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Comparison

ell vs autogen

Verdict

Pick ell when license: ell is MIT, autogen is CC-BY-4.0; pick autogen when license: autogen is CC-BY-4.0, ell is MIT.

Markdown twin · ell alternatives · autogen alternatives

GraphCanon updated today

ell logo

ell

MadcowD/ell

★ 5.9kpushed Jun 5, 2025
vs
autogen logo

autogen

microsoft/autogen

★ 60kpushed Apr 15, 2026

Trust & integrity

Signalellautogen
Maintenance
Dormant (400d since push)
As of today · github_public_v1
Steady (87d since push)
As of today · github_public_v1
Provenance
Not a fork · Personal account
As of today · github_public_v1
Not a fork · Organization account
As of today · github_public_v1
Security (OSV)
No lockfile
As of today · none
No lockfile
As of today · none
ell trust reportautogen trust reportTrust methodology

Tagline

ell
A language model programming library.
autogen
A programming framework for agentic AI

Stars

ell
5.9k
autogen
60k

Forks

ell
344
autogen
9.0k

Open issues

ell
186
autogen
945

Language

ell
Python
autogen
Python

Adopt for

ell
-
autogen
AutoGen is a Python-based framework for developing and managing agentic AI systems. It includes the AutoGen Studio for no-code GUI setup, integrating with various models.

Persona

ell
-
autogen
-

Runtime

ell
-
autogen
-

License

ell
MIT
autogen
CC-BY-4.0

Last pushed

ell
Jun 5, 2025
autogen
Apr 15, 2026

Categories

ell
LLM Frameworks
autogen
LLM Frameworks, AI Agents

Trust and health

Maintenance

ell
Dormant (18%)
autogen
Steady (60%)

Days since push

ell
400d
autogen
87d

Open issues (now)

ell
186
autogen
945

Owner type

ell
User
autogen
Organization

Full report

ell
Trust report
autogen
Trust report

Choose ell if…

  • License: ell is MIT, autogen is CC-BY-4.0.
  • Tags unique to ell: python, prompt-engineering.
  • Leaner open-issue backlog (186).

When NOT to use ell

  • Last GitHub push was 401 days ago (dormant maintenance, Jun 5, 2025). Validate activity before betting a new project on ell.
  • LLM Frameworks: Avoid a framework for a single prompt-and-retrieve call; the abstraction can cost more than it saves.
GitHubDetails

Choose autogen if…

  • License: autogen is CC-BY-4.0, ell is MIT.
  • Requirements: Min 4 GB RAM; AutoGen requires Python 3.10 or later.; Ensure security when connecting to MCP servers due to the potential for local command execution and sensitive information exposure..
  • Tags unique to autogen: llm-framework, autogen, agents, agentic-agi.
  • Also covers AI Agents.
  • You need a framework that supports integration with multiple AI models via OpenAI's chat completion client.

When NOT to use autogen

  • If you require tools supporting multiple programming languages beyond Python, as AutoGen is strictly a Python-based framework.
  • When deploying in environments where connecting to external servers (like those used by MCP) could pose security risks or is prohibited.
  • You need solutions which do not involve additional installations for server components such as `playwright/mcp`, as AutoGen requires this setup for certain functionalities.
GitHubDetails

Explore

ell trust report →autogen trust report →LLM Frameworks category →AI Agents category →All comparisonsStack workflowsTrending tools

Sources

Every stat on this page traces to a dated GitHub sync, license file, enrichment field, or trust scan.

GitHub stars on cards: ell 5.9k · autogen 60k (synced Jul 11, 2026).

Common questions

What is the difference between ell and autogen?
ell: A language model programming library.. autogen: A programming framework for agentic AI. See the comparison table for live GitHub stats and shared categories.
When should I choose ell over autogen?
Choose ell over autogen when License: ell is MIT, autogen is CC-BY-4.0; Tags unique to ell: python, prompt-engineering; Leaner open-issue backlog (186).
When should I choose autogen over ell?
Choose autogen over ell when License: autogen is CC-BY-4.0, ell is MIT; Requirements: Min 4 GB RAM; AutoGen requires Python 3.10 or later.; Ensure security when connecting to MCP servers due to the potential for local command execution and sensitive information exposure.; Tags unique to autogen: llm-framework, autogen, agents, agentic-agi; Also covers AI Agents; You need a framework that supports integration with multiple AI models via OpenAI's chat completion client.
When should I avoid ell?
Last GitHub push was 401 days ago (dormant maintenance, Jun 5, 2025). Validate activity before betting a new project on ell. LLM Frameworks: Avoid a framework for a single prompt-and-retrieve call; the abstraction can cost more than it saves.
When should I avoid autogen?
If you require tools supporting multiple programming languages beyond Python, as AutoGen is strictly a Python-based framework. When deploying in environments where connecting to external servers (like those used by MCP) could pose security risks or is prohibited. You need solutions which do not involve additional installations for server components such as playwright/mcp, as AutoGen requires this setup for certain functionalities.
Is ell or autogen more popular on GitHub?
autogen has more GitHub stars (59,658 vs 5,876). Stars measure visibility, not whether either tool fits your constraints.
Are ell and autogen open source?
Yes - both are open-source projects on GitHub (ell: MIT, autogen: CC-BY-4.0).
Where can I find alternatives to ell or autogen?
GraphCanon lists graph-backed alternatives at ell alternatives and autogen alternatives (ell markdown twin, autogen 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, ell or autogen?
ell: Dormant. autogen: Steady. 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 ell and autogen?
GraphCanon publishes per-repo trust reports with dated maintenance, provenance, and scan summaries: ell trust report; autogen trust report.