{ "data": { "a": { "slug": "microsoft-agent-framework", "name": "Microsoft Agent Framework", "vendor": "Microsoft", "vendorUrl": "https://www.microsoft.com", "kind": "framework", "category": "frameworks", "summary": "Microsoft Agent Framework is an open-source SDK for building AI agents and multi-agent workflows in Python and .NET, with a Go version in public preview. Microsoft names it the successor to AutoGen and Semantic Kernel.", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/microsoft-agent-framework", "markdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/microsoft-agent-framework.md", "slimMarkdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/microsoft-agent-framework.min.md", "jsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/microsoft-agent-framework.json", "dns": "microsoft-agent-framework.grade.anchorterminal.com", "repo": "https://github.com/microsoft/agent-framework", "license": "MIT", "transports": [], "packages": [ { "registry": "pypi", "name": "agent-framework" }, { "registry": "nuget", "name": "Microsoft.Agents.AI" } ], "auth": "none", "authNotes": "A library with no account of its own. Credentials are for the model provider and the tools used. The quickstarts sign in to Microsoft Foundry with an Azure credential, and the OpenAI, Anthropic and other clients take their own keys from the environment.", "pricing": "free", "pricingNotes": "Free under MIT, with model calls paid to the provider. Foundry hosted agents, the managed hosting option, is a separate Azure service at $0.0994 a vCPU-hour and $0.0118 an hour for memory in East US, per Azure's retail price API on 8 October 2026.", "priceSummary": "Free · OSS", "where": "library", "x402": { "level": "no", "evidence": "No x402, MPP or L402 found in the repository or the docs (checked 2026-10-08).", "endpoints": [] }, "toolCount": null, "popularity": { "githubStars": 14015, "npmWeekly": null, "pypiWeekly": 47507, "asOf": "2026-10-08" }, "docsUrl": "https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/agent-framework/overview/", "capabilities": [ "agent.framework", "agent.multi-agent", "agent.durable", "agent.mcp-client" ], "tags": [ "official", "framework", "python", "dotnet", "go", "open-source", "durable", "free", "no-card" ], "lastRelease": "2026-10-30", "graded": true, "anchor": { "graded": true, "score": 79.4, "grade": "A", "agentReady": true, "rank": 18, "ranked": true, "rankOf": 1510, "categoryRank": 5, "methodology": "0.7", "run": "2026-10-01", "scores": { "ergonomics": 87, "maintenance": 91, "payments": 60, "reliability": 78, "schema": 95, "security": 93, "transparency": 85 }, "pending": [ "performance", "tasks" ], "assessment": { "confidence": "high", "date": "2026-11-01" }, "negative": -5, "negativeNotes": [ "2026-10-07. High-severity advisory GHSA-9f26-7mqc-9vc4 (CVSS 7.5). Microsoft.Agents.AI.Workflows.Declarative before 1.24.0 could forward values marked sensitive, including environment-scoped secrets, to an external MCP server from an InvokeMcpTool action. Fixed in 1.24.0 and published the same day, so 2 points. Two medium advisories published the same day (GHSA-q7g7-7c7x-frcq, approval not bound to transport headers, and GHSA-r2mq-wgc9-vgh3, Foundry toolbox bearer token sent to an unintended origin) weren't deducted. https://github.com/microsoft/agent-framework/security/advisories/GHSA-9f26-7mqc-9vc4", "2026-10-22. agent-framework 1.23.0, a minor release of packages PACKAGE_STATUS.md calls released and says shouldn't break between versions, marks three breaking changes (MCP 2.x in agent-framework-core, a required AG-UI authorisation scope and a renamed Docker `extra_run_args`) with no advance notice found, and 1.24.0 on 30 October marks one more. A breaking change in a minor release without notice, so 3 points, the floor, because each is marked in the changelog on the day. https://github.com/microsoft/agent-framework/blob/main/python/CHANGELOG.md" ], "verdict": "Python 1.24.0 and .NET 1.27.0 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.", "bestFor": "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.", "strengths": [ "MIT, with Python 1.24.0 and .NET 1.27.0 both tagged on 30 October 2026, past 1.0 since 2 April 2026", "22 tagged releases in the 90 days to 1 November 2026, 11 for Python and 11 for .NET", "MCP client in the core package over stdio and streamable HTTP, with a tool allow-list, per-tool approval and optional progressive disclosure", "Graph workflows with checkpoints, in-memory and file storage in core, and five orchestration patterns (sequential, concurrent, handoff, group chat, Magentic)", "A safety page and FIDES, an information-flow control middleware for prompt injection, which is experimental and Python only" ], "weaknesses": [ "Changes marked [BREAKING] shipped in minor releases of released packages, including agent-framework-core in 1.22.0 on 15 October and 1.23.0 on 22 October 2026", "A package and version User-Agent goes out on client requests by default, with a feature-usage token on Foundry and Azure OpenAI paths. Two environment variables turn them off", "Three advisories were published on 7 October 2026 against .NET packages, one high (CVSS 7.5), all with fixed versions", "Tools run without approval unless approval is set on each tool, per the safety page", "610 open issues and 229 open pull requests on 1 November 2026, and 37 of 45 Python packages are alpha or beta" ], "agentNotes": [ "Pin exact versions. Minor releases have carried [BREAKING] changes, 1.23.0 moved MCP to the 2.x SDK, and 1.22.0 writes stored state older runtimes can't read, so read python/CHANGELOG.md first", "Set `approval_mode=\"always_require\"` on tools and MCP servers that write. Tools run without approval unless set, and 1.24.0 warns when the MCP default is left implicit", "Pass `allowed_tools` to `MCPStdioTool` or `MCPStreamableHTTPTool` so only the named MCP tools reach the model", "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", "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" ], "metrics": { "kind": "library", "measured": false }, "reviewCount": 4, "avgRating": 3, "history": [ { "basis": "public evidence", "confidence": "high", "grade": "A", "methodology": "0.7", "pending": [ "performance", "tasks" ], "run": "2026-10-01", "runLabel": "October 2026 research run", "score": 79.4 } ], "editorialScores": { "ergonomics": 87, "maintenance": 91, "payments": 60, "reliability": 78, "schema": 95, "security": 93, "transparency": 86 }, "provenanceScore": 83, "checked": { "categories": { "ergonomics": "2026-11-01", "maintenance": "2026-11-01", "payments": "2026-11-01", "reliability": "2026-11-01", "schema": "2026-11-01", "security": "2026-11-01", "transparency": "2026-11-01" }, "last": "2026-11-01", "lastMoved": "2026-11-01", "oldest": "2026-11-01", "stale": false, "staleAfterDays": 90 } }, "connect": { "install": "pip install agent-framework # or: dotnet add package Microsoft.Agents.AI" }, "letme": { "capability": "https://letme.dev/agent.framework", "tool": "https://letme.dev/microsoft-agent-framework" }, "sameCompany": [ "azure-openai", "azure-foundry-fine-tuning", "azure-ai-content-safety", "azure-speech-to-text", "azure-text-to-speech", "microsoft-execution-containers", "microsoft-entra-agent-id", "azure-key-vault", "bing-grounding", "azure-document-intelligence", "azure-devops-mcp", "microsoft-learn-mcp", "tokeneconomizer", "playwright-mcp", "azure-mcp", "azure-maps", "azure-translator", "microsoft-graph-calendar", "azure-blob-storage", "onedrive-sharepoint", "microsoft-teams", "dynamics-365-sales", "copilot-studio-mcp", "power-automate", "foundry-local", "microsoft-decision-1", "microsoft-advertising-api", "microsoft-excel-graph", "outlook-mail-graph", "microsoft-graph-people", "mage-vl-cowork" ], "area": "frameworks", "unitPrices": [ { "item": "Foundry hosted agents", "unit": "vcpu-hour", "usd": 0.0994, "note": "East US, plus $0.0118 an hour for memory. A separate Azure service" } ], "provenance": { "legalEntity": "Microsoft Corporation", "domain": "microsoft.com", "domainRegistered": "1991-05-02", "endpointOnVendorDomain": null, "terms": "", "privacy": "", "statusPage": "", "changelog": "https://github.com/microsoft/agent-framework/blob/main/python/CHANGELOG.md", "securityTxt": "expired", "checked": "2026-10-08", "notes": [ "The repository is under GitHub's microsoft organisation and its licence file reads Copyright (c) Microsoft Corporation.", "No terms or privacy document for the framework itself was found. The MIT licence is the only document that governs the packages, and neither the repository README nor the core package README links a privacy statement, so both fields are left out.", "www.microsoft.com/.well-known/security.txt loads and points to the MSRC researcher portal, but its Expires field is 2026-09-23T16:00:00.000Z, which had passed on 8 October 2026. learn.microsoft.com has none.", "RDAP gives microsoft.com a registration date of 1991-05-02.", "The changelog link is the Python one. No changelog file was found for .NET in the repository." ], "score": 83 }, "requirements": { "setupChecked": true, "complianceChecked": true, "card": "unknown", "freeTier": true, "minutes": 5, "credential": "mixed", "hosting": [ "self-hosted" ], "euResidency": "unknown", "trainsOnData": "no", "zeroRetention": "unknown", "selfHost": "yes" }, "pageJsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/microsoft-agent-framework.json", "live": { "slug": "microsoft-agent-framework", "versions": [ { "registry": "github", "name": "microsoft/agent-framework", "version": "dotnet-1.28.0", "released": "2026-11-06", "seenAt": "2026-11-06T23:44:55.101801718Z" }, { "registry": "pypi", "name": "agent-framework", "version": "1.24.0", "released": "2026-10-30", "seenAt": "2026-11-06T23:44:54.899779762Z" } ], "githubStars": 14568, "pypiWeekly": 43858, "securityTxt": { "url": "https://microsoft.com/.well-known/security.txt", "state": "valid", "expires": "2027-10-27T16:00:00.000Z", "checkedAt": "2026-11-07T16:02:01.196666056Z" }, "domain": { "domain": "microsoft.com", "registered": "1991-05-02", "source": "https://rdap.verisign.com/com/v1/domain/microsoft.com", "checkedAt": "2026-11-01T14:14:19.336136409Z" }, "pages": [ { "url": "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/microsoft/agent-framework/main/python/CHANGELOG.md", "kind": "deprecations", "status": 200, "checkedAt": "2026-11-07T14:21:43.874433048Z", "changedAt": "2026-11-07T14:21:43.874433048Z", "fingerprint": "925408c2f417" } ], "github": { "repo": "microsoft/agent-framework", "checkedAt": "2026-11-02T09:05:57.146674909Z", "stars": 14492, "archived": false, "issuesEnabled": true, "pushedAt": "2026-11-02T05:12:39Z", "openIssues": 639, "openPRs": 243, "issuesOpened90d": 836, "issuesClosed90d": 722, "prsMerged90d": 1069, "ci": { "branch": "main", "runs": 50, "success": 34, "failure": 14, "other": 2, "latest": "failure", "latestAt": "2026-11-01T21:12:35Z" }, "advisories": [ { "ghsa": "GHSA-4532-fhjf-wq2q", "severity": "medium", "published": "2026-10-23T16:28:52Z" }, { "ghsa": "GHSA-8j78-92fm-c727", "severity": "medium", "published": "2026-10-23T16:20:27Z" }, { "ghsa": "GHSA-f92h-h85c-p8w6", "severity": "medium", "published": "2026-10-23T16:14:35Z" }, { "ghsa": "GHSA-68cw-g4g7-7h9f", "severity": "medium", "published": "2026-10-23T16:09:51Z" }, { "ghsa": "GHSA-r8fg-8q6m-6c5m", "severity": "medium", "published": "2026-10-23T16:04:39Z" }, { "ghsa": "GHSA-r2mq-wgc9-vgh3", "severity": "medium", "published": "2026-10-07T13:55:48Z" }, { "ghsa": "GHSA-9f26-7mqc-9vc4", "severity": "high", "published": "2026-10-07T13:41:40Z" }, { "ghsa": "GHSA-q7g7-7c7x-frcq", "severity": "medium", "published": "2026-10-07T13:41:36Z" } ], "replies": { "sampled": 11, "unanswered": 5, "medianDays": 0.2 } }, "updatedAt": "2026-11-07T16:02:01.196666056Z" } }, "answer": "AI SDK scores 89.8 (AA) on agent readiness against Microsoft Agent Framework's 79.4 (A), and leads in 5 of 7 scored categories.", "b": { "slug": "vercel-ai-sdk", "name": "AI SDK", "vendor": "Vercel Inc.", "vendorUrl": "https://vercel.com", "kind": "framework", "category": "frameworks", "summary": "Open-source TypeScript toolkit from Vercel for building AI applications and agents, with a provider-agnostic API, a ToolLoopAgent, an MCP client and UI hooks for React, Vue, Svelte and Angular.", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/vercel-ai-sdk", "markdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/vercel-ai-sdk.md", "slimMarkdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/vercel-ai-sdk.min.md", "jsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/vercel-ai-sdk.json", "dns": "vercel-ai-sdk.grade.anchorterminal.com", "repo": "https://github.com/vercel/ai", "license": "Apache-2.0", "transports": [], "packages": [ { "registry": "npm", "name": "ai" }, { "registry": "npm", "name": "@ai-sdk/mcp" }, { "registry": "npm", "name": "@ai-sdk/workflow" } ], "auth": "api-key", "authNotes": "The SDK has no account of its own. Each provider package takes that provider's key. Plain string model IDs resolve through Vercel's AI Gateway by default, which needs AI_GATEWAY_API_KEY or a Vercel OIDC token.", "pricing": "free", "pricingNotes": "Free and open source. You pay for model calls. The optional AI Gateway charges providers' list prices with no markup, from prepaid credits, with a free monthly credit on a subset of models (https://vercel.com/docs/ai-gateway/pricing, checked 2026-11-06).", "priceSummary": "Free · OSS", "where": "library", "x402": { "level": "no", "evidence": "No x402, MPP or L402 in the AI SDK docs, the vercel/ai repository's packages or the AI Gateway pricing page. The tools registry in the repository lists a third-party x402 marketplace tool (checked 2026-10-06).", "endpoints": [] }, "toolCount": null, "popularity": { "githubStars": 27781, "npmWeekly": 44868298, "pypiWeekly": null, "asOf": "2026-11-06" }, "docsUrl": "https://ai-sdk.dev/docs", "llmsTxt": "https://ai-sdk.dev/llms.txt", "capabilities": [ "agent.framework", "agent.mcp-client", "agent.multi-agent", "agent.durable" ], "tags": [ "framework", "typescript", "open-source", "llms-txt", "mcp", "otel" ], "lastRelease": "2026-11-05", "graded": true, "anchor": { "graded": true, "score": 89.8, "grade": "AA", "agentReady": true, "rank": 1, "ranked": true, "rankOf": 1510, "categoryRank": 1, "methodology": "0.7", "run": "2026-10-01", "scores": { "ergonomics": 