--- title: "future-agi vs 12-factor-agents" type: "comparison" canonical_url: "https://www.graphcanon.com/compare/future-agi-future-agi-vs-humanlayer-12-factor-agents" tools: ["future-agi-future-agi", "humanlayer-12-factor-agents"] --- # future-agi vs 12-factor-agents *GraphCanon updated Sep 20, 2026* ## Verdict Pick future-agi if future-AGI is an open-source platform for evaluating and observing LLM and AI agent applications, offering features like tracing, evaluations, simulations, and guardrails. It is self-hostable and supports deployment via,; pick 12-factor-agents if a TypeScript-based framework focused on applying 12-factor principles to build production-ready software with large language models. [future-agi](https://futureagi.com) reports 2.0k GitHub stars, 627 forks, and 961 open issues, last pushed Sep 18, 2026. [12-factor-agents](https://github.com/humanlayer/12-factor-agents) has 25k stars, 1.9k forks, and 26 open issues, last pushed Sep 21, 2025. Figures are from public GitHub metadata via [future-agi's repository](https://github.com/future-agi/future-agi) and [12-factor-agents's repository](https://github.com/humanlayer/12-factor-agents). | | [future-agi](/tools/future-agi-future-agi.md) | [12-factor-agents](/tools/humanlayer-12-factor-agents.md) | | --- | --- | --- | | Tagline | Open-source, end-to-end platform for evaluating, observing, and improving LLM and AI agent applications | Principles for building production-ready LLM-powered software | | Stars | 2,032 | 25,353 | | Forks | 627 | 1,918 | | Open issues | 961 | 26 | | Language | Python | TypeScript | | Adopt for | Future-AGI is an open-source platform for evaluating and observing LLM and AI agent applications, offering features like tracing, evaluations, simulations, and guardrails. It is self-hostable and supports deployment via, | A TypeScript-based framework focused on applying 12-factor principles to build production-ready software with large language models. | | Persona | - | - | | Runtime | - | - | | License | Apache License 2.0, allowing for free use, modification, and distribution of the software, with the condition that any derivative works also be licensed under the same terms. | The content and images are licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0, while the code is covered by the Apache 2.0 License. | | Categories | AI Agents, Evaluation & Observability, LLM Frameworks | AI Agents, LLM Frameworks | ## Trust and health _Sourced signals - not a safety guarantee. No winner column._ | | [future-agi](/tools/future-agi-future-agi.md) | [12-factor-agents](/tools/humanlayer-12-factor-agents.md) | | --- | --- | --- | | Maintenance | Very active (96%) | Slowing (36%) | | Days since push | 0d | 330d | | Open issues (now) | 961 | 26 | | Stars delta | +473 (30d) | +966 (30d) | | Open issues delta | +365 (30d) | 0 (30d) | | Full report | [trust report](/tools/future-agi-future-agi/trust.md) | [trust report](/tools/humanlayer-12-factor-agents/trust.md) | ## Decision facts: future-agi - **Pricing:** freemium - The core platform is free and open-source under the Apache License 2.0. However, for managed services or additional support, contact sales for pricing. - **Requirements:** Min 4 GB RAM; Requires Docker; Future-AGI requires Docker for deployment, with support for Docker Compose and upcoming Kubernetes and Helm support.; For production environments, a setup script is provided to generate secrets and pin image tags, ensuring a secure and reproducible deployment. - **Adopt for:** Future-AGI is an open-source platform for evaluating and observing LLM and AI agent applications, offering features like tracing, evaluations, simulations, and guardrails. It is self-hostable and supports deployment via, - **License detail:** Apache License 2.0, allowing for free use, modification, and distribution of the software, with the condition that any derivative works also be licensed under the same terms. ## Decision facts: 12-factor-agents - **Pricing:** freemium - Free to use with open-source licenses - **Requirements:** Min 4 GB RAM; Requires Docker; Requires a solid understanding of TypeScript and familiarity with concepts like prompt engineering and context window management. - **Adopt for:** A TypeScript-based framework focused on applying 12-factor principles to build production-ready software with large language models. - **License detail:** The content and images are licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0, while the code is covered by the Apache 2.0 License. ## Choose when ### Choose future-agi if… - future-agi is primarily Python; 12-factor-agents is TypeScript. - License: future-agi is Apache-2.0, 12-factor-agents is Other. - Pricing: The core platform is free and open-source under the Apache License 2.0. However, for managed services or additional support, contact sales for pricing.. - Requirements: Min 4 GB RAM; Requires Docker; Future-AGI requires Docker for deployment, with support for Docker Compose and upcoming Kubernetes and Helm support.; For production environments, a setup script is provided to generate secrets and pin image tags, ensuring a secure and reproducible deployment.. - Tags unique to future-agi: ai-agents, ai-evals, ai-gateway, ai-optimization. - Also covers Evaluation & Observability. - future-agi ships Docker support for self-hosted deployment. - You need a self-hostable solution that does not phone home, ensuring full control over your data and evaluation logic. ### Choose 12-factor-agents if… - 12-factor-agents is primarily TypeScript; future-agi is Python. - License: 12-factor-agents is Other, future-agi is Apache-2.0. - Pricing: Free to use with open-source licenses. - Requirements: Min 4 GB RAM; Requires Docker; Requires a solid