Flows
The backbone of an application: steps, state, branching, and events, written in code.
Compare
CrewAI
an open-source Python framework, with a commercial platform, for building teams of AI agents and the workflows that coordinate them
Who they are and what they are good at
CrewAI is a standalone Python framework for multi-agent systems, released under the MIT license. It does not depend on LangChain. CrewAI the company also sells a platform, AMP, for running agents in production.
Crews
Teams of role-playing agents that split up a task a Flow hands them, like a researcher and a writer working together.
Tools
Agents connect to APIs, databases, and local tools, with MCP and A2A support. Human input can be added to a task.
AMP
Adds managed deployment, tracing, governance, and a visual editor with an AI copilot. It runs on CrewAI's cloud, in your VPC, or on your own infrastructure.
CrewAI is good at what engineering teams build with code: research and drafting pipelines, product features, and agents that move data between systems with clean APIs.
Where CrewAI stops for messy back-office work
A framework gives engineers parts. A recurring back-office procedure needs those parts assembled, plus a way into apps that have no API.
Apps without an API
Agents reach systems through tools. Driving a desktop app's screens means adding a computer use tool and hosting the machine it controls.
Engineers own the logic
The framework is Python. The visual editor helps, but rules and thresholds usually end up in code someone has to change and redeploy.
Agents improvise
Crews decide how to split and carry out work. Flows add structure, but exact math is only as reliable as the code someone writes and tests.
Evidence is traces
Traces show model calls and tool results, not the screen a record was entered on.
LaunchAI ships those parts in one desktop app: reach through the screen, deterministic rules for calculations, a review step, and a screenshot of every action. See Product →
Side by side
| CrewAI | LaunchAI | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | A Python framework plus a production platform | A desktop product for recurring procedures |
| Who builds | Engineers, with a visual editor on AMP | The process owner, by talking and showing |
| Reaches systems through | Tools, APIs, and MCP servers | The screen, plus an API where a clean one exists |
| Desktop app screens | A computer use tool you add and host | Built in |
| Business rules live in | Code or prompts | Rules and Tables the business edits, no model call |
| Human approval | Human input on tasks | Review step with the source beside the record |
| Evidence | Traces | Before-and-after screenshots of every action |
| Where it runs | CrewAI cloud, your VPC, or your infrastructure | The user's machine or an enrolled agent PC |
| Cost | Free framework; AMP metered by executions | License, plus your model account |
On CrewAI's pricing page in October 2026, AMP Basic is free for 50 workflow executions a month and Enterprise is priced on request. As with any framework, the largest cost is engineering time.
When to choose CrewAI
- Your engineers want a crew of agents researching and drafting from warehouse data.
- You are shipping an agent inside your own product, at volume.
- Every system involved has a clean API, and engineers own the logic.
When to choose LaunchAI
- The work ends in a screen with no write API, like entering approved vendor invoices into a desktop ERP.
- The person who owns the process should own the agent and change a threshold by editing a table.
- You need a review step and per-action evidence without building them.
Better together
The crew thinks, LaunchAI enters. A CrewAI flow writes its recommendations to a shared table. A LaunchAI agent picks up each approved row, re-checks it on the live screen, enters it, routes large ones to a manager, and writes the reference back.
Both can run on the same OpenAI, Anthropic, Azure, Bedrock, or self-hosted model account.
FAQ
Is CrewAI open source?
The framework is, under the MIT license. AMP, the production platform, is a commercial product with a free Basic tier.
Does CrewAI depend on LangChain?
No. It is a standalone Python framework with its own primitives.
Can a CrewAI agent operate a desktop app's screens?
Only if engineers add a computer use tool and host the machine it drives. The loop, credentials, review screen, and evidence then become theirs to build.
Does CrewAI support human review?
Yes. Tasks can ask for human input before they finish. LaunchAI's review step shows the source document beside the record being entered.
Can LaunchAI run our existing Python?
Yes, as a hook on a single step, while the rest of the workflow stays no-code.
No prompts. No babysitting. No Integrations.