Thanks — I’ll lay out the two scenarios side-by-side and what to expect for ~10,000 pooled minutes so you can choose with confidence.
Acknowledging your request
• You asked for two scenarios: (A) keep separate Scale projects, and (B) move to Enterprise with pooled minutes. I’ll show costs, pros/cons, and which fits a 10,000‑minute use case.
Scenario A — Separate Scale projects (one per environment)
• What it looks like:
◦ Create distinct Scale projects for Prod and Dev (and any other environment).
◦ Each project is billed and quota'd separately.
• Quotas & pricing (per project):
◦ Scale starts at $500/month per project.
◦ Each Scale project has its own included quotas (minutes, concurrency, inference limits). Those quotas do not pool across projects.
• Pros:
◦ Strong isolation (credentials, logs, and usage are separate).
◦ Simple setup and predictable per-project limits.
• Cons:
◦ No pooling — unused minutes in one project can’t be used by another.
◦ If you need Scale for both Prod and Dev, cost multiplies. Example: Prod + Dev = ~$1,000/month (starting).
• When to pick this:
◦ Dev doesn’t need pooled minutes or Scale-level features, or you prefer strict separation and simpler billing per project.
Scenario B — Enterprise plan with pooled quotas (recommended for your 10,000 pooled minutes)
• What it looks like:
◦ Upgrade to Enterprise and attach multiple projects to one Enterprise agreement.
◦ Minutes and other entitlements are pooled across linked projects (so your 10,000 minutes can be shared by Prod and Dev).
• Pricing & features:
◦ Enterprise pricing is custom (no fixed public price). It typically starts above the Scale base and uses volume-based pricing/discounts.
◦ Enterprise includes options such as pooled quotas, unified billing, SSO/SAML, SLAs, dedicated support, and compliance features (HIPAA/SOC2) if needed.
• Pros:
◦ Efficient use of minutes (pooled 10,000 minutes across projects).
◦ Centralized billing, improved operational flexibility, and enterprise-grade support/security.
• Cons:
◦ Custom contract and pricing; requires an agreement with sales.
◦ Often a higher minimum commitment than a single Scale project.
• When to pick this:
◦ You want cost-efficiency across environments, quota pooling, centralized billing, or enterprise features like SSO and SLAs.
Practical guidance for 10,000 minutes
• If your only requirement is to pool ~10,000 minutes across Prod + Dev, Enterprise is the option that accomplishes that (Scale projects cannot share minutes).
• If Dev can accept its own small separate quota or run on a lower plan, keeping Prod on Scale and Dev on a cheaper plan may be cheaper than Enterprise.
• Enterprise becomes more attractive as you:
◦ Need pooled minutes across multiple projects,
◦ Expect growth or burst usage that benefits from pooled quotas and volume discounts, or
◦ Require enterprise features (SSO, SLA, compliance, dedicated support).
Next steps I can help with
• Compare cost scenarios: I can sketch two quick cost comparisons for you:
1) Prod on Scale + Dev on a lower plan (estimate monthly total). 2) Enterprise with pooled 10,000 minutes (explain which features drive price and what to ask sales).
• Or, if you prefer, tell me whether Dev must use Scale features or could use a lower tier — I’ll build the comparison for you.
Which next step would you like: a quick cost comparison (Prod+Dev vs Enterprise) or a list of the exact details to collect for a tailored Enterprise quote?
Sources:
Pricing | LiveKit |
Structuring development and test environments | LiveKit |
Build voice, video, and physical AI | LiveKit