Is autogen or MetaGPT better?

Neither is universally better. autogen is the stronger fit for Research-grade multi-agent conversation patterns backed by Microsoft; MetaGPT for Experimenting with role-based multi-agent collaboration for software and document generation. Use the side-by-side specs to decide by your own constraints.

Is autogen or MetaGPT free?

autogen is free to run and self-host; MetaGPT 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 MetaGPT?

By GitHub stars — a proxy for open-source adoption — MetaGPT is ahead (71k vs 61k). Stars measure attention, not necessarily the better fit for you.

Agent Frameworks · Head-to-head

autogen vs MetaGPT

autogen and MetaGPT are both agent frameworks. autogen is A programming framework for agentic AI; upstream is in maintenance mode, while MetaGPT is a multi-agent framework that assigns software-company roles to LLM agents to turn a requirement into a project. 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; upstream is in maintenance mode.

Visit autogen →

MetaGPT

Framework· Open source

A multi-agent framework that assigns software-company roles to LLM agents to turn a requirement into a project.

Visit MetaGPT →

Bottom line

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

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Side by side

Spec	autogen	MetaGPT
Type	Framework	Framework
Model	Open source	Open source
Pricing	Open source	Open source
GitHub stars	61,117	70,570
Language	Python	Python
License	CC-BY-4.0	MIT
Last activity	Apr 2026	Jan 2026

Key differences

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

Choose autogen if

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

Choose MetaGPT if

Experimenting with role-based multi-agent collaboration for software and document generation.

About autogen

AutoGen is a framework for building multi-agent applications. Its README carries a maintenance notice: the project is in maintenance mode, will not receive new features or enhancements, and is community managed going forward, with new users directed to Microsoft Agent Framework and a published migration guide. The repository is not archived and its last commit was 2026-04-15.

Full autogen profile →

About MetaGPT

MetaGPT assigns different roles, such as product manager, architect, project manager and engineer, to LLM agents that collaborate on complex tasks. From a one-line requirement it produces user stories, competitive analysis, requirements, data structures, APIs and documents. The team behind it also publishes research such as AFlow and runs the commercial MGX product.

Full MetaGPT profile →

Frequently asked

What's the main difference between autogen and MetaGPT?: Licensing differs: autogen is CC-BY-4.0, MetaGPT is MIT.
Is autogen or MetaGPT better?: Neither is universally better. autogen is the stronger fit for Research-grade multi-agent conversation patterns backed by Microsoft; MetaGPT for Experimenting with role-based multi-agent collaboration for software and document generation. Use the side-by-side specs to decide by your own constraints.
Is autogen or MetaGPT free?: autogen is free to run and self-host; MetaGPT 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 MetaGPT?: By GitHub stars — a proxy for open-source adoption — MetaGPT is ahead (71k vs 61k). Stars measure attention, not necessarily the better fit for you.

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