Looking for a video conferencing SDK to embed real-time video into your app? The right SDK gives you HD video, screen sharing, recording, and chat out of the box – saving months of development compared to building on raw WebRTC. The market keeps evolving: new players like Dyte and Daily have gained traction alongside established names like Twilio and Agora, and pricing models vary wildly between per-minute, per-user, and one-time licence structures.
Table of contents
- Quick comparison table
- What is a video conferencing SDK?
- 8 best video conferencing SDKs for 2026
- How to choose the right video SDK
- Frequently asked questions
This guide compares eight video conferencing SDKs available in 2026, covering features, pricing, hosting, and what each one is actually best suited for. Whether you're building a telehealth app, a virtual classroom, or an event platform, this comparison should help you narrow the field.
Quick comparison table
| SDK |
Free tier |
Pricing model |
EU hosting |
E2EE |
Open source |
Best for |
| Digital Samba |
10,000 min/mo |
Per minute (from €0.0026) |
Yes (EU only) |
Yes |
SDK on npm |
GDPR-first apps, telehealth, education |
| Agora |
10,000 min/mo |
Per minute (from $3.99/1K min) |
No (global CDN) |
Partial |
No |
Large-scale consumer apps, gaming |
| Dyte |
10,000 min/mo |
Per minute (from $4/1K min) |
No |
Yes |
No |
Fast integration, startups |
| Daily |
10,000 min/mo |
Per minute (from $0.004/min) |
EU-US DPF |
Partial |
No |
Developer-friendly, simple API |
| Jitsi |
Unlimited (self-hosted) |
Free (infra costs) |
Self-hosted |
Yes |
Yes |
Full control, budget projects |
| CometChat |
100 users |
Per user/month (from $25/mo) |
No |
No |
No |
Chat-first apps with video add-on |
| MirrorFly |
Free chat |
From $299/mo (SaaS) |
No |
Partial |
Source code available |
Enterprise, self-hosted |
| Apphitect |
None |
Quote-based (one-time licence) |
No |
Partial |
Source code available |
Large enterprises, custom builds |
Disclaimer: Information about providets is based on publicly available documentation and sources as of March 2026. While we strive to provide accurate and fair comparisons, we recommend contacting the provider directly to verify specific features, technical specifications, or compliance practices relevant to your use case.
What is a video conferencing SDK?
A video conferencing SDK (software development kit) is a package of tools, libraries, and APIs that lets developers add real-time video, audio, and collaboration features to their own applications. Instead of building video infrastructure from scratch – which typically takes 6-12 months and $50,000-200,000+ in engineering costs – an SDK handles the hard parts: media capture, encoding, transmission, adaptive bitrate, echo cancellation, and cross-device compatibility.
Most SDKs in this space are built on WebRTC, the open standard for real-time communication in browsers. The SDK wraps WebRTC in a developer-friendly layer, adds features like recording, screen sharing, and chat, and provides a cloud backend to handle signalling and media routing.
The difference between SDKs is in what comes on top of that foundation: pricing models, compliance certifications, UI components, API design, support quality, and where your data lives.
8 best video conferencing SDKs for 2026
1. Digital Samba Embedded
Digital Samba Embedded is a video conferencing API and SDK built and hosted entirely in the EU. It's designed for developers who need to embed video into applications where data privacy and GDPR compliance are non-negotiable – telehealth platforms, virtual classrooms, legal tech, and enterprise tools.
Key features:
- REST API + JavaScript SDK (available on npm)
- End-to-end encryption
- Full white-labelling (logos, colours, domains, UI customisation)
- Breakout rooms, screen sharing, recording, polls, Q&A, chat
- Waiting rooms and role-based access
- AI-powered captions and noise reduction
- 99.99% uptime SLA
Hosting: EU only. No US-based subprocessors or hyperscaler dependencies. This is a genuine differentiator for European healthcare providers and organisations subject to strict data sovereignty requirements.
Who uses it: Consularia (certified telemedicine in Germany and the Netherlands), Airtime Software (digital events for DAX-listed companies), Keymeeting (virtual events in Italy), and Olive (global e-learning).
