{"name":"AutoGen","tagline":"Microsoft framework for building multi-agent LLM applications.","url":"https://github.com/microsoft/autogen","category":"agents","pricing":"free","price_note":"open source (MIT)","free_tier":true,"open_source":true,"api":true,"self_host":true,"model_routing":"byok","verdict":"situational","verdict_text":"Multi-agent orchestration with human-in-the-loop, code execution, and group chat patterns. Still useful for research prototypes and complex reasoning chains, but now in maintenance mode and the debugging experience for agent conversations is rough.","limitations":["Now in maintenance mode; new users are directed to Microsoft Agent Framework.","Steep learning curve compared to CrewAI.","Documentation can lag the fast-moving codebase.","Production observability requires extra tooling."],"strengths":["Open-source Microsoft framework with human-in-the-loop and code execution.","Supports group chat patterns for complex reasoning chains.","Free under the MIT license."],"use_for":["Research prototypes that need multi-agent conversation patterns.","Complex reasoning chains before committing to a managed platform."],"skip_when":["You want active development rather than a maintenance-mode project.","Production observability and debugging are required out of the box.","The learning curve of a fast-moving codebase is a blocker."],"receipts":["https://github.com/microsoft/autogen","https://microsoft.github.io/autogen/"],"affiliate":"none","evidence_tier":"source-verified","momentum":"redshift","featured":false,"data_sensitivity":{"trains_on_inputs":"unknown","local_processing":true},"last_verified":"2026-08-24","observed_by":"whysanesanders","slug":"autogen","canonical_url":"https://noemium.com/tools/autogen/","attribution":"Noemium catalog data is licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). See https://noemium.com/method/ for how entries are verified."}