With the rise of the usage of real-time communication features in various technological applications, choosing the right tool for implementing video and audio calls should be a rigorous process. The two approaches have their own advantages and disadvantages depending on the development complexity, costs of using WebRTC, scalability and customization.
In this article, we will explore the differences between WebRTC and third-party APIs for video and audio calls, weighing the pros and cons to guide users to the best choice for their web and app development services.
WebRTC is an open source tool created by Google that provides P2P connections to and from web browsers and mobile applications. It enables you to have a low-latency live audio and video chat without having to download additional plugins. WebRTC is multiprotocol and works on all standard OS and browsers.
Open Source and Free: WebRTC is an open-source consumer initiative that does not offer its users to pay any license fee to be able to use it in their applications. Due to this fact, it makes it suitable for startups and companies that have little cash to spend.
Full Control Over Infrastructure: WebRTC offered by Google under an open-source license which means that you can control your infrastructure. This can be beneficial to organizations that need to have a very customized and controlled communications network.
Cross-Platform Compatibility: WebRTC is equally capable of functioning in various interfaces such as browsers, mobiles apps, and desktop interfaces. This makes the website easily accessible to as many people as possible irrespective of the device they are using.
Low Latency and High Quality: Being initially developed for real-time communication, WebRTC has low latency and high-quality video as well as audio streams. This is especially important in what involves smooth integration like Video-conferencing, Tele-medicine and Online classrooms among others.
Privacy and Security: WebRTC has support for encrypted end-to-end, this makes the communication absolutely secure. This is particularly true when it comes to the sectors dealing with the sensitive data such as the healthcare and finance industries.
Complex Setup and Maintenance: Web developers are responsible for handling signaling servers for WebRTC, as well as for STUN and TURN in order to facilitate direct connection between peers. As such, this setup can be complicated, time and resource-intensive during development.
Limited Documentation and Support: STUN, Turner, and ICE are commonly included in WebRTC implementation, but the documentation may be sparse, or at least not easily found by developers seeking a solution to a particular problem. This absence of all-rounded support may result in gradual pace in development and diagnosis of issues.
Scaling Challenges: Just like with any peer to peer communication, using WebRTC is perfect for one to one communication, but for group communication such as a call or a conference, the system needs a number of servers to handle the task. This can add more costs and more complication and as such is not very suitable for mass communication systems like web real-time communication (WebRTC).
Performance Variability: Due to WebRTC connectivity that is achieved through the P2P connections, there is a possibility that it could lag sometimes according to connection status. Quality control across the range of contexts is not easy, particularly where people performing the instructions have spotty access to the Internet.
Browser and Device Limitations: Despite the fact WebRTC is implemented on all major browsers it is also possible older or rather rarely used browsers do not support all WebRTC options. This could also pose a problem in the sense that its accessibility will be slightly restricted for some of the user groups.
There are third parties that offer APIs that are capable of providing real-time video/audio call facilities such as Twilio, Agora as well as Vonage APIs which have solutions that enable the integration of real-time digital communication in an application. These APIs manage infrastructure and scalability, allowing developers to focus on core functionality, making them an attractive option for businesses offering mobile app development.
Ease of Integration: Third-party APIs have SDKs provided and well-documented, hence the easy integration when developing a software. This can cut on development time and enable businesses to bring their products to market much sooner.
Scalability: In general, most third-party API providers most often possess a strong foundation that can support large-scale communication. Whether you need to support one to one calls or many conferences, these services can manage the amount of load.
Reliability: Third party APIs are provided by providers and are a well grounded business with proper infrastructure and fall over mechanisms. This means that the probability of having communication hitches is greatly reduced and the users are also shielded from experiencing any hitches as they communicate.
Support and Maintenance: In the case of using a third-party API, the API provider takes care of matters concerning infrastructure, upgrade, and security. This makes it possible for your development team to concentrate on the central application without concern on back-end support.
Advanced Features: At the same time, third-party APIs can have additional functionalities, including call recording, sharing of call info, analytical tools based on artificial intelligence, and compatibility with various services, for instance, customer relationship management systems. All these features may help improve the user experience and bring added value to your application.
Cost: Third-party APIs present cost issues since you pay based on the application’s usage, and this is costly when the application is expanding. Even though getting a platform-based application may allow you to exclude the costs of development, the service fees may prove costly in case of applications with a large amount of traffic.
Limited Customization: When using third-party APIs the available options can be quite useful but the level of customization can be severely restricted. It may be challenging to arrange the shared communication experience to mesh with particular goals or company image.
Vendor Lock-In: The use of a third-party provider always means that your application is going to be tightly coupled with that third-party provider. The problem is that your application may be heavily affected if the provider goes offline, raises their prices, or, worse, deems your app unnecessary and ceases to offer the service.
Privacy Concerns: Since third-party API means that data is exchanged between two applications through servers of the API provider, it means that communication data goes to external servers. This could in turn raise some privacy issues, more so in case your application deals with sensitive data. Also, the compliance of business with data protection regulations such as GDPR may be challenging.
Potential Latency Issues: Third-party APIs are generally known to deliver excellent performance but the instances of latency are possible due to servers and users’ location. This impacts the quality of the video/audio communications in some of the coverage areas.
When selecting between the two possibilities WebRTC and third-party APIs it is necessary to take into account the requirements of the particular project. Here’s a detailed comparison based on key factors:
WebRTC: Takes a lot of work to create and curate the networks and topology. This means that signaling, NAT traversal, and scalability issues will have to be solved by you on your own.
Third-Party APIs: Can be easily integrated with ready-made SDKs, thus, cutting the development time and difficulties. The provider is responsible for infrastructure and growth of the platform.
