LangChain vs LlamaIndex: license, pricing and features compared (October 2026)
LangChain and LlamaIndex are both listed under Agent building. GitHub stars on Oct 25, 2026: LangChain 148,451 (langchain-ai/langchain) vs LlamaIndex 52,662 (run-llama/llama_index). Stars measure attention, not quality. LangChain is the better fit for: developers who want the widest set of integrations. LlamaIndex is the better fit for: RAG and document-question-answering projects. Facts were read from vendor and GitHub pages on Oct 25, 2026 and are Reported; what we ran ourselves is under What we measured.
Our pick: Pick LangChain for developers who want the widest set of integrations; pick LlamaIndex for RAG and document-question-answering projects. No overall winner: we have not benchmarked them against each other. Updated (America/Chicago).
Evidence: Both tools have a Tested entry (scope on each tool page). The facts in the tables were read from each vendor's own pages and the public GitHub API on 2026-10-25 (America/Chicago) and are Reported. The What we measured section lists what we have actually run, with links to the test logs, and what we have not run yet; anything we could not confirm is marked as not captured.
LangChain · langchain-core 1.7.0
Tested (smoke test)
Open-source framework for building LLM applications and agents in Python and JavaScript, from the team behind LangGraph and LangSmith.
LlamaIndex · v0.14.25
Tested (smoke test)
Open-source data framework for retrieval-augmented generation and document-centred agents, with a hosted document platform alongside.
Side by side, from what we recorded
Each row compares one recorded fact for both tools. Rows are not weighted and nothing is added up into a score; the note under each row says what the marker means.
Evidence
Tested (smoke test) for LangChainTested (smoke test) for LlamaIndexTested = we ran it (smoke test); Reported = we read official sources
Smoke-test result
Passed for LangChainPassed for LlamaIndexEach tool's own smoke test on the same CPU-only machine; tasks differ unless the logs say otherwise
GitHub stars
148,451 (LangChain is ahead on this row) for LangChain52,662 for LlamaIndexAttention, not quality. Read Oct 25, 2026 / Oct 25, 2026
Most recent release we saw
Oct 22, 2026 (LangChain is ahead on this row) for LangChainSep 21, 2026 for LlamaIndexMore recent = newer release date; says nothing about quality
Pricing we could verify
Verified from official page for LangChainVerified from official page for LlamaIndexAbout our evidence only, not about the price
Steps in our setup guide
2 for LangChain2 for LlamaIndexCounts our guide's steps, not difficulty
Sources we cite
2 for LangChain2 for LlamaIndexHow much we had to read; more is not better
A list of recorded differences, not a quality score or a ranking. We have not benchmarked these tools against each other; the smoke-test row links each tool's own log. How we label evidence.
What we measured
We ran both LangChain and LlamaIndex ourselves; the table links each full test log. These are smoke tests on one CPU-only machine, not benchmarks. Both ran the same task on the same local model, so the two results are comparable on that one task only. Model-driven runs used a small local Qwen2.5-3B-Instruct model.
| Test | LangChain | LlamaIndex |
|---|---|---|
| Hands-on test log (install and a real task) | Tested: LangChain 1.4.7, Oct 25, 2026: passed. LangChain 1.4.7 passed our one-tool task on a local 3B model: 3 of 3 trials; cold uv install 0.8 s. Full test log | Tested: LlamaIndex 0.14.25, Oct 25, 2026: passed. LlamaIndex 0.14.25 passed our one-tool task on a local 3B model: 3 of 3 trials; cold uv install 3.4 s. Full test log |
How we test and label results: methodology. All test logs: test hub.
