Keywords AI

CrewAI vs LangChain

Compare CrewAI and LangChain side by side. Both are tools in the Agent Frameworks category.

Quick Comparison

	CrewAI	LangChain
Category	Agent Frameworks	Agent Frameworks
Pricing	Open Source	Open Source
Best For	Developers who want to build multi-agent systems where specialized agents collaborate	Developers building complex LLM applications who need a comprehensive orchestration framework
Website	crewai.com	langchain.com
Key Features	Multi-agent role-based collaboration Simple YAML or Python configuration Built-in task delegation Memory and tool integration Process types: sequential, hierarchical, parallel	LangChain Expression Language (LCEL) LangGraph for stateful multi-agent workflows 1000+ integrations LangSmith observability companion Python and JavaScript SDKs
Use Cases	Multi-agent team workflows Automated research and content pipelines Business process automation with AI teams Customer service agent hierarchies Collaborative problem-solving	Building RAG applications Multi-agent orchestration with LangGraph Tool-using conversational agents Document processing pipelines Complex chain-of-thought workflows

When to Choose CrewAI vs LangChain

Choose CrewAI if you need

Multi-agent team workflows
Automated research and content pipelines
Business process automation with AI teams

Pricing: Open Source

Choose LangChain if you need

Building RAG applications
Multi-agent orchestration with LangGraph
Tool-using conversational agents

Pricing: Open Source

How to Choose a Agent Frameworks Tool

Key criteria to evaluate when comparing Agent Frameworks solutions:

Programming languagePython, TypeScript, or both — must match your team skills and existing codebase.

Architecture patternSingle-agent, multi-agent, or graph-based orchestration depending on task complexity.

Tool ecosystemBuilt-in tools and ease of creating custom tools for your specific needs.

ObservabilityBuilt-in tracing, debugging, and monitoring for understanding agent behavior.

Production readinessError handling, retries, streaming, and deployment options for production use.

About CrewAI

CrewAI is a framework for orchestrating multi-agent AI systems where specialized agents collaborate to complete complex tasks. It provides abstractions for defining agent roles, goals, tools, and workflows, enabling teams of AI agents to work together like a human crew. CrewAI supports sequential, parallel, and hierarchical task execution patterns and integrates with all major LLM providers.

View CrewAI profile →Visit website

About LangChain

LangChain is the most widely adopted framework for building LLM-powered applications and AI agents. It provides abstractions for chains, agents, tools, memory, and retrieval that make it easy to compose complex AI systems. LangGraph, its agent orchestration layer, enables building stateful, multi-actor workflows with human-in-the-loop capabilities. LangSmith provides tracing, evaluation, and monitoring. The LangChain ecosystem is the largest in the AI application development space.

View LangChain profile →Visit website

What is Agent Frameworks?

Developer frameworks and SDKs for building autonomous AI agents with tool use, planning, multi-step reasoning, and orchestration capabilities.

Browse all Agent Frameworks tools →

Frequently Asked Questions

What is an AI agent framework?▾

An agent framework provides the building blocks for creating AI agents that can autonomously plan, use tools, and complete multi-step tasks. Instead of building tool use, memory, and orchestration from scratch, you get pre-built components that handle the common patterns.

Do I need a framework or can I build agents with raw API calls?▾

For simple single-tool agents, raw API calls work fine. Frameworks become valuable when you need multi-step planning, tool orchestration, error recovery, memory, or multi-agent coordination. They save significant development time for complex agent architectures.

Which agent framework should I choose?▾

LangChain and LlamaIndex are the most mature with the largest ecosystems. CrewAI is best for multi-agent workflows. Vercel AI SDK is ideal for TypeScript/Next.js applications. Evaluate based on your language preference, use case complexity, and integration needs.