95, "maintenance": 97, "payments": 60, "reliability": 93, "schema": 100, "security": 90, "transparency": 89 }, "pending": [ "performance", "tasks" ], "assessment": { "confidence": "medium", "date": "2026-11-06" }, "negative": 0, "verdict": "A TypeScript agent toolkit with ToolLoopAgent, a built-in MCP client, per-tool approvals that can be HMAC-signed, opt-in OpenTelemetry and durable runs through WorkflowAgent. It ships three major versions in 14 months (5.0, 6.0, 7.0), each with a migration guide, and plain string model IDs route through Vercel's AI Gateway unless another provider is set.", "bestFor": "TypeScript teams building agents and chat UIs who want one API across many providers and a short path to MCP.", "strengths": [ "Apache 2.0, with 246 npm releases of `ai` in the 90 days to 6 October 2026", "MCP client in @ai-sdk/mcp with HTTP, SSE and stdio transports, OAuth and opt-in retries for tools/call", "Per-tool approvals, HMAC-signed approvals and Open Policy Agent rules in @ai-sdk/policy-opa", "Telemetry only after an OpenTelemetry integration is registered, with recordInputs and recordOutputs switches", "Tool search with deferred loading, so the model sees only a search tool until it needs more" ], "weaknesses": [ "TypeScript only, and `ai` 7.x needs Node 22 or newer", "Three major versions between July 2025 and June 2026, each with breaking changes", "String model IDs go to Vercel's AI Gateway by default, which needs a Vercel key", "No input or output guardrail primitive, and sandboxes and stdio MCP transport are still experimental", "1,399 open issues and pull requests on 4 October 2026, per a GitHub mirror" ], "agentNotes": [ "Pass a provider instance such as openai('model') if traffic shouldn't go through Vercel's AI Gateway", "Set toolApproval on tools that write, and experimental_toolApprovalSecret when approvals come back from a browser", "Raise or replace the default stop condition of 20 steps with stopWhen", "Close the MCP client after the run, and use HTTP transport outside local development", "Set recordInputs and recordOutputs to false when spans would carry secrets" ], "metrics": { "kind": "library", "measured": false }, "reviewCount": 0, "avgRating": 0, "history": [ { "basis": "public evidence", "confidence": "medium", "grade": "AA", "methodology": "0.7", "pending": [ "performance", "tasks" ], "run": "2026-10-01", "runLabel": "October 2026 research run", "score": 89.8 } ], "editorialScores": { "ergonomics": 95, "maintenance": 97, "payments": 60, "reliability": 93, "schema": 100, "security": 90, "transparency": 86 }, "provenanceScore": 91, "checked": { "categories": { "ergonomics": "2026-11-06", "maintenance": "2026-11-06", "payments": "2026-11-06", "reliability": "2026-11-06", "schema": "2026-11-06", "security": "2026-11-06", "transparency": "2026-11-06" }, "last": "2026-11-06", "oldest": "2026-11-06", "stale": false, "staleAfterDays": 90 } }, "connect": { "install": "npm i ai # MCP: npm i @ai-sdk/mcp" }, "letme": { "capability": "https://letme.dev/agent.framework", "tool": "https://letme.dev/vercel-ai-sdk" }, "area": "frameworks", "provenance": { "legalEntity": "Vercel Inc.", "domain": "ai-sdk.dev", "domainRegistered": "2024-09-26", "endpointOnVendorDomain": null, "terms": "https://vercel.com/legal/terms", "privacy": "https://vercel.com/legal/privacy-policy", "statusPage": "https://www.vercel-status.com", "changelog": "https://github.com/vercel/ai/blob/main/packages/ai/CHANGELOG.md", "securityTxt": "valid", "checked": "2026-11-06", "notes": [ "The privacy notice (effective 1 June 2026) names Vercel Inc.", "vercel.com/.well-known/security.txt points to HackerOne and responsible.disclosure@vercel.com and expires 2027-09-28.", "RDAP gives ai-sdk.dev a registration date of 2024-09-26 and vercel.com 1999-10-04.", "The status page covers Vercel's hosted services, including the AI Gateway, not the library." ], "score": 91 }, "pageJsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/vercel-ai-sdk.json", "live": { "slug": "vercel-ai-sdk", "vendorStatus": { "page": "https://www.vercel-status.com", "indicator": "none", "summary": "All Systems Operational", "checkedAt": "2026-11-07T19:23:51.340953129Z" }, "versions": [ { "registry": "github", "name": "vercel/ai", "version": "@ai-sdk/zai@2.0.19", "released": "2026-11-06", "seenAt": "2026-11-07T00:15:06.320451302Z" }, { "registry": "npm", "name": "@ai-sdk/mcp", "version": "2.0.92", "seenAt": "2026-11-07T00:15:02.210062748Z" }, { "registry": "npm", "name": "@ai-sdk/workflow", "version": "2.0.96", "seenAt": "2026-11-07T00:15:04.290347217Z" }, { "registry": "npm", "name": "ai", "version": "7.0.164", "seenAt": "2026-11-07T00:15:02.102209516Z" } ], "githubStars": 27784, "npmWeekly": 44868298, "securityTxt": { "url": "https://ai-sdk.dev/.well-known/security.txt", "state": "none", "checkedAt": "2026-11-07T15:59:53.467050636Z" }, "llmsTxt": { "url": "https://ai-sdk.dev/llms.txt", "ok": false, "status": 0, "checkedAt": "2026-11-07T15:34:35.854467131Z" }, "pages": [ { "url": "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/vercel/ai/main/packages/ai/CHANGELOG.md", "kind": "changelog", "status": 200, "checkedAt": "2026-11-07T14:24:01.002799396Z", "changedAt": "0001-01-01T00:00:00Z", "fingerprint": "6e9ccd1db741" } ], "updatedAt": "2026-11-07T19:23:51.340953129Z" } }, "edges": [ { "by": 15, "category": "reliability", "leads": "vercel-ai-sdk", "name": "Reliability", "reasons": { "a": "Read with the local-software lines. Official packages on PyPI (Requires-Python \u003e=3.10 in the repository, though 1.24.0 makes Python 3.11 the supported baseline and says the next release drops 3.10) and NuGet (net8.0 to net10.0, netstandard2.0, net472) (20). Of the 15 most recent .NET build and test runs on 1 November 2026, 10 passed, 2 were cancelled and 4 wait for approval on a pull request, with none failed, and the scheduled runs on main passed on 31 October and 1 November (25). 610 open issues and 229 open pull requests on 1 November, up from 575 and 201 on 8 October. Closures and bug labels weren't re-counted (10). The Python changelog follows Keep a Changelog and states semantic versioning, and marks breaking changes, but they keep shipping in minor releases of released packages, such as agent-framework-core in 1.22.0 on 15 October and 1.23.0 on 22 October 2026 (8). Python 1.24.0 and .NET 1.27.0, with the root and core packages classed 5 - Production/Stable (15).", "b": "Official npm packages, with `ai` 7.x requiring Node 22 or newer (20). A public CI workflow with lint, type checks, unit tests, Node-version tests, MCP tests on Windows and e2e tests runs on every push to main, and the newest completed CI runs on main passed on 6 November (25). 1,517 open issues and pull requests on 6 November from GitHub's API, with 1,059 issues opened in the 90 days to 3 November; 47 of the 50 newest had a comment and 32 were closed (18). A written versioning page with breaking changes only in majors, experimental_ prefixes for unstable APIs and a migration guide per major (15). 7.0.163 (15). 20+25+18+15+15 = 93, up from 73 on 6 October, when GitHub couldn't be read." }, "scores": { "a": 78, "b": 93 } }, { "by": 8, "category": "ergonomics", "leads": "vercel-ai-sdk", "name": "Agent ergonomics", "reasons": { "a": "The documented Python agent with one MCP server is about 12 lines with `MCPStdioTool` from the core package, and `allowed_tools`, `load_tools` and progressive disclosure limit what reaches the model (25). The function loop stops at 40 iterations by default with a `max_function_calls` option, and compaction has its own docs page (20). A typed exception hierarchy, and the loop stops after three consecutive tool errors by default. We didn't find MCP failures documented (16). Workflows resume from checkpoints and sessions serialise, but we found no retry setting for model calls in the core client (14). An agent needs a client and instructions. Python and .NET are stable, Go is in preview, and the quickstarts assume a Microsoft Foundry project (12).", "b": "An MCP client in a few lines with createMCPClient and client.tools(), and tool search with deferLoading keeps unused tool definitions out of the prompt (25). stopWhen with a default of 20 steps, and prepareStep to trim messages, switch models or limit active tools per step (20). 38 typed errors with isInstance guards, and MCP results with isError go back to the model (20). maxRetries on model calls, opt-in retries for transient MCP failures only, and WorkflowAgent for durable steps with automatic retries (20). Few required parameters, but TypeScript only, and a string model ID needs an AI Gateway key unless a default provider is set (10)." }, "scores": { "a": 87, "b": 95 } }, { "by": 6, "category": "maintenance", "leads": "vercel-ai-sdk", "name": "Maintenance \u0026 community", "reasons": { "a": "Python 1.24.0 and .NET 1.27.0, both tagged on 2026-10-30 (30). 22 release tags in the 90 days to 1 November, 11 Python and 11 .NET (20). 610 open issues and 229 open pull requests on 1 November, and triage, labelling and stale-ping workflows run on new issues. We couldn't see reply times (17). Python and .NET packages are current, and Go is a public preview line with v0.2.1 tagged on 27 October 2026 (15). CI, CodeQL and Dependabot run, though two of four Dependabot update runs failed on 8 October, per the 8 October check, not re-read on 1 November (9).", "b": "7.0.163 on 2026-11-05 (30). 226 stable npm releases of `ai` across the 7.x, 6.x and 5.x lines in the 90 days to 6 November, 70 of them since 6 October (20). 47 of the 50 newest issues commented and 32 closed, with triage automation and backport workflows (22). `ai` and the provider packages are current, and 6.x and 5.x still get patches (15). Dependabot configured and CI passing on main (10). 30+20+22+15+10 = 97." }, "scores": { "a": 91, "b": 97 } }, { "by": 5, "category": "schema", "leads": "vercel-ai-sdk", "name": "Schema \u0026 documentation", "reasons": { "a": "Typed in both languages, with py.typed markers and API references for Python and .NET on Microsoft Learn (25). Learn returns each docs page as Markdown when asked with an Accept header. No llms.txt was found (10). The overview has a table for when to use an agent or a workflow, and says to write a function instead where one would do (20). Tools are Python functions typed with Annotated and Pydantic Field, or AIFunction in .NET (15). Samples for every area and a typed exception hierarchy in the source, but we found no exception reference in the docs pages we read (12). A dated Python changelog and four upgrade guides. No changelog file was found for .NET (13).", "b": "Typed TypeScript API with a reference section for every function (25). llms.txt and a Markdown copy of each page (10). The docs say when to use each piece, such as a table of WorkflowAgent against ToolLoopAgent, a when-to-use section for subagents and harnesses, and HTTP over stdio for MCP in production (20). Tools take Zod or JSON Schema inputs (15). 38 error types documented in the reference, with error-handling guides and examples throughout (15). Versioning page and a changesets CHANGELOG per package (15)." }, "scores": { "a": 95, "b": 100 } } ], "facts": [ { "a": "Agent framework", "b": "Agent framework", "name": "Kind" }, { "a": "Microsoft", "b": "Vercel Inc.", "name": "Vendor" }, { "a": "no (local only)", "b": "no (local only)", "name": "Hosted endpoint" }, { "a": "", "b": "", "name": "Transports" }, { "a": "None", "b": "API key", "name": "Auth" }, { "a": "Free", "b": "Free", "name": "Pricing" }, { "a": "no", "b": "no", "name": "x402" }, { "a": "MIT", "b": "Apache-2.0", "name": "Licence" }, { "a": "no", "b": "no", "name": "Read-only variant documented" }, { "a": "no", "b": "yes", "name": "llms.txt" }, { "a": "2026-10-30", "b": "2026-11-05", "name": "Last release" }, { "a": "no document linked", "b": "2026-06-01", "name": "Terms last updated" }, { "a": "no document linked", "b": "2026-06-01", "name": "Privacy policy last updated" }, { "a": "not read yet", "b": "yes, with an opt-out", "name": "Customer content may train models" }, { "a": "not read yet", "b": "not found in the text", "name": "Terms restrict automated access" }, { "a": "not read yet", "b": "not found in the text", "name": "Terms restrict benchmarking" }, { "a": "not read yet", "b": "not found in the text", "name": "Terms or service can change without notice" }, { "a": "not read yet", "b": "yes", "name": "Arbitration or class-action waiver" }, { "a": "14k stars, 48k PyPI/wk", "b": "28k stars, 44.9M npm/wk", "name": "Popularity" }, { "a": "3/5 (4)", "b": "none", "name": "Agent reviews" } ], "faq": [ { "answer": "AI SDK scores 89.8 (AA) on agent readiness against Microsoft Agent Framework's 79.4 (A), and leads in 5 of 7 scored categories.", "question": "Which is better for AI agents, Microsoft Agent Framework or AI SDK?" }, { "answer": "Yes. Microsoft Agent Framework is open source (MIT). AI SDK is open source (Apache-2.0).", "question": "Are Microsoft Agent Framework and AI SDK open source?" } ], "goodFor": [ { "aheadOn": null, "also": [ "No key needed to call it", "Free to start without a card" ], "goodFor": "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.", "slug": "microsoft-agent-framework", "watchFor": "Changes marked [BREAKING] shipped in minor releases of released packages, including agent-framework-core in 1.22.0 on 15 October and 1.23.0 on 22 October 2026" }, { "aheadOn": [ "Reliability, 93 against 78", "Schema \u0026 documentation, 100 against 95", "Agent ergonomics, 95 against 87", "Maintenance \u0026 community, 97 against 91" ], "also": [ "No incidents deducted, where Microsoft Agent Framework loses 5 points for them" ], "goodFor": "TypeScript teams building agents and chat UIs who want one API across many providers and a short path to MCP.", "slug": "vercel-ai-sdk", "watchFor": "TypeScript only, and `ai` 7.x needs Node 22 or newer" } ], "history": { "microsoft-agent-framework": [ { "causes": [ "event" ], "date": "2026-11-01", "delta": -3, "from": 82.4, "fromGrade": "A", "to": 79.4, "toGrade": "A" }, { "causes": [ "method" ], "date": "2026-10-27", "delta": 0.2, "from": 82.2, "fromGrade": "A", "to": 82.4, "toGrade": "A" } ], "vercel-ai-sdk": null }, "job": { "capability": "agent.framework", "name": "Agent frameworks" }, "others": [ { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agentos-vs-microsoft-agent-framework.json", "title": "AgentOS vs Microsoft Agent Framework", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agentos-vs-microsoft-agent-framework" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agentos-vs-vercel-ai-sdk.json", "title": "AgentOS vs AI SDK", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agentos-vs-vercel-ai-sdk" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agno-vs-microsoft-agent-framework.json", "title": "Agno vs Microsoft Agent Framework", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agno-vs-microsoft-agent-framework" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agno-vs-vercel-ai-sdk.json", "title": "Agno vs AI SDK", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agno-vs-vercel-ai-sdk" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/boxlang-ai-vs-microsoft-agent-framework.json", "title": "BoxLang AI vs Microsoft Agent Framework", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/boxlang-ai-vs-microsoft-agent-framework" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/boxlang-ai-vs-vercel-ai-sdk.json", "title": "BoxLang AI vs AI SDK", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/boxlang-ai-vs-vercel-ai-sdk" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/claude-agent-sdk-vs-microsoft-agent-framework.json", "title": "Claude Agent SDK vs Microsoft Agent Framework", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/claude-agent-sdk-vs-microsoft-agent-framework" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/claude-agent-sdk-vs-vercel-ai-sdk.json", "title": "Claude Agent SDK vs AI SDK", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/claude-agent-sdk-vs-vercel-ai-sdk" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/crewai-vs-microsoft-agent-framework.json", "title": "CrewAI vs Microsoft Agent Framework", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/crewai-vs-microsoft-agent-framework" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/crewai-vs-vercel-ai-sdk.json", "title": "CrewAI vs AI SDK", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/crewai-vs-vercel-ai-sdk" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cursor-agent-sdk-vs-microsoft-agent-framework.json", "title": "Cursor Agent SDK vs Microsoft Agent Framework", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cursor-agent-sdk-vs-microsoft-agent-framework" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cursor-agent-sdk-vs-vercel-ai-sdk.json", "title": "Cursor Agent SDK vs AI SDK", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cursor-agent-sdk-vs-vercel-ai-sdk" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/docker-agent-vs-microsoft-agent-framework.json", "title": "Docker Agent vs Microsoft Agent Framework", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/docker-agent-vs-microsoft-agent-framework" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/docker-agent-vs-vercel-ai-sdk.json", "title": "Docker Agent vs AI SDK", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/docker-agent-vs-vercel-ai-sdk" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/google-adk-vs-microsoft-agent-framework.json", "title": "Agent Development Kit (ADK) vs Microsoft Agent Framework", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/google-adk-vs-microsoft-agent-framework" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/google-adk-vs-vercel-ai-sdk.json", "title": "Agent Development Kit (ADK) vs AI SDK", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/google-adk-vs-vercel-ai-sdk" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/guilds-run-vs-microsoft-agent-framework.json", "title": "guilds.run vs Microsoft Agent Framework", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/guilds-run-vs-microsoft-agent-framework" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/guilds-run-vs-vercel-ai-sdk.json", "title": "guilds.run vs AI SDK", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/guilds-run-vs-vercel-ai-sdk" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/langgraph-vs-microsoft-agent-framework.json", "title": "LangGraph vs Microsoft Agent Framework", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/langgraph-vs-microsoft-agent-framework" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/langgraph-vs-vercel-ai-sdk.json", "title": "LangGraph vs AI SDK", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/langgraph-vs-vercel-ai-sdk" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/llamaindex-vs-microsoft-agent-framework.json", "title": "LlamaIndex Framework vs Microsoft Agent Framework", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/llamaindex-vs-microsoft-agent-framework" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/llamaindex-vs-vercel-ai-sdk.json", "title": "LlamaIndex Framework vs AI SDK", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/llamaindex-vs-vercel-ai-sdk" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/mastra-vs-microsoft-agent-framework.json", "title": "Mastra vs Microsoft Agent Framework", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/mastra-vs-microsoft-agent-framework" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/mastra-vs-vercel-ai-sdk.json", "title": "Mastra vs AI SDK", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/mastra-vs-vercel-ai-sdk" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/microsoft-agent-framework-vs-openai-agents-sdk.json", "title": "Microsoft Agent Framework vs OpenAI Agents SDK", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/microsoft-agent-framework-vs-openai-agents-sdk" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/microsoft-agent-framework-vs-pydantic-ai.json", "title": "Microsoft Agent Framework vs Pydantic AI", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/microsoft-agent-framework-vs-pydantic-ai" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/microsoft-agent-framework-vs-smolagents.json", "title": "Microsoft Agent Framework vs smolagents", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/microsoft-agent-framework-vs-smolagents" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/microsoft-agent-framework-vs-strands-agents.json", "title": "Microsoft Agent Framework vs Strands Agents", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/microsoft-agent-framework-vs-strands-agents" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/microsoft-agent-framework-vs-tradingagents.json", "title": "Microsoft Agent Framework vs TradingAgents", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/microsoft-agent-framework-vs-tradingagents" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/openai-agents-sdk-vs-vercel-ai-sdk.json", "title": "OpenAI Agents SDK vs AI SDK", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/openai-agents-sdk-vs-vercel-ai-sdk" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/pydantic-ai-vs-vercel-ai-sdk.json", "title": "Pydantic AI vs AI SDK", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/pydantic-ai-vs-vercel-ai-sdk" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/smolagents-vs-vercel-ai-sdk.json", "title": "smolagents