# autogen vs pydantic-ai
_Agent Frameworks · independent comparison_

> autogen and pydantic-ai are both open-source agent frameworks you can self-host for free. autogen has wider GitHub adoption — 60k stars vs 19k. Neither is universally better — pick by fit.

## Side by side

**autogen**
- Open source · Framework · 60k★ · Python · CC-BY-4.0 · active 4 months ago
- Best for: Research-grade multi-agent conversation patterns backed by Microsoft.
- Avoid if: You need a stable, minimal API for simple single-agent tasks.
- [listing](https://agentsearchengine.app/agents/autogen) · [official](https://microsoft.github.io/autogen/)

**pydantic-ai**
- Open source · Framework · 19k★ · Python · MIT · active 2 days ago
- Best for: Python teams that want type-safe agent development with the Pydantic philosophy.
- Avoid if: You are not working in Python.
- [listing](https://agentsearchengine.app/agents/pydantic-ai) · [official](https://pydantic.dev/pydantic-ai)

## Key differences

- autogen has wider GitHub adoption — 60k stars vs 19k.
- Licensing differs: autogen is CC-BY-4.0, pydantic-ai is MIT.

## Which to choose

**Choose autogen if:** Research-grade multi-agent conversation patterns backed by Microsoft.

**Choose pydantic-ai if:** Python teams that want type-safe agent development with the Pydantic philosophy.

## FAQ

**What's the main difference between autogen and pydantic-ai?**
autogen has wider GitHub adoption — 60k stars vs 19k.

**Is autogen or pydantic-ai better?**
Neither is universally better. autogen is the stronger fit for Research-grade multi-agent conversation patterns backed by Microsoft; pydantic-ai for Python teams that want type-safe agent development with the Pydantic philosophy. Use the side-by-side specs to decide by your own constraints.

**Is autogen or pydantic-ai free?**
autogen is free to run and self-host; pydantic-ai 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 pydantic-ai?**
By GitHub stars — a proxy for open-source adoption — autogen is ahead (60k vs 19k). Stars measure attention, not necessarily the better fit for you.

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Source: [Agent Search Engine](https://agentsearchengine.app) — https://agentsearchengine.app/compare/autogen-vs-pydantic-ai