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Cartesia vs LiveKit: startup credits compared

Side-by-side amounts, eligibility and access paths, both verified against the official program pages.

Cartesia12 months of the Scale plan free ($299/mo list): 8M credits + $299 agent credits a monthVerified Nov 4, 2026LiveKitUp to $23K in plan fees and credits for 12 months; $100K in Cloud credits for YC companiesVerified Nov 4, 2026

At a glance

FactCartesiaLiveKit
Value12 months of the Scale plan free ($299/mo list): 8M credits + $299 agent credits a monthUp to $23K in plan fees and credits for 12 months; $100K in Cloud credits for YC companies
TypeFree planCredits + discount
Duration1 year1 year
StagesAny stagePre-seed, Seed, Bootstrapped
RegionsGlobalGlobal
Max funding raisedNot stated$5,000,000
Max company ageNot statedNot stated
Ways to get it
  • Apply directly — 12 months on the Scale plan
  • Cartesia VC partners — Fast-tracked grant approval and Cartesia credits
  • Apply directly — Up to $23K (Scale plan for a year + $17K in credits)
  • Y Combinator — $100K in LiveKit Cloud credits for 1 year ($25K for YC alumni)
Requirements
  • Startups at any stage; students and one-off projects reviewed case by case
  • Agree to Cartesia using your name and logo in its marketing
  • Post about the grant on social media if Cartesia asks
  • Voice, video or physical AI is core to your product
  • Fewer than 50 employees
  • Under $5M raised and pre-Series A; above $5M reviewed case by case
  • Live website with a publicly identifiable founding team
  • Incorporated or actively incorporating
  • Building for real end users; in production or launching within 6 months
Not eligibleNone stated
  • Projects that have run on LiveKit for a while, or already paying or contractually committed customers, may be declined
  • YC companies use the separate YC offer; the two cannot be combined
VerificationVerified· Nov 4, 2026Verified· Nov 4, 2026

Which should you pick?

The two programs are not directly comparable on dollar value. Cartesia accepts a wider range of funding stages, while LiveKit is more targeted. If you qualify for both, there is usually no reason not to apply to both; the programs are independent.

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