The Frameworks
LangGraph — stateful agent orchestration from LangChain. CrewAI — multi-agent crews with role-based collaboration. AutoGen — Microsoft’s multi-agent conversational framework. Each with different mental models.
When OSS Fits
Custom agent architectures beyond vendor platforms. Research and experimentation. Teams with strong engineering skills. Cost-sensitive high-volume deployments where platform fees hurt.
When Platforms Win
Rapid deployment. Enterprise governance out-of-box. Salesforce/HubSpot/Microsoft ecosystem integration. Built-in Trust Layer equivalent. For most CRM use cases, platforms beat OSS on time-to-value.
Hybrid Approach
Use platform for customer-facing agents (compliance, integration, support). Use OSS for internal experimentation and specialized workflows. Platforms and OSS coexist; pick per use case.