AutoGen vs Google Agent Development Kit (ADK)
A side-by-side comparison of capabilities, autonomy, integrations, and pricing to help you choose.
Short answer: choose AutoGen if you want microsoft framework for multi-agent conversational ai applications (Supervised agent, free); choose Google Agent Development Kit (ADK) if you want open-source framework for building and orchestrating multi-agent systems (Supervised agent, free).
| AutoGen | Google Agent Development Kit (ADK) | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Microsoft framework for multi-agent conversational AI applications | Open-source framework for building and orchestrating multi-agent systems |
| Type | framework | framework |
| Autonomy | Supervised agent | Supervised agent |
| Pricing | free · Free (open source) | free · Free (open source; pay model + cloud usage) |
| Best for | developers, enterprise | developers, enterprise |
| Deployment | self-hosted, api | self-hosted, api |
| Modalities | text, code, api | text, code, api |
| Models | model-agnostic, gpt, claude, open-source | gemini, model-agnostic |
| Protocols | function-calling, rest-api | a2a, mcp, function-calling, rest-api |
| Integrations | OpenAI, Azure OpenAI, Anthropic, Ollama | Vertex AI, Cloud Run, Gemini, LiteLLM, MCP servers |
| Capabilities | 4 documented | 3 documented |
AutoGen
- +Strong, well-known abstraction for multi-agent conversation (two-agent and group-chat patterns) from Microsoft Research
- +v0.4 rewrite brings an asynchronous, event-driven architecture with better observability and control
- +Open source, model-agnostic, and supports humans as first-class participants in agent conversations
- -Framework, not a product: autonomy and reliability depend entirely on what the developer builds
- -Now community-managed and described as in maintenance mode, with the original team's active work continuing under the renamed AG2 project
Google Agent Development Kit (ADK)
- +Backed by Google with first-class deployment to Vertex AI and Cloud Run
- +Built around the open A2A protocol for cross-framework agent interoperability
- +Model-agnostic via LiteLLM despite Gemini-first defaults
- -A framework, not a product: you build, host, and secure agents yourself
- -Strongest when paired with Google Cloud, which can imply lock-in
Which should you choose?
AutoGen is microsoft framework for multi-agent conversational ai applications, best for developers, enterprise. Google Agent Development Kit (ADK) is open-source framework for building and orchestrating multi-agent systems, best for developers, enterprise. The right choice depends on the autonomy level you want, your existing integrations, and your budget, all compared above.
This comparison is generated from the sourced AutoGen and Google Agent Development Kit (ADK) profiles. Open either profile to review its evidence and last-reviewed date.