# 2 Best Open Source Alternatives for Retell

Canonical: https://caniforkit.com/retell
Last updated: 2026-11-07

Looking for the best open source alternative for Retell? Compare 2 verified free and open source alternatives to Retell (LiveKit, Dograh) with license details, self-hosting requirements, and practical trade-offs.

## Retell Overview & Subscription Cost
- **Product**: Retell
- **Category**: [ai assistants](https://caniforkit.com/category/ai-assistant)
- **Paid Subscription Price**: $15/month per seat
- **1-Seat Annualized Cost**: $180/year
- **5-Person Team Annualized Cost**: $900/year
- **10-Person Team Annualized Cost**: $1,800/year
- **Can I Vibe-Code / Rebuild It Myself?**: NO (use a free alternative, save the tokens)
- **Rebuild Verdict**: Instead of paying recurring SaaS fees for Retell or rebuilding it from scratch, deploy one of the 2 battle-tested open-source alternatives like LiveKit.

## Verified Free & Open Source Alternatives

| Alternative | Type | License | Runs On | GitHub Stars | Head-to-Head |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [LiveKit](https://caniforkit.com/fork/livekit) | Open Source | Open Source | Local | ★ 22.1k | [Compare vs Retell](https://caniforkit.com/vs/retell-vs-livekit) |
| [Dograh](https://caniforkit.com/fork/dograh) | Open Source | Open Source | Self-host | ★ 6k | [Compare vs Retell](https://caniforkit.com/vs/retell-vs-dograh) |

## In-Depth Alternative Profiles

### LiveKit
- **Fork Page**: [LiveKit Profile](https://caniforkit.com/fork/livekit)
- **Head-to-Head Comparison**: [Retell vs LiveKit](https://caniforkit.com/vs/retell-vs-livekit)
- **Official Website**: https://livekit.io/
- **Source Code Repository**: https://github.com/livekit/livekit
- **License**: Open Source
- **Runs On**: Local
- **GitHub Stars**: 22.1k
- **Maintenance Activity**: nov 2026
- **Supported Platforms**: desktop, cross-platform, one-click install
- **Summary**: Build, test, deploy, and scale voice and video AI agents with an open source framework, inference gateway, telephony integrations, and full observability.
- **The Catch vs Retell**: Community-driven open source project without dedicated enterprise SLAs.
- **Installation**: Clone https://github.com/livekit/livekit or deploy with Docker Compose
- **Setup**: Download the native package or installer for your operating system.
- **Data Storage**: All application data lives locally on your own machine.

### Dograh
- **Fork Page**: [Dograh Profile](https://caniforkit.com/fork/dograh)
- **Head-to-Head Comparison**: [Retell vs Dograh](https://caniforkit.com/vs/retell-vs-dograh)
- **Official Website**: https://dograh.com/
- **Source Code Repository**: https://github.com/dograh-hq/dograh
- **License**: Open Source
- **Runs On**: Self-host
- **GitHub Stars**: 6k
- **Maintenance Activity**: nov 2026
- **Supported Platforms**: web, self-hosted, docker to self-host
- **Summary**: Open-source voice agent platform that lets you plug in your own STT, LLM, and TTS models, deploy on-prem or in your VPC, and build agents via MCP or a visual workflow builder.
- **The Catch vs Retell**: Requires self-hosting setup, updates, and server maintenance compared to managed Retell.
- **Installation**: Clone https://github.com/dograh-hq/dograh or deploy with Docker Compose
- **Setup**: Deploy via Docker or binary release from GitHub and configure environment variables.
- **Data Storage**: All application data and configuration live on your own server or local database.

## Frequently Asked Questions

### What is the best free alternative to Retell?
The top free alternative to Retell is LiveKit (open source, Open Source). Build, test, deploy, and scale voice and video AI agents with an open source framework, inference gateway, telephony integrations, and full observability. Other popular Retell replacements include Dograh.

### How much does switching from Retell to a free alternative save?
Retell starts at $15/month per seat ($180/year). Switching a 5-person team to a free alternative like LiveKit saves $900 per year in software subscription fees.

### What is the catch when switching away from Retell?
While LiveKit replaces core Retell features without subscription fees, the real-world trade-off is: Community-driven open source project without dedicated enterprise SLAs.

## Related

- [ai assistants Software Category Hub](https://caniforkit.com/category/ai-assistant)
- [All Paid SaaS Alternatives Index](https://caniforkit.com/alternatives)
- [Self-Hosted Software Directory](https://caniforkit.com/self-hosted)
- [Homepage](https://caniforkit.com)