Small-business automation / Microsoft Agent Framework
Microsoft Agent Framework
Microsoft's open framework for building and running AI agents and multi-agent workflows in Python and .NET. The successor to AutoGen.
- Best for
- Developers starting new agent projects or moving off AutoGen
- Type
- Framework
- Price
- Free / open source
- Setup
- Hard
How to set it up
- Clone the repo or install the package from the source link.
- Set up Python/Node and your model API key (or Ollama for local).
- Run the official example end to end.
- Adapt the example to your task and add logging before trusting it.
Heads up: This is the project Microsoft points new users to in the AutoGen README. It is a developer framework, so expect to write code.
Source: https://github.com/microsoft/agent-framework · Listing updated Oct 14, 2026. Pricing changes often; confirm on the official site.
Alternatives to Microsoft Agent Framework
AutoGen
Microsoft's multi-agent framework. It is now in maintenance mode, so new projects should look at Microsoft Agent Framework instead.
CrewAI
Python framework for teams of role-playing agents that split up and finish a job together.
LangGraph
Library for building stateful, controllable agents as graphs with memory and human checkpoints.
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Dify
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Sponsor this spotHow Microsoft Agent Framework compares
| Tool | Type | Price | Setup | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Microsoft Agent Framework | Framework | Free / open source | Hard | Developers starting new agent projects or moving off AutoGen |
| AutoGen | Framework | Free / open source | Hard | Devs exploring multi-agent apps |
| CrewAI | Framework | Free / open source | Hard | Devs building multi-agent workflows |
| LangGraph | Framework | Free / open source | Hard | Devs who need reliable agents |
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