An open-source multi-agent AI framework released by Microsoft in 2023. Instead of handing everything to a single AI agent, it is designed around the idea of letting several agents with different roles converse as they work through a task. Pair a “code-writing agent” with an “agent that runs the code and checks the result,” for example, and the trial-and-error loop keeps turning without a human in the middle. It supports Python and .NET, and ships with AutoGen Studio for trying things out without writing code, which made it a widely used entry point into agent development.
Note that as of 2026, AutoGen has been folded into its successor, Microsoft Agent Framework, and the repository itself has moved into maintenance mode (no new features, community managed). This article covers it with that context in mind.
Key Features
- Four-tier modular architecture: Choose the tier that fits your needs. Core provides the event-driven foundation, AgentChat lets you assemble conversational agents quickly, Extensions handles connections to external services, and Studio is the no-code GUI
- Solving problems through multi-agent conversation: Define agents with separate roles ─ planner, implementer, reviewer ─ and let them talk to one another, breaking down complex tasks that are hard to handle with a single prompt
- Code generation and execution loops: Agents can run the code they write on the spot, fix errors themselves, and re-run. Execution can be isolated inside a Docker container, so you can experiment without polluting your local environment
- MCP (Model Context Protocol) support: Connect to MCP servers via Extensions and hand external tools and data sources to your agents
- No-code experimentation with AutoGen Studio: Define agents in a browser GUI and build up conversation flows while watching them play out. Well suited to the stage where you want to check behavior before writing code
- Both Python and .NET: Python (3.10+) is the primary target, but a .NET implementation is available as well, giving you options that fit existing business systems
Pricing
| Plan | Price | Key features |
|---|---|---|
| Open source | $0 (free) | Published on GitHub, all features available at no cost |
AutoGen itself is a framework and carries no usage fee. Running it, however, requires a model API such as OpenAI or Azure OpenAI, and those API charges apply separately. The license shown on GitHub is CC-BY-4.0.
Pricing information is current as of August 2026. Please check the official site for the latest details.
Pros & Cons
✅ Pros
- Free and open source, so you can go from evaluation to production planning without worrying about license costs
- The “let agents converse” concept is clear, making it easy to grasp as an introduction to multi-agent systems
- The Core / AgentChat / Extensions / Studio layering lets you move between quick experiments and fine-grained control within one framework
- Code execution can be isolated in Docker, so AI-generated code can be run relatively safely
- Backed by Microsoft and with over 60,000 GitHub stars, there is a large body of tutorials and samples
⚠️ Cons
- In maintenance mode as of 2026. No new features are being added and it is community managed, so Microsoft recommends the successor, Microsoft Agent Framework, for new projects
- Running it costs model API fees. Agent-to-agent conversations tend to accumulate turns, which can consume more tokens than expected
- The architecture changed significantly between v0.2 and the v0.4 line, so information found online may assume an older version
- Conversation flow is probabilistic, so the same input can produce varying results. Stop conditions and cost ceilings are essential when embedding it in business processes
Comparison with Similar Services
| Criteria | AutoGen | Microsoft Agent Framework | LangGraph | CrewAI |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Provider | Microsoft (now community managed) | Microsoft | LangChain | CrewAI |
| Positioning | Pioneering multi-agent framework | Unified successor to AutoGen and Semantic Kernel | Defines flow as a graph | Role-based team composition |
| Development status | Maintenance mode | Actively developed | Actively developed | Actively developed |
| No-code GUI | AutoGen Studio | Yes (developer tooling) | LangGraph Studio | Limited |
| Primary languages | Python / .NET | Python / .NET | Python / JavaScript | Python |
Who Is It For
- Anyone who wants to learn how to coordinate multiple AI agents in a free environment
- Developers building trial-and-error style processes that loop automatically between code generation and execution
- People who want to feel out multi-agent behavior in a no-code GUI first, then move to code
- Developers maintaining an existing AutoGen-based system and evaluating migration to the successor framework
- Enterprise development teams considering an agent foundation in .NET as well as Python
Summary
AutoGen is the Microsoft-originated open-source framework that popularized the idea of getting work done by letting multiple AI agents converse. Its four-tier modular structure and no-code Studio make it appealing as a path you can walk step by step, from learning to implementation.
As of 2026, however, it has been merged into the successor Microsoft Agent Framework and the main project has entered maintenance mode. Starting something new is best done on the successor framework, but AutoGen retains considerable value as material for learning multi-agent concepts and as the maintenance target for existing systems.