struggle. Overall — smooth integration, great docs, and powerful AR.” — Alex M., Lead Mobile Engineer

The unique AR-enhanced video conferencing features in Banuba's Face AR SDK lead to engagement uplift. It helped a social AR game, Hyperspeed, get higher user engagement and 50k+ downloads. And the professional video conferencing app VROOM managed to get 30% more MAUs and 54% more sign-ups after integrating Banuba's technology. Banuba's Face AR SDK also drops into live-streaming pipelines: a live-streaming app built with Amazon IVS and Banuba Face AR SDK adds real-time AR masks and beauty effects to broadcast video using the same integration flow.

The integration process is easy to follow upon obtaining the client token. Below is a code snippet for adding Banuba Video Conferencing SDK into your app:

[code]BanubaSdkManager.initialize( // This is an array of paths where to seach for resources. E.g. for effects resourcePath: [ Bundle.main.bundlePath + "/effects", Bundle.main.bundlePath // also search directly in app bundle ], clientTokenString: banubaClientToken ) [/code]

Banuba Video Conferencing SDK is perfect for social and entertainment apps, remote collaboration tools needing immersive interaction, telehealth and wellness apps enhancing patient engagement, and virtual events and webinars seeking innovative audience interaction.

It offers a customizable pricing model based on usage and project requirements.

Pros:

• Powerful AR features;
• Cross-platform compatibility;
• Fast & easy integration;
• Great for engagement-heavy apps;
• GDPR- and HIPAA-compliant;
• Integration with Agora.

Cons:

• May run slower on low-end devices.

2. Zoom Video SDK

Zoom's Video SDK enables developers to build custom video-based applications using Zoom's core technology on Web, Android, iOS, Windows, and macOS.

Core features:

• High-quality video and audio with minimal delay;
• Screen sharing, recording, live streaming, and live chat functionalities;
• Data streams for real-time collaboration;
• Fully GDPR & HIPAA compliant;
• Supports up to 30 fps; SDK lets you set min/max or preserve frame rate;
• Built-in live captioning (including real-time AI captions);
• Screen reader support;
• WCAG 2.1 aligned in UI/UX practices;
• Whiteboarding available via Zoom Whiteboard integration;
• Build your own layouts (custom-UI mode) or start with the UI Toolkit and theme/extend it for web/iOS/Android.

Zoom's reliable infrastructure, a comprehensive feature set, and scalability can be a perfect choice for enterprise applications and educational platforms. However, support costs can be quite high, and it offers limited customization compared to competitors.

Here’s a part of Zoom’s sample code for the React integration:

[code] import React from 'react'; import ReactDOM from 'react-dom/client'; import './index.css'; import App from './App'; import { devConfig } from './config/dev'; import { generateVideoToken } from './tools/tools.jsx'; import ZoomVideo from '@zoom/videosdk'; import ZoomContext from './context/zoom-context'; [/code]

This video conferencing SDK offers 10,000 free session minutes per month, then $0.0035 per minute, with volume discounts published on Zoom's developer pricing page.

Pros:

• Reliable infrastructure;
• Cross-platform;
• Live captioning;
• Enterprise-grade security.

Cons:

• Limited customization;
• Higher support costs.

3. Zegocloud

Source

ZEGOCLOUD offers a comprehensive video calling SDK designed for high-quality, real-time communication for web, Android, iOS, Windows, and native applications.

Core features:

• Real-time voice and video communication;
• Live streaming and recording capabilities;
• Screen sharing and whiteboard;
• AR stickers and beautification options;
• 4K video support;
• GDPR-compliant;
• Frame rate config in recording/mixing (typical 5–30 fps, default 15); tuning content on FPS stability;
• UIKits ship a prebuilt interface you can navigate and alter by parameters (look, features) and extend with components;
• Basic accessibility features (captions);
• Ultra-low latency.

Its flexible integration options and a rich feature set with AR capabilities are perfect for social, entertaining, telehealth, and educational solutions looking for interactive features.

The pricing varies based on the feature set.

ZEGOCLOUD publishes its rate card: Video Call is billed at $3.99 per 1,000 participant minutes, with 10,000 free minutes on signup and 14 days of free technical support.

