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AGNTCY

08 agent-communication/AGNTCY/ACTIVE/aka Internet of Agents

AGNTCY is the Cisco-originated 'Internet of Agents' collective — an open-source stack for agent discovery (directory), secure messaging (SLIM), identity, and observability across vendors.

SEC.01

What it does

  • 01Agent directory
  • 02SLIM messaging fabric
  • 03Identity and badges
  • 04Observability SDKs
  • 05Linux Foundation project
SEC.02

Who it's for

Teams building a multi-vendor agent fabric who want the whole stack — discovery, transport, identity — not just a message schema.

PRICING

Pricing

Free (OSS, Apache-2.0). List prices as checked against the vendor's pricing page on 2026-09-25; plans change often, so confirm before deciding.

caveat · before you adopt

Broad scope and early: components ship at different maturity levels, and the task layer overlaps with A2A.

ALT

Other agent communication platforms (12)

OpenScout / Scout

OpenScout · agent-communication

cli/api · local · Free (OSS), local

A2A Protocol

A2A Project · agent-communication

api · local/cloud · Open protocol (free)

Agent Network Protocol

Community / OSS · agent-communication

api · local/cloud · Open protocol (free)

NANDA

NANDA (MIT Media Lab) · agent-communication

api · local/cloud · Free (research project)

BeeAI

IBM · agent-communication

api/cli · local/cloud · Free (OSS, Apache-2.0)

CrewAI

CrewAI · agent-communication

api/cli · local/cloud · Free OSS core; CrewAI Enterprise paid (verify)

Microsoft Agent Framework

Microsoft · agent-communication

api · local/cloud · Free OSS (MIT); Azure hosting via Foundry

LangGraph

LangChain · agent-communication

api · local/cloud · Free OSS; LangGraph Platform paid tiers

MetaGPT

DeepWisdom · agent-communication

api/cli · local/cloud · Free OSS; MGX hosted product paid (verify)

CAMEL

CAMEL-AI · agent-communication

api · local/cloud · Free (OSS, Apache-2.0)

Agency Swarm

VRSEN · agent-communication

api · local/cloud · Free (OSS)

OpenAI Agents SDK

OpenAI · agent-communication

api · local/cloud · Free (OSS SDK); model usage metered
VS

Head-to-head (1)

FAQ

Frequently asked

What is AGNTCY?

AGNTCY is the Cisco-originated 'Internet of Agents' collective — an open-source stack for agent discovery (directory), secure messaging (SLIM), identity, and observability across vendors.

Who is AGNTCY for?

Teams building a multi-vendor agent fabric who want the whole stack — discovery, transport, identity — not just a message schema.

How much does AGNTCY cost?

Free (OSS, Apache-2.0). List prices as checked against the vendor's pricing page on 2026-09-25; plans change often, so confirm before deciding.

Does AGNTCY run locally or in the cloud?

AGNTCY runs locally on your machine and in the vendor's cloud. Its interfaces are an API or protocol.

What are alternatives to AGNTCY?

Other agent communication platform entries in the catalog: OpenScout / Scout, A2A Protocol, Agent Network Protocol, NANDA, BeeAI, CrewAI, Microsoft Agent Framework, LangGraph, MetaGPT, CAMEL, Agency Swarm, OpenAI Agents SDK. Different categories solve the same problem differently — see the Agent communication & collaboration category page for tradeoffs.

What should I know before adopting AGNTCY?

Broad scope and early: components ship at different maturity levels, and the task layer overlaps with A2A.