CrewAI
Role-playing agents working as a crew.
FreemiumCPU-capable
Actually FreeNo SignupOpen SourceWatermark-Free
AutoGen
Microsoft's multi-agent conversation framework.
Open SourceCPU-capableLocal or cloud
Actually FreeNo SignupOpen SourceWatermark-FreeHobbyist-FriendlyAPI
Visit AutoGenUpdated 2026-04-22 · Direct link
Hardware requirements
Local or cloud · No GPU
Min VRAM
None
Rec. VRAM
None
Min RAM
8 GB
Rec. RAM
16 GB
Disk
2 GB
GPU class
No GPU
Apple Silicon ✓CPU-Capable
Pure Python; CPU-only. GPU optional for local LLM backends.
Screenshot placeholder · AutoGen
What is AutoGen?
AutoGen lets you define multiple agents (assistants, user proxies, code executors) and orchestrate them through structured conversations. Microsoft Research's take on multi-agent — heavier and more abstract than CrewAI, but the most rigorous if you want agent-to-agent protocols.
Pros & cons
Pros
- Backed by Microsoft Research with serious engineering
- Conversation patterns are the most studied of any agent framework
- Built-in code execution and tool calling
- AutoGen Studio gives a no-code UI
Cons
- API is heavier and more abstract than CrewAI
- Documentation lags the rapid 0.x → 1.x migration
What's actually free?
Fully open source under MIT, from Microsoft Research.
✓ Actually FreeNo SignupOpen SourceWatermark-Free
