--- title: "open-multi-agent vs agents" type: "comparison" canonical_url: "https://www.graphcanon.com/compare/open-multi-agent-open-multi-agent-vs-wshobson-agents" tools: ["open-multi-agent-open-multi-agent", "wshobson-agents"] --- # open-multi-agent vs agents *GraphCanon updated Sep 20, 2026* ## Verdict Pick open-multi-agent if provides TypeScript-based orchestration for dynamic AI workflows with support for multiple language models including open platforms; 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. [open-multi-agent](https://open-multi-agent.com/go/repo) reports 6.9k GitHub stars, 2.4k forks, and 4 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 [open-multi-agent's repository](https://github.com/open-multi-agent/open-multi-agent) and [agents's repository](https://github.com/wshobson/agents). | | [open-multi-agent](/tools/open-multi-agent-open-multi-agent.md) | [agents](/tools/wshobson-agents.md) | | --- | --- | --- | | Tagline | Orchestrates AI agents with dynamic workflows via runtime task planning. | Multi-harness agentic plugin marketplace for various AI agents | | Stars | 6,943 | 39,823 | | Forks | 2,433 | 4,246 | | Open issues | 4 | 12 | | Language | TypeScript | Python | | Adopt for | Provides TypeScript-based orchestration for dynamic AI workflows with support for multiple language models including open platforms. | 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 License | MIT | | Categories | AI Agents, Developer Tools | AI Agents, Developer Tools | ## Trust and health _Sourced signals - not a safety guarantee. No winner column._ | | [open-multi-agent](/tools/open-multi-agent-open-multi-agent.md) | [agents](/tools/wshobson-agents.md) | | --- | --- | --- | | Open issues (now) | 4 | 12 | | Stars delta | +175 (30d) | +895 (30d) | | Open issues delta | -7 (30d) | +7 (30d) | | Owner type | Organization | User | | Full report | [trust report](/tools/open-multi-agent-open-multi-agent/trust.md) | [trust report](/tools/wshobson-agents/trust.md) | ## Decision facts: open-multi-agent - **Hosting:** self hosted - **Adopt for:** Provides TypeScript-based orchestration for dynamic AI workflows with support for multiple language models including open platforms. - **License detail:** MIT License ## 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 open-multi-agent if… - open-multi-agent is primarily TypeScript; agents is Python. - Tags unique to open-multi-agent: agent-framework, agent-orchestration, ai-agents, anthropic. - - When you need to dynamically plan task DAGs (Directed Acyclic Graphs) at runtime and execute them across different LLMs, such as Claude or ChatGPT. ### Choose agents if… - agents is primarily Python; open-multi-agent is TypeScript. - Tags unique to agents: agent-skills, automation, prompt-engineering, workflows. - 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 open-multi-agent - - Avoid using open-multi-agent if you are looking for a ready-to-use solution for simple scripts or single-model tasks where runtime planning is not required. - - Do not use this framework if your application strictly requires support for proprietary or custom language models not listed as supported options. ## 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 open-multi-agent and agents? open-multi-agent: Orchestrates AI agents with dynamic workflows via runtime task planning.. 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 open-multi-agent over agents? Choose open-multi-agent over agents when open-multi-agent is primarily TypeScript; agents is Python; Tags unique to open-multi-agent: agent-framework, agent-orchestration, ai-agents, anthropic; - When you need to dynamically plan task DAGs (Directed Acyclic Graphs) at runtime and execute them across different LLMs, such as Claude or ChatGPT. ### When should I choose agents over open-multi-agent? Choose agents over open-multi-agent when agents is primarily Python; open-multi-agent is TypeScript; Tags unique to agents: agent-skills, automation, prompt-engineering, workflows; 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 open-multi-agent? - Avoid using open-multi-agent if you are looking for a ready-to-use solution for simple scripts or single-model tasks where runtime planning is not required. - Do not use this framework if your application strictly requires support for proprietary or custom language models not listed as supported options. ### 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 open-multi-agent or agents more popular on GitHub? agents has more GitHub stars (39,823 vs 6,943). Stars measure visibility, not whether either tool fits your constraints. ### Are open-multi-agent and agents open source? Yes - both are open-source projects on GitHub (open-multi-agent: MIT, agents: MIT). ### Where can I find alternatives to open-multi-agent or agents? GraphCanon lists graph-backed alternatives at [open-multi-agent alternatives](/tools/open-multi-agent-open-multi-agent/alternatives) and [agents alternatives](/tools/wshobson-agents/alternatives) ([open-multi-agent markdown twin](/tools/open-multi-agent-open-multi-agent/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/open-multi-agent-open-multi-agent-vs-wshobson-agents.md) mirrors this page for agents and LLM crawlers, with the same stats table and FAQ answers. ### Which is better maintained, open-multi-agent or agents? open-multi-agent: 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 open-multi-agent and agents? GraphCanon publishes per-repo trust reports with dated maintenance, provenance, and scan summaries: [open-multi-agent trust report](/tools/open-multi-agent-open-multi-agent/trust); [agents trust report](/tools/wshobson-agents/trust). --- **Machine-readable endpoints** - JSON: [`/api/graphcanon/graph?tool=open-multi-agent-open-multi-agent`](/api/graphcanon/graph?tool=open-multi-agent-open-multi-agent) - 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/_