# Claude Agent SDK vs Microsoft Agent Framework

> Microsoft Agent Framework scores 82.2 (A) on agent readiness against Claude Agent SDK's 72.1 (BB), and leads in 5 of 7 scored categories. Claude Agent SDK leads on agent ergonomics. Both do agent frameworks. Category scores, facts, verdicts and agent notes side by side.

- Canonical: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/claude-agent-sdk-vs-microsoft-agent-framework
- Markdown: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/claude-agent-sdk-vs-microsoft-agent-framework.md (~2,350 tokens)
- Slim: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/claude-agent-sdk-vs-microsoft-agent-framework.min.md (~680 tokens, same facts, less prose, for token-sensitive contexts)
- JSON: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/claude-agent-sdk-vs-microsoft-agent-framework.json (this page as data, same URL with Accept: application/json)
- Site index for agents: https://www.anchorterminal.com/llms.txt (full text: https://www.anchorterminal.com/llms-full.txt)
- API: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/index.json
- Updated: 2026-10-08

Microsoft Agent Framework scores 82.2 (A) on agent readiness against Claude Agent SDK's 72.1 (BB), and leads in 5 of 7 scored categories. Claude Agent SDK leads on agent ergonomics. Both do agent frameworks.

- Claude Agent SDK: grade BB, 72.1/100, rank #96 of 722. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/claude-agent-sdk.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/claude-agent-sdk.json
- Microsoft Agent Framework: grade A, 82.2/100, rank #6 of 722. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/microsoft-agent-framework.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/microsoft-agent-framework.json

## Which one, for what

### Claude Agent SDK (BB)

Good for: Agents that work on files, code and shells and want Claude Code's tool set and permission model without building them.

Ahead on:
- Agent ergonomics, 94 against 87

Watch for: Claude models only, so a person has to set up a Claude API key or cloud account first

### Microsoft Agent Framework (A)

Good for: Teams on Azure or .NET, and for teams moving off AutoGen or Semantic Kernel, that want MCP, approval, checkpointed workflows and OpenTelemetry in one SDK.

Ahead on:
- Reliability, 78 against 70
- Schema & documentation, 95 against 89
- Security & auth, 93 against 83
- Payments & pricing, 60 against 40

Also in its favour:
- No key needed to call it
- Free to start without a card
- Open source

Watch for: Changes marked [BREAKING] shipped in minor releases of released packages, including agent-framework-core in 1.20.0 on 2 October 2026


## Score by category

| Category | Weight | Claude Agent SDK | Microsoft Agent Framework | Edge |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Reliability | 16% (20 this run) | 70 | 78 | Microsoft Agent Framework +8 |
| Performance | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |
| Schema & documentation | 13% (16.2 this run) | 89 | 95 | Microsoft Agent Framework +6 |
| Agent ergonomics | 13% (16.2 this run) | 94 | 87 | Claude Agent SDK +7 |
| Security & auth | 14% (17.5 this run) | 83 | 93 | Microsoft Agent Framework +10 |
| Payments & pricing | 10% (12.5 this run) | 40 | 60 | Microsoft Agent Framework +20 |
| Task success | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |
| Maintenance & community | 7% (8.8 this run) | 87 | 91 | Microsoft Agent Framework +4 |
| Transparency & trust | 7% (8.8 this run) | 83 | 83 | even |
| Negative events | ≤15 | -6 | -2 | |
| **Total** | | **72.1 · BB** | **82.2 · A** | |

## Facts side by side

| Fact | Claude Agent SDK | Microsoft Agent Framework |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Kind | Agent framework | Agent framework |
| Vendor | Anthropic | Microsoft |
| Hosted endpoint | no (local only) | no (local only) |
| Transports |  |  |
| Auth | API key | None |
| Pricing | Free | Free |
| x402 | no | no |
| Licence | MIT (Python wrapper), proprietary (TypeScript package and the bundled Claude Code binary) | MIT |
| Read-only variant documented | no | no |
| llms.txt | yes | no |
| Last release | 2026-09-30 | 2026-10-08 |
| Terms last updated | no date given | no document linked |
| Privacy policy last updated | no date given | no document linked |
| Customer content may train models | yes, with an opt-out |  |
| Terms restrict automated access | not found in the text |  |
| Terms restrict benchmarking | yes |  |
| Terms or service can change without notice | not found in the text |  |
| Arbitration or class-action waiver | yes |  |
| Popularity | 8.2k stars, 10.1M npm/wk, 6.1M PyPI/wk | 14k stars, 48k PyPI/wk |

## Verdicts

**Claude Agent SDK.** Claude Code's file, shell, search and web tools, with six permission modes, a canUseTool callback and PreToolUse hooks. Claude models only, so a person has to set up a Claude API key or cloud account first.

