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

CategoryWeight this runAgnoDocker AgentEdge
Reliability16%208388Docker Agent +5
Performance10%pendingpendingpendingnot scored in this run
Schema & documentation13%16.29090even
Agent ergonomics13%16.27681Docker Agent +5
Security & auth14%17.56470Docker Agent +6
Payments & pricing10%12.55060Docker Agent +10
Task success10%pendingpendingpendingnot scored in this run
Maintenance & community7%8.88696Docker Agent +10
Transparency & trust7%8.88380Agno +3
Negative events≤15-3-4
Total72.8 · BB76.5 · BB

Facts side by side

FactAgnoDocker Agent
KindAgent frameworkAgent framework
VendorAgno Inc.Docker
Hosted endpointno (local only)no (local only)
Transports
AuthAPI keyNone
PricingFreeFree
x402nono
LicenceApache-2.0Apache-2.0
Read-only variant documentednono
llms.txtyesyes
Last release2026-10-022026-10-07
Terms last updatedcouldn't be read2026-08-26
Privacy policy last updatedcouldn't be read2026-08-26
Customer content may train modelscouldn't be readnot found in the text
Terms restrict automated accesscouldn't be readyes
Terms restrict benchmarkingcouldn't be readyes
Terms or service can change without noticecouldn't be readnot found in the text
Arbitration or class-action waivercouldn't be readyes
Popularity43k stars, 476k PyPI/wk4k 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

  1. Set AGNO_TELEMETRY=false before the first run, and pass telemetry=False to AgentOS and to each eval, which ignore the variable
  2. 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
  3. Mark tools that write with requires_confirmation, and resume with continue_run once every requirement is resolved
  4. Set tool_call_limit on agents. The default is None
  5. Install extras for what you use, such as agno[mcp] for MCPTools and agno[os,mcp] for AgentOS with its MCP server

Docker Agent

  1. Set TELEMETRY_ENABLED=false before run or exec with a prompt on the command line. Telemetry is on by default and sends positional arguments
  2. For unattended runs pass --safety restricted with an allow-list, or --sandbox. Without a policy, --exec rejects every tool call that needs approval
  3. Set max_iterations and a budget block in the config. Both are unlimited by default
  4. 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
  5. Review runtime.safety in any config pulled from a registry or URL. An author default of autonomous runs 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

Machine-readable

For companies

Do agents find, use and choose your tools?

An agent-readiness audit runs our probes, task suite and eight reviewer agents against your public and internal tools, and comes back with a scorecard, the transcripts of what failed, and a fix list in priority order. From $2,500, re-run included. We never take payment to move a rank. We do help companies earn one.