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Agent Frameworks · Head-to-head

autogen vs crewAI

autogen and crewAI are both agent frameworks. autogen is A programming framework for agentic AI, while crewAI is framework for orchestrating role-playing, autonomous AI agents. By fostering collaborative intelligence, CrewAI empowers agents to work together seamlessly, tackling complex tasks. Here's an independent, side-by-side look at how they compare — and which fits.

autogen

Framework· Open source

A programming framework for agentic AI

Visit autogen
crewAI

Framework· Open source

Framework for orchestrating role-playing, autonomous AI agents. By fostering collaborative intelligence, CrewAI empowers agents to work together seamlessly, tackling complex tasks.

Visit crewAI

Bottom line

autogen and crewAI are both open-source agent frameworks you can self-host for free. Licensing differs: autogen is CC-BY-4.0, crewAI is MIT. Neither is universally better — pick by fit.

Building one yourself? How to choose an agent framework

Side by side

SpecautogencrewAI
TypeFrameworkFramework
ModelOpen sourceOpen source
PricingOpen sourceOpen source
GitHub stars60,46057,184
LanguagePythonPython
LicenseCC-BY-4.0MIT
Last activityApr 2026Aug 2026

Key differences

  • Licensing differs: autogen is CC-BY-4.0, crewAI is MIT.

Choose autogen if

Research-grade multi-agent conversation patterns backed by Microsoft.

Choose crewAI if

Orchestrating role-based multi-agent crews in Python with an approachable API.

About autogen

A programming framework for agentic AI

Full autogen profile →

About crewAI

Framework for orchestrating role-playing, autonomous AI agents. By fostering collaborative intelligence, CrewAI empowers agents to work together seamlessly, tackling complex tasks.

Full crewAI profile →

Frequently asked

What's the main difference between autogen and crewAI?
Licensing differs: autogen is CC-BY-4.0, crewAI is MIT.
Is autogen or crewAI better?
Neither is universally better. autogen is the stronger fit for Research-grade multi-agent conversation patterns backed by Microsoft; crewAI for Orchestrating role-based multi-agent crews in Python with an approachable API. Use the side-by-side specs to decide by your own constraints.
Is autogen or crewAI free?
autogen is free to run and self-host; crewAI is free to run and self-host. Both are free to self-host — you only pay for the infrastructure and any model or API usage.
Which is more popular, autogen or crewAI?
By GitHub stars — a proxy for open-source adoption — autogen is ahead (60k vs 57k). Stars measure attention, not necessarily the better fit for you.
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