Pricing:
- Free tier: 10,000 participation minutes/month
- Usage-based: from €0.0040/min (standard) to €0.0026/min (volume)
- Create plan: €99/month (25,000 min, 100 concurrent participants)
- Enterprise: custom pricing
Full pricing details | Documentation
2. Agora
Agora is one of the largest real-time communication platforms, powering video in apps across gaming, education, social media, and e-commerce. It's known for its global network of edge servers that deliver low-latency video at scale.
Key features:
- Video SDK for iOS, Android, web, Windows, macOS, Unity, and Unreal Engine
- Interactive live streaming (host + audience model)
- Cloud recording
- AI noise suppression and echo cancellation
- Extensions marketplace (AR filters, transcription, content moderation)
Hosting: Global CDN. No EU-only hosting option.
Pricing:
- Free tier: 10,000 minutes/month
- Video HD: $3.99 per 1,000 minutes
- Video Full HD: $8.99 per 1,000 minutes
- Subscription packages from $49.50/month (50,000 min)
- Volume discounts available
Best for: Consumer-facing apps with high concurrency needs, gaming, and social platforms. Less suited for GDPR-sensitive use cases due to non-EU hosting.
For a comparison, see our guide to Digital Samba Embedded vs Agora.
3. Dyte
Dyte is a newer entrant that's gained traction with startups and mid-market companies for its fast integration time and clean API design. It positions itself as a developer-first video SDK with a no-code UI builder and plugin architecture.
Key features:
- SDKs for web, iOS, Android, Flutter, React Native
- No-code UI builder for customising the video interface
- Plugins for polls, chat, whiteboard, and emoji reactions
- RTMP live streaming built in
- Detailed analytics on participant engagement
Hosting: Cloud-based, primarily US infrastructure.
Pricing:
- Free tier: 10,000 minutes/month
- Video: from $4 per 1,000 participant minutes
- Audio: $1 per 1,000 participant minutes
- Recording: $10 per 1,000 minutes
- 24/7 support included on all plans
Best for: Startups and product teams that need to ship fast. Good developer experience, but limited EU data residency options.
4. Daily
Daily offers a straightforward video and audio API with a reputation for clean documentation and fast time-to-integration. It supports both prebuilt UI components and custom builds.
Key features:
- REST API and client SDKs (JavaScript, React, iOS, Android)
- Prebuilt video call UI (drop-in component)
- HIPAA-eligible plans
- Live transcription and recording
- Server-side bots (for AI agents in video calls)
Hosting: Global infrastructure. Daily operates under the EU-US Data Privacy Framework for transatlantic data transfers, but does not offer EU-only hosting.
Pricing:
- Free tier: 10,000 participant minutes/month
- Pay-as-you-go: $0.004/participant/minute (video)
- Scale and Enterprise plans with committed-use discounts
- HIPAA plans require a business agreement
Best for: Developers who value clean APIs, good docs, and a simple pricing model. Daily operates under the EU-US Data Privacy Framework, which covers transatlantic data transfers, but organisations requiring EU-only data residency should evaluate whether this meets their requirements.
5. Jitsi
Jitsi is the leading open-source video conferencing platform, maintained by 8x8 and a large community of contributors. It's completely free to self-host, making it popular with organisations that want full control over their infrastructure.
Key features:
- Fully open-source (Apache 2.0 licence)
- Self-hosted or cloud (via 8x8's JaaS – Jitsi as a Service)
- End-to-end encryption
- Cross-platform support (web, iOS, Android)
- Large community with active development
Hosting: Self-hosted (you choose). JaaS runs on 8x8's infrastructure.
Pricing:
- Self-hosted: free (but you pay for servers, bandwidth, and maintenance)
- JaaS (Jitsi as a Service by 8x8): free tier with 25 monthly active users. Paid plans start at $0.35/MAU, with volume discounts. Recording is an add-on at $0.01/min.
Best for: Organisations with in-house DevOps teams that want complete control over their video infrastructure. Requires significant technical expertise to deploy and customise effectively. For a comparison, see our guide to Digital Samba vs Jitsi Meet SDK.
6. CometChat
CometChat is primarily a chat SDK that also offers voice and video calling. It's a good fit for apps where messaging is the core feature and video calling is secondary.
