Comparison
future-agi vs heron
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 heron if an open-source network traffic analysis tool for monitoring the performance of LLMs and AI agents without requiring SDK changes.
Markdown twin · future-agi alternatives · heron alternatives
GraphCanon updated Sep 20, 2026
Trust & integrity
| Signal | future-agi | heron |
|---|---|---|
| Maintenance | Very active (0d since push) As of Sep 18, 2026 · github_public_v1 | Active (23d since push) As of Sep 11, 2026 · github_public_v1 |
| Provenance | Not a fork · Organization account As of Sep 18, 2026 · github_public_v1 | Not a fork · Organization account As of Sep 11, 2026 · github_public_v1 |
| OSV dependency advisories | No lockfile (source not queried) As of Sep 18, 2026 · osv@v1 | No lockfile (source not queried) As of Jul 15, 2026 · osv@v1 |
| deps.dev advisories | Not queried deps.dev@v1 | Not queried deps.dev@v1 |
| OpenSSF Scorecard | Not queried openssf-scorecard@v1 | Not queried openssf-scorecard@v1 |
Tagline
- future-agi
- Open-source, end-to-end platform for evaluating, observing, and improving LLM and AI agent applications
- heron
- Performance monitoring tool for LLM APIs and AI agents
Stars
- future-agi
- 2.0k
- heron
- 101
Forks
- future-agi
- 627
- heron
- 10
Open issues
- future-agi
- 961
- heron
- 3
Language
- future-agi
- Python
- heron
- Rust
Adopt for
- future-agi
- 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,
- heron
- An open-source network traffic analysis tool for monitoring the performance of LLMs and AI agents without requiring SDK changes.
Persona
- future-agi
- -
- heron
- -
Runtime
- future-agi
- -
- heron
- -
License
- future-agi
- 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.
- heron
- Apache-2.0
Last pushed
- future-agi
- Sep 18, 2026
- heron
- Aug 18, 2026
Categories
- future-agi
- AI Agents, Evaluation & Observability, LLM Frameworks
- heron
- Evaluation & Observability
Trust and health
Maintenance
- future-agi
- Very active (96%)
- heron
- Active (82%)
Days since push
- future-agi
- 0d
- heron
- 23d
Open issues (now)
- future-agi
- 961
- heron
- 3
Stars delta
- future-agi
- +473 (30d)
- heron
- +27 (30d)
Open issues delta
- future-agi
- +365 (30d)
- heron
- 0 (30d)
Full report
- future-agi
- Trust report
- heron
- Trust report
Choose future-agi if…
- future-agi is primarily Python; heron is Rust.
- 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 AI Agents, LLM Frameworks.
- 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 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.
Choose heron if…
- heron is primarily Rust; future-agi is Python.
- Tags unique to heron: agentic-ai, ai-agent-development, libpcap, llm-monitoring.
- When you need a provider-side solution that does not require altering existing codebases or SDKs to monitor performance metrics.
When NOT to use heron
- When the need is for an in-agent monitoring tool rather than a network packet-based solution, as Heron operates on traffic.
- In environments where live capture requires administrative privileges that are not available to the user performing the installation.
- For real-time performance insights without prior deployment because Heron involves a setup phase and typically uses pre-collected `.pcap` files.
Explore
Sources
Every stat on this page traces to a dated GitHub sync, license file, enrichment field, or trust scan.
- GitHub stars (future-agi/future-agi) · observed Sep 20, 2026
- GitHub forks (future-agi/future-agi) · observed Sep 20, 2026
- Last push (future-agi/future-agi) · observed Sep 18, 2026
- License file (Apache-2.0) · observed Sep 20, 2026
- Decision facts (enrichment) · observed Sep 18, 2026
- Trust scan (lockfile / OSV) · observed Sep 18, 2026
- GitHub stars (Netis/heron) · observed Sep 20, 2026
- GitHub forks (Netis/heron) · observed Sep 20, 2026
- Last push (Netis/heron) · observed Aug 18, 2026
- License file (Apache-2.0) · observed Sep 20, 2026
- Decision facts (enrichment) · observed Jul 16, 2026
- Trust scan (lockfile / OSV) · observed Jul 15, 2026
GitHub stars on cards: future-agi 2.0k · heron 101 (synced Sep 20, 2026).
Common questions
- What is the difference between future-agi and heron?
- future-agi: Open-source, end-to-end platform for evaluating, observing, and improving LLM and AI agent applications. heron: Performance monitoring tool for LLM APIs and AI agents. See the comparison table for live GitHub stats and shared categories.
- When should I choose future-agi over heron?
- Choose future-agi over heron when future-agi is primarily Python; heron is Rust; 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 AI Agents, LLM Frameworks; 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 heron over future-agi?
- Choose heron over future-agi when heron is primarily Rust; future-agi is Python; Tags unique to heron: agentic-ai, ai-agent-development, libpcap, llm-monitoring; When you need a provider-side solution that does not require altering existing codebases or SDKs to monitor performance metrics.
- 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 heron?
- When the need is for an in-agent monitoring tool rather than a network packet-based solution, as Heron operates on traffic. In environments where live capture requires administrative privileges that are not available to the user performing the installation. For real-time performance insights without prior deployment because Heron involves a setup phase and typically uses pre-collected
.pcapfiles. - Is future-agi or heron more popular on GitHub?
- future-agi has more GitHub stars (2,032 vs 101). Stars measure visibility, not whether either tool fits your constraints.
- Are future-agi and heron open source?
- Yes - both are open-source projects on GitHub (future-agi: Apache-2.0, heron: Apache-2.0).
- Where can I find alternatives to future-agi or heron?
- GraphCanon lists graph-backed alternatives at future-agi alternatives and heron alternatives (future-agi markdown twin, heron markdown twin), 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 mirrors this page for agents and LLM crawlers, with the same stats table and FAQ answers.
- Which is better maintained, future-agi or heron?
- future-agi: Very active. heron: Active. 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 heron?
- GraphCanon publishes per-repo trust reports with dated maintenance, provenance, and scan summaries: future-agi trust report; heron trust report.