AutoGen

What is AutoGen?

AutoGen is a framework from Microsoft for building multi-agent AI applications that act on their own or work with people. It has a layered design: a Core API for message passing and event-driven agents with local and distributed runtimes, an AgentChat API for quick prototypes such as two-agent and group chats, and an Extensions API for model clients like OpenAI and Azure OpenAI and for code execution. AutoGen Studio adds a no-code interface for prototyping workflows, and AutoGen Bench is a benchmarking suite. The repository now carries a notice that the project is archived: Microsoft provides no bug fixes, security fixes, new features or support, and advises against production use. New users are directed to Microsoft Agent Framework, with a migration guide for existing code. AutoGen is free, with code under the MIT license, and needs Python 3.10 or later.

Use cases

• Maintain an existing AutoGen application
• Study multi-agent orchestration patterns
• Prototype agents that talk to each other
• Plan a migration to Microsoft Agent Framework
• Build an agent that uses MCP tools
• Prototype multi-agent workflows without code

Who it's for

• Python developers
• AI researchers
• Teams with legacy agent code

Why use AutoGen

• Study a clearly layered design for multi-agent systems, from low-level messaging to a quick-start chat API.
• Keep existing code running while you plan a move, with a migration guide to Microsoft Agent Framework.
• Prototype without code in AutoGen Studio before deciding how to build the real application.
• Use it at no cost under the MIT license, with documentation and examples still published.
• Learn how agents use tools and MCP servers from short quickstart samples.

AutoGen features

• Core API for message passing, event-driven agents and distributed runtimes
• AgentChat API for two-agent chats and group chats
• Extensions API with OpenAI and Azure OpenAI clients and code execution
• AgentTool for composing expert agents into a multi-agent setup
• MCP workbench for connecting agents to MCP servers such as Playwright
• AutoGen Studio, a no-code GUI for prototyping workflows
• AutoGen Bench for benchmarking agent performance
• Python packages and .NET packages, plus the Magentic-One multi-agent team

AutoGen integrations

• OpenAI
• Azure OpenAI
• Playwright MCP
• Model Context Protocol

How to get started with AutoGen

1. Install Python 3.10 or later and run pip install for autogen-agentchat and autogen-ext[openai].
2. Create an AssistantAgent with a model client, such as the OpenAI client, and run it on a task.
3. Add tools or an MCP workbench, or wrap specialist agents with AgentTool to build a multi-agent setup.
4. Optionally launch AutoGen Studio to prototype workflows through a no-code interface.
5. For anything beyond experiments, follow the migration guide to Microsoft Agent Framework.

AutoGen limitations

• Archived: Microsoft provides no bug fixes, security fixes, new features or support
• Developed for research and experimentation, and the repository advises against production use
• AutoGen Studio is a prototyping tool and not meant to be a production-ready app
• Community support through Discord and GitHub Discussions may be slow to respond

AutoGen pricing

AutoGen is open source, so you can use and self-host it for free.

Prices can change and may vary by country or exclude tax. Check the official pricing page.

AutoGen alternatives

The main AutoGen alternatives listed on Debuly are Microsoft Agent Framework, LangGraph, CrewAI, AG2, OpenAI Agents SDK and LlamaIndex. The table compares pricing and platforms; order is A–Z.

1. 

   AG2

   Open-source multi-agent framework, formerly AutoGen, plus an AgentOS platform for coordinating and deploying teams of AI agents.

   Developer platformsAutomation and agentsCoding
   Open sourceVisit AG2 (official site)
2. 

   CrewAI

   Multi-agent framework and platform for building AI agent crews in Python or a visual editor, then deploying and monitoring them.

   Developer platformsAutomation and agentsCoding
   Open sourceVisit CrewAI (official site)
3. 

   LangGraph

   Low-level open-source orchestration framework and runtime for building stateful, long-running AI agents as graphs.

   Developer platformsAutomation and agentsCoding
   Open sourceVisit LangGraph (official site)
4. 

   LlamaIndex

   Open-source framework plus the LlamaParse platform for parsing, extracting and indexing documents so LLM apps can use them.

   Developer platformsResearch and searchAutomation and agents
   FreemiumVisit LlamaIndex (official site)
5. 

   Microsoft Agent Framework

   Open, multi-language framework from Microsoft for building, orchestrating and running AI agents and multi-agent workflows in Python, .NET and Go.

   Developer platformsAutomation and agentsCoding
   Open sourceVisit Microsoft Agent Framework (official site)
6. 

   OpenAI Agents SDK

   Open-source Python framework for building multi-agent workflows with tools, handoffs, guardrails, tracing, sandboxes and voice agents.

   Developer platformsAutomation and agentsCoding
   Open sourceVisit OpenAI Agents SDK (official site)

AutoGen FAQ

Sources & verification

Facts on this page come from the official sources below, each with the date we read it. Written by Debuly; the vendor did not review this page.

Image credits

• Logo: from avatars.githubusercontent.com · fetched 24 Oct 2026 · Vendor trademark, used only to identify the product; removed on request
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