# crewAI vs pydantic-ai
_Agent Frameworks · independent comparison_

> crewAI and pydantic-ai are both open-source agent frameworks you can self-host for free. crewAI has wider GitHub adoption — 58k stars vs 19k. Neither is universally better — pick by fit.

## Side by side

**crewAI**
- Open source · Framework · 58k★ · Python · MIT · active 1 day ago
- Best for: Orchestrating role-based multi-agent crews in Python with an approachable API.
- Avoid if: You need fine-grained low-level control of agent state machines.
- [listing](https://agentsearchengine.app/agents/crewai) · [official](https://crewai.com)

**pydantic-ai**
- Open source · Framework · 19k★ · Python · MIT · active today
- 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

- crewAI has wider GitHub adoption — 58k stars vs 19k.

## Which to choose

**Choose crewAI if:** Orchestrating role-based multi-agent crews in Python with an approachable API.

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

## FAQ

**What's the main difference between crewAI and pydantic-ai?**
crewAI has wider GitHub adoption — 58k stars vs 19k.

**Is crewAI or pydantic-ai better?**
Neither is universally better. crewAI is the stronger fit for Orchestrating role-based multi-agent crews in Python with an approachable API; 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 crewAI or pydantic-ai free?**
crewAI 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, crewAI or pydantic-ai?**
By GitHub stars — a proxy for open-source adoption — crewAI is ahead (58k vs 19k). Stars measure attention, not necessarily the better fit for you.

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