---
title: "agentic-rag-for-dummies vs honcho"
type: "comparison"
canonical_url: "https://www.graphcanon.com/compare/giovannipasq-agentic-rag-for-dummies-vs-plastic-labs-honcho"
tools: ["giovannipasq-agentic-rag-for-dummies", "plastic-labs-honcho"]
---

# agentic-rag-for-dummies vs honcho

*GraphCanon updated Aug 18, 2026*

## Verdict

Pick agentic-rag-for-dummies if agentic RAG for Dummies simplifies the setup of retrieval-augmented generation agents using LangGraph and Ollama models; pick honcho if memory Library for Stateful Agents.

[agentic-rag-for-dummies](https://github.com/GiovanniPasq/agentic-rag-for-dummies) reports 3.9k GitHub stars, 499 forks, and 0 open issues, last pushed Jul 25, 2026. [honcho](https://docs.honcho.dev) has 6.7k stars, 824 forks, and 163 open issues, last pushed Aug 18, 2026. Figures are from public GitHub metadata via [agentic-rag-for-dummies's repository](https://github.com/GiovanniPasq/agentic-rag-for-dummies) and [honcho's repository](https://github.com/plastic-labs/honcho).

| | [agentic-rag-for-dummies](/tools/giovannipasq-agentic-rag-for-dummies.md) | [honcho](/tools/plastic-labs-honcho.md) |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Tagline | A modular Agentic RAG built with LangGraph for learning Retrieval-Augmented Generation Agents | Memory library for building stateful agents |
| Stars | 3,893 | 6,703 |
| Forks | 499 | 824 |
| Open issues | 0 | 163 |
| Language | Jupyter Notebook | Python |
| Adopt for | Agentic RAG for Dummies simplifies the setup of retrieval-augmented generation agents using LangGraph and Ollama models. | Memory Library for Stateful Agents |
| Persona | - | - |
| Runtime | - | - |
| License | MIT | AGPL-3.0 |
| Categories | AI Agents, Data & Retrieval | AI Agents, Data & Retrieval |

## Trust and health

_Sourced signals - not a safety guarantee. No winner column._

| | [agentic-rag-for-dummies](/tools/giovannipasq-agentic-rag-for-dummies.md) | [honcho](/tools/plastic-labs-honcho.md) |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Maintenance | Active (82%) | Very active (96%) |
| Days since push | 19d | 0d |
| Open issues (now) | 0 | 163 |
| Stars delta | Unknown | +659 (30d) |
| Open issues delta | Unknown | -3 (30d) |
| Owner type | User | Organization |
| Full report | [trust report](/tools/giovannipasq-agentic-rag-for-dummies/trust.md) | [trust report](/tools/plastic-labs-honcho/trust.md) |

## Shared compatibility

- **Python**: [agentic-rag-for-dummies](/tools/giovannipasq-agentic-rag-for-dummies.md) - Python runtime; [honcho](/tools/plastic-labs-honcho.md) - Python runtime

## Decision facts: agentic-rag-for-dummies

- **Adopt for:** Agentic RAG for Dummies simplifies the setup of retrieval-augmented generation agents using LangGraph and Ollama models.

## Decision facts: honcho

- **Adopt for:** Memory Library for Stateful Agents

## Choose when

### Choose agentic-rag-for-dummies if…

- agentic-rag-for-dummies is primarily Jupyter Notebook; honcho is Python.
- License: agentic-rag-for-dummies is MIT, honcho is AGPL-3.0.
- Tags unique to agentic-rag-for-dummies: agent, agentic-ai, bm25, gradio.
- When aiming to quickly develop a retrieval-augmented generation agent, thanks to its streamlined setup with LangGraph.

### Choose honcho if…

- honcho is primarily Python; agentic-rag-for-dummies is Jupyter Notebook.
- License: honcho is AGPL-3.0, agentic-rag-for-dummies is MIT.
- Tags unique to honcho: agent-memory, ai-agents, embeddings, long-term-memory.
- honcho ships Docker support for self-hosted deployment.
- Requires managing long-term and contextual memory in AI agents for statefulness.

