LangGraph vs LlamaIndex (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, LangGraph grades higher than LlamaIndex: 2.6 against 2.2 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 13, 2026 · graded Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
LangGraph grades higher on the free plan. They get the same grade on value for money, features, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
LangGraph
Open-source framework for building controllable AI agents
LlamaIndex
Document parsing and extraction platform for AI agents
Which one is for you
Pick LangGraph if
- Fits if you write Python or JavaScript and want control over each agent step
- Works for teams that already use LangChain or LangSmith
Look elsewhere if
- Not for you if you want a visual builder, because the framework itself has none
- Pricey if you deploy on LangChain's servers, which needs Plus at $39 a seat a month
- Watch out: traces, Agent Server compute and sandboxes are metered in LSUs at $1 each past the allowances
- Tight if you need history, since base traces are kept 14 days and 180-day traces cost extra
Pick LlamaIndex if
- Fits if you feed PDFs and other documents into language-model pipelines
- Works for developers who also use the open-source LlamaIndex libraries
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you do not write code, as it is an API product
- Pricey if you outgrow pay-as-you-go: Pro is $500 a month
- Tight if you stay free: about 1,000 pages once, and 1 project
- Watch out: layout-aware parsing modes cost more than 1 credit a page
- Watch out: SSO and VPC deployment are Enterprise only
How we grade them
| 2.6GPALangGraphGood | 2.2GPALlamaIndexFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CThe library is free, but deploying on LangChain's infrastructure needs LangSmith Plus at $39 a seat, above the category's middle of $25, with usage billed in LSUs. | CPay-as-you-go is $0 a month with credits at $1.50 per 1,000. Pro is $500 a month, well above the category's $150 dearest-tenth start. |
| Free plan and trial | AFree outright: the MIT library has no cap, and LangSmith Developer is $0 for one seat with 5k traces a month. | C10K free credits, about 1,000 pages, with 5 concurrent parse jobs and 1 project. A document pile will use that fast. |
| Features | BSingle and multi-agent control, human approval, persistent memory, streaming and an Agent Server for deployment. The framework has no visual builder. | BParse, extract, classify, split and index, plus an agent builder and the open-source libraries. The listing shows no gap in the document-handling job. |
| Ease of use | DYou write code and run it yourself, or deploy an Agent Server. We found no store rating. | DNo rating on record. It is used through an API and libraries, so developers do the setup. |
| Platforms and integrations | BA code library with LangChain, LangSmith and MCP connections, plus hosted, hybrid or self-hosted deployment. No desktop or phone app. | BWeb service and API, listed on AWS and Azure marketplaces with GitHub links. No desktop or phone app. |
| Best for | building controllable AI agents in code | parsing documents for AI agents |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: LangGraph and LlamaIndex. How we grade
Price against what you get
LangGraph starts at $39 a month for each person and scores 2.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. LlamaIndex starts at $500 a month and scores 2.3.
They score the same, and LangGraph starts $461 a month lower. Of the other AI agents on the chart, 29 score higher than LangGraph for less, and 37 score higher than LlamaIndex for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- LangGraph is self-hostable, according to its own site.
At a glance
| LangGraph | LlamaIndex | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $39 per seat / month, billed monthly | $500 per month (Pro), after pay-as-you-go from $0 |
| Free plan | The LangGraph library is MIT-licensed and free. LangSmith Developer is $0 for 1 seat with 5k base traces a month. | Pay-as-you-go plan: $0 a month with 10K free credits (about 1,000 pages), then $1.50 per 1,000 credits. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Made by | LangChain | LlamaIndex |
| Price read from | langchain.com | llamaindex.ai |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
LangGraph
- The library is code only; there is no visual builder in the framework itself.
- Deploying on LangChain's infrastructure needs LangSmith Plus ($39 per seat / month) or Enterprise; the Developer plan has no Agent Server.
- Beyond the included allowances, traces, Agent Server compute and sandboxes are metered in LangSmith units (1 LSU = $1).
- Base traces are kept 14 days; 180-day extended traces cost extra.
LlamaIndex
- The pricing page covers LlamaParse only; the open-source LlamaIndex and Workflows libraries are separate and free.
- Cost scales with pages: parsing starts at 1 credit a page and layout-aware modes cost more.
- Pro is $500 a month; SSO, VPC deployment and custom BAAs need Enterprise.
- Pricing is shown separately for US and Europe regions; the figures here are the US page.
Key features
LangGraph
- Graph-based agent control
- Low-level primitives for single-agent, multi-agent and hierarchical control flows in one framework.
- Human-in-the-loop
- Approval and moderation checks can be added so a person can steer or approve agent actions.
- Persistent memory
- Built-in memory stores conversation history and keeps context across sessions.
- Streaming
- Native token-by-token streaming exposes the agent's reasoning and actions as they happen.
- Agent Server deployment
- LangSmith Agent Server hosts agents in the cloud, in a hybrid setup, or fully self-hosted, with cron scheduling, an Assistants API and Studio.
LlamaIndex
- Parse
- Turns PDFs, Office files, spreadsheets and images into text, markdown or JSON, with table, chart and layout handling and several accuracy tiers.
- Extract, classify and split
- Schema-based extraction agents pull structured fields from documents, with citations and confidence scores; documents can also be classified and split.
- Index
- A chunking and embedding pipeline prepares documents for retrieval in RAG applications.
- Document agent builder
- A builder turns natural-language descriptions into workflows, with starter templates and one-click deploys from GitHub repositories.
- Open-source libraries
- LlamaIndex, Workflows and LiteParse are open-source projects the company maintains for building AI apps and parsing documents locally.
Plans
LangGraph
LangGraph (open source)$0
MIT-licensed library you run yourself; the vendor says it is free to use.
LangSmith Developer$0
per seat / month, then pay as you go
1 seat, 5k base traces a month, community support. No Agent Server.
LangSmith Plus$39
per seat / month, billed monthly, then pay as you go
Unlimited seats, 10k base traces a month and 1 small serverless Agent Server included; extra servers and usage are billed in LSUs.
LangSmith EnterpriseCustom
Cloud, hybrid or self-hosted deployment, custom SSO, RBAC, support SLA and custom seats.
LlamaIndex
Pay-as-you-go$0
per month, plus $1.50 per 1,000 credits
10K credits included, 5 concurrent parse jobs, 1 project and basic community support.
Pro$500
per month, with credits at $1.25 per 1,000
400K credits included, 20 concurrent jobs, 5 projects and priority Slack support; an 800K-credit bonus is offered for a limited time.
EnterpriseCustom
Volume credit discounts, 5x higher rate limits, SSO, VPC or hybrid deployment and a dedicated account manager.
Ways to pay less
LangGraph
- Startups
LangSmith for Startups
Discounted rates and credits of up to $10,000 for VC-backed startups, by application.
LlamaIndex
- Startups
Startup program with free credits
The pricing page invites startups to apply for free credits, dedicated support and community spotlights.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, LangGraph or LlamaIndex?
As of Nov 13, 2026, LangGraph starts at $39 per seat / month, billed monthly, and LlamaIndex starts at $500 per month (Pro), after pay-as-you-go from $0. One is priced for each person and the other is not, so which costs less depends on how many of you use it.
Which has a free plan, LangGraph or LlamaIndex?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both LangGraph and LlamaIndex have a free plan.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.