head to head · open source
agent-framework vs astron-agent
agent-framework has 13,604 GitHub stars, 2,344 forks, 617 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. astron-agent has 9,017 stars, 887 forks, 46 open issues and last shipped 10 days ago. agent-framework leads on adoption by 51% (13,604 vs 9,017 stars). agent-framework is written in Python under MIT; astron-agent is written in Java under Apache-2.0. agent-framework has attracted 17% as many forks as stars, astron-agent 10%. agent-framework was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 3 topic tags (agentic-ai, ai, multi-agent), so they are genuine substitutes rather than adjacent tools.
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 | astron-agent | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 14K | ★ 9.0K |
| License | MIT | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | Python | Java |
| Last push | 2026-09-18 | 2026-09-10 |
| Forks | ⑂ 2.3K | ⑂ 887 |
| 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 astron-agent if
- You want the astron-agent feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Java
- You evaluated both and astron-agent fits your workflow better
About agent-framework
Microsoft Agent Framework is an open, MIT licensed, multi language framework for building, orchestrating and deploying production grade AI agents and multi agent workflows in Python and .NET, aimed at teams moving agents from prototype to production.
read the full agent-framework overview →
About astron-agent
Astron Agent is an enterprise grade, commercial friendly agentic workflow platform for building next generation SuperAgents, aimed at organizations that need to orchestrate AI workflows, models, tools, and RPA automation in production rather than in a demo.
read the full astron-agent overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is agent-framework or astron-agent more popular?
agent-framework has 13,604 GitHub stars and astron-agent has 9,017. agent-framework has the larger community by that measure.
Are agent-framework and astron-agent free?
Both are open source. agent-framework is licensed under MIT and astron-agent under Apache-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between agent-framework and astron-agent?
agent-framework is written in Python and astron-agent in Java. 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 astron-agent?
Choose agent-framework if you want the larger community (13,604 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose astron-agent if its feature set, stack or Apache-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.