--- title: "agent-framework vs promptflow" type: "comparison" canonical_url: "https://www.graphcanon.com/compare/microsoft-agent-framework-vs-microsoft-promptflow" tools: ["microsoft-agent-framework", "microsoft-promptflow"] --- # agent-framework vs promptflow *GraphCanon updated Aug 11, 2026* ## Verdict Pick agent-framework if the agent-framework provides tools for developers to build and deploy AI agents and multi-agent workflows in Python and .NET environments; pick promptflow if promptflow is a development framework catered towards creating LLM applications through all stages of development, including initial prototyping and ongoing monitoring. [agent-framework](https://aka.ms/agent-framework) reports 13k GitHub stars, 2.1k forks, and 685 open issues, last pushed Aug 10, 2026. [promptflow](https://microsoft.github.io/promptflow/) has 11k stars, 1.1k forks, and 72 open issues, last pushed Jul 9, 2026. Figures are from public GitHub metadata via [agent-framework's repository](https://github.com/microsoft/agent-framework) and [promptflow's repository](https://github.com/microsoft/promptflow). | | [agent-framework](/tools/microsoft-agent-framework.md) | [promptflow](/tools/microsoft-promptflow.md) | | --- | --- | --- | | Tagline | Framework for building and deploying AI agents and multi-agent workflows | Build high-quality LLM apps from prototyping to production deployment and monitoring | | Stars | 12,718 | 11,193 | | Forks | 2,143 | 1,113 | | Open issues | 685 | 72 | | Language | Python | Python | | Adopt for | The agent-framework provides tools for developers to build and deploy AI agents and multi-agent workflows in Python and .NET environments. | Promptflow is a development framework catered towards creating LLM applications through all stages of development, including initial prototyping and ongoing monitoring. | | Persona | - | - | | Runtime | - | - | | License | MIT | MIT | | Categories | AI Agents, Developer Tools | Developer Tools, LLM Frameworks | ## Trust and health _Sourced signals - not a safety guarantee. No winner column._ | | [agent-framework](/tools/microsoft-agent-framework.md) | [promptflow](/tools/microsoft-promptflow.md) | | --- | --- | --- | | Maintenance | Very active (96%) | Active (82%) | | Days since push | 0d | 17d | | Open issues (now) | 685 | 72 | | Full report | [trust report](/tools/microsoft-agent-framework/trust.md) | [trust report](/tools/microsoft-promptflow/trust.md) | ## Shared compatibility - **Python**: [agent-framework](/tools/microsoft-agent-framework.md) - Python runtime; [promptflow](/tools/microsoft-promptflow.md) - Python runtime ## Decision facts: agent-framework - **Requirements:** Python version 3.6 or newer is required for Python installations.; The .NET Core SDK must be installed for utilizing the .NET packages. - **Adopt for:** The agent-framework provides tools for developers to build and deploy AI agents and multi-agent workflows in Python and .NET environments. ## Decision facts: promptflow - **Adopt for:** Promptflow is a development framework catered towards creating LLM applications through all stages of development, including initial prototyping and ongoing monitoring. ## Choose when ### Choose agent-framework if… - Requirements: Python version 3.6 or newer is required for Python installations.; The .NET Core SDK must be installed for utilizing the .NET packages.. - Tags unique to agent-framework: agent-framework, agentic-ai, agents, multi-agent. - Also covers AI Agents. - Choose agent-framework if your project requires support for both Python and .NET, allowing you to develop across different ecosystems. ### Choose promptflow if… - Tags unique to promptflow: ai-application-development, chatgpt, llm, prompt-engineering. - Also covers LLM Frameworks. - When you require a comprehensive environment to manage the full lifecycle of LLM applications from ideation to deployment in Python. ## When NOT to use agent-framework - Avoid using the agent-framework if your team does not have proficiency in either Python or.NET, as this may cause difficulties in leveraging its features effectively. - Do not opt for agent-framework if you only need lightweight support for AI agents without a comprehensive orchestration and deployment framework. ## When NOT to use promptflow - If your team prefers or requires tools that support languages other than Python, as Promptflow is exclusively focused on the Python ecosystem. - In cases where a more fragmented toolset with specialized components for different development stages might be preferable to an integrated framework approach. ## Common questions ### What is the difference between agent-framework and promptflow? agent-framework: Framework for building and deploying AI agents and multi-agent workflows. promptflow: Build high-quality LLM apps from prototyping to production deployment and monitoring. See the comparison table for live GitHub stats and shared categories. ### When should I choose agent-framework over promptflow? Choose agent-framework over promptflow when Requirements: Python version 3.6 or newer is required for Python installations.; The .NET Core SDK must be installed for utilizing the .NET packages.; Tags unique to agent-framework: agent-framework, agentic-ai, agents, multi-agent; Also covers AI Agents; Choose agent-framework if your project requires support for both Python and .NET, allowing you to develop across different ecosystems. ### When should I choose promptflow over agent-framework? Choose promptflow over agent-framework when Tags unique to promptflow: ai-application-development, chatgpt, llm, prompt-engineering; Also covers LLM Frameworks; When you require a comprehensive environment to manage the full lifecycle of LLM applications from ideation to deployment in Python. ### When should I avoid agent-framework? Avoid using the agent-framework if your team does not have proficiency in either Python or.NET, as this may cause difficulties in leveraging its features effectively. Do not opt for agent-framework if you only need lightweight support for AI agents without a comprehensive orchestration and deployment framework. ### When should I avoid promptflow? If your team prefers or requires tools that support languages other than Python, as Promptflow is exclusively focused on the Python ecosystem. In cases where a more fragmented toolset with specialized components for different development stages might be preferable to an integrated framework approach. ### Is agent-framework or promptflow more popular on GitHub? agent-framework has more GitHub stars (12,718 vs 11,193). Stars measure visibility, not whether either tool fits your constraints. ### Are agent-framework and promptflow open source? Yes - both are open-source projects on GitHub (agent-framework: MIT, promptflow: MIT). ### Where can I find alternatives to agent-framework or promptflow? GraphCanon lists graph-backed alternatives at [agent-framework alternatives](/tools/microsoft-agent-framework/alternatives) and [promptflow alternatives](/tools/microsoft-promptflow/alternatives) ([agent-framework markdown twin](/tools/microsoft-agent-framework/alternatives.md), [promptflow markdown twin](/tools/microsoft-promptflow/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/microsoft-agent-framework-vs-microsoft-promptflow.md) mirrors this page for agents and LLM crawlers, with the same stats table and FAQ answers. ### Which is better maintained, agent-framework or promptflow? agent-framework: Very active. promptflow: 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 agent-framework and promptflow? GraphCanon publishes per-repo trust reports with dated maintenance, provenance, and scan summaries: [agent-framework trust report](/tools/microsoft-agent-framework/trust); [promptflow trust report](/tools/microsoft-promptflow/trust). --- **Machine-readable endpoints** - JSON: [`/api/graphcanon/graph?tool=microsoft-agent-framework`](/api/graphcanon/graph?tool=microsoft-agent-framework) - 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/_