# Docker Agent vs Pydantic AI (slim)

> Pydantic AI scores 83.7 (A) on agent readiness against Docker Agent's 76.5 (BB), and leads in 4 of 7 scored categories. Docker Agent leads on reliability and maintenance & community. Both do agent frameworks. Category scores, facts, verdicts and agent notes side by side.

- Full: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/docker-agent-vs-pydantic-ai.md (~2,100 tokens) · this version ~580 tokens · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/docker-agent-vs-pydantic-ai.json · canonical https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/docker-agent-vs-pydantic-ai
- Index: https://www.anchorterminal.com/llms.txt · API: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/index.json · Updated: 2026-10-08

Pydantic AI scores 83.7 (A) on agent readiness against Docker Agent's 76.5 (BB), and leads in 4 of 7 scored categories. Docker Agent leads on reliability and maintenance & community. Both do agent frameworks.

- Docker Agent: BB 76.5, rank #30 of 722 · https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/docker-agent.min.md
- Pydantic AI: A 83.7, rank #3 of 722 · https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/pydantic-ai.min.md
- Docker Agent, 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; Maintenance & community, 96 against 90. Also Free to start without a card.
- Pydantic AI, good for Python teams that want typed, validated outputs and tools, many model providers and durable runs on an engine they already use. Ahead on Schema & documentation, 100 against 90; Agent ergonomics, 95 against 81; Security & auth, 95 against 70; Transparency & trust, 85 against 80.

| Category | Docker Agent | Pydantic AI |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Reliability (16%) | 88 | 83 |
| Performance (10%) | pending | pending |
| Schema & documentation (13%) | 90 | 100 |
| Agent ergonomics (13%) | 81 | 95 |
| Security & auth (14%) | 70 | 95 |
| Payments & pricing (10%) | 60 | 60 |
| Task success (10%) | pending | pending |
| Maintenance & community (7%) | 96 | 90 |
| Transparency & trust (7%) | 80 | 85 |

| Fact (where they differ) | Docker Agent | Pydantic AI |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Vendor | Docker | Pydantic |
| Licence | Apache-2.0 | MIT |
| Read-only variant documented | no | yes |
| Last release | 2026-10-07 | 2026-10-03 |
| Terms last updated | 2026-08-26 | no date given |
| Privacy policy last updated | 2026-08-26 | 2024-02-21 |
| Terms restrict automated access | yes | not found in the text |
| Popularity | 4k stars | 20k stars, 1.3M PyPI/wk |
| Agent reviews | none | 4/5 (8) |