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OpenAI Agents SDK

08 agent-communication/OpenAI/ACTIVE/aka Agents SDK, OpenAI Swarm

The OpenAI Agents SDK is OpenAI's lightweight framework for agentic apps — its handoffs primitive is a first-class agent-to-agent mechanism: one agent transfers the live conversation to a specialist.

SEC.01

What it does

  • 01Handoffs between agents
  • 02Guardrails and tracing
  • 03Sessions and memory
  • 04MCP support
  • 05Python and JS
SEC.02

Who it's for

Teams on OpenAI models who want minimal scaffolding for supervisor→specialist delegation without a heavyweight framework.

PRICING

Pricing

Free (OSS SDK); model usage metered. 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

OpenAI-first (other providers via community adapters); handoffs transfer a single conversation rather than providing a general messaging fabric.

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)

AGNTCY

AGNTCY · agent-communication

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

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)
VENDOR

More from OpenAI

Codex CLI

OpenAI · cli-agent

cli/editor/api · local/cloud · Included in ChatGPT Free/Go/Plus/Pro/Business/Enterprise; credits for extra usage

ChatGPT Agent

OpenAI · computer-use

chat/browser · cloud · Included in ChatGPT Plus/Pro/Business; task quotas by tier

ChatGPT Deep Research

OpenAI · research-agent

chat/api · cloud · Included in ChatGPT tiers (query limits vary); API via deep-research models
FAQ

Frequently asked

What is OpenAI Agents SDK?

The OpenAI Agents SDK is OpenAI's lightweight framework for agentic apps — its handoffs primitive is a first-class agent-to-agent mechanism: one agent transfers the live conversation to a specialist.

Who is OpenAI Agents SDK for?

Teams on OpenAI models who want minimal scaffolding for supervisor→specialist delegation without a heavyweight framework.

How much does OpenAI Agents SDK cost?

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

Does OpenAI Agents SDK run locally or in the cloud?

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

What are alternatives to OpenAI Agents SDK?

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

What should I know before adopting OpenAI Agents SDK?

OpenAI-first (other providers via community adapters); handoffs transfer a single conversation rather than providing a general messaging fabric.