--- title: "baml vs agency" type: "comparison" canonical_url: "https://www.graphcanon.com/compare/boundaryml-baml-vs-operand-agency" tools: ["boundaryml-baml", "operand-agency"] --- # baml vs agency *GraphCanon updated Sep 20, 2026* ## Verdict Pick baml if bAML is a robust, statically-typed programming language designed for agent development with strong focus on error minimization through type safety and static analysis; pick agency if agency is a fast and minimal Python-based framework for developing agentic systems that excels in its streamlined approach to creating autonomous agents. [baml](https://boundaryml.com/explore) reports 9.2k GitHub stars, 492 forks, and 339 open issues, last pushed Sep 11, 2026. [agency](https://createwith.agency) has 490 stars, 29 forks, and 19 open issues, last pushed Jun 10, 2026. Figures are from public GitHub metadata via [baml's repository](https://github.com/BoundaryML/baml) and [agency's repository](https://github.com/operand/agency). | | [baml](/tools/boundaryml-baml.md) | [agency](/tools/operand-agency.md) | | --- | --- | --- | | Tagline | Programming language for agents | A fast and minimal framework for building agentic systems | | Stars | 9,165 | 490 | | Forks | 492 | 29 | | Open issues | 339 | 19 | | Language | Rust | Python | | Adopt for | BAML is a robust, statically-typed programming language designed for agent development with strong focus on error minimization through type safety and static analysis. | Agency is a fast and minimal Python-based framework for developing agentic systems that excels in its streamlined approach to creating autonomous agents. | | Persona | - | - | | Runtime | - | - | | License | Apache-2.0 | MIT | | Categories | AI Agents, Developer Tools | AI Agents | ## Trust and health _Sourced signals - not a safety guarantee. No winner column._ | | [baml](/tools/boundaryml-baml.md) | [agency](/tools/operand-agency.md) | | --- | --- | --- | | Maintenance | Very active (96%) | Slowing (36%) | | Days since push | 0d | 101d | | Open issues (now) | 339 | 19 | | Stars delta | +318 (30d) | +3 (30d) | | Open issues delta | +36 (30d) | 0 (30d) | | Owner type | Organization | User | | Full report | [trust report](/tools/boundaryml-baml/trust.md) | [trust report](/tools/operand-agency/trust.md) | ## Decision facts: baml - **Adopt for:** BAML is a robust, statically-typed programming language designed for agent development with strong focus on error minimization through type safety and static analysis. ## Decision facts: agency - **Adopt for:** Agency is a fast and minimal Python-based framework for developing agentic systems that excels in its streamlined approach to creating autonomous agents. ## Choose when ### Choose baml if… - baml is primarily Rust; agency is Python. - License: baml is Apache-2.0, agency is MIT. - Tags unique to baml: boundaryml, guardrails, llm, programming-language. - Also covers Developer Tools. - When you need a language that keeps types consistent at runtime and avoids the use of generic 'any' types. ### Choose agency if… - agency is primarily Python; baml is Rust. - License: agency is MIT, baml is Apache-2.0. - Tags unique to agency: actor-model, agent-framework, autonomous-agents. - When you prefer a lightweight solution for building autonomous agent systems without the need for extensive configuration or complex dependencies. ## When NOT to use baml - If your project requires dynamic typing or runtime flexibility not constrained by strict type definitions. - In cases preferring other language-specific concurrency models that BAML doesn't support, favoring a different approach to parallelism might be necessary. ## When NOT to use agency - If your development requires deeply integrated functionalities that would necessitate a heavier, more feature-rich framework. - In scenarios where you need robust tooling for large-scale deployment and management as Agency does not offer extensive LLMOps (LLM Operations) capabilities beyond its minimalistic design. ## Common questions ### What is the difference between baml and agency? baml: Programming language for agents. agency: A fast and minimal framework for building agentic systems. See the comparison table for live GitHub stats and shared categories. ### When should I choose baml over agency? Choose baml over agency when baml is primarily Rust; agency is Python; License: baml is Apache-2.0, agency is MIT; Tags unique to baml: boundaryml, guardrails, llm, programming-language; Also covers Developer Tools; When you need a language that keeps types consistent at runtime and avoids the use of generic 'any' types. ### When should I choose agency over baml? Choose agency over baml when agency is primarily Python; baml is Rust; License: agency is MIT, baml is Apache-2.0; Tags unique to agency: actor-model, agent-framework, autonomous-agents; When you prefer a lightweight solution for building autonomous agent systems without the need for extensive configuration or complex dependencies. ### When should I avoid baml? If your project requires dynamic typing or runtime flexibility not constrained by strict type definitions. In cases preferring other language-specific concurrency models that BAML doesn't support, favoring a different approach to parallelism might be necessary. ### When should I avoid agency? If your development requires deeply integrated functionalities that would necessitate a heavier, more feature-rich framework. In scenarios where you need robust tooling for large-scale deployment and management as Agency does not offer extensive LLMOps (LLM Operations) capabilities beyond its minimalistic design. ### Is baml or agency more popular on GitHub? baml has more GitHub stars (9,165 vs 490). Stars measure visibility, not whether either tool fits your constraints. ### Are baml and agency open source? Yes - both are open-source projects on GitHub (baml: Apache-2.0, agency: MIT). ### Where can I find alternatives to baml or agency? GraphCanon lists graph-backed alternatives at [baml alternatives](/tools/boundaryml-baml/alternatives) and [agency alternatives](/tools/operand-agency/alternatives) ([baml markdown twin](/tools/boundaryml-baml/alternatives.md), [agency markdown twin](/tools/operand-agency/alternatives.md)), ranked by typed relationship edges rather than popularity votes. ### Is there a machine-readable version of this comparison? Yes. The markdown twin at [this comparison](/compare/boundaryml-baml-vs-operand-agency.md) mirrors this page for agents and LLM crawlers, with the same stats table and FAQ answers. ### Which is better maintained, baml or agency? baml: Very active. agency: Slowing. Compare maintenance labels, days since push, and release cadence in the trust section below - stars alone do not measure maintenance. ### Where are the full trust reports for baml and agency? GraphCanon publishes per-repo trust reports with dated maintenance, provenance, and scan summaries: [baml trust report](/tools/boundaryml-baml/trust); [agency trust report](/tools/operand-agency/trust). --- **Machine-readable endpoints** - JSON: [`/api/graphcanon/graph?tool=boundaryml-baml`](/api/graphcanon/graph?tool=boundaryml-baml) - LLM index: [/llms.txt](/llms.txt) - Full corpus: [/llms-full.txt](/llms-full.txt) _GraphCanon - The knowledge graph for AI development. https://www.graphcanon.com/_