We got this question very often, Why if WebRTC is free why there are some paid services provider like Twilio and Agora to integrate live streaming and Audio/Video calls in Sngine PHP script?
That’s a great question, — and it highlights a common confusion about WebRTC. Let’s break it down clearly:
✅ WebRTC Is Free, But It’s Low-Level
WebRTC is:
- Open-source and free to use (no license fees)
- A low-level peer-to-peer communication protocol
- Provides APIs for real-time audio, video, and data transfer between browsers/devices
But:
➡️ WebRTC does not provide out-of-the-box features like TURN servers, signaling, room management, scaling, or recording. That’s where paid services come in.
🧱 What You Need to Build on Top of WebRTC
To make something like Zoom, Google Meet, or Instagram Live with WebRTC, you need:
| Component | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Signaling Server | Exchange metadata (SDP, ICE candidates) between peers |
| STUN/TURN Servers | Help with NAT traversal and relaying media if direct connection fails |
| Media Server (SFU/MCU) | For group calls, simulcasting, recording, forwarding |
| Room & User Management | Manage rooms, users, authentication, permissions |
| Recording & Streaming | Save and broadcast sessions |
| Global Infrastructure | Ensure reliability, low latency across continents |
| Security & Monitoring | Encrypted transport, moderation, usage tracking |
Building and maintaining this infrastructure takes significant time, money, and DevOps knowledge.
💼 Why Services Like Twilio, Agora, and Others Exist
These providers abstract the complexity of building and scaling real-time systems:
| Provider | What They Offer |
|---|---|
| Twilio | Programmable video, audio, chat, with REST APIs and global infra |
| Agora | Ultra-low-latency streaming, multi-host rooms, cross-platform SDKs |
| Daily, LiveKit, Jitsi, etc. | Varying levels of hosted or self-hosted support |
They monetize by:
- Hosting global TURN/SFU servers
- Providing simple APIs
- Handling infrastructure, scaling, updates, and reliability
- Offering SDKs for web, iOS, Android, Unity, etc.
⚖️ When to Use Free vs Paid WebRTC
| Situation | Recommendation |
|---|---|
| Simple 1:1 calls | You can build your own signaling + use free STUN server |
| Group calls / Broadcasting | Consider paid services (or self-hosted SFU like LiveKit, Jitsi, or MediaSoup) |
| Production-grade app | Paid platforms save time and ensure quality |
| Budget-conscious but experienced | Use free components like coturn + media servers, but expect complexity |
🧠 Summary
WebRTC is free, but not easy to use at scale.
Paid providers like Twilio and Agora:
- Package all the required backend systems
- Let you focus on features instead of infrastructure
- Charge for usage and convenience
However Sngine has a plugin to use your own STUN server and stay away from Twilio, Agora and any 3rd-party service, You can check it:
That’s it.
Happy Sngine 🙂
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