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LangChain vs LlamaIndex at a glance
LangChain and LlamaIndex are both listed under Agent building. Agentic Weekly's LangChain page names LlamaIndex as an alternative. LangChain: Open-source framework for building LLM applications and agents in Python and JavaScript, from the team behind LangGraph and LangSmith. LlamaIndex: Open-source data framework for retrieval-augmented generation and document-centred agents, with a hosted document platform alongside.
| Feature | LangChain | LlamaIndex |
|---|---|---|
| Vendor | LangChain | LlamaIndex |
| Listed under | Agent building | Agent building |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Pricing model | Free and open source | Free and open source |
| Free tier | Free to self-host | Free to self-host |
| Paid plans | None listed for the library | None listed for the library |
| Platforms | Python and JavaScript libraries | Python and TypeScript libraries; hosted cloud product |
| Public repository | langchain-ai/langchain: 148,451 stars, last push Oct 25, 2026 UTC (GitHub API, Oct 25, 2026) | run-llama/llama_index: 52,662 stars, last push Oct 23, 2026 UTC (GitHub API, Oct 25, 2026) |
| Latest release we saw | langchain-core 1.7.0, Oct 22, 2026 | v0.14.25, Sep 21, 2026 |
| Evidence | Tested (scope on its tool page) | Tested (scope on its tool page) |
How LangChain and LlamaIndex differ
- GitHub stars on Oct 25, 2026: LangChain 148,451 (langchain-ai/langchain) vs LlamaIndex 52,662 (run-llama/llama_index). Stars measure attention, not quality.
- Plans and prices differ and are not like-for-like (credits, seats and usage limits vary), so we do not name a cheaper tool. The Paid plans row above quotes each vendor's plan list as read on Oct 25, 2026.
- Latest release we saw: LangChain langchain-core 1.7.0 on Oct 22, 2026; LlamaIndex v0.14.25 on Sep 21, 2026 (31 days earlier).
- Platforms as the vendors list them: LangChain: Python and JavaScript libraries. LlamaIndex: Python and TypeScript libraries; hosted cloud product.
Both carry the same license: MIT. Both are listed as "Free and open source", so compare the plan tables rather than the model.
Which should you pick?
- Pick LangChain if: developers who want the widest set of integrations; teams that will pair it with LangGraph for stateful agents. Skip it if: you want a minimal library with few abstractions.
- Pick LlamaIndex if: RAG and document-question-answering projects; teams with lots of PDFs and unstructured data. Skip it if: you need a general multi-agent orchestrator rather than data tooling.
Strengths and limits
| Feature | LangChain | LlamaIndex |
|---|---|---|
| Strengths | Very large integration surface; MIT license | Strong data-ingestion focus; MIT license |
| Limits | Large API surface; abstractions have changed over time; Our test was one small task on a local 3B model; it does not show behaviour with hosted models or larger jobs | Hosted product pricing not read here; Our test was one small task on a local 3B model; it does not show behaviour with hosted models or larger jobs |
What we did not verify
- LlamaIndex: Hosted product pricing.
- Output quality, speed and reliability beyond the smoke tests listed under What we measured: not compared.
FAQ
Is LangChain or LlamaIndex open source?
LangChain: MIT. LlamaIndex: MIT. Licenses come from each project's GitHub repository or the vendor's own pages, read Oct 25, 2026; read the license text itself before redistributing or building a competing service.
Does LangChain or LlamaIndex have a free plan?
LangChain: Free: to self-host. LlamaIndex: Free: to self-host. Checked Oct 25, 2026; prices and limits change, so confirm on each vendor's page.
Which was updated more recently, LangChain or LlamaIndex?
LangChain's newest release we saw is langchain-core 1.7.0 (Oct 22, 2026); LlamaIndex's is v0.14.25 (Sep 21, 2026). Read Oct 25, 2026 from the official release page or repository; a newer date is not a quality ranking.
What is the main difference between LangChain and LlamaIndex?
GitHub stars on Oct 25, 2026: LangChain 148,451 (langchain-ai/langchain) vs LlamaIndex 52,662 (run-llama/llama_index). Stars measure attention, not quality. Plans and prices differ and are not like-for-like (credits, seats and usage limits vary), so we do not name a cheaper tool. The Paid plans row above quotes each vendor's plan list as read on Oct 25, 2026.
Sources
- LangChain (fetched 2026-10-25)
- LangChain repository (GitHub) (fetched 2026-10-25)
- LlamaIndex (fetched 2026-10-25)
- LlamaIndex repository (GitHub) (fetched 2026-10-25)
Related
Page history
- : First published. Facts read from vendor pages and the GitHub API on 2026-10-25.
Markdown version for agents: /compare/langchain-vs-llamaindex.md
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