The integration process is described step-by-step in the official documentation, and below is the code snippet:

[code] // // ViewController.swift // import UIKit class ViewController: UIViewController { // The video stream for the local user is displayed here var localView: UIView! // The video stream for the remote user is displayed here var remoteView: UIView! // Click to log in or log out of a room var callButton: UIButton! override func viewDidLoad() { super.viewDidLoad() // Do any additional setup after loading the view. initViews() } [/code]

Pros:

• Ultra-low latency;
• AR stickers;
• 4K video;
• Scalable for social & live apps.

Cons:

• Complex pricing;
• Less formal support for compliance.

4. Agora Video SDK

Agora provides a robust SDK for real-time video and audio communication, supporting a wide range of use cases from one-on-one calls to large-scale broadcasts. It's available for Web, Android, iOS, Windows, and macOS.

Core features:

• High-quality video and audio streaming;
• Real-time messaging and recording;
• GDPR-compliant and HIPAA-ready setup available for enterprise customers.
• Closed captioning supported via third-party integration;
• Use Agora UIKit for a customizable, low-code call UI, or drop to the core SDKs to craft a fully custom interface;
• Set frameRate in the encoder profile (common presets 15/24/30 fps);
• Global low-latency infrastructure;
• Screen sharing, whiteboard, and collaboration;
• Multiple audio and video tracking.

Agora is known for its strong developer community on Slack, Stack Overflow, and GitHub. It's an excellent solution for large-scale virtual events and webinars, gaming applications with real-time communication, and telehealth platforms requiring reliable video calls. Its extension marketplace contains dozens of compatible plugins for AR filters, beautification (provided by its partner Banuba), noise cancellation, and more.

This is how you can start integrating it on Android:

[code] // Fill in the app ID from Agora Console private String myAppId = ""; private RtcEngine mRtcEngine; private void initializeAgoraVideoSDK() { try { RtcEngineConfig config = new RtcEngineConfig(); config.mContext = getBaseContext(); config.mAppId = myAppId; config.mEventHandler = mRtcEventHandler; mRtcEngine = RtcEngine.create(config); } catch (Exception e) { throw new RuntimeException("Error initializing RTC engine: " + e.getMessage()); } } [/code]

Agora runs a pay-as-you-go model with the first 10,000 combined RTC minutes free every month. Agora RTC then starts at $0.59 per 1,000 minutes, so the per-minute figure that circulates in older comparisons of this SDK is well out of date.

Pros:

• Strong community;
• Low latency;
• HIPAA-ready;
• Great scalability.

Cons:

• Complex API structure;
• Usage costs can rise quickly.

5. Daily.co Video API ad SDK

Daily is a single video product with two ways in: a REST API for creating and managing rooms server-side, and client SDKs for web, React, iOS, Android and Flutter. Daily Prebuilt sits on top as a themeable drop-in call UI, so you can ship a working call screen before you start customising.

Core features:

• Real-time video and audio streaming across web, iOS and Android
• Screen sharing, chat, breakout rooms, and whiteboarding via third-party integrations
• Recording, live streaming, captions and real-time transcription
• HIPAA support on paid plans, end-to-end encryption
• Daily Prebuilt for a configurable, themeable call UI
• Camera and simulcast presets topping out at 30 fps
• Global mesh network for low latency

It works well for startups and SMEs that want a call running quickly, for large-scale webinars and virtual conferences, and for healthcare products that need HIPAA coverage. Some users have reported sound quality issues and lag under load.

Below is code snippet of implementing screen sharing:

[code] // starting a screenshare with a custom stream source navigator.mediaDevices.getDisplayMedia({ video: true }).then((stream) => { myScreenStreamVar = stream; call.startScreenShare({ mediaStream: stream }); }); // ending the screenshare const vidTrack = call.participants().local.tracks.screenVideo.persistentTrack; const audioTrack = call.participants().local.tracks.screenAudio.persistentTrack; call.stopScreenShare(); vidTrack && vidTrack.stop(); audioTrack && audioTrack.stop(); [/code]

Pros:

• Simple to set up;
• Fast backend integration;
• HIPAA on paid plans
• Drop-in UI that saves front-end time.

Cons:

• Limited visual customization;
• Sound lag reported by some users.