## When NOT to use agentic-rag-for-dummies

- If smaller language model sizes are required as they might ignore retrieval instructions or hallucinate details.
- Projects sensitive about Docker and system requirements must carefully review the outlined conditions for deployment.

## When NOT to use honcho

- Do not need complex SDK support or a customizable framework approach.
- Not interested in using stateful capabilities leveraging multiple APIs such as Gemini, Anthropic, and OpenAI.

## Common questions

### What is the difference between agentic-rag-for-dummies and honcho?

agentic-rag-for-dummies: A modular Agentic RAG built with LangGraph for learning Retrieval-Augmented Generation Agents. honcho: Memory library for building stateful agents. See the comparison table for live GitHub stats and shared categories.

### When should I choose agentic-rag-for-dummies over honcho?

Choose agentic-rag-for-dummies over honcho when agentic-rag-for-dummies is primarily Jupyter Notebook; honcho is Python; License: agentic-rag-for-dummies is MIT, honcho is AGPL-3.0; Tags unique to agentic-rag-for-dummies: agent, agentic-ai, bm25, gradio; When aiming to quickly develop a retrieval-augmented generation agent, thanks to its streamlined setup with LangGraph.

### When should I choose honcho over agentic-rag-for-dummies?

Choose honcho over agentic-rag-for-dummies when honcho is primarily Python; agentic-rag-for-dummies is Jupyter Notebook; License: honcho is AGPL-3.0, agentic-rag-for-dummies is MIT; Tags unique to honcho: agent-memory, ai-agents, embeddings, long-term-memory; honcho ships Docker support for self-hosted deployment; Requires managing long-term and contextual memory in AI agents for statefulness.

### When should I avoid agentic-rag-for-dummies?

If smaller language model sizes are required as they might ignore retrieval instructions or hallucinate details. Projects sensitive about Docker and system requirements must carefully review the outlined conditions for deployment.

### When should I avoid honcho?

Do not need complex SDK support or a customizable framework approach. Not interested in using stateful capabilities leveraging multiple APIs such as Gemini, Anthropic, and OpenAI.

### Is agentic-rag-for-dummies or honcho more popular on GitHub?

honcho has more GitHub stars (6,703 vs 3,893). Stars measure visibility, not whether either tool fits your constraints.

### Are agentic-rag-for-dummies and honcho open source?

Yes - both are open-source projects on GitHub (agentic-rag-for-dummies: MIT, honcho: AGPL-3.0).

### Where can I find alternatives to agentic-rag-for-dummies or honcho?

GraphCanon lists graph-backed alternatives at [agentic-rag-for-dummies alternatives](/tools/giovannipasq-agentic-rag-for-dummies/alternatives) and [honcho alternatives](/tools/plastic-labs-honcho/alternatives) ([agentic-rag-for-dummies markdown twin](/tools/giovannipasq-agentic-rag-for-dummies/alternatives.md), [honcho markdown twin](/tools/plastic-labs-honcho/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/giovannipasq-agentic-rag-for-dummies-vs-plastic-labs-honcho.md) mirrors this page for agents and LLM crawlers, with the same stats table and FAQ answers.

### Which is better maintained, agentic-rag-for-dummies or honcho?

agentic-rag-for-dummies: Active. honcho: Very 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 agentic-rag-for-dummies and honcho?

GraphCanon publishes per-repo trust reports with dated maintenance, provenance, and scan summaries: [agentic-rag-for-dummies trust report](/tools/giovannipasq-agentic-rag-for-dummies/trust); [honcho trust report](/tools/plastic-labs-honcho/trust).

---

**Machine-readable endpoints**

- JSON: [`/api/graphcanon/graph?tool=giovannipasq-agentic-rag-for-dummies`](/api/graphcanon/graph?tool=giovannipasq-agentic-rag-for-dummies)
- 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/_