Pipecat is a free Python framework that developers use to build AI systems that talk with people in real time, such as voice assistants and phone-style agents. It is aimed at programmers who want to build their own voice AI rather than end users.
Has 2 of 5
How many people bookmarked its code on GitHub. It shows how popular it is, not how good it is or how well it replaces the app.
How hard it is to start using it. Easy: install it like a normal app, or use it in your browser. Advanced: you run it on your own server, use the command line, or it is a tool for developers.
Its code changed within the last year, so someone is still looking after it.
Does part of the job.
Ordered by how fully it replaces the app, Verified, setup and, when there are enough, people's votes.
LiveKit Agents is a toolkit for programmers to build AI assistants that can talk, listen, and answer or make phone calls in real time. It is aimed at developers who want to build their own voice agents instead of paying for closed services.
Has 1 of 5
How many people bookmarked its code on GitHub. It shows how popular it is, not how good it is or how well it replaces the app.
How hard it is to start using it. Easy: install it like a normal app, or use it in your browser. Advanced: you run it on your own server, use the command line, or it is a tool for developers.
Its code changed within the last year, so someone is still looking after it.
Does part of the job.
Ordered by how fully it replaces the app, Verified, setup and, when there are enough, people's votes.
Vocode is a free software library that helps developers build voice assistants that hold live spoken conversations, including over phone calls. It is aimed at programmers who want to create AI voice agents themselves.
Has 1 of 5
How many people bookmarked its code on GitHub. It shows how popular it is, not how good it is or how well it replaces the app.
How hard it is to start using it. Easy: install it like a normal app, or use it in your browser. Advanced: you run it on your own server, use the command line, or it is a tool for developers.
Nobody has changed its code in over a year. It may still work well, but help is less likely.
Does part of the job.
Ordered by how fully it replaces the app, Verified, setup and, when there are enough, people's votes.
None of these match. Try another device.
Help me choose
I want to pick an open-source replacement for Retell AI. Below is a list from Open Source Everything (CC BY-SA 4.0), in the order its website shows it. The order is a starting point, not a verdict.
- Pipecat: Pipecat is a free Python framework that developers use to build AI systems that talk with people in real time, such as voice assistants and phone-style agents. It is aimed at programmers who want to build their own voice AI rather than end users. [Advanced setup; Windows · Mac · Linux; replaces partly; BSD-2-Clause; https://github.com/pipecat-ai/pipecat]
- LiveKit Agents: LiveKit Agents is a toolkit for programmers to build AI assistants that can talk, listen, and answer or make phone calls in real time. It is aimed at developers who want to build their own voice agents instead of paying for closed services. [Advanced setup; runs on a server you set up; replaces partly; Apache-2.0; https://github.com/livekit/agents]
- Vocode: Vocode is a free software library that helps developers build voice assistants that hold live spoken conversations, including over phone calls. It is aimed at programmers who want to create AI voice agents themselves. [Advanced setup; runs on a server you set up; replaces partly; MIT; no changes in over a year; https://github.com/vocodedev/vocode-core]
Setup rating: "Easy setup" means you can install it like a normal app, use it in a browser. "Advanced setup" means you must run it on your own server or use the command line, or it is a tool for developers.
Full details: https://opensourceeverything.org/data/groups/voice-agents.json
Before recommending anything, ask me these three questions (one at a time, in plain words): 1) Which device or devices will I use it on (Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, iPhone)? 2) How comfortable am I with technical setup: only installing apps from a store, happy to follow a step-by-step guide, or comfortable with servers and the command line? 3) What is my budget: free only, or willing to pay for hosting or support? Then recommend one to three projects from this list only, and for each say why, using how fully it replaces the app, its setup rating, and the devices it runs on. If nothing on the list fits me, say so plainly instead of stretching.
Want an open Retell AI?
Before you build
Read the list of open-source projects at https://opensourceeverything.org/data/groups/voice-agents.json. Compare it with my project or idea below. Tell me which projects overlap, what I could reuse instead of rewriting, and what mine does that none of them do.
My project or idea: