LangGraph vs CrewAI: which agent framework should you use?
updated · #4 vs #8 in agent frameworks & automation · prices checked
$ which one should you use?
building a long-running agent that has to branch, survive a crash and wait for a human? LangGraph. want a crew of role-based agents knocked up in an afternoon to see if the idea works? CrewAI.
LangGraph ranks higher on our board: #4 vs #8 of 9 agent frameworks, 8.0/10 vs 7.0/10.
#4 of 9 in agent frameworks
LangGraph
numptr says8.0/10
for Python workflows that branch like a family tree.
- best for
- complex stateful agents
- why 8.0
- durable and human-in-the-loop. LangSmith seats add up.
#8 of 9 in agent frameworks
CrewAI
numptr says7.0/10
knock up a crew of agents before your tea's gone cold.
- best for
- Python multi-agent prototypes
- why 7.0
- fast to prototype. free platform caps at 50 runs a month.
who wins for which job
complex stateful agents in production
LangGraph
best for: complex stateful agents.
a quick multi-agent prototype
CrewAI
best for: Python multi-agent prototypes.
overall, on our scores
LangGraph
#4 of 9 agent frameworks, 8.0/10. CrewAI: #8, 7.0/10.
the differences, side by side
rank
LangGraph#4 of 9 in agent frameworks
CrewAI#8 of 9 in agent frameworks
numptr score
LangGraph8.0/10
CrewAI7.0/10
best for
LangGraphcomplex stateful agents
CrewAIPython multi-agent prototypes
free tier
LangGraphframework open source; LangSmith Developer $0 (1 seat)
CrewAIopen-source framework; platform Basic free (50 workflow executions/mo)
paid plans
LangGraphopen-source framework free (MIT); LangSmith Developer $0 (1 seat); LangSmith Plus $39/seat/mo + usage; Enterprise custom
CrewAIbasic free (50 workflow executions/mo); Enterprise custom
affiliate
LangGraphno affiliate programme found. doesn't touch the rank.
CrewAIno affiliate programme found. doesn't touch the rank.
# straight from our rankings data. prices from each vendor's own page.
pick neither if
go deeper
quick answer: LangGraph vs CrewAI is "control" vs "speed to first crew". LangGraph ranks higher on our board (#4 of 9 agent frameworks, 8.0/10) because it's built for the hard bit: long-running, stateful agents with durable execution and a human in the loop. CrewAI (#8, 7.0/10) is the quicker way to get a team of role-playing agents working, and it's a fine place to prototype before you decide how much control you really need.
the short version
| LangGraph | CrewAI | |
|---|---|---|
| our rank | #4, 8.0/10 | #8, 7.0/10 |
| what it is | a low-level orchestration framework for long-running, stateful agents, built by LangChain (usable without LangChain) | a standalone Python framework: Crews for autonomous role-based agents, Flows for event-driven control |
| licence | MIT | MIT |
| languages | Python, with LangGraph.js for JS and TS | Python (3.10 to 3.13) |
| free | framework open source; LangSmith Developer $0 (1 seat) | open-source framework; platform Basic free (50 workflow executions/mo) |
| paid platform | LangSmith Plus $39/seat/mo plus usage; Enterprise custom | enterprise custom |
| the paid bit adds | unlimited seats, 10k base traces a month and one free small serverless LangSmith Deployment on Plus | SSO, role-based access, deploys to your own VPC or infrastructure, dedicated support |
ranks and scores come straight from our agent frameworks board, and nobody pays to move up it.
why LangGraph ranks higher
it's built for agents that run for ages. durable execution means an agent can persist through failures and resume from exactly where it left off. that matters the moment your agent does real work for minutes or hours, not one chat turn.
humans can step in mid-run. you can inspect and change the agent's state at any point, which is what you want when an agent is about to send an email, merge a PR or spend money.
it's low-level on purpose. you draw the graph: nodes, edges, branches, state. more typing up front, fewer surprises in production. if you want something higher-level, LangChain's Deep Agents package sits on top of LangGraph for agents that plan, use subagents and work with files.
