Framework comparison - verified
smolagents (Hugging Face) vs Pydantic AI
smolagents (Hugging Face) (Hugging Face) and Pydantic AI (Pydantic), compared field by field from their official docs as of October 18, 2026. Their docs differ on 5 points, listed below; the table also shows versions, install commands and links.
Key differences
- License: smolagents (Hugging Face) uses Apache-2.0; Pydantic AI uses MIT.
- Durable execution: smolagents (Hugging Face) does not state it in its docs; Pydantic AI documents it.
- Structured output: smolagents (Hugging Face) does not state it in its docs; Pydantic AI documents it.
- Memory: smolagents (Hugging Face) does not state it in its docs; Pydantic AI documents it.
- Evals: smolagents (Hugging Face) does not state it in its docs; Pydantic AI documents it.
Generated from the fields below that differ. Versions, dates and links are left to the table.
Side by side
Every field we track, with the source linked on each value. Rows marked Differs are where the two frameworks' docs differ.
| Field | smolagents (Hugging Face) | Pydantic AI |
|---|---|---|
| MaintainerDiffers | Hugging Face | Pydantic |
| Languages | Python | Python |
| LicenseDiffers | Apache-2.0 | MIT |
| Latest versionsDiffers | Python: smolagents 1.26.0 (2026-05-29) | Python: pydantic-ai 2.57.0 (2026-10-16) |
| MCP | Yes | Yes |
| Multi-agent | Yes | Yes |
| Durable executionDiffers | Not stated | Yes |
| Human in the loop | Yes | Yes |
| Streaming | Yes | Yes |
| Structured outputDiffers | Not stated | Yes |
| Tracing | Yes | Yes |
| MemoryDiffers | Not stated | Yes |
| EvalsDiffers | Not stated | Yes |
| Model-agnostic | Yes | Yes |
| Install commands listedDiffers | 1 (Python) | 2 (Python) |
| Quickstart snippet | Python snippet published | Python snippet published |
| What it is, per its docsDiffers | smolagents is an open-source Python library from Hugging Face for building and running agents in a few lines of code, with first-class support for CodeAgent, which writes its actions as Python code, alongside a conventional ToolCallingAgent. | Pydantic AI is a Python agent framework from the Pydantic team that provides a typed agent loop with structured outputs, typed tools and dependency injection, and lets the model be swapped across many providers with a string. |
| HomepageDiffers | huggingface.co/docs/smolagents/index | pydantic.dev/docs/ai/overview |
| Source repositoryDiffers | github.com/huggingface/smolagents | github.com/pydantic/pydantic-ai |
Install both
Copied verbatim from the page linked under each command.
smolagents (Hugging Face)
Python
pip install smolagentsPydantic AI
Python
pip install pydantic-aiSource: pydantic.dev/docs/ai/overview
uv add pydantic-aiSource: pydantic.dev/docs/ai/overview
FAQ
What is the difference between smolagents (Hugging Face) and Pydantic AI?
Going by their official docs: License: smolagents (Hugging Face) uses Apache-2.0; Pydantic AI uses MIT. Durable execution: smolagents (Hugging Face) does not state it in its docs; Pydantic AI documents it. Structured output: smolagents (Hugging Face) does not state it in its docs; Pydantic AI documents it. Memory: smolagents (Hugging Face) does not state it in its docs; Pydantic AI documents it. The table lists 1 more.
Do smolagents (Hugging Face) and Pydantic AI both support MCP?
smolagents (Hugging Face): yes. Pydantic AI: yes. "Not stated" means the docs do not say.
Which languages do smolagents (Hugging Face) and Pydantic AI support?
smolagents (Hugging Face): Python. Pydantic AI: Python. Both list Python.
What licenses do smolagents (Hugging Face) and Pydantic AI use?
smolagents (Hugging Face): Apache-2.0. Pydantic AI: MIT.
Do smolagents (Hugging Face) and Pydantic AI support durable execution and human in the loop?
Durable execution: smolagents (Hugging Face) not stated, Pydantic AI yes. Human in the loop: smolagents (Hugging Face) yes, Pydantic AI yes. "Not stated" means the docs do not say.
What are the latest versions of smolagents (Hugging Face) and Pydantic AI?
As of October 18, 2026: smolagents (Hugging Face) Python package smolagents 1.26.0 (May 29, 2026); Pydantic AI Python package pydantic-ai 2.57.0 (October 16, 2026).
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