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Multi-agent · agent framework

AgentScope: review, pricing, security and alternatives

AgentScope is an open-source agent framework published by AgentScope, in the multi-agent family. AgentScope provides a framework for building agents and coordinating their communication, tools, and language models. Its repository has 33,827 stars and its last commit is from October 23, 2026.

Open sourceSelf-hostableActively maintainedLow risk

What AgentScope does

AgentScope belongs to the multi-agent family: systems that split a task between several specialised agents passing work to one another. On our grid it ranks #5 of the 43 projects of this family listed in the directory.

A framework is not used as is: it is a library developers build into their own code to describe the agent's tools, decision loop and memory. It requires programming skills, but leaves control over every detail.

You use it from: developer SDK. Usable models: any OpenAI-compatible model. It can run on your own machine or server.

Who is AgentScope for?

It interests technical teams that want to split a complex task between several specialised agents that check each other. Typical tasks people give it:

  • pair a writer agent with a reviewer agent
  • split a project into subtasks given to roles
  • simulate a team (analysis, plan, execution)

It is a good candidate if your data must stay on your machines.

Access and human control

A framework has no access of its own: the tools you plug in define what the agent can do. Start with read-only tools.

We could not establish whether it asks for human approval before sensitive actions: test it first on an unimportant account or folder.

Run commands in a terminalRun commands in a terminal : 5 %5 %Read and edit filesRead and edit files : 7 %7 %Drive a web browserDrive a web browser : 7 %7 %Call online services and APIsCall online services and APIs : 9 %9 %Read and send messagesRead and send messages : 5 %5 %
Share of the 43 agents in the family that have each access, according to their documentation. In orange, AgentScope's access.

AgentScope pricing

The code is free, under the Apache-2.0 licence.

Getting started with AgentScope

  1. Install it: the project ships as a Python package (install with pip or uv). The exact command is in the repository README.
  2. Create an API key with the model provider and put it in an environment variable, never in a shared or versioned file.
  3. Start with the minimal example from the docs, then add one tool at a time and check what the agent does with it.
  4. Give it a short, checkable task, review the result and its action log, then raise the difficulty step by step.

Security: risk level

More agents mean higher bills and chained errors: set a budget and a maximum number of steps.

Three habits: least privilege (minimal rights, dedicated keys), human approval for irreversible actions, a sandbox for code execution. The AI agent security check reviews your setup in a few minutes.

Project activity and releases

Created on January 12, 2024, the agentscope-ai/agentscope repository has 33,827 stars, 3,715 forks and 379 open issues, with 790 commits in total. It received changes this month.

Over the last 52 weeks: 716 commits, an average of 13.8 per week.

Nov 2, : 7 · Nov 2, 2025Nov 2,Nov 9, : 9 · Nov 9, 2025Nov 16, : 5 · Nov 16, 2025Nov 23, : 9 · Nov 23, 2025Nov 30, : 8 · Nov 30, 2025Dec 7, : 12 · Dec 7, 2025Dec 14, : 11 · Dec 14, 2025Dec 21, : 7 · Dec 21, 2025Dec 28, : 0 · Dec 28, 2025Dec 28,Jan 4, : 4 · Jan 4, 2026Jan 11, : 11 · Jan 11, 2026Jan 18, : 10 · Jan 18, 2026Jan 25, : 13 · Jan 25, 2026Feb 1, : 11 · Feb 1, 2026Feb 8, : 12 · Feb 8, 2026Feb 15, : 14 · Feb 15, 2026Feb 22, : 2 · Feb 22, 2026Feb 22,Mar 1, : 0 · Mar 1, 2026Mar 8, : 3 · Mar 8, 2026Mar 15, : 14 · Mar 15, 2026Mar 22, : 2 · Mar 22, 2026Mar 29, : 12 · Mar 29, 2026Apr 5, : 1 · Apr 5, 2026Apr 12, : 3 · Apr 12, 2026Apr 19, : 1 · Apr 19, 2026Apr 19,Apr 26, : 4 · Apr 26, 2026May 3, : 3 · May 3, 2026May 10, : 4 · May 10, 2026May 17, : 5 · May 17, 2026May 24, : 14 · May 24, 2026May 31, : 12 · May 31, 2026Jun 7, : 19 · Jun 7, 2026Jun 14, : 24 · Jun 14, 2026Jun 14,Jun 21, : 13 · Jun 21, 2026Jun 28, : 16 · Jun 28, 2026Jul 5, : 14 · Jul 5, 2026Jul 12, : 17 · Jul 12, 2026Jul 19, : 19 · Jul 19, 2026Jul 26, : 15 · Jul 26, 2026Aug 2, : 9 · Aug 2, 2026Aug 9, : 16 · Aug 9, 2026Aug 9,Aug 16, : 11 · Aug 16, 2026Aug 23, : 32 · Aug 23, 2026Aug 30, : 17 · Aug 30, 2026Sep 6, : 26 · Sep 6, 2026Sep 13, : 33 · Sep 13, 2026Sep 20, : 29 · Sep 20, 2026Sep 27, : 30 · Sep 27, 2026Oct 4, : 46 · Oct 4, 2026Oct 4,Oct 11, : 49 · Oct 11, 2026Oct 18, : 22 · Oct 18, 2026Oct 25, : 36 · Oct 25, 2026Oct 25,
Commits per week on the main repository, last 52 weeks (GitHub API, checked October 25, 2026).