Key features:
- Chat, voice, and video in a single SDK
- Pre-built UI kits for React, iOS, Android, Flutter
- 40+ features including moderation, notifications, and analytics
- AI-powered moderation and user copilot (on higher plans)
- SOC 2, HIPAA, GDPR, ISO 27001 compliance
Hosting: Cloud-based, primarily US infrastructure.
Pricing:
- Free plan: up to 100 users
- Basic: $25/month (billed annually)
- Advanced: $99/month (billed annually)
- Enterprise: custom pricing
Best for: Apps that need chat first and video second. If video conferencing is your primary use case, a dedicated video SDK will give you more features and better quality.
7. MirrorFly
MirrorFly offers both SaaS and self-hosted (SaaP) options for video, voice, and chat. The self-hosted option includes full source code access, which appeals to enterprises that want complete control.
Key features:
- SaaS and self-hosted deployment options
- Full source code available (SaaP licence)
- 1,000+ communication features claimed
- White-label support
- GDPR and HIPAA compliance features
Hosting: Cloud or self-hosted (your servers).
Pricing:
- SaaS Essential: from $299/month
- SaaS Premium: from $999/month
- SaaP: one-time licence fee (contact for quote)
Best for: Enterprises that want self-hosted deployment with source code ownership. The pricing puts it out of reach for startups and small teams.
8. Apphitect
Apphitect offers a fully customisable video conferencing API and SDK with a one-time licence model. It supports one-to-one calls, group conferencing, and webinars across iOS, Android, and web.
Key features:
- 100% customisable API
- Supports up to 1 billion conversations (claimed)
- One-to-one, group, and webinar formats
- SOC2, HIPAA, GDPR, AES256 compliance
- Self-hosted or cloud deployment
Hosting: Self-hosted or Apphitect's cloud.
Pricing:
- Quote-based, one-time licence
- Cost varies based on user base, customisation level, and hosting
Best for: Large enterprises with specific customisation needs and the budget to support a bespoke implementation.
Twilio Video
Twilio's Programmable Video API remains an active, standalone product. Despite earlier speculation about its future, Twilio confirmed that Video will continue as a standalone offering. It's built on WebRTC and uses a pay-as-you-go pricing model at $0.004 per participant minute for Group Rooms.
Twilio Video is a solid choice for teams already using Twilio's broader communications platform (Voice, SMS, Conversations). However, it lacks some features that dedicated video SDKs offer out of the box – such as chat, screen sharing, whiteboard, polls, and breakout rooms – which means you may need to build or integrate those separately. Recordings are billed per participant minute (not per session), which can get expensive in multi-participant calls.
For a detailed comparison, see our Digital Samba vs Twilio comparison.
How to choose the right video SDK
The right SDK depends on your use case, technical requirements, and compliance needs. Here are the key questions to ask:
-
Where does your data need to live? If you're building for European healthcare, finance, or government, you need a platform that hosts data in the EU without US subprocessors. Digital Samba and self-hosted Jitsi are the strongest options here. Daily operates under the EU-US Data Privacy Framework, which covers transatlantic transfers but is not the same as EU-only hosting.
-
Do you need a prebuilt UI or full customisation? Some SDKs (Daily, Dyte, CometChat) offer drop-in UI components that get you to a working prototype fast. Others (Digital Samba, Agora, Jitsi) give you more control but require more development work.
-
What's your budget model? Per-minute pricing (Agora, Daily, Digital Samba, Dyte) scales with usage and works well for variable workloads. Monthly fixed pricing (CometChat, MirrorFly) is more predictable but can be expensive at low usage. One-time licences (Apphitect, MirrorFly SaaP) have high upfront costs but lower ongoing spend.
-
How important is support? Enterprise projects need responsive, human support. Digital Samba offers direct support from European engineers, including private Slack channels on higher plans. Open-source options like Jitsi rely on community support unless you pay for 8x8's JaaS.
-
What compliance do you need? HIPAA (US healthcare), GDPR (EU data protection), SOC 2, and ISO 27001 are the most common requirements. Check not just that the vendor claims compliance, but where their data actually lives and who their subprocessors are. For more on this, see our guide to video API security.
Frequently asked questions