**Microsoft Agent Framework.** Python 1.21.0 and .NET 1.24.0 are MIT, past 1.0 and released about weekly, with an MCP client, tool approval, checkpointed graph workflows and OpenTelemetry. Breaking changes ship in minor releases, a version User-Agent and a feature-usage token are sent by default, and a high-severity advisory in the .NET declarative workflows package was published on 7 October 2026.

## Before you call either

### Claude Agent SDK

1. Set DISABLE_TELEMETRY=1 before the first run on the Claude API
2. List MCP tools in allowed_tools, or the agent sees them and can't call them
3. Pass permission_mode explicitly. An unset mode can start in auto mode since TypeScript 0.3.286
4. Pin the version. Releases land almost daily and some get yanked
5. Check the init message for MCP servers in failed or needs-auth. They don't raise

### Microsoft Agent Framework

1. Pin exact versions. Minor releases have carried [BREAKING] changes, so read python/CHANGELOG.md or the upgrade guides before moving up
2. Set `approval_mode="always_require"` on tools and MCP servers that write. The default is `never_require`
3. Pass `allowed_tools` to `MCPStdioTool` or `MCPStreamableHTTPTool` so only the named MCP tools reach the model
4. Set `AGENT_FRAMEWORK_USER_AGENT_DISABLED=true` to drop the framework's User-Agent and feature token, or `AGENT_FRAMEWORK_FEATURE_MASK_DISABLED=true` for the token alone
5. On .NET, use Microsoft.Agents.AI.Workflows.Declarative 1.24.0 or later. Earlier versions could forward protected workflow values to an external MCP server

## Questions

### Which is better for AI agents, Claude Agent SDK or Microsoft Agent Framework?

Microsoft Agent Framework scores 82.2 (A) on agent readiness against Claude Agent SDK's 72.1 (BB), and leads in 5 of 7 scored categories. Claude Agent SDK leads on agent ergonomics.

### Are Claude Agent SDK and Microsoft Agent Framework open source?

No open-source release is listed for Claude Agent SDK. Microsoft Agent Framework is open source (MIT).


## For agents

- This comparison as JSON: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/claude-agent-sdk-vs-microsoft-agent-framework.json, and with the fewest tokens: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/claude-agent-sdk-vs-microsoft-agent-framework.min.md
- Over MCP at https://www.anchorterminal.com/mcp (no key): `compare_tools {"a": "claude-agent-sdk", "b": "microsoft-agent-framework"}`. From a terminal: `anchor compare claude-agent-sdk microsoft-agent-framework`
- Each listing in full: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/claude-agent-sdk.json and https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/microsoft-agent-framework.json

## Other comparisons with Claude Agent SDK or Microsoft Agent Framework

- [AgentOS vs Claude Agent SDK](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agentos-vs-claude-agent-sdk.md)
- [AgentOS vs Microsoft Agent Framework](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agentos-vs-microsoft-agent-framework.md)
- [Agno vs Claude Agent SDK](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agno-vs-claude-agent-sdk.md)
- [Agno vs Microsoft Agent Framework](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agno-vs-microsoft-agent-framework.md)
- [Claude Agent SDK vs CrewAI](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/claude-agent-sdk-vs-crewai.md)
- [Claude Agent SDK vs Docker Agent](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/claude-agent-sdk-vs-docker-agent.md)
- [Claude Agent SDK vs Agent Development Kit (ADK)](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/claude-agent-sdk-vs-google-adk.md)
- [Claude Agent SDK vs LangGraph](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/claude-agent-sdk-vs-langgraph.md)
- [Claude Agent SDK vs OpenAI Agents SDK](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/claude-agent-sdk-vs-openai-agents-sdk.md)
- [Claude Agent SDK vs Pydantic AI](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/claude-agent-sdk-vs-pydantic-ai.md)
- [CrewAI vs Microsoft Agent Framework](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/crewai-vs-microsoft-agent-framework.md)
- [Docker Agent vs Microsoft Agent Framework](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/docker-agent-vs-microsoft-agent-framework.md)
- [Agent Development Kit (ADK) vs Microsoft Agent Framework](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/google-adk-vs-microsoft-agent-framework.md)
- [LangGraph vs Microsoft Agent Framework](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/langgraph-vs-microsoft-agent-framework.md)
- [Microsoft Agent Framework vs OpenAI Agents SDK](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/microsoft-agent-framework-vs-openai-agents-sdk.md)
- [Microsoft Agent Framework vs Pydantic AI](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/microsoft-agent-framework-vs-pydantic-ai.md)

## Disclosure

- Anthropic makes the models this research run and the review panel run on. This listing was graded by agents running on Claude, by the same published checklist as every other listing, and the panel doesn't review it, because every reviewer runs on Claude too.