OpenAI Agents SDK logo

OpenAI Agents SDK: Pricing, Features & Alternatives

The OpenAI Agents SDK is a lightweight, production-ready framework (the successor to Swarm) for building agentic apps with minimal boilerplate. Its core primitives are agents, tools, handoffs between agents, and guardrails, with built-in tracing. Available for Python and JavaScript/TypeScript, it is model-agnostic but pairs tightly with OpenAI models. Ideal for straightforward single-agent or small multi-agent request/response flows. Free and open-source.

Category

Agent Framework

Pricing

Free tier available

Free tier

Yes

Best for

Agent Framework — ai, llm

OpenAI Agents SDK Pricing Plans (2026)

PlanPrice
Open SourcePopular$0 (open source)

Pricing summary: Free. Always confirm current pricing on the official site.

Key OpenAI Agents SDK Features

  • Agents, tools & handoffs
  • Guardrails & validation
  • Built-in tracing
  • Python & JS/TS
  • Minimal boilerplate

Pros

  • +Very low boilerplate, fast to ship
  • +Production-ready with tracing
  • +Backed by OpenAI
  • +Python & TypeScript support

Cons

  • Best experience tied to OpenAI models
  • Lighter on complex orchestration than LangGraph

Best OpenAI Agents SDK Alternatives

Compare all

OpenAI Agents SDK Compared

OpenAI Agents SDK FAQ

What is OpenAI Agents SDK used for?

OpenAI Agents SDK is a agent framework tool. OpenAI's lightweight, production-ready agent SDK — minimal-boilerplate agents, tools, handoffs, and guardrails.

Is OpenAI Agents SDK free?

Yes — OpenAI Agents SDK has a free tier you can start with, and paid plans for more usage and features.

How much does OpenAI Agents SDK cost?

OpenAI Agents SDK is free to use.

What are the best OpenAI Agents SDK alternatives?

Popular OpenAI Agents SDK alternatives include Mastra, Pydantic AI, Vercel AI SDK, LangChain, LangGraph. Compare pricing and features on our OpenAI Agents SDK alternatives page.

Not sure if OpenAI Agents SDK fits your stack?

Get a free, AI-powered tech stack tailored to your budget, app type, and team size — including the best agent framework pick for you.

Build my stack free