50 releases in total; 30 in the last twelve months. Latest release: v2.0.10, on October 12, 2026.

v1.0.16 · Feb 15, 2026v1.0.16Feb 15, 2026v1.0.17 · Mar 13, 2026v1.0.18 · Mar 26, 2026v1.0.19 · Apr 20, 2026v1.0.19.post1 · Apr 28, 2026v1.0.20 · May 15, 2026v2.0.0 · May 25, 2026v1.0.21 · May 25, 2026v2.0.1 · Jun 5, 2026v2.0.2 · Jun 16, 2026v2.0.3 · Jun 29, 2026v2.0.4 · Jul 7, 2026v2.0.4.post1 · Jul 16, 2026v2.0.5 · Jul 23, 2026v2.0.6 · Aug 7, 2026v2.0.7 · Aug 24, 2026v2.0.7.post1 · Aug 28, 2026v2.0.8 · Sep 8, 2026v2.0.9 · Sep 28, 2026v2.0.10 · Oct 12, 2026v2.0.10Oct 12, 2026
The latest 20 releases published on GitHub (hover a point for details).

AgentScope vs other multi-agent

GitHub stars of the best-rated open-source projects in the multi-agent family. Stars measure attention, not quality: a heavily promoted project collects them fast, a specialised tool will have few.

OrcaOrca : 104.7K104.7KCrewAICrewAI : 60.1K60.1KAgnoAgno : 42.9K42.9KPaperclipPaperclip : 106.8K106.8KAgentScopeAgentScope : 33.8K33.8KOpenAI Agents SDKOpenAI Agents SDK : 30.3K30.3KEigentEigent : 15.7K15.7KMicrosoft Agent FrameworkMicrosoft Agent Framework : 14.3K14.3K
Log scale; AgentScope in orange. Checked October 25, 2026.

AgentScope and other multi-agent at a glance

The 7 best-ranked agents in the same family, 7 of them open source. The score out of 100 only applies to open-source projects; for proprietary services we show the published entry price. A dash marks information the documentation does not state.

Quick comparison: multi-agent
AgentModelScoreStars or entry priceSelf-hostableHuman approval
AgentScopeopen source8533.8K ★yes–
Orcaopen source91104.7K ★yes–
CrewAIopen source8860.1K ★yes–
Agnoopen source8742.9K ★yes–
Paperclipopen source86106.8K ★yes–
OpenAI Agents SDKopen source8530.3K ★yes–
Eigentopen source8115.7K ★yes–
Microsoft Agent Frameworkopen source8114.3K ★yes–

How we rated it

Score: 85/100, computed only from public, verifiable data, with no subjective testing or partnership:

  • Adoption 30/40: 33,827 stars on a log scale (40 points from about 200,000).
  • Activity 30/30: last commit less than a month ago, 16 releases in six months, 716 commits in a year.
  • Framework 25/30: licence, default human approval, self-hosting, model choice and documentation site.

The score does not say whether the agent will succeed at your tasks: it measures how solid the project is. The full grid is on the method page.

Verdict

AgentScope is one of the most solid projects in its family: followed, active and well framed.

Strengths

  • Widely followed: 33.8K stars
  • Very active development
  • Frequent releases (30 in a year)
  • Can run on your side: data under control
  • Free choice of model

Limitations

  • Requires programming skills

Avoid if…

  • You want a ready-made agent, without code

Frequently asked questions

Is AgentScope free?

The software is free (Apache-2.0 licence). You still pay for the model calls, unless you use a local model.

Is AgentScope safe?

Our risk level: low. Give it minimum rights and approve irreversible actions.

Which models does AgentScope use?

According to its documentation: any OpenAI-compatible model.

Can AgentScope be installed on your own server?

Yes, from the agentscope-ai/agentscope repository. Data then stays with you, but security and updates are your job.

What are the alternatives to AgentScope?

In the same family: Orca, CrewAI, Agno, and Paperclip.

AgentScope or Orca: what is the difference?

Both belong to the multi-agent family. AgentScope has 33.8K stars against 104.7K for Orca. The right choice mostly depends on the access you are willing to give it.

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Neutrality. No affiliate links. No vendor pays to be reviewed, rated or ranked. Reviews are directed by François Chollet, neutral and factual, and every data point is dated and sourced. How we score