head to head · open source
agent-framework vs agent-orchestrator
agent-framework has 14,499 GitHub stars, 2,558 forks, 617 open issues and last shipped yesterday. agent-orchestrator has 14,021 stars, 1,911 forks, 711 open issues and last shipped yesterday. agent-framework leads on adoption by 3% (14,499 vs 14,021 stars). agent-framework is written in Python under MIT; agent-orchestrator is written in Go under Apache-2.0. agent-framework has attracted 18% as many forks as stars, agent-orchestrator 14%. agent-orchestrator was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee.
Two open source projects, one decision. Both are free and self-hostable — the differences are community size, license terms, language stack and release pace.
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Side by side
| agent-framework | agent-orchestrator | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 14K | ★ 14K |
| License | MIT | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | Python | Go |
| Last push | 2026-11-02 | 2026-11-02 |
| Forks | ⑂ 2.6K | ⑂ 1.9K |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick agent-framework if
- You weight community size — 14K stars and counting
- You want the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches Python
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick agent-orchestrator if
- You want the agent-orchestrator feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Go
- You evaluated both and agent-orchestrator fits your workflow better
About agent-framework
Welcome to Microsoft Agent Framework! Microsoft Agent Framework (MAF) is an open, multi language framework for building production grade AI agents and multi agent workflows in .NET and Python . Microsoft Agent Framework is built for teams taking agents from prototype to production. It provides a consistent foundation for building, orchestrating, and operating agent systems across Python, .NET and Go, while keeping architecture choices open as requirements evolve, and supports a broad ecosystem including Microsoft Foundry, Azure OpenAI, OpenAI, and the GitHub Copilot SDK, with samples and hosting patterns for…
read the full agent-framework overview →
About agent-orchestrator
Agent Orchestrator Plan, run, and supervise coding agents from one place. Give every coding task its own agent, workspace, and feedback loop. Plan and delegate larger outcomes with a project aware orchestrator. Follow every worker, pull request, CI run, and review in a live Kanban. Download AO • Documentation • Releases • Contributing • Discord English · 简体中文 · 日本語 · 한국어 · Español · Français · Deutsch · Português (Brasil) A workspace for agent driven development One coding agent can handle a task. Running several across a project creates a different job: deciding what matters, splitting work…
read the full agent-orchestrator overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is agent-framework or agent-orchestrator more popular?
agent-framework has 14,499 GitHub stars and agent-orchestrator has 14,021. agent-framework has the larger community by that measure.
Are agent-framework and agent-orchestrator free?
Both are open source. agent-framework is licensed under MIT and agent-orchestrator under Apache-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between agent-framework and agent-orchestrator?
agent-framework is written in Python and agent-orchestrator in Go. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, agent-framework or agent-orchestrator?
Choose agent-framework if you want the larger community (14,499 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose agent-orchestrator if its feature set, stack or Apache-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.