6. Amazon Chime SDK

Amazon Chime SDK is AWS's building-block service for adding real-time audio, video, screen sharing and messaging to your own application without operating WebRTC infrastructure yourself. Worth clearing up first: AWS is ending support for the Amazon Chime application on 20 February 2026, and that change does not affect the Amazon Chime SDK, which stays available and supported.

Core features:

• Client libraries for JavaScript, React, iOS, Android and Windows;
• Standard sessions for up to 250 interactive participants, video to 720p and screen share to 1080p;
• High-definition sessions for up to 25 participants, video to 1080p and screen share to 4K;
• Media replication to as many as 40 further sessions, reaching 10,000 participants on a standard session;
• Amazon Voice Focus ML noise reduction and ML echo reduction;
• Media capture to Amazon S3, audio streaming to Kinesis Video Streams, live connector output to YouTube Live and Amazon IVS;
• PSTN dial-in and dial-out, plus SIP trunking through Amazon Chime Voice Connector.

It suits teams already building on AWS, where billing, IAM and data residency sit in one account, and regulated workloads that want recording and transcription running in the same cloud as the rest of the stack.

Pricing is pay-as-you-go with no upfront fee. WebRTC media is billed at $0.0017 per attendee-minute in 6-second increments, and media capture, streaming, replication and PSTN minutes are billed separately on top.

Pros:

• No infrastructure to operate, scales elastically;
• Deep AWS integration for recording, transcription and analytics;
• Per-minute pricing with no seat licences.

Cons:

• Needs an AWS account and some familiarity with AWS services;
• No drop-in prebuilt call UI, so more front-end work than Daily;
• Harder to forecast cost once capture, streaming and PSTN are stacked.

7. Jitsi Meet API (Open Source)

Source

Jitsi Meet is a free, open-source video conferencing solution that allows developers to integrate secure video meetings into their applications on the web, iOS, and Android.

Core features:

• End-to-end encrypted video calls;
• Live streaming and recording;
• Screen sharing and chat functionalities;
• Customizable UI and meeting controls via Jitsi User Interface (UI) Customization Service;
• Config keys let you set min/max FPS for desktop sharing; browsers limit high-FPS screenshare;
• HD audio with Opus;
• Document editing via Etherpad;
• Whiteboarding via Excalidraw.

Self-hosting Jitsi is free. If you would rather not run the media server, 8x8 sells the hosted version as Jitsi as a Service, with a free developer tier up to 25 monthly active users and paid tiers from $99 per month. It's a win-win option for businesses seeking self-hosted solutions and requiring complete control over video conferencing features. However, customization may require more development efforts. Despite a strong community, it offers limited official support compared to commercial solutions.

Their official documentation provides step-by-step integration and development guides. You can check the sample code below:

[code] const domain = 'meet.jit.si'; const options = { roomName: 'JitsiMeetAPIExample', width: 700, height: 700, parentNode: document.querySelector('#meet'), lang: 'de' }; const api = new JitsiMeetExternalAPI(domain, options); [/code]

Pros:

• Free & open-source;
• Fully customizable;
• Privacy-focused.

Cons:

• No official support;
• Requires technical expertise.

8. Twilio Video SDK

Source

Twilio's Video SDK offers programmable video capabilities, allowing developers to build customized video applications on Android, iOS, and web.

Core features:

• Programmable video with flexible APIs;
• Multi-party calls and recording;
• Dominant speaker detection;
• HIPAA-ready (requires BAA with Twilio);
• Default capture 640×480 at 30 fps;
• GDPR-compliant;
• Customizable UX and UI via Flex UI;
• Network quality indicators;
• Screen sharing, video recording, virtual backgrounds, and noise cancellation;
• Video rooms with up to 50 participants and a file-sharing feature.

Go for it if you require tailored video experiences, but keep in mind that customization requires extensive coding.

Below is the code snippet for Twilio Video SDK:

[code] async function joinRoom(token, connectOptions) { … // Join to the Room with the given AccessToken and ConnectOptions. const room = await connect(token, connectOptions); … } [/code]

The cost is $0.004 per participant per minute with a pay-as-you-go model. One thing to clear up, because a lot of comparisons still get it wrong: Twilio announced an end of life for Programmable Video in March 2024 and then reversed that decision in October 2024, confirming Video will remain a standalone product. There is no retirement date in force.

