Claude Agent SDK vs OpenAI Agents SDK: which should you build your agent on?
updated · #3 vs #5 in agent frameworks & automation · prices checked
Claude Agent SDK8.5#3 of 9 in agent frameworkssame since oct 19form: held its place every day for 5 days
OpenAI Agents SDK8.0#5 of 9 in agent frameworkssame since oct 19form: held its place every day for 5 dayswhich one should you use?
want an agent that reads files, edits code and runs commands out of the box? Claude Agent SDK. want light Python primitives (handoffs, guardrails, tracing) and the freedom to pick your model? OpenAI Agents SDK.
Claude Agent SDK ranks higher on our board: #3 vs #5 of 9 agent frameworks, 8.5/10 vs 8.0/10.
#3 of 9 in agent frameworks
Claude Agent SDK
numptr says8.5/10
Claude Code's engine, minus the terminal. bolt it into your own app.
- best for
- shipping Claude-powered agents that work on files and run commands
- why 8.5
- same tools, hooks and subagents as Claude Code. you pay API rates, so watch the meter.
#5 of 9 in agent frameworks
OpenAI Agents SDK
numptr says8.0/10
handoffs, guardrails and tracing built in, MIT licensed. Python folk will feel at home.
- best for
- Python multi-agent apps on OpenAI models (others supported)
- why 8.0
- light to learn, with guardrails and handoffs built in. you still foot the model bill.
who wins for which job
agents that work on files and run commands
Claude Agent SDK
best for: shipping Claude-powered agents that work on files and run commands.
Python multi-agent apps, any provider
OpenAI Agents SDK
best for: Python multi-agent apps on OpenAI models (others supported).
overall, on our scores
Claude Agent SDK
#3 of 9 agent frameworks, 8.5/10. OpenAI Agents SDK: #5, 8.0/10.
the differences, side by side
rank
Claude Agent SDK#3 of 9 in agent frameworks
OpenAI Agents SDK#5 of 9 in agent frameworks
numptr score
Claude Agent SDK8.5/10
OpenAI Agents SDK8.0/10
best for
Claude Agent SDKshipping Claude-powered agents that work on files and run commands
OpenAI Agents SDKPython multi-agent apps on OpenAI models (others supported)
free tier
Claude Agent SDKSDK free to use; Claude API usage billed per token (no free API tier confirmed)
OpenAI Agents SDKopen source (MIT), free
paid plans
Claude Agent SDKfree SDK; pay Claude API token rates (see Anthropic pricing); governed by Anthropic Commercial Terms
OpenAI Agents SDKfree (you pay your model provider)
price checked
Claude Agent SDK2026-10-25 at code.claude.com/docs/en/agent-sdk/overview
OpenAI Agents SDK2026-10-25 at openai.github.io/openai-agents-python
# straight from our rankings data. prices from each vendor's own page.
pick neither if
quick answer: on our agent frameworks board the Claude Agent SDK is #3 of 9 (8.5/10) and the OpenAI Agents SDK is #5 (8.0/10). Claude's wins because it hands you Claude Code's actual agent loop and tools: your agent can read, write and edit files and run commands from day one. OpenAI's is the lighter, more flexible kit: a handful of Python primitives, built-in tracing, and models from more than one provider.
the short version
| Claude Agent SDK | OpenAI Agents SDK | |
|---|---|---|
| our rank | #3, 8.5/10 | #5, 8.0/10 |
| what it is | Claude Code as a library: same tools, agent loop and context management | a lightweight agent framework with very few abstractions, the production successor to Swarm |
| languages | Python and TypeScript | Python (pip install openai-agents), plus a JS/TS version |
| built in | file read, write and edit, running commands, web search, hooks, subagents, MCP, permissions, sessions, skills, plugins | agents, handoffs and agents as tools, guardrails, sessions, human in the loop, tracing, MCP, sandbox agents, realtime and voice agents |
| models | Claude, with an API key | OpenAI by default via the responses API; non-OpenAI providers supported |
| licence | Anthropic's Commercial Terms | MIT |
| cost | free SDK; pay Claude API token rates (see Anthropic pricing); governed by Anthropic Commercial Terms | free (you pay your model provider) |
ranks and scores come straight from our agent frameworks board, and nobody pays to move up it.
why the Claude Agent SDK ranks higher
the hard bit is already done. most agent frameworks give you a loop and leave the tools to you. the Claude Agent SDK runs the Claude Code binary, so your agent arrives with the tools that matter for real work: read, write and edit files, run commands, search the web. if you're building a code reviewer, a bug fixer or anything that works inside a repo, you're starting where Claude Code already is.
the same knobs as Claude Code. hooks to run your own code at points in the agent lifecycle, subagents for focused subtasks, MCP for external tools and data, permissions for what runs automatically and what needs approval, and sessions you can resume or fork. it even loads skills, commands and memory from your project's .claude/ folder, so the setup you've built for Claude Code carries over.