the catch is the platform bill. the framework is free and MIT. LangSmith, LangChain's paid platform for tracing, evals and deployment, is $0 for one seat on developer (5k base traces a month), then Plus at $39 per seat a month with 10k base traces and usage on top. a team of five adds up.
where CrewAI wins
speed to a working crew. you describe agents by role, goal and backstory, hand them tasks, and run. for "three agents research, write and review" style jobs, you'll have something running before your tea's gone cold.
two modes in one framework. Crews give you autonomous collaboration; Flows give you precise, event-driven control with plain Python logic. you can mix them, so a prototype crew can grow up inside a flow without switching frameworks.
it plays nicely with your coding agent. CrewAI ships official skills you can add to Claude Code, Cursor, Codex and others, so your agent scaffolds Crews and Flows the way the docs intend.
the honest bit: the free CrewAI platform tier caps at 50 workflow executions a month, and everything above that is Enterprise, custom pricing. the open source framework itself costs nothing; you pay your model provider. it defaults to the OpenAI API, but local models via Ollama and LM Studio are supported.
which should you pick?
- a long-running agent that must resume after a crash: LangGraph
- an agent that needs a human to approve steps: LangGraph
- a multi-agent prototype by tonight: CrewAI
- role-based agents now, stricter control later: CrewAI, with Flows
- you write TypeScript: neither, really: Mastra is #1 on our board (8.5/10). LangGraph.js exists if you're set on LangGraph
- you want light Python multi-agent on OpenAI models: OpenAI Agents SDK (#5)
- you want a Claude agent that works on files and runs commands: Claude Agent SDK (#3)
the rest of the field
| rank | tool | best for | free tier | paid from | numptr score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #4 | LangGraph | complex stateful agents | framework open source; LangSmith Developer $0 (1 seat) | open-source framework free | 8.0/10 |
| #8 | CrewAI | Python multi-agent prototypes | open-source framework; platform Basic free (50 workflow executions/mo) | basic free | 7.0/10 |
| #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 |
| #5 | OpenAI Agents SDK | Python multi-agent apps on OpenAI models (others supported) | open source (MIT), free | free | 8.0/10 |
| #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 |
faq
is LangGraph better than CrewAI?
on our board, yes. LangGraph is #4 with 8.0/10 and CrewAI is #8 with 7.0/10. LangGraph wins on durable, stateful, human-in-the-loop agents; CrewAI wins on how fast you get a multi-agent prototype running.
is CrewAI built on LangChain?
no. CrewAI describes itself as a standalone Python framework with its own primitives for agents, tasks, crews, flows, tools and orchestration.
do i need LangChain to use LangGraph?
no. LangGraph is built by LangChain inc, but it can be used without LangChain.
are LangGraph and CrewAI free?
both frameworks are open source under MIT and free to use; you pay your model provider. the paid bits are the platforms: LangSmith Plus is $39 per seat a month plus usage, and CrewAI's platform is free up to 50 workflow executions a month, then Enterprise.
can i use local models?
CrewAI lists Ollama and LM Studio support in its README. for running models locally, see Ollama vs llama.cpp.
sources
checked 2026-10-24
- LangGraph README (low-level orchestration, durable execution, human-in-the-loop, memory, Deep Agents, LangGraph.js, usable without LangChain; MIT via GitHub API): https://github.com/langchain-ai/langgraph
- LangSmith pricing (developer $0 for 1 seat and 5k base traces, Plus $39/seat with 10k base traces, Enterprise custom): https://www.langchain.com/pricing
- CrewAI README (standalone Python framework, Crews and Flows, Python 3.10 to 3.13, official coding agent skills, OpenAI default, Ollama and LM Studio; MIT via GitHub API): https://github.com/crewAIInc/crewAI
- CrewAI pricing (basic free with 50 workflow executions/month, Enterprise custom with SSO and RBAC): https://www.crewai.com/pricing
- ranks, scores, verdicts and free tiers: numptr data/tools.json (agent frameworks board)