Pros:

• Highly customizable;
• Reliable infra;
• HIPAA-ready;
• Developer tools.

Cons:

• Steep learning curve;
• No native captioning.

9. Vonage Video API (formerly TokBox)

Source

​​Vonage's Video API provides a WebRTC-based platform for embedding live video into applications on web, Android, iOS, Windows, macOS, and Linux.

Core features:

• HD video conferencing with screen sharing and live streaming;
• Cloud recording and archiving;
• HIPAA- & GDPR-compliant;
• AI tools for video and audio effects;
• Customizable controls and layouts to adapt the interface to your brand’s UI;
• Strong security and compliance measures;
• Whiteboarding via third-party plugins;
• Lets you set preferred FPS per platform with the default 30 fps;
• Profound reporting and usage insights.

Vonage now publishes its rate card rather than quoting on request: $0.00410 per participant per minute, with 100,000 free trial minutes for new accounts.

The detailed documentation offers developers guides and sample apps. Here’s a code snippet for your review:

[code] var opentok = new OpenTok(API_KEY, API_SECRET); var sessionId; opentok.createSession({mediaMode:"routed"}, function(error, session) { if (error) { console.log("Error creating session:", error) } else { sessionId = session.sessionId; console.log("Session ID: " + sessionId); } }); [/code]

Pros:

• Enterprise-grade compliance;
• AI tools;
• Broad platform support.

Cons:

• Pricing on request;
• Less startup-friendly.

10. 100ms Video SDK

Source

100ms provides a robust platform for building live video applications on web, Android, iOS, React Native, and Flutter.

Core features:

• Real-time video and audio conferencing;
• Interactive live streaming;
• Screen sharing, recording, and whiteboard;
• Virtual backgrounds and breakout rooms;
• Polls, quizzes, and emoji reactions;
• SDK exposes maxFrameRate and publishes FPS in call stats;
• Prebuilt UI/UX templates or fully customizable from scratch;
• HIPAA-ready as a paid add-on;
• GDPR-compliant;
• Post-call transcription and AI-generated summaries;
• RTMP input and output.

The solution offers 10,000 free conferencing and streaming minutes every month, then $0.004 per participant minute for SD, with audio-only billed substantially lower. Compliance and premium support cost extra. One piece of context for a long-term bet: 100ms has publicly moved its centre of gravity to healthcare voice AI at 100ms.ai while continuing to sell and support the video SDK, so it is no longer a pure-play video infrastructure company.

It’s an excellent choice for large-scale events and webinars.

Here’s a code sample:

[code] val config = HMSConfig("user display name", authToken) hmsSdk.join(config, MyHmsUpdateListener()) class MyHmsUpdateListener : HMSUpdateListener { override fun onJoin(room: HMSRoom) {} override fun onTrackUpdate(type: HMSTrackUpdate, track: HMSTrack, peer: HMSPeer) {} override fun onPeerUpdate(type: HMSPeerUpdate, peer: HMSPeer) {} override fun onMessageReceived(message: HMSMessage) {} override fun onRoleChangeRequest(request: HMSRoleChangeRequest) {} override fun onRoomUpdate(type: HMSRoomUpdate, hmsRoom: HMSRoom) {} override fun onError(error: HMSException) {} } [/code]

Pros:

• Interactive tools;
• AI summaries;
• HIPAA as an add-on.

Cons:

• Pricey premium features;
• Learning curve for complex events.

11. LiveKit SDK

LiveKit is an open-source WebRTC-based video conferencing SDK. It gives teams two integration options:

• self-host the media server;
• run on LiveKit Cloud (their own fully-managed, international network).

Source

You will get the same client SDKs and APIs in both scenarios. The only difference is who operates the infrastructure. There’s also a LiveKit Meet starter app to kickstart conferencing UX and customize from there.

Core features:

• Multi-platform SDKs for Web/React, iOS, Android, React Native, Flutter, Unity;
• Built-in screen sharing, recording to MP4 and HLS, live streaming via HLS and RTMP, and whiteboard support via third-party providers;
• Thumbnail generation and multistream to YouTube, Twitch, and Facebook;
• Backend APIs to manage rooms, participants, tracks, control permissions, and broadcast data;
• Capture/publish settings accept explicit frame rate. Actual send rate adapts;
• Realtime data channels for chat and file sharing;
• React components to compose your custom UX experience;
• SOC 2 Type II, GDPR-compliant, HIPAA-ready cloud services.

