Comparison
penzai vs agents
Verdict
Pick penzai when license: penzai is Apache-2.0, agents is MIT; pick agents when license: agents is MIT, penzai is Apache-2.0.
Markdown twin · penzai alternatives · agents alternatives
GraphCanon updated today
Trust & integrity
| Signal | penzai | agents |
|---|---|---|
| Maintenance | Dormant (384d since push) As of today · github_public_v1 | Very active (2d since push) As of today · github_public_v1 |
| Provenance | Not a fork · Organization account As of today · github_public_v1 | Not a fork · Personal account As of today · github_public_v1 |
| Security (OSV) | No lockfile As of today · none | No MCP manifest As of today · mcp_manifest |
Tagline
- penzai
- A JAX research toolkit for building, editing, and visualizing neural networks.
- agents
- Multi-harness agentic plugin marketplace for various AI agents
Stars
- penzai
- 1.9k
- agents
- 38k
Forks
- penzai
- 70
- agents
- 4.0k
Open issues
- penzai
- 17
- agents
- 1
Language
- penzai
- Python
- agents
- Python
Adopt for
- penzai
- -
- agents
- The agents tool is a marketplace for plugins that enhances multiple AI agents, offering integration and management capabilities across several platforms, including Claude Code, Codex CLI, Cursor, OpenCode, GitHub Copilot
Persona
- penzai
- -
- agents
- -
Runtime
- penzai
- -
- agents
- -
License
- penzai
- Apache-2.0
- agents
- MIT
Last pushed
- penzai
- Jun 22, 2025
- agents
- Jul 8, 2026
Categories
- penzai
- Developer Tools
- agents
- AI Agents, Developer Tools
Trust and health
Maintenance
- penzai
- Dormant (18%)
- agents
- Very active (96%)
Days since push
- penzai
- 384d
- agents
- 2d
Open issues (now)
- penzai
- 17
- agents
- 1
Owner type
- penzai
- Organization
- agents
- User
Security scan
- penzai
- No lockfile
- agents
- No MCP manifest
Full report
- penzai
- Trust report
- agents
- Trust report
Choose penzai if…
- License: penzai is Apache-2.0, agents is MIT.
- Tags unique to penzai: neural-networks, fine-tuning, python, visualization.
When NOT to use penzai
- Last GitHub push was 385 days ago (dormant maintenance, Jun 22, 2025). Validate activity before betting a new project on penzai.
- Developer Tools: A gateway is overkill when you're pinned to a single provider and model.
Choose agents if…
- License: agents is MIT, penzai is Apache-2.0.
- Tags unique to agents: agent-skills, workflows, agentic-ai, prompt-engineering.
- Also covers AI Agents.
- You are working specifically within the ecosystems of Claude Code, Codex CLI, Cursor, OpenCode, GitHub Copilot, or Gemini CLI, as it provides tailored plugins for these environments
When NOT to use agents
- You are working solely within a niche environment that isn't one of the supported platforms (like Claude Code, Codex CLI, etc.) because it may not offer compatible plugins or extensive support
- Your project requirements do not include interoperability between multiple AI agents and you only need to leverage functionalities from a single AI agent with a robust in-built plugin ecosystem
Explore
Sources
Every stat on this page traces to a dated GitHub sync, license file, enrichment field, or trust scan.
- GitHub stars (google-deepmind/penzai) · observed Jul 11, 2026
- GitHub forks (google-deepmind/penzai) · observed Jul 11, 2026
- Last push (google-deepmind/penzai) · observed Jun 22, 2025
- License file (Apache-2.0) · observed Jul 11, 2026
- Trust scan (lockfile / OSV) · observed Jul 11, 2026
- GitHub stars (wshobson/agents) · observed Jul 11, 2026
- GitHub forks (wshobson/agents) · observed Jul 11, 2026
- Last push (wshobson/agents) · observed Jul 8, 2026
- License file (MIT) · observed Jul 11, 2026
- Decision facts (enrichment) · observed Jul 11, 2026
- Trust scan (lockfile / OSV) · observed Jul 11, 2026
GitHub stars on cards: penzai 1.9k · agents 38k (synced Jul 11, 2026).
Common questions
- What is the difference between penzai and agents?
- penzai: A JAX research toolkit for building, editing, and visualizing neural networks.. agents: Multi-harness agentic plugin marketplace for various AI agents. See the comparison table for live GitHub stats and shared categories.
- When should I choose penzai over agents?
- Choose penzai over agents when License: penzai is Apache-2.0, agents is MIT; Tags unique to penzai: neural-networks, fine-tuning, python, visualization.
- When should I choose agents over penzai?
- Choose agents over penzai when License: agents is MIT, penzai is Apache-2.0; Tags unique to agents: agent-skills, workflows, agentic-ai, prompt-engineering; Also covers AI Agents; You are working specifically within the ecosystems of Claude Code, Codex CLI, Cursor, OpenCode, GitHub Copilot, or Gemini CLI, as it provides tailored plugins for these environments.
- When should I avoid penzai?
- Last GitHub push was 385 days ago (dormant maintenance, Jun 22, 2025). Validate activity before betting a new project on penzai. Developer Tools: A gateway is overkill when you're pinned to a single provider and model.
- When should I avoid agents?
- You are working solely within a niche environment that isn't one of the supported platforms (like Claude Code, Codex CLI, etc.) because it may not offer compatible plugins or extensive support Your project requirements do not include interoperability between multiple AI agents and you only need to leverage functionalities from a single AI agent with a robust in-built plugin ecosystem
- Is penzai or agents more popular on GitHub?
- agents has more GitHub stars (37,779 vs 1,893). Stars measure visibility, not whether either tool fits your constraints.
- Are penzai and agents open source?
- Yes - both are open-source projects on GitHub (penzai: Apache-2.0, agents: MIT).
- Where can I find alternatives to penzai or agents?
- GraphCanon lists graph-backed alternatives at penzai alternatives and agents alternatives (penzai markdown twin, agents 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, penzai or agents?
- penzai: Dormant. agents: 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 penzai and agents?
- GraphCanon publishes per-repo trust reports with dated maintenance, provenance, and scan summaries: penzai trust report; agents trust report.