12 alternatives to Google ADK that we cover: OpenAI Agents SDK, LangGraph, CrewAI, Langflow, Botpress, Gumloop, Lindy, Microsoft Copilot Studio, Pydantic AI, Relevance AI, Voiceflow, Vercel AI SDK. The table shows the evidence behind each entry and whether its pricing has been verified.
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Open-source, code-first Python toolkit for building, evaluating and deploying agents.
ADK for Python 2.13.0 promotes 12 experimental features to stable, adds a classifier node for fast workflow routing, live audio with barge-in, and MongoDB session and memory services.
What it does well: Apache-2.0 license; Broad feature set: eval, live audio, memory services; Detailed release notes with a breaking-change section.
Where it falls short: Breaking telemetry default in 2.13.0; Several new services are experimental; We only ran it against a local model through LiteLLM, not Gemini, and did not test the telemetry change.
Latest version we cover: v2.13.0 (Oct 22, 2026). Vendor: Google.
When to look beyond Google ADK
Skip Google ADK if:
You need identical telemetry across upgrades; defaults changed
Tested (smoke test, 2026-10-25, local 3B model (Qwen2.5-3B))
Official page, dated
n/a
Evidence labels: Reported means written from official sources; Tested means a small smoke test with its scope stated. See methodology. Pricing status shows how well we could verify prices; open each tool page for the note.
Verdict: Pick it if you want a small, official framework for multi-agent flows on the OpenAI API; the update is incremental.
Pick OpenAI Agents SDK if: Python developers building agents on OpenAI models; Teams that want MCP tools plus approvals and sessions.
For agent building: OpenAI Agents SDK is #2, Google ADK is #4.
Latest release we cover: OpenAI Agents SDK v0.24.0 on Oct 15, 2026. Google ADK v2.13.0 on Oct 22, 2026.
Evidence: OpenAI Agents SDK: Tested (smoke test, 2026-10-25, local Qwen2.5-3B-Instruct, not vendor models). Google ADK: Tested (smoke test, 2026-10-25, local Qwen2.5-3B-Instruct, not vendor models).
Strength: OpenAI Agents SDK: MIT license, official OpenAI project. Google ADK: Apache-2.0 license.
Main caveat: OpenAI Agents SDK: Releases are mostly dependency bumps and fixes. Google ADK: Breaking telemetry default in 2.13.0.
Verdict: A dependable foundation for stateful agents; this release is a routine fix, so only update if the RemoteGraph or recursion fixes affect you.
Pick LangGraph if: Developers who want explicit control over agent state and flow; Teams running long-lived, resumable agents.
For agent building: LangGraph is #3, Google ADK is #4.
Latest release we cover: LangGraph 1.2.17 on Oct 24, 2026. Google ADK v2.13.0 on Oct 22, 2026.
Evidence: LangGraph: Tested (smoke test, 2026-10-25, local 3B model (Qwen2.5-3B)). Google ADK: Tested (smoke test, 2026-10-25, local Qwen2.5-3B-Instruct, not vendor models).
Strength: LangGraph: MIT license, large community. Google ADK: Apache-2.0 license.
Main caveat: LangGraph: More concepts to learn than simpler SDKs. Google ADK: Breaking telemetry default in 2.13.0.
Verdict: Reasonable if you like the crew-of-agents mental model; the memory and tool-loop fixes in this release are worth taking.
Pick CrewAI if: Developers who want role-based multi-agent flows; Teams that want a built-in eval command.
For agent building: CrewAI is #5, Google ADK is #4.
Latest release we cover: CrewAI 1.15.30 on Oct 23, 2026. Google ADK v2.13.0 on Oct 22, 2026.
Evidence: CrewAI: Tested (smoke test, 2026-10-25, local Qwen2.5-3B-Instruct, not vendor models). Google ADK: Tested (smoke test, 2026-10-25, local Qwen2.5-3B-Instruct, not vendor models).
Strength: CrewAI: MIT license and a large GitHub following. Google ADK: Apache-2.0 license.
