Real-time avatar operations
AI Live Stream Cost Estimator
Estimate the monthly cost of a real-time AI avatar or virtual host, with plan fees, credits, overages, and optional AI-stack spend.
Interactive estimator
Budget a real-time AI avatar
Estimate the live-avatar runtime invoice first, then add your own AI stack only when your provider does not bundle it.
This estimates provider plan fees plus overages; it is not a video CDN bandwidth calculator.
Leave at 1 unless your contract bills separate platform destinations or streams.
Only add this for an avatar-only/LITE or self-managed setup.
Editable real-time avatar plan data
Checked September 3, 2026. These rows normalize publicly documented LiveAvatar plans; update the central price file when a provider changes its credit terms.
| Provider / plan | Mode | Monthly base | Included credits | Credits / min | Overage / credit | Source & note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LiveAvatar by HeyGen Starter | LITE avatar-only | LiveAvatar credit docs 160 listed monthly credits; 1 credit/minute. Add your LLM, STT, and TTS costs separately. | ||||
| LiveAvatar by HeyGen Starter | FULL bundled | LiveAvatar credit docs 160 listed monthly credits; 2 credits/minute. The FULL mode bundles the avatar, voice, and LLM layer. | ||||
| LiveAvatar by HeyGen Pro | LITE avatar-only | LiveAvatar credit docs 1,010 listed monthly credits; 1 credit/minute. Add your LLM, STT, and TTS costs separately. | ||||
| LiveAvatar by HeyGen Pro | FULL bundled | LiveAvatar credit docs 1,010 listed monthly credits; 2 credits/minute. The FULL mode bundles the avatar, voice, and LLM layer. | ||||
| LiveAvatar by HeyGen Scale | LITE avatar-only | LiveAvatar credit docs 5,010 listed monthly credits; 1 credit/minute. Add your LLM, STT, and TTS costs separately. | ||||
| LiveAvatar by HeyGen Scale | FULL bundled | LiveAvatar credit docs 5,010 listed monthly credits; 2 credits/minute. The FULL mode bundles the avatar, voice, and LLM layer. |
What an AI live streaming cost estimate should include
“AI live stream” can mean two different budgets: a conventional broadcast stack that delivers video to viewers, or a real-time digital human that listens, reasons, speaks, and appears live. This calculator covers the second job—the runtime cost of an AI avatar or virtual host—because that is the part typically billed by live session minutes and AI credits. Start with the hours you want the host on air each month, then choose a documented avatar plan and the integration mode. LITE or avatar-only mode leaves you responsible for the LLM, speech-to-text, and text-to-speech layer; FULL mode can bundle those pieces, so adding them twice would overstate the bill. The result shows the subscription floor, overage, optional AI stack, and an always-on scenario. It does not invent viewer-bandwidth inputs: use a separate CDN and video-infrastructure model when you need to price egress, transcoding, or audience delivery.
How to use it
Four steps to a credible live-avatar budget
- Pick the avatar billing mode. Choose a real-time avatar plan and either LITE avatar-only or FULL bundled mode, or enter a custom all-in runtime rate.
- Set monthly time on air. Enter the source hours your virtual host will actually be live in a typical month.
- Apply billing multiplicity carefully. Keep billable feeds at one unless your provider contract charges extra live destinations or separate sessions.
- Add only non-bundled AI costs. For LITE or self-managed systems, enter your LLM, STT, and TTS spend per source hour. Leave it out for bundled FULL mode.
Method and scope
The AI live streaming cost formula
For real-time digital humans, the live-avatar layer is typically the core meter. The LiveAvatar credit documentation says FULL mode uses two credits per minute and LITE mode uses one. Its plan data also lists a monthly fee, a credit allowance, and overage terms. The estimator uses those pieces separately so a short project does not get priced as if every minute were an overage—and a 24/7 project does not hide its overage exposure.
The different modes matter. LiveAvatar's integration guide describes FULL as an end-to-end option handling the LLM, voice, and avatar layer, while LITE is avatar-only. That is the reason the calculator only adds an external AI-stack rate to a LITE or self-managed selection.
This is not a claim that every AI livestream has the same economics. A Twitch-style broadcast, a customer-support avatar, and a multi-destination shopping host may have different contracts. Add billable feeds only when your provider meters them, then price normal video infrastructure—ingest, transcode, egress, storage, and viewers—separately from the avatar runtime.
FAQ
AI live streaming cost questions
What does this AI live stream cost estimator calculate?
It estimates the operating cost of a real-time AI avatar or virtual host: a service that is on air, listens or receives text, and responds with a live video presence. It combines a selected avatar plan's monthly fee, included streaming credits, overage credits, and, for avatar-only setups, an optional LLM, speech-to-text, and text-to-speech budget.
Is this a live streaming bandwidth or CDN calculator?
No. Video infrastructure costs such as ingest, transcoding, egress, storage, and viewer delivery depend on a different workload: bitrate, audience, regions, and delivery provider. This page intentionally focuses on the AI avatar or virtual-host runtime that searchers usually mean by AI live streaming. Add a separate infrastructure estimate if you operate your own broadcast stack.
How are real-time AI avatars usually billed?
A common model is streaming credits consumed by live session time. For example, LiveAvatar's documentation lists one credit per minute in avatar-only LITE mode and two credits per minute in FULL mode. Its plan fee, included credits, and overage rate affect the monthly invoice, which is why a flat per-minute multiplication is not always enough.
Why does the calculator ask for billable output feeds?
Many avatar services bill a live session rather than a viewer count. Leave this at one unless your contract or workflow treats a separate platform destination, room, or stream as another billable avatar runtime. The input lets a creator model that documented billing rule without assuming every platform charges that way.
Should I add LLM, speech-to-text, and text-to-speech costs?
Add them when you use an avatar-only or LITE integration and supply your own intelligence and voice stack. Do not add them again for a FULL mode that bundles those layers. The tool disables the add-on field for the listed bundled configuration so the estimate does not double count it.
What does 24/7 AI live streaming cost?
Use 744 live hours for a 31-day month and select the plan you expect to use. The estimator shows a 24/7 month alongside the normal monthly scenario. Treat it as a runtime forecast: it excludes tax, bespoke avatar creation, moderation, staff, platform fees, and separate video-delivery infrastructure.