the catch: it's Claude only, and you pay Claude API token rates, so watch the meter on long agent runs. Anthropic doesn't let third-party products offer claude.ai login or its rate limits (unless previously approved), so your users' runs go on your API key. and it's governed by Anthropic's Commercial Terms rather than an open source licence. you also can't brand your product as Claude Code.
where the OpenAI Agents SDK wins
small and quick to learn. agents (an LLM with instructions and tools), handoffs and agents as tools for delegating between agents, and guardrails that validate inputs and outputs in parallel and fail fast. that's most of it. any Python function becomes a tool, with the schema generated for you and Pydantic validation.
tracing comes free. built-in tracing to visualise and debug your agent runs, hooked into OpenAI's evaluation and fine-tuning tools. for multi-agent flows, seeing which agent handed off to which is half the debugging.
not locked to one vendor. it uses the responses API by default for OpenAI models, but non-OpenAI providers are supported. MIT licensed, so you can read it, fork it and ship it without a commercial agreement.
voice and sandboxes. realtime voice agents on gpt-realtime-2.1 with interruption detection, voice pipelines (speech to text, agent, text to speech), and sandbox agents that run in isolated workspaces with resumable sessions.
the honest bit: you get primitives, not a ready-made coding agent. if your agent needs to edit files and run shell commands, you're wiring that up yourself or using sandbox agents, where the Claude Agent SDK has it out of the box.
which should you pick?
- an agent that works inside a codebase (review, fix, refactor, run tests): Claude Agent SDK
- you already have a tuned Claude Code setup (skills, hooks, MCP servers): Claude Agent SDK, it loads the same
.claude/config - multi-agent triage and routing in Python, with guardrails: OpenAI Agents SDK
- you want to swap model providers or avoid one-vendor lock-in: OpenAI Agents SDK
- voice agents: OpenAI Agents SDK
- you write TypeScript and want workflows, memory and evals in one kit: Mastra is #1 (8.5/10). see Mastra vs Vercel AI SDK
- complex stateful graphs with durable execution: LangGraph (#4). see LangGraph vs CrewAI
- you don't want to build an agent, you want to use one: Claude Code
the rest of the field
the table: the rest of the field
| rank | tool | best for | free tier | paid from | numptr score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #3 | Claude Agent SDK | shipping Claude-powered agents that work on files and run commands | SDK free to use; Claude API usage billed per token (no free API tier confirmed) | free SDK | 8.5/10 |
| #5 | OpenAI Agents SDK | Python multi-agent apps on OpenAI models (others supported) | open source (MIT), free | free | 8.0/10 |
| #1 | Mastra | production TypeScript agents | framework free (Apache 2.0 core; ee/ enterprise code has its own licence); Cloud Starter $0/mo | open-source framework free to self-host | 8.5/10 |
| #4 | LangGraph | complex stateful agents | framework open source; LangSmith Developer $0 (1 seat) | open-source framework free | 8.0/10 |
| #2 | Vercel AI SDK | chat UIs, simple tool-calling | open source, free | free | 8.5/10 |
faq
is the Claude Agent SDK better than the OpenAI Agents SDK?
on our board, yes: #3 (8.5/10) to #5 (8.0/10). it wins for agents that work on files and run commands. the OpenAI Agents SDK wins for lightweight Python multi-agent apps and for using more than one model provider.
can the OpenAI Agents SDK use Claude models?
it supports non-OpenAI providers, per its docs (see the models page). it defaults to OpenAI models through the responses API.
can the Claude Agent SDK use other models?
it's built for Claude: it runs the Claude Code binary and authenticates with a Claude API key.
are they free?
both SDKs are free to use; you pay for the model tokens. the OpenAI Agents SDK is MIT licensed. the Claude Agent SDK is governed by Anthropic's Commercial Terms and you pay Claude API rates.
what's the difference between the Claude Agent SDK and Claude Code?
Claude Code is the terminal tool you use yourself. the Agent SDK is the same agent loop and tools as a Python or TypeScript library, for building it into your own app. see our Claude Code page.
sources
checked 2026-10-26
- Claude Agent SDK overview (Claude Code as a library, Python and TypeScript, built-in tools, hooks, subagents, MCP, permissions, sessions, skills from .claude/, plugins, runs the Claude Code binary, API key auth and the claude.ai login note, branding rules, Commercial Terms): https://code.claude.com/docs/en/agent-sdk/overview
- OpenAI Agents SDK docs (primitives, Swarm successor, guardrails, handoffs, sessions, human in the loop, tracing, MCP, sandbox, realtime and voice agents, responses API default, non-OpenAI providers, pip install openai-agents): https://openai.github.io/openai-agents-python/
- OpenAI Agents SDK licence (MIT, Python and JS repos via the GitHub API): https://github.com/openai/openai-agents-python and https://github.com/openai/openai-agents-js
- ranks, scores, verdicts and pricing: numptr data/tools.json (agent frameworks board)