--- title: "agent-framework vs statewave" type: "comparison" canonical_url: "https://www.graphcanon.com/compare/microsoft-agent-framework-vs-smaramwbc-statewave" tools: ["microsoft-agent-framework", "smaramwbc-statewave"] --- # agent-framework vs statewave *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 statewave if statewave focuses on reproducibility and provenance in memory management for AI agents, using Postgres plus pgvector for self-hosted operations rather than relying on query-time retrieval. [agent-framework](https://aka.ms/agent-framework) reports 13k GitHub stars, 2.1k forks, and 685 open issues, last pushed Aug 10, 2026. [statewave](https://statewave.ai) has 289 stars, 22 forks, and 14 open issues, last pushed Jul 30, 2026. Figures are from public GitHub metadata via [agent-framework's repository](https://github.com/microsoft/agent-framework) and [statewave's repository](https://github.com/smaramwbc/statewave). | | [agent-framework](/tools/microsoft-agent-framework.md) | [statewave](/tools/smaramwbc-statewave.md) | | --- | --- | --- | | Tagline | Framework for building and deploying AI agents and multi-agent workflows | Open-source memory runtime for AI agents | | Stars | 12,718 | 289 | | Forks | 2,143 | 22 | | Open issues | 685 | 14 | | 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. | Statewave focuses on reproducibility and provenance in memory management for AI agents, using Postgres plus pgvector for self-hosted operations rather than relying on query-time retrieval. | | Persona | - | - | | Runtime | - | - | | License | MIT | Apache-2.0 | | Categories | AI Agents, Developer Tools | AI Agents, Vector Databases | ## Trust and health _Sourced signals - not a safety guarantee. No winner column._ | | [agent-framework](/tools/microsoft-agent-framework.md) | [statewave](/tools/smaramwbc-statewave.md) | | --- | --- | --- | | Days since push | 0d | 1d | | Open issues (now) | 685 | 14 | | Owner type | Organization | User | | Full report | [trust report](/tools/microsoft-agent-framework/trust.md) | [trust report](/tools/smaramwbc-statewave/trust.md) | ## 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: statewave - **Adopt for:** Statewave focuses on reproducibility and provenance in memory management for AI agents, using Postgres plus pgvector for self-hosted operations rather than relying on query-time retrieval. ## Choose when ### Choose agent-framework if… - License: agent-framework is MIT, statewave is Apache-2.0. - 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 Developer Tools. - Choose agent-framework if your project requires support for both Python and .NET, allowing you to develop across different ecosystems. ### Choose statewave if… - License: statewave is Apache-2.0, agent-framework is MIT. - Tags unique to statewave: agent-memory, ai-agents, llm, memory. - Also covers Vector Databases. - statewave ships Docker support for self-hosted deployment. - Use when needing reproducible and documented context bundles to ensure consistent agent performance over time, as Statewave's design specifically supports provenance tagging for each context bundle. ## 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 statewave - Avoid if your application cannot leverage or benefit from a self-hosted memory runtime setup specifically using Postgres and pgvector. - Not suitable for cases where query-time document retrieval is preferred over maintaining provenance-tagged, static context bundles. ## Common questions ### What is the difference between agent-framework and statewave? agent-framework: Framework for building and deploying AI agents and multi-agent workflows. statewave: Open-source memory runtime for AI agents. See the comparison table for live GitHub stats and shared categories. ### When should I choose agent-framework over statewave? Choose agent-framework over statewave when License: agent-framework is MIT, statewave is Apache-2.0; 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 Developer Tools; Choose agent-framework if your project requires support for both Python and .NET, allowing you to develop across different ecosystems. ### When should I choose statewave over agent-framework? Choose statewave over agent-framework when License: statewave is Apache-2.0, agent-framework is MIT; Tags unique to statewave: agent-memory, ai-agents, llm, memory; Also covers Vector Databases; statewave ships Docker support for self-hosted deployment; Use when needing reproducible and documented context bundles to ensure consistent agent performance over time, as Statewave's design specifically supports provenance tagging for each context bundle. ### 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 statewave? Avoid if your application cannot leverage or benefit from a self-hosted memory runtime setup specifically using Postgres and pgvector. Not suitable for cases where query-time document retrieval is preferred over maintaining provenance-tagged, static context bundles. ### Is agent-framework or statewave more popular on GitHub? agent-framework has more GitHub stars (12,718 vs 289). Stars measure visibility, not whether either tool fits your constraints. ### Are agent-framework and statewave open source? Yes - both are open-source projects on GitHub (agent-framework: MIT, statewave: Apache-2.0). ### Where can I find alternatives to agent-framework or statewave? GraphCanon lists graph-backed alternatives at [agent-framework alternatives](/tools/microsoft-agent-framework/alternatives) and [statewave alternatives](/tools/smaramwbc-statewave/alternatives) ([agent-framework markdown twin](/tools/microsoft-agent-framework/alternatives.md), [statewave markdown twin](/tools/smaramwbc-statewave/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-smaramwbc-statewave.md) mirrors this page for agents and LLM crawlers, with the same stats table and FAQ answers. ### Which is better maintained, agent-framework or statewave? agent-framework: Very active. statewave: 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 agent-framework and statewave? GraphCanon publishes per-repo trust reports with dated maintenance, provenance, and scan summaries: [agent-framework trust report](/tools/microsoft-agent-framework/trust); [statewave trust report](/tools/smaramwbc-statewave/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/_