--- title: "agent-framework vs agents" type: "comparison" canonical_url: "https://www.graphcanon.com/compare/microsoft-agent-framework-vs-wshobson-agents" tools: ["microsoft-agent-framework", "wshobson-agents"] --- # agent-framework vs agents *GraphCanon updated Sep 20, 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 agents if 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. [agent-framework](https://aka.ms/agent-framework) reports 14k GitHub stars, 2.3k forks, and 605 open issues, last pushed Sep 18, 2026. [agents](https://sethhobson.com) has 40k stars, 4.2k forks, and 12 open issues, last pushed Sep 19, 2026. Figures are from public GitHub metadata via [agent-framework's repository](https://github.com/microsoft/agent-framework) and [agents's repository](https://github.com/wshobson/agents). | | [agent-framework](/tools/microsoft-agent-framework.md) | [agents](/tools/wshobson-agents.md) | | --- | --- | --- | | Tagline | Framework for building and deploying AI agents and multi-agent workflows | Multi-harness agentic plugin marketplace for various AI agents | | Stars | 13,573 | 39,823 | | Forks | 2,335 | 4,246 | | Open issues | 605 | 12 | | 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. | 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 | - | - | | Runtime | - | - | | License | MIT | MIT | | Categories | AI Agents, Developer Tools | AI Agents, Developer Tools | ## Trust and health _Sourced signals - not a safety guarantee. No winner column._ | | [agent-framework](/tools/microsoft-agent-framework.md) | [agents](/tools/wshobson-agents.md) | | --- | --- | --- | | Days since push | 0d | 1d | | Open issues (now) | 605 | 12 | | Stars delta | +855 (30d) | +895 (30d) | | Open issues delta | -80 (30d) | +7 (30d) | | Owner type | Organization | User | | Full report | [trust report](/tools/microsoft-agent-framework/trust.md) | [trust report](/tools/wshobson-agents/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: agents - **Adopt for:** 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 ## 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, agents, multi-agent, orchestration. - Choose agent-framework if your project requires support for both Python and .NET, allowing you to develop across different ecosystems. ### Choose agents if… - Tags unique to agents: agent-skills, automation, prompt-engineering. - 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 - More GitHub stars (40k vs 14k) - visibility, not fit. ## 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 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 ## Common questions ### What is the difference between agent-framework and agents? agent-framework: Framework for building and deploying AI agents and multi-agent workflows. 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 agent-framework over agents? Choose agent-framework over agents 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, agents, multi-agent, orchestration; Choose agent-framework if your project requires support for both Python and .NET, allowing you to develop across different ecosystems. ### When should I choose agents over agent-framework? Choose agents over agent-framework when Tags unique to agents: agent-skills, automation, prompt-engineering; 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; More GitHub stars (40k vs 14k) - visibility, not fit. ### 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 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 agent-framework or agents more popular on GitHub? agents has more GitHub stars (39,823 vs 13,573). Stars measure visibility, not whether either tool fits your constraints. ### Are agent-framework and agents open source? Yes - both are open-source projects on GitHub (agent-framework: MIT, agents: MIT). ### Where can I find alternatives to agent-framework or agents? GraphCanon lists graph-backed alternatives at [agent-framework alternatives](/tools/microsoft-agent-framework/alternatives) and [agents alternatives](/tools/wshobson-agents/alternatives) ([agent-framework markdown twin](/tools/microsoft-agent-framework/alternatives.md), [agents markdown twin](/tools/wshobson-agents/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-wshobson-agents.md) mirrors this page for agents and LLM crawlers, with the same stats table and FAQ answers. ### Which is better maintained, agent-framework or agents? agent-framework: Very active. 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 agent-framework and agents? GraphCanon publishes per-repo trust reports with dated maintenance, provenance, and scan summaries: [agent-framework trust report](/tools/microsoft-agent-framework/trust); [agents trust report](/tools/wshobson-agents/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/_