Agora vs WebRTC: What are the differences?

Introduction:

Agora and WebRTC are both real-time communication technologies used for building audio, video, and data sharing applications. While there are similarities between the two, there are also key differences that set them apart. In this article, we will explore the major differences between Agora and WebRTC in terms of technology, features, scalability, security, and support.

1. Technology: Agora is a cloud-based communications platform that provides a set of APIs and SDKs for developers to easily integrate real-time communication features into their applications. On the other hand, WebRTC is an open-source project that allows for peer-to-peer communication directly between web browsers without the need for plugins or third-party software.

2. Features: Agora offers a wide range of advanced features like real-time messaging, live interactive broadcasting, and cloud recording, in addition to audio and video calls. WebRTC, although it provides the fundamental components for real-time communication, does not offer these additional features out of the box. Developers using WebRTC would need to build and integrate these features themselves.

3. Scalability: Agora is designed to handle high-concurrency scenarios and provides a global infrastructure to allow for low-latency communications across regions. It also offers load balancing and automatic scaling, allowing applications to handle millions of concurrent users. WebRTC, being more peer-to-peer focused, may have limitations in terms of scalability for large-scale applications.

4. Security: Agora provides end-to-end encryption for all audio and video communications, ensuring that data is transmitted securely. Agora also offers features like token authentication to prevent unauthorized access. While WebRTC also offers encryption, the level of security may vary depending on the implementation, making it more suitable for applications with lower security requirements.

5. Support: Agora provides comprehensive documentation, sample codes, and developer support to assist developers in integrating their platform. Agora also offers SDKs for various platforms, including web, mobile, and desktop. WebRTC, on the other hand, being an open-source project, relies more on community-driven support, which may be limited in terms of resources and expertise.

6. Additional Services: Agora provides additional services like AI-generated real-time captions, AI-powered noise reduction, and beauty filters, which can enhance user experience in audio and video communication applications. These additional services are not available with WebRTC and would need to be implemented separately if required.

In Summary, Agora is a cloud-based communications platform that offers advanced features, scalability, security, and comprehensive developer support, while WebRTC is an open-source project that provides peer-to-peer communication capabilities without the additional features and services offered by Agora.