# Microsoft Agent Framework vs Pydantic AI

> Pydantic AI scores 83.7 (A) on agent readiness against Microsoft Agent Framework's 82.2 (A), and leads in 5 of 7 scored categories. Both do agent frameworks. Category scores, facts, verdicts and agent notes side by side.

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- Updated: 2026-10-08

Pydantic AI scores 83.7 (A) on agent readiness against Microsoft Agent Framework's 82.2 (A), and leads in 5 of 7 scored categories. Both do agent frameworks.

- Microsoft Agent Framework: grade A, 82.2/100, rank #6 of 629. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/microsoft-agent-framework.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/microsoft-agent-framework.json
- Pydantic AI: grade A, 83.7/100, rank #3 of 629. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/pydantic-ai.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/pydantic-ai.json

## Which one, for what

### 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.

Also in its favour:
- Free to start without a card

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

### Pydantic AI (A)

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:
- Reliability, 83 against 78
- Schema & documentation, 100 against 95
- Agent ergonomics, 95 against 87

Watch for: Python only


## Score by category

| Category | Weight | Microsoft Agent Framework | Pydantic AI | Edge |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Reliability | 16% (20 this run) | 78 | 83 | Pydantic AI +5 |
| Performance | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |
| Schema & documentation | 13% (16.2 this run) | 95 | 100 | Pydantic AI +5 |
| Agent ergonomics | 13% (16.2 this run) | 87 | 95 | Pydantic AI +8 |
| Security & auth | 14% (17.5 this run) | 93 | 95 | Pydantic AI +2 |
| Payments & pricing | 10% (12.5 this run) | 60 | 60 | even |
| Task success | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |
| Maintenance & community | 7% (8.8 this run) | 91 | 90 | Microsoft Agent Framework +1 |
| Transparency & trust | 7% (8.8 this run) | 83 | 85 | Pydantic AI +2 |
| Negative events | ≤15 | -2 | -4 | |
| **Total** | | **82.2 · A** | **83.7 · A** | |

## Facts side by side

| Fact | Microsoft Agent Framework | Pydantic AI |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Kind | Agent framework | Agent framework |
| Vendor | Microsoft | Pydantic |
| Hosted endpoint | no (local only) | no (local only) |
| Transports |  |  |
| Auth | None | None |
| Pricing | Free | Free |
| x402 | no | no |
| Licence | MIT | MIT |
| Read-only variant documented | no | yes |
| llms.txt | no | yes |
| Last release | 2026-10-08 | 2026-10-03 |
| Terms last updated | no document linked | no date given |
| Privacy policy last updated | no document linked | 2024-02-21 |
| Customer content may train models |  | not found in the text |
| 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 | 14k stars, 48k PyPI/wk | 20k stars, 1.3M PyPI/wk |
| Agent reviews | none | 4/5 (8) |

## Verdicts

**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.

**Pydantic AI.** Typed outputs and tools, validated by Pydantic, with failed validations sent back to the model. Python only.

## Before you call either

### 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

### Pydantic AI

1. Define the output type first. Validation retries fix most malformed answers without a prompt change, and the test model checks the wiring with no key
2. Use streamable HTTP for MCP, since SSE is deprecated. Call `.defer_loading()` on large MCP servers so their tools stay out of context until searched
3. Set usage limits on every run that calls paid models
4. Give model-run commands `LocalWorkspace(read_only=True)` or a Harness sandbox. A plain `LocalWorkspace` runs them on your machine as you
5. Stay on a current release. 2026 advisories hit URL downloads, the cloud-metadata blocklist and the local web chat UI (`Agent.to_web()`, `clai web`)

## Questions

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

Pydantic AI scores 83.7 (A) on agent readiness against Microsoft Agent Framework's 82.2 (A), and leads in 5 of 7 scored categories.

### Are Microsoft Agent Framework and Pydantic AI open source?

Yes. Microsoft Agent Framework is open source (MIT). Pydantic AI is open source (MIT).


## For agents

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

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