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CrewAI Alternative

Independent comparison, updated October 2026

The open-source CrewAI alternative

CrewAI is a Python framework for building multi-agent apps, and it is open source. When the work grows past one application, a framework is only the build layer. Kortix is the open-source AI Operating System for that work: your agents, skills, memory and connectors in one git repo you own.

Try KortixCompare the options
The open-source AI Operating System
kortix.yaml
# kortix.yamltriggers:  - slug: daily-digest    type: cron    cron: '0 0 9 * * 1-5'
Source: README.md in https://github.com/kortix-ai/suna

One isolated sandbox per session. Each session has its own isolated machine and branch.

Open source · Any model, your keys · Self-host, VPC, or on-prem
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Kortix, CrewAI and LangGraph, side by side

Kortix is the whole system you own, CrewAI is a Python framework with a commercial control plane around it, and LangGraph is a low-level orchestration runtime.

CriteriaRecommendedKortixPython frameworkCrewAIOrchestration runtimeLangGraph
Open sourceYesYesYes
What it isThe open-source AI Operating SystemA Python framework for role-based multi-agent workflowsA low-level orchestration framework and runtime
Who owns the systemYou do, in one git repo you ownThe framework is yours; the AMP control plane is CrewAI'sYou write the graph; LangChain Inc ships the runtime
Where it runsKortix Cloud, your VPC, or on-premIn your Python process; AMP adds cloud or on-premYour infrastructure; LangSmith Deployment for a managed option
Memory and contextMemory is files in the repo you ownCrew memory and flow state; production traces in the control planeShort-term working memory and long-term memory across sessions
Human reviewChange-request review; merge is default-deny for agentsHuman-in-the-loop approval gates during executionHuman-in-the-loop; inspect and modify state at any point
Model choiceAny model provider with your own keysMulti-LLM; swap models at runtimeModel-agnostic; abstracts neither prompts nor architecture
Managed layerKortix Cloud, or self-host for freeAMP Suite: managed deployment, observability and governanceLangSmith Deployment and observability
PriceFree is $0 with 200 credits per month and 1 projectFramework is free to use; the AMP Suite is commercialOpen-source library; LangSmith Deployment is a separate LangChain product

Kortix is listed first and recommended. Sources: kortix.com and kortix.com/docs; each project’s own site and repository; checked October 2026.

How Kortix works

Six layers, each one a file or a command you can read

Kortix is the open-source AI Operating System: your agents, skills, company memory and connectors in one git repo you own, running on real cloud computers.

  1. 01
    Repo

    One git repo that is the company

    Agents, skills, memory, connector config and triggers are all text in one repo you own.

    kortix.yaml
    # kortix.yamlagents:  support-triage:    file: agents/support-triage.md   # what it does, in plain markdown    connectors: all                  # what it may reach
    Source: README.md in https://github.com/kortix-ai/suna
  2. 02
    Connectors

    Every tool the company already runs on

    3,000+ apps in a click, plus MCP, OpenAPI, Postman, GraphQL and raw HTTP. Connector credentials are brokered server-side and never enter the machine.

    kortix.yaml
    connectors:  - slug: gmail    name: Gmail    provider: composio    app: gmail
    Source: kortix.com/docs/connect/connectors
  3. 03
    Models

    Run any model, keep your keys

    Any model provider with your own keys. Or the ChatGPT plan you already pay for. Or sign in with your OpenCode Console account for OpenCode Zen and Go.

    terminal
    $ kortix providers set <provider>
    Source: kortix.com/docs/host
  4. 04
    Harness

    The part that turns a model into an agent

    OpenCode is the harness, configured by a file in the repo, so the layer doing the thinking is never the thing you are locked into.

    kortix.yaml
    opencode:  config_dir: harnesses/opencode
    Source: kortix.com/docs/project/manifest
  5. 05
    Computer

    A computer per session

    One isolated sandbox per session. Each session has its own isolated machine and branch.

    terminal
    $ kortix sessions new --prompt "Reproduce issue #142, fix it, and open a change request"
    Source: README.md in https://github.com/kortix-ai/suna
  6. 06
    Review

    One gate to land the work

    Session work reaches main through a change request. Merge is default-deny for agents, so a person reads the diff first.

    change-request flow
    change request ──> you review & merge ──> main
    Source: README.md in https://github.com/kortix-ai/suna
GitHub stars

Open source. Read it, fork it, audit it.

FAQ

Questions teams ask before they pick a CrewAI alternative

The questions that come up most when a team weighs CrewAI against owning the whole system.

  1. Is CrewAI still relevant?

    Yes. CrewAI is an open-source Python framework with a large developer base, and its own site documents a commercial control plane around it. It is a strong choice when the deliverable is a Python application. Kortix answers a different question: running that work across a company as one system you own.

  2. Is CrewAI open source and free?

    CrewAI's framework is open source, and the repository is free to install and build on. CrewAI's own repository says the AMP Suite adds a commercial control plane around the framework for managed deployment, observability, governance and enterprise support, so the framework is free while the managed layer is commercial.

  3. What do teams use instead of CrewAI when the work is bigger than one application?

    Kortix, the open-source AI Operating System, is built for that. The same agents run in the web app, in Slack, in Microsoft Teams and from the CLI, on real cloud computers. The framework or a whole system page lays out the split.

  4. Can I own the whole system, not just the build layer?

    With Kortix, yes. Agents, skills, memory, connector config and triggers are files in one git repo you own, versioned and reviewable like code. You can run it on Kortix Cloud, in your VPC, or on your own on-prem network, and self-host is free. The self-hosting guide covers the box.

  5. Does a person still review what an agent changes?

    Session work reaches main through a change request. Merge is default-deny for agents, and approval gates you set are off until you set them, so you decide what an agent may do on its own.

  6. What does Kortix cost?

    Free is $0 with 200 credits per month and 1 project. The team plan is $40 per seat per month with 2,500 credits per month per seat, pooled. Self-host is free. The full framework question is in the Kortix vs CrewAI write-up.

Run your whole company from one repo you own.

Start with one job, then grow it into the system your team runs on.

Try KortixKortix vs CrewAI, head to head

Open source · Any model, your keys · Self-host, VPC, or on-prem