# LangChain vs LlamaIndex: license, pricing and features compared (October 2026)

Canonical: https://theagenticweekly.com/compare/langchain-vs-llamaindex · Last verified: 2026-10-26 · Published: 2026-10-25 · Author: Agentic Weekly (operated independently from Texas, US) · Evidence: 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.

**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:** 2026-10-26 (America/Chicago).

> 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.

## 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.

Table: Our own tests for LangChain and LlamaIndex

| 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](https://theagenticweekly.com/tests/langchain) | 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](https://theagenticweekly.com/tests/llamaindex) |

How we test and label results: [methodology](https://theagenticweekly.com/methodology#testing-rig). All test logs: [test hub](https://theagenticweekly.com/tests).

## 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.

Table: LangChain and LlamaIndex side by side (vendor pages and GitHub, 2026-10-25)

|  | 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

Table: Strengths and limits as listed on each tool page

|  | 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](https://www.langchain.com/) (fetched 2026-10-25)
- [LangChain repository (GitHub)](https://github.com/langchain-ai/langchain) (fetched 2026-10-25)
- [LlamaIndex](https://www.llamaindex.ai/) (fetched 2026-10-25)
- [LlamaIndex repository (GitHub)](https://github.com/run-llama/llama_index) (fetched 2026-10-25)

## Related

- [LangChain facts and sources](https://theagenticweekly.com/tools/langchain)
- [LlamaIndex facts and sources](https://theagenticweekly.com/tools/llamaindex)
- [Alternatives to LangChain](https://theagenticweekly.com/alternatives/langchain)
- [Alternatives to LlamaIndex](https://theagenticweekly.com/alternatives/llamaindex)
- [Agent building: all tools we track](https://theagenticweekly.com/best/agent-building)
- [LangChain vs Haystack](https://theagenticweekly.com/compare/langchain-vs-haystack)
- [Pydantic AI vs LangChain](https://theagenticweekly.com/compare/pydantic-ai-vs-langchain)
- [LangChain vs Vercel AI SDK](https://theagenticweekly.com/compare/langchain-vs-vercel-ai-sdk)
- [Semantic Kernel vs LangChain](https://theagenticweekly.com/compare/semantic-kernel-vs-langchain)
- [Mem0 vs LangChain](https://theagenticweekly.com/compare/mem0-vs-langchain)
- [LlamaIndex vs Haystack](https://theagenticweekly.com/compare/llamaindex-vs-haystack)

## Changelog

- 2026-10-25: First published. Facts read from vendor pages and the GitHub API on 2026-10-25.

## How to cite

Agentic Weekly, "LangChain vs LlamaIndex: license, pricing and features compared (October 2026)", last updated 2026-10-26, https://theagenticweekly.com/compare/langchain-vs-llamaindex