WebRTC: Open source but that means you select and will incur costs in establishing and sustaining your own facilities. It also involves carrying costs, These are costs related to the servers; many communication resources may be used up in managing these servers and bandwidths.
Third-Party APIs: It works on the basis of costs and charges that rises with the frequency of the call. But you do not incur initial infrastructure cost.
WebRTC: Allows for total control of the customization process. It means that specific needs of the communication experience can be adjusted according to your necessity without being bound by the restrictions of third-party service.
Third-Party APIs: Fewer customizations are always possible when the devices themselves are not customizable to start with. This means that to a certain extent you have to conform to the provider’s features and the way they are branded.
WebRTC: To extend the capability from point-to-point communication some more structures are necessary. Solutions require a more elaborate approach to guiding the servers, due to the reason that they involve the organization of a group call and high traffic.
Third-Party APIs: Designed for scalability whereby applications can support thousands of users at a time with proper hardware support. This type is suitable for the companies that anticipate their growth rates in the near future to be high.
WebRTC: There are support services available when the project is open-source, though not as extensive as when the specific payment has been made. Technical problems will require internal resources for resolution.
Third-Party APIs: Almost all the providers have a customer support service, be it the general technical assistance or personal account managers. This can easily ensure that most of the issues are solved as they arise.
WebRTC: It in turn delivers end to end encryption and you get an interface where you can configure security laws on your personal flavor. Originally designed for applications that require high security for data.
Third-Party APIs: Security is necessarily a characteristic of the provider’s architecture. Many of the top brands provide protection with the help of encryption and compliance with the rules, such as GDPR, yet users have little control over their data.
If you need to have primary control over your communications system and do not wish to entrust outside providers.
In the case of financial and budget limitations and if you do not wish to incur the recurrent charges in the use of APIs.
If it requires that additional tool of customization or for specific application or if you want to brand it up.
This option is perfect, if security and privacy are critical issues, and you have to manage all the messages.
If you have a need for a fast moving, easy to implement solution that requires little to no programming.
If you expect a high level of application traffic and you are planning for it to handle a lot of call volume.
If you wish to avoid belonging to additional infrastructural duties and concentrate on your principal product.
And if such features such as call recording, analytics, and other features that are beyond the basic calling are critical to your app.
At Digittrix, we’ve successfully integrated WebRTC into Chownk, our secure immigration platform, to enhance its real-time communication capabilities. WebRTC offers a significant advantage by providing low-latency, high-quality video and audio calls directly through web browsers without the need for additional plugins. This ensures a seamless user experience for our clients, whether they are consulting with immigration experts or participating in virtual meetings. One of the key benefits of WebRTC is its cost-effectiveness; as an open-source technology, it is free to use, which helps us keep initial costs low. However, it's important to note that while WebRTC itself doesn’t incur licensing fees, there is a need to invest in building and maintaining the necessary infrastructure. Long-term costs depend on the resources required to manage servers and bandwidth, making it crucial for us to balance these factors to optimize performance and cost-efficiency.
All in all, WebRTC makes communication via video and audio calls less server-oriented, while Third-party APIs are more flexible in terms of usage and less costly, but not always reliable enough when it comes to quality of service. WebRTC is much more flexible, controllable and economical than the traditional methods but it is highly sensitive and carries more implementation and maintenance complexities. On the other hand, third-party APIs are very easy to integrate, scalable, carry more facilities, but may carry high costs, and less control over changes.
WebRTC may well be the answer for organizations which have specific communications requirements and in-house IT skills. But for anyone trying to get a solid and modular solution that does not need too much programming work, third-party APIs are a better solution. Ultimately, the choice between WebRTC and third-party APIs depends on your long-term vision for your application and the specific needs it will fulfill, particularly in web app development or app development projects.
You can create a mobile app with seamless video and audio communication using WebRTC or third-party APIs like Agora, Twilio, or Vonage. Whether you need custom development or want to leverage existing APIs, DIGITTRIX can help you build the perfect solution for your business.
Build a mobile app using Webrtc or Third Party APIs with us, We are a leading mobile app development Company with 14 years of Experience and having expert website and mobile app developers at DIGITTRIX!
If you too want to build a mobile app and are unsure of how to begin the process, schedule your appointment or book your consultation today with our expert technical managers by calling +91 8727000867
or write to us for all your queries at digittrix@gmail.com
Written by Vandana Abrol
An enthusiastic developer and skilled business management expert with over a decade of experience in the field
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WebRTC or Web Real-Time Communication is an open-source technology that is used for Real-Time communication such that it supports audio and video communication directly in web browsers with the help of an API different from the plugin-supporting API. It allows for peer to peer connectivity and offers low end to end delay which makes it suitable for several uses.
Advantages of WebRTC include; it is an open source so it has no implementation cost, flexibility because you have full control of your communication solution, compatibility because it works on any device, it has low eras and provides high quality communications. One of the reasons is that it also offers privacy with end to end encryption.
As for the disadvantages of WebRTC these are the complexity of setup and maintenance, there is not much WebRTC documentation and support available, WebRTC is highly challenging to scale for group calls, WebRTC performance fluctuates depending on the network, there can be limitations on older or less common browsers.
There are third-party APIs which offer readymade solutions for the incorporation of video & audio in your application. Such APIs are available through Twilio, Agora, and Vonage, but they come with preset sophisticated infrastructure and support.
Third-party APIs can be easily integrated, already have the necessary performance and possibilities for their use and unexpected and additional features have been added to the program, such as, for example, call recording and screen sharing. They also maintain the infrastructure and give customer service; this simplifies the development process.
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