
Letta vs LlamaIndex: Which is Better in 2026?
Choosing between Letta and LlamaIndex? Both are popular agent framework tools. Below we compare them on pricing, free tiers, features, and pros & cons so you can pick the right fit for your stack.
Letta is for: Teams building agents that must remember users and context across sessions and restarts, with memory as the core design.
LlamaIndex is for: Teams whose agents mostly work over their own documents and data, and who want parsing, indexing and retrieval handled well.
Quick verdict
There’s no single winner; pick on your constraint. Choose Letta if your agent must remember users and past sessions over weeks or months. Choose LlamaIndex if your agents mainly answer questions over PDFs, docs or other internal data.
Letta vs LlamaIndex — Side by Side
| Letta | LlamaIndex | |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Agent Framework | Agent Framework |
| What it is | Agent server and SDKs: agents with persistent memory | Code library: data and RAG framework with agents |
| Languages | Python and TypeScript SDKs | Python, TypeScript |
| Licence | Apache 2.0 | MIT |
| Managed / paid option | Letta API: free tier, Pro $20/month plus usage | LlamaCloud: Free, Starter $50, Pro $500 (credit-based) |
| Project status | Active | Active |
| Pricing | Free · paid from $20/mo | Free · then usage-based |
| Starting price | Free tier available | Free tier available |
| Free tier | ||
| Rating | 4.0 | 4.5 |
| Best for | Agent Framework — long-term memory, stateful agents, self-host or hosted | Agent Framework — RAG over documents, document parsing, data connectors |
Pros & Cons
- Memory is the design centre, not an add-on
- Agents survive restarts with state intact
- Comes from the MemGPT paper
- Younger project with a moving API
- Memory model is opinionated
- Excellent RAG tooling
- Strong document parsing (LlamaParse)
- Open-source
- Many data connectors
- Overlaps with LangChain (choose one)
- Cloud features usage-priced
Key Features Compared
Letta
- Persistent, self-editing agent memory (from the MemGPT research)
- Agents keep their state across restarts
- Self-hosted server, or the hosted Letta API
- Hosted plans: free tier and Pro at $20 a month with pay-as-you-go usage
- Letta Code, an open-source coding agent with memory across sessions
- Apache 2.0 licence
LlamaIndex
- Data connectors, indexing and retrieval for RAG
- Agent workflows on top of your indexed data
- LlamaParse document parsing, billed in credits by page and tier
- LlamaCloud plans: Free (10K credits), Starter ($50), Pro ($500); credits at $1.25 per 1,000
- Python and TypeScript libraries
- MIT licence
Choose Letta if…
- Your agent must remember users and past sessions over weeks or months.
- You want agents that keep state when the process restarts.
- You want the choice of self-hosting or a hosted API.
Choose LlamaIndex if…
- Your agents mainly answer questions over PDFs, docs or other internal data.
- You need reliable parsing of complex documents such as tables and scanned pages.
- You want a managed parsing and indexing service you can add later.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Letta better than LlamaIndex?⌄
There’s no single winner; pick on your constraint. Choose Letta if your agent must remember users and past sessions over weeks or months. Choose LlamaIndex if your agents mainly answer questions over PDFs, docs or other internal data.
What is the difference between Letta and LlamaIndex?⌄
What it is — Letta: Agent server and SDKs: agents with persistent memory. LlamaIndex: Code library: data and RAG framework with agents. Languages — Letta: Python and TypeScript SDKs. LlamaIndex: Python, TypeScript. Licence — Letta: Apache 2.0. LlamaIndex: MIT. Managed / paid option — Letta: Letta API: free tier, Pro $20/month plus usage. LlamaIndex: LlamaCloud: Free, Starter $50, Pro $500 (credit-based).
Letta vs LlamaIndex: which is cheaper?⌄
Letta pricing: Free · paid from $20/mo. LlamaIndex pricing: Free · then usage-based. Confirm current pricing on each tool's official site, as plans change.
Which is rated higher, Letta or LlamaIndex?⌄
In our catalog, Letta rates 4.0 out of 5 and LlamaIndex rates 4.5 out of 5, so LlamaIndex has a slight edge on reviews.
When should I skip both Letta and LlamaIndex?⌄
Skip Letta if you only need short-lived task agents. A lighter SDK is simpler. Skip LlamaIndex if your agent mostly calls tools and APIs rather than reading documents. LangGraph or the OpenAI Agents SDK fit better.
Sources · tool facts checked October 2026
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