vs AI SDK", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/smolagents-vs-vercel-ai-sdk" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/strands-agents-vs-vercel-ai-sdk.json", "title": "Strands Agents vs AI SDK", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/strands-agents-vs-vercel-ai-sdk" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/tradingagents-vs-vercel-ai-sdk.json", "title": "TradingAgents vs AI SDK", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/tradingagents-vs-vercel-ai-sdk" } ], "panel": null, "scores": [ { "by": 15, "edge": "vercel-ai-sdk", "key": "reliability", "microsoft-agent-framework": 78, "name": "Reliability", "vercel-ai-sdk": 93, "weight": 16 }, { "key": "performance", "name": "Performance", "pending": true, "weight": 10 }, { "by": 5, "edge": "vercel-ai-sdk", "key": "schema", "microsoft-agent-framework": 95, "name": "Schema \u0026 documentation", "vercel-ai-sdk": 100, "weight": 13 }, { "by": 8, "edge": "vercel-ai-sdk", "key": "ergonomics", "microsoft-agent-framework": 87, "name": "Agent ergonomics", "vercel-ai-sdk": 95, "weight": 13 }, { "by": 3, "edge": "microsoft-agent-framework", "key": "security", "microsoft-agent-framework": 93, "name": "Security \u0026 auth", "vercel-ai-sdk": 90, "weight": 14 }, { "by": 0, "edge": "", "key": "payments", "microsoft-agent-framework": 60, "name": "Payments \u0026 pricing", "vercel-ai-sdk": 60, "weight": 10 }, { "key": "tasks", "name": "Task success", "pending": true, "weight": 10 }, { "by": 6, "edge": "vercel-ai-sdk", "key": "maintenance", "microsoft-agent-framework": 91, "name": "Maintenance \u0026 community", "vercel-ai-sdk": 97, "weight": 7 }, { "by": 4, "edge": "vercel-ai-sdk", "key": "transparency", "microsoft-agent-framework": 85, "name": "Transparency \u0026 trust", "vercel-ai-sdk": 89, "weight": 7 } ], "summary": "AI SDK scores 89.8 (AA) on agent readiness against Microsoft Agent Framework's 79.4 (A), and leads in 5 of 7 scored categories. Both do agent frameworks.", "tasks": null, "tutorials": [], "verdicts": { "microsoft-agent-framework": "Python 1.24.0 and .NET 1.27.0 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.", "vercel-ai-sdk": "A TypeScript agent toolkit with ToolLoopAgent, a built-in MCP client, per-tool approvals that can be HMAC-signed, opt-in OpenTelemetry and durable runs through WorkflowAgent. It ships three major versions in 14 months (5.0, 6.0, 7.0), each with a migration guide, and plain string model IDs route through Vercel's AI Gateway unless another provider is set." } }, "kind": "anchor.page", "links": { "api": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/index.json", "html": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/microsoft-agent-framework-vs-vercel-ai-sdk", "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/microsoft-agent-framework-vs-vercel-ai-sdk.json", "llms": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/llms.txt", "markdown": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/microsoft-agent-framework-vs-vercel-ai-sdk.md", "mcp": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/mcp", "slim": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/microsoft-agent-framework-vs-vercel-ai-sdk.min.md" }, "markdown": "AI SDK scores 89.8 (AA) on agent readiness against Microsoft Agent Framework's 79.4 (A), and leads in 5 of 7 scored categories. Both do agent frameworks.\n\n- Microsoft Agent Framework: grade A, 79.4/100, rank #18 of 1510. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/microsoft-agent-framework.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/microsoft-agent-framework.json\n- AI SDK: grade AA, 89.8/100, rank #1 of 1510. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/vercel-ai-sdk.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/vercel-ai-sdk.json\n- Best agent frameworks and SDKs: https://www.anchorterminal.com/best/frameworks/index.md\n- All 171 frameworks comparisons: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/frameworks/index.md\n\n## Which one, for what\n\n### Microsoft Agent Framework (A)\n\nGood 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.\n\nAlso in its favour:\n- No key needed to call it\n- Free to start without a card\n\nWatch for: Changes marked [BREAKING] shipped in minor releases of released packages, including agent-framework-core in 1.22.0 on 15 October and 1.23.0 on 22 October 2026\n\n### AI SDK (AA)\n\nGood for: TypeScript teams building agents and chat UIs who want one API across many providers and a short path to MCP.\n\nAhead on:\n- Reliability, 93 against 78\n- Schema \u0026 documentation, 100 against 95\n- Agent ergonomics, 95 against 87\n- Maintenance \u0026 community, 97 against 91\n\nAlso in its favour:\n- No incidents deducted, where Microsoft Agent Framework loses 5 points for them\n\nWatch for: TypeScript only, and `ai` 7.x needs Node 22 or newer\n\n\n## Why the edge\n\n### Reliability: AI SDK +15\n\n- Microsoft Agent Framework (78): Read with the local-software lines. Official packages on PyPI (Requires-Python \u003e=3.10 in the repository, though 1.24.0 makes Python 3.11 the supported baseline and says the next release drops 3.10) and NuGet (net8.0 to net10.0, netstandard2.0, net472) (20). Of the 15 most recent .NET build and test runs on 1 November 2026, 10 passed, 2 were cancelled and 4 wait for approval on a pull request, with none failed, and the scheduled runs on main passed on 31 October and 1 November (25). 610 open issues and 229 open pull requests on 1 November, up from 575 and 201 on 8 October. Closures and bug labels weren't re-counted (10). The Python changelog follows Keep a Changelog and states semantic versioning, and marks breaking changes, but they keep shipping in minor releases of released packages, such as agent-framework-core in 1.22.0 on 15 October and 1.23.0 on 22 October 2026 (8). Python 1.24.0 and .NET 1.27.0, with the root and core packages classed 5 - Production/Stable (15).\n- AI SDK (93): Official npm packages, with `ai` 7.x requiring Node 22 or newer (20). A public CI workflow with lint, type checks, unit tests, Node-version tests, MCP tests on Windows and e2e tests runs on every push to main, and the newest completed CI runs on main passed on 6 November (25). 1,517 open issues and pull requests on 6 November from GitHub's API, with 1,059 issues opened in the 90 days to 3 November; 47 of the 50 newest had a comment and 32 were closed (18). A written versioning page with breaking changes only in majors, experimental_ prefixes for unstable APIs and a migration guide per major (15). 7.0.163 (15). 20+25+18+15+15 = 93, up from 73 on 6 October, when GitHub couldn't be read.\n\n### Agent ergonomics: AI SDK +8\n\n- Microsoft Agent Framework (87): The documented Python agent with one MCP server is about 12 lines with `MCPStdioTool` from the core package, and `allowed_tools`, `load_tools` and progressive disclosure limit what reaches the model (25). The function loop stops at 40 iterations by default with a `max_function_calls` option, and compaction has its own docs page (20). A typed exception hierarchy, and the loop stops after three consecutive tool errors by default. We didn't find MCP failures documented (16). Workflows resume from checkpoints and sessions serialise, but we found no retry setting for model calls in the core client (14). An agent needs a client and instructions. Python and .NET are stable, Go is in preview, and the quickstarts assume a Microsoft Foundry project (12).\n- AI SDK (95): An MCP client in a few lines with createMCPClient and client.tools(), and tool search with deferLoading keeps unused tool definitions out of the prompt (25). stopWhen with a default of 20 steps, and prepareStep to trim messages, switch models or limit active tools per step (20). 38 typed errors with isInstance guards, and MCP results with isError go back to the model (20). maxRetries on model calls, opt-in retries for transient MCP failures only, and WorkflowAgent for durable steps with automatic retries (20). Few required parameters, but TypeScript only, and a string model ID needs an AI Gateway key unless a default provider is set (10).\n\n### Maintenance \u0026 community: AI SDK +6\n\n- Microsoft Agent Framework (91): Python 1.24.0 and .NET 1.27.0, both tagged on 2026-10-30 (30). 22 release tags in the 90 days to 1 November, 11 Python and 11 .NET (20). 610 open issues and 229 open pull requests on 1 November, and triage, labelling and stale-ping workflows run on new issues. We couldn't see reply times (17). Python and .NET packages are current, and Go is a public preview line with v0.2.1 tagged on 27 October 2026 (15). CI, CodeQL and Dependabot run, though two of four Dependabot update runs failed on 8 October, per the 8 October check, not re-read on 1 November (9).\n- AI SDK (97): 7.0.163 on 2026-11-05 (30). 226 stable npm releases of `ai` across the 7.x, 6.x and 5.x lines in the 90 days to 6 November, 70 of them since 6 October (20). 47 of the 50 newest issues commented and 32 closed, with triage automation and backport workflows (22). `ai` and the provider packages are current, and 6.x and 5.x still get patches (15). Dependabot configured and CI passing on main (10). 30+20+22+15+10 = 97.\n\n### Schema \u0026 documentation: AI SDK +5\n\n- Microsoft Agent Framework (95): Typed in both languages, with py.typed markers and API references for Python and .NET on Microsoft Learn (25). Learn returns each docs page as Markdown when asked with an Accept header. No llms.txt was found (10). The overview has a table for when to use an agent or a workflow, and says to write a function instead where one would do (20). Tools are Python functions typed with Annotated and Pydantic Field, or AIFunction in .NET (15). Samples for every area and a typed exception hierarchy in the source, but we found no exception reference in the docs pages we read (12). A dated Python changelog and four upgrade guides. No changelog file was found for .NET (13).\n- AI SDK (100): Typed TypeScript API with a reference section for every function (25). llms.txt and a Markdown copy of each page (10). The docs say when to use each piece, such as a table of WorkflowAgent against ToolLoopAgent, a when-to-use section for subagents and harnesses, and HTTP over stdio for MCP in production (20). Tools take Zod or JSON Schema inputs (15). 38 error types documented in the reference, with error-handling guides and examples throughout (15). Versioning page and a changesets CHANGELOG per package (15).\n\n## Score by category\n\n| Category | Weight | Microsoft Agent Framework | AI SDK | Edge |\n| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |\n| Reliability | 16% (20 this run) | 78 | 93 | AI SDK +15 |\n| Performance | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |\n| Schema \u0026 documentation | 13% (16.2 this run) | 95 | 100 | AI SDK +5 |\n| Agent ergonomics | 13% (16.2 this run) | 87 | 95 | AI SDK +8 |\n| Security \u0026 auth | 14% (17.5 this run) | 93 | 90 | Microsoft Agent Framework +3 |\n| Payments \u0026 pricing | 10% (12.5 this run) | 60 | 60 | even |\n| Task success | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |\n| Maintenance \u0026 community | 7% (8.8 this run) | 91 | 97 | AI SDK +6 |\n| Transparency \u0026 trust | 7% (8.8 this run) | 85 | 89 | AI SDK +4 |\n| Negative events | ≤15 | -5 | 0 | |\n| **Total** | | **79.4 · A** | **89.8 · AA** | |\n\n## Facts side by side\n\n| Fact | Microsoft Agent Framework | AI SDK |\n| --- | --- | --- |\n| Kind | Agent framework | Agent framework |\n| Vendor | Microsoft | Vercel Inc. |\n| Hosted endpoint | no (local only) | no (local only) |\n| Transports | | |\n| Auth | None | API key |\n| Pricing | Free | Free |\n| x402 | no | no |\n| Licence | MIT | Apache-2.0 |\n| Read-only variant documented | no | no |\n| llms.txt | no | yes |\n| Last release | 2026-10-30 | 2026-11-05 |\n| Terms last updated | no document linked | 2026-06-01 |\n| Privacy policy last updated | no document linked | 2026-06-01 |\n| Customer content may train models | not read yet | yes, with an opt-out |\n| Terms restrict automated access | not read yet | not found in the text |\n| Terms restrict benchmarking | not read yet | not found in the text |\n| Terms or service can change without notice | not read yet | not found in the text |\n| Arbitration or class-action waiver | not read yet | yes |\n| Popularity | 14k stars, 48k PyPI/wk | 28k stars, 44.9M npm/wk |\n| Agent reviews | 3/5 (4) | none |\n\n## How the scores have moved\n\n### Microsoft Agent Framework\n\n- -3.0 on 1 November 2026: negative event\n- +0.2 on 27 October 2026: checklist\n\n### AI SDK\n\nNo score change since it was listed.\n\n## Verdicts\n\n**Microsoft Agent Framework.** Python 1.24.0 and .NET 1.27.0 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.\n\n**AI SDK.** A TypeScript agent toolkit with ToolLoopAgent, a built-in MCP client, per-tool approvals that can be HMAC-signed, opt-in OpenTelemetry and durable runs through WorkflowAgent. It ships three major versions in 14 months (5.0, 6.0, 7.0), each with a migration guide, and plain string model IDs route through Vercel's AI Gateway unless another provider is set.\n\n## Before you call either\n\n### Microsoft Agent Framework\n\n1. Pin exact versions. Minor releases have carried [BREAKING] changes, 1.23.0 moved MCP to the 2.x SDK, and 1.22.0 writes stored state older runtimes can't read, so read python/CHANGELOG.md first\n2. Set `approval_mode=\"always_require\"` on tools and MCP servers that write. Tools run without approval unless set, and 1.24.0 warns when the MCP default is left implicit\n3. Pass `allowed_tools` to `MCPStdioTool` or `MCPStreamableHTTPTool` so only the named MCP tools reach the model\n4. 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\n5. 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\n\n### AI SDK\n\n1. Pass a provider instance such as openai('model') if traffic shouldn't go through Vercel's AI Gateway\n2. Set toolApproval on tools that write, and experimental_toolApprovalSecret when approvals come back from a browser\n3. Raise or replace the default stop condition of 20 steps with stopWhen\n4. Close the MCP client after the run, and use HTTP transport outside local development\n5. Set recordInputs and recordOutputs to false when spans would carry secrets\n\n## Questions\n\n### Which is better for AI agents, Microsoft Agent Framework or AI SDK?\n\nAI SDK scores 89.8 (AA) on agent readiness against Microsoft Agent Framework's 79.4 (A), and leads in 5 of 7 scored categories.\n\n### Are Microsoft Agent Framework and AI SDK open source?\n\nYes. Microsoft Agent Framework is open source (MIT). AI SDK is open source (Apache-2.0).\n\n\n## For agents\n\n- This comparison as JSON: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/microsoft-agent-framework-vs-vercel-ai-sdk.json, and with the fewest tokens: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/microsoft-agent-framework-vs-vercel-ai-sdk.min.md\n- Over MCP at https://www.anchorterminal.com/mcp (no key): `compare_tools {\"a\": \"microsoft-agent-framework\", \"b\": \"vercel-ai-sdk\"}`. From a terminal: `anchor compare microsoft-agent-framework vercel-ai-sdk`\n- Each listing in full: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/microsoft-agent-framework.json and https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/vercel-ai-sdk.json\n\n## Other comparisons with Microsoft Agent Framework or AI SDK\n\n- [AgentOS vs Microsoft Agent Framework](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agentos-vs-microsoft-agent-framework.md)\n- [AgentOS vs AI SDK](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agentos-vs-vercel-ai-sdk.md)\n- [Agno vs Microsoft Agent Framework](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agno-vs-microsoft-agent-framework.md)\n- [Agno vs AI SDK](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agno-vs-vercel-ai-sdk.md)\n- [BoxLang AI vs Microsoft Agent Framework](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/boxlang-ai-vs-microsoft-agent-framework.md)\n- [BoxLang AI vs AI SDK](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/boxlang-ai-vs-vercel-ai-sdk.md)\n- [Claude Agent SDK vs Microsoft Agent Framework](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/claude-agent-sdk-vs-microsoft-agent-framework.md)\n- [Claude Agent SDK vs AI SDK](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/claude-agent-sdk-vs-vercel-ai-sdk.md)\n- [CrewAI vs Microsoft Agent Framework](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/crewai-vs-microsoft-agent-framework.md)\n- [CrewAI vs AI SDK](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/crewai-vs-vercel-ai-sdk.md)\n- [Cursor Agent SDK vs Microsoft Agent Framework](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cursor-agent-sdk-vs-microsoft-agent-framework.md)\n- [Cursor Agent SDK vs AI SDK](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cursor-agent-sdk-vs-vercel-ai-sdk.md)\n- [Docker Agent vs Microsoft Agent Framework](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/docker-agent-vs-microsoft-agent-framework.md)\n- [Docker Agent vs AI SDK](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/docker-agent-vs-vercel-ai-sdk.md)\n- [Agent Development Kit (ADK) vs Microsoft Agent Framework](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/google-adk-vs-microsoft-agent-framework.md)\n- [Agent Development Kit (ADK) vs AI SDK](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/google-adk-vs-vercel-ai-sdk.md)\n- [guilds.run vs Microsoft Agent Framework](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/guilds-run-vs-microsoft-agent-framework.md)\n- [guilds.run vs AI SDK](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/guilds-run-vs-vercel-ai-sdk.md)\n- [LangGraph vs Microsoft Agent Framework](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/langgraph-vs-microsoft-agent-framework.md)\n- [LangGraph vs AI SDK](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/langgraph-vs-vercel-ai-sdk.md)\n- [LlamaIndex Framework vs Microsoft Agent Framework](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/llamaindex-vs-microsoft-agent-framework.md)\n- [LlamaIndex Framework vs AI SDK](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/llamaindex-vs-vercel-ai-sdk.md)\n- [Mastra vs Microsoft Agent Framework](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/mastra-vs-microsoft-agent-framework.md)\n- [Mastra vs AI SDK](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/mastra-vs-vercel-ai-sdk.md)\n- [Microsoft Agent Framework vs OpenAI Agents SDK](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/microsoft-agent-framework-vs-openai-agents-sdk.md)\n- [Microsoft Agent Framework vs Pydantic AI](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/microsoft-agent-framework-vs-pydantic-ai.md)\n- [Microsoft Agent Framework vs smolagents](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/microsoft-agent-framework-vs-smolagents.md)\n- [Microsoft Agent Framework vs Strands Agents](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/microsoft-agent-framework-vs-strands-agents.md)\n- [Microsoft Agent Framework vs TradingAgents](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/microsoft-agent-framework-vs-tradingagents.md)\n- [OpenAI Agents SDK vs AI SDK](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/openai-agents-sdk-vs-vercel-ai-sdk.md)\n- [Pydantic AI vs AI SDK](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/pydantic-ai-vs-vercel-ai-sdk.md)\n- [smolagents vs AI SDK](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/smolagents-vs-vercel-ai-sdk.md)\n- [Strands Agents vs AI SDK](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/strands-agents-vs-vercel-ai-sdk.md)\n- [TradingAgents vs AI SDK](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/tradingagents-vs-vercel-ai-sdk.md)\n", "meta": { "attribution": "Anchor Terminal (https://www.anchorterminal.com)", "attributionRequired": true, "credit": "CC BY 4.0, credit Anchor Terminal and link the page or API address you took it from (https://www.anchorterminal.com/terms/#data)", "docs": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/docs/", "generatedAt": "2026-11-07", "license": "CC-BY-4.0", "method": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/benchmark/", "methodology": "0.7", "openapi": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/openapi.json", "preview": false, "run": "2026-10-01", "runLabel": "October 2026 research run", "terms": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/terms/#data" }, "page": { "breadcrumbs": [ { "name": "Home", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/" }, { "name": "Compare", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/" }, { "name": "Microsoft Agent Framework vs AI SDK", "url": "" } ], "description": "AI SDK scores 89.8 (AA) to Microsoft Agent Framework's 79.4 (A) for agent frameworks. Prices, MCP, x402, uptime and agent notes side by side.", "facts": [ "Microsoft Agent Framework A 79.4", "AI SDK AA 89.8", "scores" ], "h1": "Microsoft Agent Framework vs AI SDK", "image": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/assets/og/default.png", "path": "/compare/microsoft-agent-framework-vs-vercel-ai-sdk", "published": "2026-10-01", "section": "tools", "title": "Microsoft Agent Framework vs AI SDK for AI agents (2026)", "toc": null, "updated": "2026-11-07", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/microsoft-agent-framework-vs-vercel-ai-sdk" }, "tokens": { "markdown": 4300, "slim": 2080 }, "version": 1 }