understanding of TypeScript and familiarity with concepts like prompt engineering and context window management.. - Tags unique to 12-factor-agents: 12-factor, agents, ai, context-window. - You are specifically developing AI agents or LLM-powered applications in TypeScript and need a structured guideline grounded in the 12-factor app principles. ## When NOT to use future-agi - You require immediate Kubernetes or Helm support, as these are not yet available, though they are in development. - You are seeking a managed service or a solution available through AWS Marketplace, as these options are not yet available, though they are planned for the future. - Your project is in a highly dynamic environment where frequent updates and vendor support are critical, as Future-AGI is a community-driven project with a focus on self-hosting and open-source. ## When NOT to use 12-factor-agents - If your project requires languages other than TypeScript or if your application already has a strong foundation not necessarily aligning with the 12-factor app principles. - When you’re looking for comprehensive deployment automation tools rather than guidance on building LLM-powered agents and ensuring their reliability in production environments. ## Common questions ### What is the difference between future-agi and 12-factor-agents? future-agi: Open-source, end-to-end platform for evaluating, observing, and improving LLM and AI agent applications. 12-factor-agents: Principles for building production-ready LLM-powered software. See the comparison table for live GitHub stats and shared categories. ### When should I choose future-agi over 12-factor-agents? Choose future-agi over 12-factor-agents when future-agi is primarily Python; 12-factor-agents is TypeScript; License: future-agi is Apache-2.0, 12-factor-agents is Other; Pricing: The core platform is free and open-source under the Apache License 2.0. However, for managed services or additional support, contact sales for pricing.; Requirements: Min 4 GB RAM; Requires Docker; Future-AGI requires Docker for deployment, with support for Docker Compose and upcoming Kubernetes and Helm support.; For production environments, a setup script is provided to generate secrets and pin image tags, ensuring a secure and reproducible deployment.; Tags unique to future-agi: ai-agents, ai-evals, ai-gateway, ai-optimization; Also covers Evaluation & Observability; future-agi ships Docker support for self-hosted deployment; You need a self-hostable solution that does not phone home, ensuring full control over your data and evaluation logic. ### When should I choose 12-factor-agents over future-agi? Choose 12-factor-agents over future-agi when 12-factor-agents is primarily TypeScript; future-agi is Python; License: 12-factor-agents is Other, future-agi is Apache-2.0; Pricing: Free to use with open-source licenses; Requirements: Min 4 GB RAM; Requires Docker; Requires a solid understanding of TypeScript and familiarity with concepts like prompt engineering and context window management.; Tags unique to 12-factor-agents: 12-factor, agents, ai, context-window; You are specifically developing AI agents or LLM-powered applications in TypeScript and need a structured guideline grounded in the 12-factor app principles. ### When should I avoid future-agi? You require immediate Kubernetes or Helm support, as these are not yet available, though they are in development. You are seeking a managed service or a solution available through AWS Marketplace, as these options are not yet available, though they are planned for the future. Your project is in a highly dynamic environment where frequent updates and vendor support are critical, as Future-AGI is a community-driven project with a focus on self-hosting and open-source. ### When should I avoid 12-factor-agents? If your project requires languages other than TypeScript or if your application already has a strong foundation not necessarily aligning with the 12-factor app principles. When you’re looking for comprehensive deployment automation tools rather than guidance on building LLM-powered agents and ensuring their reliability in production environments. ### Is future-agi or 12-factor-agents more popular on GitHub? 12-factor-agents has more GitHub stars (25,353 vs 2,032). Stars measure visibility, not whether either tool fits your constraints. ### Are future-agi and 12-factor-agents open source? Yes - both are open-source projects on GitHub (future-agi: Apache-2.0, 12-factor-agents: Other). ### Where can I find alternatives to future-agi or 12-factor-agents? GraphCanon lists graph-backed alternatives at [future-agi alternatives](/tools/future-agi-future-agi/alternatives) and [12-factor-agents alternatives](/tools/humanlayer-12-factor-agents/alternatives) ([future-agi markdown twin](/tools/future-agi-future-agi/alternatives.md), [12-factor-agents markdown twin](/tools/humanlayer-12-factor-agents/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/future-agi-future-agi-vs-humanlayer-12-factor-agents.md) mirrors this page for agents and LLM crawlers, with the same stats table and FAQ answers. ### Which is better maintained, future-agi or 12-factor-agents? future-agi: Very active. 12-factor-agents: 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 future-agi and 12-factor-agents? GraphCanon publishes per-repo trust reports with dated maintenance, provenance, and scan summaries: [future-agi trust report](/tools/future-agi-future-agi/trust); [12-factor-agents trust report](/tools/humanlayer-12-factor-agents/trust). --- **Machine-readable endpoints** - JSON: [`/api/graphcanon/graph?tool=future-agi-future-agi`](/api/graphcanon/graph?tool=future-agi-future-agi) - 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/_