AutoGen
Microsoft's multi-agent conversation framework.
Open SourceCPU-capable
Actually FreeNo SignupOpen SourceWatermark-Free
smolagents
Hugging Face's minimal code-writing agent library.
Open SourceCPU-capableLocal or cloud
Actually FreeNo SignupOpen SourceWatermark-FreeHobbyist-FriendlyAPI
Visit smolagentsUpdated 2026-05-18 · Direct link
Hardware requirements
Local or cloud · No GPU
Min VRAM
None
Rec. VRAM
None
Min RAM
4 GB
Rec. RAM
8 GB
Disk
1 GB
GPU class
No GPU
Apple Silicon ✓CPU-Capable
Lightweight Python; sandbox sold separately.
Screenshot placeholder · smolagents
What is smolagents?
smolagents is Hugging Face's intentionally tiny agent library (~1000 LOC). Its hook is the CodeAgent: instead of having the model emit JSON tool calls, the model writes Python code that calls the tools directly. Lower token overhead, better for multi-step reasoning, and reads like a normal program.
Pros & cons
Pros
- Code-writing agents are measurably better at multi-step reasoning
- Tiny codebase you can actually read in an afternoon
- Works with any LLM via Inference API or local Transformers
- Hub integration for sharing agent tools
Cons
- Code execution sandbox is critical — bring your own (E2B, Docker, etc.)
- Less mature than LangGraph / AutoGen for complex orchestration
What's actually free?
Fully open source under Apache 2.0 from Hugging Face.
✓ Actually FreeNo SignupOpen SourceWatermark-Free
