Microsoft AutoGen
Microsoft Research / github.com
Open source multi-agent AI framework from Microsoft Research enabling conversational and collaborative AI agent systems with flexible interaction patterns and human-in-the-loop support.
Pricing
Free
Free plan
Yes
Category
Developer Tools
Platforms
2
Free plan
Yes
API access
Yes
Open source
Yes
Platforms
2
What is Microsoft AutoGen?
AutoGen (now AG2) is Microsoft Research's open source framework for multi-agent AI systems where multiple agents converse, collaborate, and involve humans in the loop. Supports sequential pipelines, hierarchical orchestration, nested agents, and group chats where agents discuss and converge. AutoGen Studio provides a web UI for visual agent design without code. Microsoft uses AutoGen internally for complex AI workflows, giving it strong research pedigree alongside practical enterprise validation.
How Microsoft AutoGen works
Microsoft AutoGen runs as llm application framework software built around text and code workflows. Users typically start with a prompt, upload, or connected data source, and the underlying model handles the heavy lifting before returning a result you can refine or export. It's available on python and web (autogen studio), with API access for teams that want to embed it into their own products.
Watch Microsoft AutoGen in action
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What makes it worth shortlisting
The capabilities that matter most for teams evaluating Microsoft AutoGen.
Conversational agents
AI agents exchanging messages for collaborative reasoning and task completion through conversation.
Human-in-the-loop
UserProxy agents representing humans who can review, approve, or redirect agent actions at configurable checkpoints.
AutoGen Studio
Web-based interface for designing and testing multi-agent systems visually.
Best use cases
Who should use it
Pros
- Strong research pedigree from Microsoft Research
- Flexible multi-agent patterns cover diverse use cases
- AutoGen Studio provides web UI for non-code agent design
- Large community with extensive documentation
Cons
- More complex API than CrewAI for simple use cases
- Framework evolution creates some API stability challenges
- Requires comfort with multi-agent design patterns
Is it worth the price?
Free and open source. No subscription cost. Requires own AI model API keys.
Model
Open Source
Starting price
Free
Free trial
No
Tools like Microsoft AutoGen
CrewAI is more accessible for common multi-agent patterns. LangGraph provides stateful workflows within LangChain. OpenHands and Devin AI provide autonomous coding agents.
Microsoft AutoGen vs CrewAI
A side-by-side look at the closest alternative in this category.
Microsoft AutoGen
Microsoft Research
CrewAI
CrewAI
Free and open source. No subscription cost. Requires own AI model API keys.
Open source free. CrewAI+ cloud $29/month Starter, $99/month Teams, Enterprise custom.
Open source: data handling per configured LLM providers. AutoGen itself does not transmit data to Microsoft.
Open source: data handling per configured LLM providers. CrewAI+ cloud: review CrewAI's data handling policy.
Data handling entirely through configured AI provider APIs. AutoGen itself does not transmit data to Microsoft.
Data handling depends on configured LLM providers. CrewAI+ cloud processes workflow data on CrewAI's infrastructure.
- Strong research pedigree from Microsoft Research
- Flexible multi-agent patterns cover diverse use cases
- AutoGen Studio provides web UI for non-code agent design
- Large community with extensive documentation
- Most popular open source multi-agent framework with millions of downloads
- Intuitive agent role and goal definition
- Supports any LLM provider including local models
- CrewAI+ cloud reduces infrastructure management for production
- More complex API than CrewAI for simple use cases
- Framework evolution creates some API stability challenges
- Requires comfort with multi-agent design patterns
- Multi-agent workflows add complexity vs single-agent approaches
- Debugging complex agent interactions requires patience
- CrewAI+ cloud adds cost for production deployment
Technical & deployment info
Key facts about model providers, platforms, and team support.
Model Provider
OpenAI, Anthropic, Agnostic
Platforms
Python, Web (AutoGen Studio)
Deployment
Open Source
Integrations
OpenAI, Anthropic, Azure OpenAI, Ollama, GitHub
Team Collaboration
No
Launch Year
2023
Security & privacy
Compliance signals and data-handling notes as reported by the vendor.
Open source: data handling per configured LLM providers. AutoGen itself does not transmit data to Microsoft.
Data handling entirely through configured AI provider APIs. AutoGen itself does not transmit data to Microsoft.
What users are saying
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Common questions about Microsoft AutoGen
Editorial Verdict
Should you use Microsoft AutoGen?
AutoGen is the best multi-agent framework for complex enterprise AI workflows requiring flexible interaction patterns. For simpler use cases, CrewAI is more accessible.
Last verified July 24, 2026.