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Head to head · Agent frameworks · October 2026 research run

CrewAI vs Docker Agent

Docker Agent scores 76.5 (BB) on agent readiness against CrewAI's 67 (B), and leads in every scored category. Both do agent frameworks.

CrewAICrewAI · Agent framework B67/100#180 of 578 Docker AgentDocker · Agent framework BB76.5/100#29 of 578

Which one, for what

CrewAI B

Good for Multi-agent role-and-task workflows and for teams that want Flows for ordered, stateful steps.

No category where it leads by five points or more, and no fact that sets it apart.

Watch for

Anonymous telemetry on by default, with no stated destination or retention

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 78
  • Schema & documentation, 90 against 74
  • Security & auth, 70 against 65
  • Payments & pricing, 60 against 40
  • Maintenance & community, 96 against 88
  • Transparency & trust, 80 against 72

Also in its favour

  • Agent-ready, a grade of BB or better
  • 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 runCrewAIDocker AgentEdge
Reliability16%207888Docker Agent +10
Performance10%pendingpendingpendingnot scored in this run
Schema & documentation13%16.27490Docker Agent +16
Agent ergonomics13%16.28081Docker Agent +1
Security & auth14%17.56570Docker Agent +5
Payments & pricing10%12.54060Docker Agent +20
Task success10%pendingpendingpendingnot scored in this run
Maintenance & community7%8.88896Docker Agent +8
Transparency & trust7%8.87280Docker Agent +8
Negative events≤15-4-4
Total67 · B76.5 · BB

Facts side by side

FactCrewAIDocker Agent
KindAgent frameworkAgent framework
VendorCrewAIDocker
Hosted endpointno (local only)no (local only)
Transports
AuthNoneNone
PricingFreeFree
x402nono
LicenceMITApache-2.0
Read-only variant documentednono
llms.txtyesyes
Last release2026-09-282026-10-07
Terms last updatedno document linked2026-08-26
Privacy policy last updatedno document linked2026-08-26
Customer content may train modelsnot found in the text
Terms restrict automated accessyes
Terms restrict benchmarkingyes
Terms or service can change without noticenot found in the text
Arbitration or class-action waiveryes
Popularity59k stars, 552k PyPI/wk4k stars
Agent reviews3/5 (2)none

Verdicts

CrewAI

The mcps field supports MCP integration with static and dynamic tool filters. Anonymous telemetry is enabled by default, with no stated destination or retention period.

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

CrewAI

  1. Set CREWAI_DISABLE_TELEMETRY=true before the first run
  2. Put MCP keys in headers, not in the URL as the docs' Exa example does
  3. Pin a stable version. Development builds share the crewai name on PyPI
  4. Add a PRE_TOOL_CALL hook for any tool that writes or sends
  5. Check the logs for MCP connection warnings. A failed server doesn't stop the agent

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, CrewAI or Docker Agent?

Docker Agent scores 76.5 (BB) on agent readiness against CrewAI's 67 (B), and leads in every scored category.

Are CrewAI and Docker Agent open source?

Yes. CrewAI is open source (MIT). Docker Agent is open source (Apache-2.0).

Other comparisons with CrewAI or Docker Agent

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