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Letta vs smolagents: Which is Better in 2026?

Agent Framework

Choosing between Letta and smolagents? 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.

smolagents is for: Developers who want a small, readable agent library where agents act by writing and running Python code.

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 smolagents if you want a minimal library you can fully understand and modify.

Letta vs smolagents — Side by Side

Lettasmolagents
CategoryAgent FrameworkAgent Framework
What it isAgent server and SDKs: agents with persistent memoryCode library: minimal code-writing agents
LanguagesPython and TypeScript SDKsPython
LicenceApache 2.0Apache 2.0
Managed / paid optionLetta API: free tier, Pro $20/month plus usageNone
Project statusActiveActive
PricingFree · paid from $20/moFree
Starting priceFree tier availableFree tier available
Free tier
Rating4.04.1
Best forAgent Framework — long-term memory, stateful agents, self-host or hostedAgent Framework — code-writing agents, minimal library, Hugging Face models

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
  • Small enough to read end to end in an afternoon
  • Code-as-action beats JSON tool calls for many tasks
  • Hugging Face Hub integration
  • Deliberately minimal — no orchestration layer
  • Running model-written code needs a sandbox

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

smolagents

  • CodeAgent writes Python as its actions instead of JSON tool calls
  • Sandboxed execution through E2B or Docker
  • Hugging Face Hub integration for models and tools
  • Small codebase you can read end to end
  • Apache 2.0 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 smolagents if…

  • You want a minimal library you can fully understand and modify.
  • Your tasks suit agents that write code, such as data analysis.
  • You use open models from the Hugging Face Hub.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Letta better than smolagents?⌄

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 smolagents if you want a minimal library you can fully understand and modify.

What is the difference between Letta and smolagents?⌄

What it is — Letta: Agent server and SDKs: agents with persistent memory. smolagents: Code library: minimal code-writing agents. Languages — Letta: Python and TypeScript SDKs. smolagents: Python. Managed / paid option — Letta: Letta API: free tier, Pro $20/month plus usage. smolagents: None.

Letta vs smolagents: which is cheaper?⌄

Letta pricing: Free · paid from $20/mo. smolagents pricing: Free. Confirm current pricing on each tool's official site, as plans change.

Which is rated higher, Letta or smolagents?⌄

In our catalog, Letta rates 4.0 out of 5 and smolagents rates 4.1 out of 5, so smolagents has a slight edge on reviews.

When should I skip both Letta and smolagents?⌄

Skip Letta if you only need short-lived task agents. A lighter SDK is simpler. Skip smolagents if you need orchestration, memory or deployment built in. smolagents leaves those to you.

Sources · tool facts checked October 2026

  1. 1.Letta Code (Letta docs)docs.letta.com
  2. 2.Secure code execution (smolagents docs)huggingface.co

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