Head to head · Agent frameworks · October 2026 research run
Agno vs Docker Agent
Docker Agent scores 76.5 (BB) on agent readiness against Agno's 72.8 (BB), and leads in 5 of 7 scored categories. Both do agent frameworks.
Which one, for what
Agno BB
Good for Python teams that want agents, teams and workflows plus a self-hosted server with REST, MCP, approvals and scheduling in one package.
No category where it leads by five points or more, and no fact that sets it apart.
Watch for
Usage telemetry is on by default and sends session, run and agent identifiers unhashed. Prompts and outputs are not sent
Docker Agent BB
Good for Teams already on Docker who want agents defined in a file, shared through an OCI registry and run the same way in a terminal, in CI or behind an HTTP, MCP or A2A server.
Ahead on
- Reliability, 88 against 83
- Agent ergonomics, 81 against 76
- Security & auth, 70 against 64
- Payments & pricing, 60 against 50
- Maintenance & community, 96 against 86
Also in its favour
- No key needed to call it
- Free to start without a card
Watch for
Usage telemetry is on by default and command events can include prompts passed as arguments
Score by category
| Category | Weight this run | Agno | Docker Agent | Edge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reliability | 16%20 | 83 | 88 | Docker Agent +5 |
| Performance | 10%pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |
| Schema & documentation | 13%16.2 | 90 | 90 | even |
| Agent ergonomics | 13%16.2 | 76 | 81 | Docker Agent +5 |
| Security & auth | 14%17.5 | 64 | 70 | Docker Agent +6 |
| Payments & pricing | 10%12.5 | 50 | 60 | Docker Agent +10 |
| Task success | 10%pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |
| Maintenance & community | 7%8.8 | 86 | 96 | Docker Agent +10 |
| Transparency & trust | 7%8.8 | 83 | 80 | Agno +3 |
| Negative events | ≤15 | -3 | -4 | |
| Total | 72.8 · BB | 76.5 · BB |
Facts side by side
| Fact | Agno | Docker Agent |
|---|---|---|
| Kind | Agent framework | Agent framework |
| Vendor | Agno Inc. | Docker |
| Hosted endpoint | no (local only) | no (local only) |
| Transports | ||
| Auth | API key | None |
| Pricing | Free | Free |
| x402 | no | no |
| Licence | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Read-only variant documented | no | no |
| llms.txt | yes | yes |
| Last release | 2026-10-02 | 2026-10-07 |
| Terms last updated | couldn't be read | 2026-08-26 |
| Privacy policy last updated | couldn't be read | 2026-08-26 |
| Customer content may train models | couldn't be read | not found in the text |
| Terms restrict automated access | couldn't be read | yes |
| Terms restrict benchmarking | couldn't be read | yes |
| Terms or service can change without notice | couldn't be read | not found in the text |
| Arbitration or class-action waiver | couldn't be read | yes |
| Popularity | 43k stars, 476k PyPI/wk | 4k stars |
Verdicts
Agno
An Apache 2.0 Python agent framework at 3.1.1 with an MCP client, tool confirmation and admin approvals, a durable job queue and 25 stable releases in 90 days. Usage telemetry is on by default with unhashed identifiers, and three high or critical advisories were published against it in the last 12 months, all fixed.
Docker Agent
An agent with an MCP server is eight lines of YAML, and the same file runs in a terminal, headless, or as an HTTP, MCP or A2A server. Usage telemetry is on by default and can carry prompts passed as command arguments, and two high-severity approval bypasses were fixed in August and September 2026.
Before you call either
Agno
- Set AGNO_TELEMETRY=false before the first run, and pass telemetry=False to AgentOS and to each eval, which ignore the variable
- Configure JWT_VERIFICATION_KEY with AgentOS authorisation switched on, or OS_SECURITY_KEY, before exposing AgentOS. With neither set, REST and MCP routes take no credential
- Mark tools that write with requires_confirmation, and resume with continue_run once every requirement is resolved
- Set tool_call_limit on agents. The default is None
- Install extras for what you use, such as agno[mcp] for MCPTools and agno[os,mcp] for AgentOS with its MCP server
Docker Agent
- Set
TELEMETRY_ENABLED=falsebeforerunorexecwith a prompt on the command line. Telemetry is on by default and sends positional arguments - For unattended runs pass
--safety restrictedwith an allow-list, or--sandbox. Without a policy,--execrejects every tool call that needs approval - Set
max_iterationsand abudgetblock in the config. Both are unlimited by default - Run 1.130.0 or later. Earlier versions ran shell commands embedded in local skills, and A2A sessions before 1.126.0 skipped tool approval
- Review
runtime.safetyin any config pulled from a registry or URL. An author default ofautonomousruns every tool call unprompted
Questions
Which is better for AI agents, Agno or Docker Agent?
Docker Agent scores 76.5 (BB) on agent readiness against Agno's 72.8 (BB), and leads in 5 of 7 scored categories.
Are Agno and Docker Agent open source?
Yes. Agno is open source (Apache-2.0). Docker Agent is open source (Apache-2.0).
Other comparisons with Agno or Docker Agent
- AgentOS vs Agno
- AgentOS vs Docker Agent
- Agno vs Claude Agent SDK
- Agno vs CrewAI
- Agno vs Agent Development Kit (ADK)
- Agno vs LangGraph
- Agno vs Microsoft Agent Framework
- Agno vs OpenAI Agents SDK
- Agno vs Pydantic AI
- Claude Agent SDK vs Docker Agent
- CrewAI vs Docker Agent
- Docker Agent vs Agent Development Kit (ADK)
- Docker Agent vs LangGraph
- Docker Agent vs Microsoft Agent Framework
- Docker Agent vs OpenAI Agents SDK
- Docker Agent vs Pydantic AI
Machine-readable
- This page as Markdown
/compare/agno-vs-docker-agent.md· slim.min.md· JSON.json(or sendAccept: text/markdown) - Each listing in full
/api/v1/tools/agno.json·/api/v1/tools/docker-agent.json - From a terminal
anchor compare agno docker-agent(the CLI) - Over MCP
compare_tools {"a": "agno", "b": "docker-agent"}at/mcp, no key