Hey, we have a question on Billing.
If we have one device live-streaming video into a room, and that device sends 1 GB of data to LiveKit, how is the data transfer billed when there are multiple subscribers watching?
For example, if 5 users are watching that same stream, would that count as 1 GB total, or closer to 5 GB because LiveKit is sending the stream downstream to each subscriber?
Just want to make sure we’re modeling costs correctly for rooms with multiple viewers.
Thanks in advance.
Data transfer is billed on downstream egress, not just what’s published upstream.
If one device sends 1 GB into a room and 5 users subscribe to that stream, LiveKit sends ~1 GB to each subscriber. That results in roughly 5 GB of downstream data transfer billed (plus minimal signaling/overhead).
On LiveKit Cloud, downstream data transfer is included up to your plan’s limit (for example, 250 GB on Ship), then billed per additional GB. See the Media transport → Downstream data transfer section on the pricing page: