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.