--- title: "Letta vs smolagents: Which is Better in 2026? | App Stack Builder" description: "Letta vs smolagents compared for 2026 — pricing, free tiers, features, pros & cons. See which agent framework tool is the better fit for your startup." source: https://appstackbuilder.com/compare/letta-vs-smolagents retrieved: 2026-10-29 --- ![](https://appstackbuilder.com/logos/letta.png) vs ![](https://appstackbuilder.com/logos/smolagents.svg) # Letta vs smolagents: Which is Better in 2026? Agent Framework Choosing between [Letta](https://appstackbuilder.com/tools/letta) and [smolagents](https://appstackbuilder.com/tools/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 | | Letta | smolagents | | --------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------ | --------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | Category | Agent Framework | Agent Framework | | What it is | Agent server and SDKs: agents with persistent memory | Code library: minimal code-writing agents | | Languages | Python and TypeScript SDKs | Python | | Licence | Apache 2.0 | Apache 2.0 | | Managed / paid option | Letta API: free tier, Pro $20/month plus usage | None | | Project status | Active | Active | | Pricing | Free · paid from $20/mo | Free | | Starting price | Free tier available | Free tier available | | Free tier | ✓ | ✓ | | Rating | 4.0 | 4.1 | | Best for | Agent Framework — long-term memory, stateful agents, self-host or hosted | Agent Framework — code-writing agents, minimal library, Hugging Face models | ## Pros & Cons ![](https://appstackbuilder.com/logos/letta.png) [Letta](https://appstackbuilder.com/tools/letta) * ✓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 ![](https://appstackbuilder.com/logos/smolagents.svg) [smolagents](https://appstackbuilder.com/tools/smolagents) * ✓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. [Letta review & pricing ](https://appstackbuilder.com/tools/letta) ### 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. [smolagents review & pricing ](https://appstackbuilder.com/tools/smolagents) ## 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 ](https://docs.letta.com/letta-code) 2. 2.[Secure code execution (smolagents docs)huggingface.co ](https://huggingface.co/docs/smolagents/tutorials/secure%5Fcode%5Fexecution) See more options in our guide to the [best agent framework tools for startups](https://appstackbuilder.com/categories/agent-framework). ## Still not sure which to pick? Get a free, AI-powered tech stack — including the best agent framework pick for your budget and team — in 60 seconds. [Build my stack free ](https://appstackbuilder.com/build-stack)