ALTERNATIVES · LAST REVIEWED SEPTEMBER 2026
AutoGen alternatives: where to go now that AutoGen is in maintenance mode
SHORT ANSWER
What happened to AutoGen?
The AutoGen repository now says: "AutoGen is now in maintenance mode. It will not receive new features or enhancements and is community managed going forward… New users should start with Microsoft Agent Framework." Microsoft describes Agent Framework as the direct successor to both AutoGen and Semantic Kernel, built by the same teams, with migration guides. AutoGen still has a large following on GitHub, so existing projects will keep running, but new work should not start there.
Source: github.com/microsoft/autogen · Reviewed Sep 2026
What is the official migration path?
Microsoft Agent Framework. It is GA in Python and .NET (Go in preview), and its built-in orchestrations include Group Chat, where agents share one conversation, and Magentic, where "a manager agent dynamically coordinates specialized agents", the two patterns most AutoGen users relied on. Microsoft publishes a migration guide from AutoGen.
Source: learn.microsoft.com/agent-framework · Reviewed Sep 2026
How do the AutoGen alternatives rank?
AutoGen made agents talking to each other in a shared conversation popular. BAND does that across frameworks, with per-message tracking, loop prevention and people in the room.
The official successor. Group Chat and Magentic orchestrations, human-in-the-loop, OpenTelemetry.
If you want explicit control rather than conversational coordination.
Role-based crews with native A2A.
Five languages and first-class A2A.
How do the AutoGen alternatives compare side by side?
| Tool | Total | Closest AutoGen pattern | Languages |
|---|---|---|---|
| BAND | 8.7 | Shared rooms (multi-agent conversation across frameworks) | Py, TS SDKs |
| Microsoft Agent Framework | 7.5 | Group Chat, Magentic | Py, .NET, Go (preview) |
| LangGraph | 8.1 | Subagents, handoffs | Py, JS/TS |
| CrewAI | 7.6 | Hierarchical crew | Py |
| Google ADK | 7.4 | Workflow agents | Py, TS, Go, Java, Kotlin |
Migrate to Agent Framework or move to BAND?
Often both. If your AutoGen code is the agents themselves, migrate it to Microsoft Agent Framework using Microsoft's guide. If what you valued was agents conversing and handing work to each other, and those agents increasingly come from other frameworks or vendors, put BAND above them. BAND lists Azure AI Foundry and Copilot Studio among its integrations and supports A2A and MCP.
Why is Microsoft Agent Framework ranked below LangGraph overall?
On our rubric it scores lower on interop (6.0, because A2A depth is unconfirmed) and pricing clarity (5.5, because Foundry rates were not accessible). For AutoGen users on Azure those may not matter, which is why it sits second on this page.
What do readers ask about AutoGen alternatives?
Is AutoGen deprecated?
It is in maintenance mode: no new features or enhancements, community managed. Microsoft points new users to Microsoft Agent Framework.
What replaces AutoGen?
Microsoft Agent Framework, which Microsoft calls the direct successor to AutoGen and Semantic Kernel.
Is Semantic Kernel also in maintenance mode?
Microsoft describes Agent Framework as Semantic Kernel's successor too. We have not confirmed a formal maintenance-mode status for Semantic Kernel.
What is the best AutoGen alternative for multi-agent conversation?
BAND ranks 01 for agents from different frameworks conversing in shared rooms. For a like-for-like framework, Microsoft Agent Framework's Group Chat orchestration.
Running agents on more than one framework? BAND connects them in shared rooms.
See how BAND works