It’s a fitting choice for a video conferencing app holding therapy sessions, educational sessions, work meetings, and breakout rooms. The integration process is straightforward:

[code] import { ControlBar, GridLayout, ParticipantTile, RoomAudioRenderer, useTracks, RoomContext, } from '@livekit/components-react'; import { Room, Track } from 'livekit-client'; import '@livekit/components-styles'; import { useState } from 'react'; const serverUrl = ''; const token = ''; export default function App() { const [room] = useState(() => new Room({ // Optimize video quality for each participant's screen adaptiveStream: true, // Enable automatic audio/video quality optimization dynacast: true, })); [/code]

LiveKit keeps a free Build tier with no card required, including WebRTC participant minutes, and paid plans begin at $50 per month for Ship and $500 per month for Scale, with additional charges past the included limits and separate charges for recording data. Note that LiveKit's pricing page is now framed largely around AI voice and video agents, although plain WebRTC minutes are still sold.

This tool is not for everyone, but overall, users seem to enjoy it:

"Livekit works great, but you've got to have some command line savvy to get it working, along with a central server on a good connection," a user gariak said in a Reddit thread.

Pros:

• Open-source and managed cloud flexibility (run in your own virtual private cloud or use LiveKit Cloud);
• Enterprise-grade security with SOC 2, GDPR-compliant, HIPAA-eligible with BAA;
• Powerful recording and output toolkit.

Cons:

• No native whiteboard—requires a third-party provider integration;
• Lack of interactive features and augmented reality elements;
• Cost modeling can be nuanced compared to simple per-minute pricing profiles.

12. Cloudflare RealtimeKit (the product formerly sold as Dyte)

Dyte, which this list used to cover in this slot, no longer exists as a standalone product. It was acquired by Cloudflare and folded into Cloudflare Realtime: dyte.io now redirects to Cloudflare's Realtime product page, and Dyte's own documentation marks the @dytesdk/* packages as being in maintenance mode, with no further feature updates or bug fixes and a recommendation to move to RealtimeKit. If you are running Dyte today, this is a migration decision rather than a fresh vendor evaluation.

Source

Core features:

• Multi-platform SDK for Web, iOS, Android, React Native, Flutter, with a pre-built selection of UI components for rapid customization on all frameworks;
• Screen sharing, recording, live streaming, a native whiteboard plugin, emoji reactions, AI-powered live chats, breakout rooms, and file sharing for interactive collaboration;
• A library of pre-recorded virtual backgrounds, the DocSync feature for viewing and editing documents together, and host controls and analytics;
• No fixed FPS claim with FPS varying with network;
• UI Kit for UX/UI customization;
• SOC 2 and HIPAA-ready.

The public pricing is currently not available, although the free trial offers 10k minutes for three months. Afterwards, a usage-based model kicks in. Recording, storage, and live streaming are billed extra.

Dyte SDK can be a great choice for digital educational platforms, the telehealth domain, fitness applications, and sales and support.

Below is a code sample for your review:

[code] val meetingInfo = DyteMeetingInfoV2( authToken = AUTH_TOKEN, enableAudio = true, enableVideo = true, baseDomain = "dyte.io" ) [/code]

Pros:

• Multi-platform support and high customization potential with a UI Kit;
• Built-in collaboration tools;
• SOC 2 and HIPAA-ready.

Cons:

• The pricing is not transparent and requires contacting sales;
• Some users report that the SDK was unstable and buggy, and they switched to alternatives.

AR Layer: Comparing AR SDKs for Conferencing

The products above solve the call itself. The section below compares the AR effects layer, which is a separate purchase and a separate license. Figures come from our internal competitor battlecards and each vendor's official documentation and pricing pages; where a vendor does not publish a value, it is marked as such rather than estimated.

