Compare · Agent frameworks
A framework is code. A workspace is a team.
Frameworks give developers the parts to build agents. Agent Serve gives the whole team a place to build, run and govern them, with an API for code.
A comparison of Agent Serve, the AI workspace where teams build, deploy, and manage AI agents, with agent frameworks such as LangGraph and CrewAI: what each is for, how they differ, and when each is the better fit.
What each is for
Different tools, different jobs.
Agent Serve
Agent Serve is the AI workspace where teams build, deploy, and manage AI agents visually, conversationally or with code, with integrations, knowledge, approvals and run logs already in place.
LangGraph
LangChain describes LangGraph as a low-level orchestration framework and runtime for long-running, stateful agents, with durable execution and human-in-the-loop.
From LangChain: LangChain docs: LangGraph overview (opens in a new tab)CrewAI
CrewAI describes an open-source framework where Flows manage state and execution and Crews are teams of role-playing agents.
From CrewAI: CrewAI docs: Introduction (opens in a new tab)
Side by side
How they differ, point by point.
| Topic | Agent Serve | LangGraph · CrewAI |
|---|---|---|
| Who builds | Anyone on the team, in the workflow builder or Chat, and developers through the API. | Developers, in code. LangGraph leaves prompts and architecture to you.Source: LangChain docs: LangGraph overview (opens in a new tab) |
| Integrations | A catalog of integrations with credentials, triggers and pickers ready to use. | LangGraph focuses on orchestration, so connecting each tool is part of your code.Source: LangChain docs: LangGraph overview (opens in a new tab) |
| Running in production | Deploy from the workspace, with every run traced block by block in Logs. | LangChain points to LangSmith Deployment for long-running, stateful workflows.Source: LangChain docs: LangGraph overview (opens in a new tab) |
| People in the loop | Approvals per action with named approvers, expiring reviews and an audit of every decision. | LangGraph lets you inspect and change agent state at any point in your code.Source: LangChain docs: LangGraph overview (opens in a new tab) |
| Access and sign-in | Workspace roles, access policies, SSO and SCIM. | CrewAI runs inside your own application, so access control is yours to build.Source: CrewAI docs: Introduction (opens in a new tab) |
Honest fit
When they are the better choice.
- You are building an agent into your own product and need full control of every step in code.
- Your engineers want to own the runtime, the hosting and the data model end to end.
- You need an agent pattern that a workspace does not offer, and have the team to maintain it.
Together
Using both side by side.
Developers can keep a framework for agents inside their product and use Agent Serve for the agents the rest of the company runs, calling one from the other through the API.
Questions
About this comparison
Can developers build Agent Serve agents in code?
Yes. Agent Serve agents can be built in the workflow builder, in Chat, or programmatically with the API.
Do I need to host anything to use Agent Serve?
No. Agent Serve runs in Agent Serve Cloud, and teams that need it can self-host in their own cloud.
Where do these facts come from?
Every statement about another product links its maker’s own page, read on the date shown at the end of this page.
Sources
Where the facts come from.
Each maker's own pages, read on October 23, 2026. Products change; check the source before you decide.