Compare / Head to head
CrewAI vs LangGraph: which agent framework should you use?
Quick verdict
Pick CrewAI to get a role-based multi-agent crew working fast with little boilerplate. Pick LangGraph when you need fine-grained control: explicit graphs, persistence, human-in-the-loop and streaming for production agents. Both frameworks are open source.
Comparison table
| Tool | Pricing | Free tier | Best for | Hosting | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ACrewAI | Open-source framework; CrewAI platform: Basic free, Enterprise custom | Yes — framework is free; platform Basic includes 50 workflow executions/month | Role-based multi-agent crews and business automations | Self-host the framework; CrewAI cloud, your VPC or your infra (Enterprise) | Visit ↗ |
| SLangGraph | Open source (MIT); LangSmith Developer $0 (1 seat), Plus $39/seat/mo + usage, Enterprise custom | Yes — framework is free; LangSmith Developer includes 5k base traces/month | Stateful, controllable agents with human-in-the-loop | Self-host, or LangSmith Cloud (US/EU), hybrid or self-hosted (Enterprise) | Visit ↗ |
Pricing checked on each vendor's official site on October 14, 2026. Prices change often — always confirm on the official site. "See site" means we couldn't verify it.
Who should pick which?
Pick CrewAI if…
You want agents defined by roles and goals collaborating on tasks, plus a visual Studio for business users.
Try CrewAI ↗Pick LangGraph if…
You're an engineer building production agents that need checkpoints, retries, branching and tracing in LangSmith.
Try LangGraph ↗FAQ
Are CrewAI and LangGraph free?
Both frameworks are open source and free. Their hosted platforms are optional: CrewAI has a free Basic plan (50 executions/month) and custom Enterprise; LangSmith has a free Developer plan and Plus at $39 per seat per month plus usage.
Which is easier to learn?
CrewAI is generally faster to get started with thanks to its high-level Crew/Agent/Task abstractions. LangGraph is lower-level and more explicit.
Can CrewAI and LangGraph work together?
They're separate frameworks, but both work with common tools such as MCP servers and browser infrastructure like Browserbase.
Which is better for production?
LangGraph's persistence, human-in-the-loop and LangSmith observability make it a strong production choice; CrewAI Enterprise adds governance, SSO and VPC deployment.