Read across the rows and the trade-offs are structural rather than cosmetic:

• Web coverage is the first filter. Banuba, DeepAR and Visage all support the browser; Faceunity's published platform list covers iOS, Android, Windows, Mac, Unity, Flutter and Electron. If the conferencing product is browser-first, that decision is made for you.
• Feature availability is not uniform across platforms even within one vendor. DeepAR documents hair segmentation as iOS-only, and emotion detection and video textures as unavailable on Web. Check the per-platform matrix, not the headline feature list.
• Pricing transparency splits the field. DeepAR publishes MAU tiers, which makes budgeting straightforward at small scale. Banuba, Faceunity and Visage all quote to the project, which suits deployments where usage is uneven or the feature set is narrow.
• Watch what sits outside the base SDK. DeepAR's virtual makeup runs through a separate Beauty API, in beta at the time of writing and watermarked with a 3-minute auto-shutdown in preview; its glasses, footwear and jewellery try-on tracking are ShopAR features rather than base SDK features.
• Offline and on-device operation is a compliance lever, not a performance one. Visage documents online and offline operation with no internet dependency; Banuba processes on-device. For telehealth and regulated enterprise calls, that is often the deciding criterion.

Observed Performance

After a careful and detailed overview, here are the results we can summarize:

• Banuba: stable 30 FPS on mid-tier devices, solid low-light tracking;
• Zoom: smooth low-latency performance, but customization is limited;
• ZEGOCLOUD: ultra-low latency and 4K video support, though pricing can be complex;
• Agora: reliable low-latency infrastructure, highly scalable;
• Daily.co: easy setup, but some reports of sound lag;
• Jitsi: flexible and customizable, requires more developer expertise;
• Twilio: highly customizable, reliable infra, steep learning curve;
• Vonage: enterprise-grade compliance and AI tools, less startup-friendly;
• 100ms: strong interactivity, AI summaries, premium features costly;
• LiveKit: powerful open-source flexibility, but setup requires technical skills;
• Cloudflare RealtimeKit: Dyte's successor on Cloudflare's network, published per-minute pricing, still in beta.

How to Choose the Right Video Conferencing API or SDK

The choice might be tough, so here’s a checklist for selecting the best video conferencing API or SDK to match your needs:

• Identify core project needs: scale, platform, AR features, recording, screen sharing, etc.
• Assess integration complexity and quality of developer resources. Is there a strong community? Are there guidelines and documentation available?
• Evaluate pricing structures against your budget constraints.
• Verify customization capabilities and UI flexibility.
• Prioritize solutions with robust security and compliance standards.
• Conduct real-world testing for latency and performance in target locations.

Common Challenges and Best Practices

Integrating video conferencing APIs and SDKs comes with distinct challenges, but knowing best practices helps ensure a successful implementation. Consider these key issues and recommendations to enhance the user experience:

• Handling network variability and latency — Use adaptive streaming techniques and global infrastructure solutions to maintain consistent call quality across various network conditions.
• Managing multi-party video calls and synchronization — Opt for solutions that handle synchronization efficiently, maintaining audio-video consistency even in large conferences.
• Ensuring privacy and data security — Choose APIs and SDKs with built-in end-to-end encryption, secure authentication protocols, and compliance with industry standards (HIPAA, GDPR).
• Optimizing for mobile devices and low bandwidth — select platforms that optimize performance through adaptive bitrate technology and lightweight, efficient codecs to ensure quality on mobile and lower-bandwidth connections.
• Customizing UI and UX — Look for highly customizable SDKs that let developers seamlessly integrate conferencing features into existing apps, matching the brand identity and user expectations.
• Leveraging AR features for engagement — Augmented reality features such as background subtraction, AR masks, and beauty filters enhance user interaction and increase engagement. Solutions like Banuba's Video Conferencing SDK provide advanced AR capabilities, helping apps stand out with engaging, interactive experiences. If background replacement is the feature you care about most, this walkthrough of background removal API tests worth running before you ship is a practical checklist for the evaluation.

Background replacement with Banuba Face AR SDK

Conclusion

The right video conferencing API or SDK can transform user experiences in remote work, education, telehealth, and virtual events. Among the top solutions reviewed, Banuba Video Conferencing SDK stands out, providing powerful AR features for uniquely immersive interactions.

If your product needs the effects layer as well as the call, start with Banuba’s AR conferencing stack, follow the video conferencing API integration guide for the build steps, and evaluate the transport SDKs above against your platform, latency, and compliance requirements.

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