LangGraph vs Orkes Conductor (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, LangGraph grades higher than Orkes Conductor: 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 and features. Orkes Conductor grades higher on ease of use. They get the same grade on value for money 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
Orkes Conductor
Workflow orchestration for AI agents and services, built on Conductor
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 Orkes Conductor if
- Fits if you are a developer who wants to try a workflow engine in a free sandbox
- Works for engineering teams ready to buy Enterprise for agent and service orchestration
Look elsewhere if
- Not for you if you want a price, as Enterprise is quoted through a demo
- Skip it if you need production use on the free plan, since it is not recommended for that
- Tight if you are a team: multiple users and detailed access control need Enterprise
- Watch out: free support is community-only
- Too light for no-code users, as the work is workflows and SDK code
How we grade them
| 2.6GPALangGraphGood | 2.2GPAOrkes ConductorFair | |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | CNo price is published, only a free sandbox and a quoted Enterprise plan. Nothing to compare against the category's $24 middle. |
| 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. | CA free managed Developer Edition with most Enterprise features, but only for individual developers, not for teams or production, with community-only support. |
| Features | BSingle and multi-agent control, human approval, persistent memory, streaming and an Agent Server for deployment. The framework has no visual builder. | CWorkflows, agents, a visual editor, SDKs, prompt studio and security controls. Multiple user accounts and detailed access control need Enterprise. |
| Ease of use | DYou write code and run it yourself, or deploy an Agent Server. We found no store rating. | CNo store rating on record. You model workflows in an editor or code with SDKs, which takes a learning curve. |
| 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 console, SDKs and an API, with Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, Gemini and GitHub listed. No desktop or phone app. |
| Best for | building controllable AI agents in code | workflow engine for agents and services |
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 Orkes Conductor. How we grade
Where they differ
- LangGraph is self-hostable, according to its own site.
- Orkes Conductor also covers no-code.
At a glance
| LangGraph | Orkes Conductor | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $39 per seat / month, billed monthly | Not published |
| Free plan | The LangGraph library is MIT-licensed and free. LangSmith Developer is $0 for 1 seat with 5k base traces a month. | Developer Edition: free managed sandbox with the open-source features and most Enterprise features, for individual developers and not for production use. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Made by | LangChain | Orkes |
| Price read from | langchain.com | orkes.io |
| 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.
Orkes Conductor
- No prices are published: the Developer Edition is free and Enterprise is quoted through a demo.
- The free Developer Edition is for individual developers and is not recommended for production or for teams.
- Multiple user accounts and detailed access control need the Enterprise plan.
- Support on the free edition is community-only.
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.
Orkes Conductor
- Agents and workflows together
- Orchestrates agent decisions, service calls and human approvals in one execution that keeps its state at every step.
- Visual editor and SDKs
- Workflows can be built visually or defined in code, with open-source SDKs for Java, TypeScript, Python, Go, C# and more.
- LLM tasks and prompt studio
- The platform capability list includes LLM tasks and an AI Prompt Studio alongside human tasks, event handlers, webhooks and a scheduler.
- Hosting choices
- Fully hosted by Orkes, or hosted in the customer's cloud account or on-premises, with dedicated clusters and VPC options on Enterprise.
- Security controls
- Lists SOC 2 Type II, role-based access, single sign-on, audit logs, secrets and end-to-end data encryption.
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.
Orkes Conductor
Developer Edition$0
Free managed sandbox for prototyping, with community support. Meant for one developer, not production.
EnterpriseCustom
Hosted by Orkes or in your own cloud account, SSO, audit logs, support with SLA-backed response times, up to a 99.99% availability SLA.
Ways to pay less
LangGraph
- Startups
LangSmith for Startups
Discounted rates and credits of up to $10,000 for VC-backed startups, by application.
Orkes Conductor
No public discounts listed.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, LangGraph or Orkes Conductor?
As of Nov 13, 2026, LangGraph starts at $39 per seat / month, billed monthly, and Orkes Conductor publishes no starting price.
Which has a free plan, LangGraph or Orkes Conductor?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both LangGraph and Orkes Conductor 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.