Which AI agent framework should you use — LangGraph, CrewAI, or AutoGen?

LangGraph: explicit orchestration

LangGraph’s documentation describes a low-level runtime for stateful agents. It supports durable execution, human intervention, and mixing deterministic steps with model-driven steps. It can be used without LangChain. Consider it when you need to make the workflow’s state and transitions explicit.

CrewAI: Crews and Flows

CrewAI’s documentation distinguishes Crews, which organize agents around roles and tasks, from Flows, which manage state and execution. Treating CrewAI as only a role-playing abstraction misses that second layer. Its documented production pattern starts with a Flow and delegates suitable work to a Crew.

AutoGen: check the migration path

AutoGen’s repository currently marks the project as being in maintenance mode, with no new features or enhancements planned. It directs new users to Microsoft Agent Framework and links a migration guide for existing users. That support status matters more to a new deployment decision than the older shorthand that AutoGen means agents chatting with one another.

Make the comparison on your own task

Our recommendation is to test a representative workflow before committing to an abstraction. Include a tool failure, a restart, a human approval, and a changed requirement. Compare how clearly each option lets you express and inspect those behaviors. A small application may need only a simple loop; more complex orchestration can justify a framework.

This is an editorial comparison of the linked documentation, checked September 5, 2026, not a performance benchmark. The related interviews provide historical context; they are not evidence of the projects’ current APIs or maintenance policies.