Main caveat: CrewAI: Very fast release cadence (several versions per week). Google ADK: Breaking telemetry default in 2.13.0.
Verdict: MIT-licensed visual builder for AI agents and MCP servers with a very large GitHub following.
Pick Langflow if: Visual prototyping of RAG and agents; Exposing flows as MCP servers.
For agent building: Langflow is not ranked, Google ADK is #4.
Latest release we cover: Langflow (no version recorded) on Oct 26, 2026. Google ADK v2.13.0 on Oct 22, 2026.
Evidence: Langflow: Tested (smoke test, 2026-10-26, no LLM involved). Google ADK: Tested (smoke test, 2026-10-25, local Qwen2.5-3B-Instruct, not vendor models).
Strength: Langflow: MIT license. Google ADK: Apache-2.0 license.
Main caveat: Langflow: Hosted pricing not read. Google ADK: Breaking telemetry default in 2.13.0.
Verdict: Microsoft's platform for creating and managing custom agents, workflows and apps with no code.
Pick Microsoft Copilot Studio if: Microsoft 365 organizations building internal agents.
For agent building: Microsoft Copilot Studio is not ranked, Google ADK is #4.
Latest release we cover: Microsoft Copilot Studio (no version recorded) on Oct 25, 2026. Google ADK v2.13.0 on Oct 22, 2026.
Evidence: Microsoft Copilot Studio: Reported (not run by us). Google ADK: Tested (smoke test, 2026-10-25, local Qwen2.5-3B-Instruct, not vendor models).
Strength: Microsoft Copilot Studio: Microsoft ecosystem. Google ADK: Apache-2.0 license.
Main caveat: Microsoft Copilot Studio: Pricing not read. Google ADK: Breaking telemetry default in 2.13.0.
Verdict: Python agent framework built on Pydantic types, covering agents, realtime voice, image generation and embeddings.
Pick Pydantic AI if: Python teams that value type safety and validation.
For agent building: Pydantic AI is not ranked, Google ADK is #4.
Latest release we cover: Pydantic AI (no version recorded) on Oct 25, 2026. Google ADK v2.13.0 on Oct 22, 2026.
Evidence: Pydantic AI: Tested (smoke test, 2026-10-25, local 3B model (Qwen2.5-3B)). Google ADK: Tested (smoke test, 2026-10-25, local Qwen2.5-3B-Instruct, not vendor models).
Strength: Pydantic AI: Type-safe design. Google ADK: Apache-2.0 license.
Main caveat: Pydantic AI: Python only. Google ADK: Breaking telemetry default in 2.13.0.
Verdict: Vercel's TypeScript SDK that gives one API across many model providers, with streaming and agent helpers.
Pick Vercel AI SDK if: TypeScript and Next.js teams building chat or agent UIs.
For agent building: Vercel AI SDK is not ranked, Google ADK is #4.
Latest release we cover: Vercel AI SDK (no version recorded) on Oct 24, 2026. Google ADK v2.13.0 on Oct 22, 2026.
Evidence: Vercel AI SDK: Tested (smoke test, 2026-10-25, local 3B model (Qwen2.5-3B)). Google ADK: Tested (smoke test, 2026-10-25, local Qwen2.5-3B-Instruct, not vendor models).
Strength: Vercel AI SDK: Apache-2.0. Google ADK: Apache-2.0 license.
Main caveat: Vercel AI SDK: JavaScript ecosystem only. Google ADK: Breaking telemetry default in 2.13.0.
FAQ
What are the best alternatives to Google ADK?
OpenAI Agents SDK, LangGraph, CrewAI, Langflow, Botpress, Gumloop, Lindy, Microsoft Copilot Studio, Pydantic AI, Relevance AI, Voiceflow, Vercel AI SDK. Each is covered with a verdict on this site.
When should I use something other than Google ADK?
Skip Google ADK if: You need identical telemetry across upgrades; defaults changed; You are not using Python.