Is AutoGen or Pulumi better?

Neither clearly leads. AutoGen starts at Free and Pulumi at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.

Which is cheaper, AutoGen or Pulumi?

AutoGen starts at Free and Pulumi at Free.

Does AutoGen or Pulumi run on more platforms?

AutoGen runs on Python, .NET. Pulumi runs on Linux, Windows, Mac, Api.

Can I use AutoGen for free?

Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.

What is AutoGen best used for?

AutoGen is most often used for building multi-agent conversational systems, rapid prototyping of agent applications, research on agentic ai patterns and architectures, distributed agent networks across boundaries. Of those, building multi-agent conversational systems and rapid prototyping of agent applications are not what Pulumi is typically brought in for.

What can AutoGen do that Pulumi cannot?

AutoGen covers Multi-agent orchestration, Message passing API, AgentChat API, Extensions API. Pulumi covers Multi-language support, Multi-cloud, State management, Secrets management.

AI · head to head

AutoGen vs Pulumi

AutoGen

Programming framework for multi-agent agentic AI

From: Free
Rated: -

Full review Website

Pulumi

Cloud

Modern infrastructure as code using programming languages

From: Free
Rated: -

Full review Website

The short version

Each has a real cost: AutoGen framework now in maintenance mode, no new features planned; Pulumi the free Individual plan allows one user and one concurrent stack update
They diverge on capability: AutoGen covers Multi-agent orchestration, Pulumi covers Multi-language support.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which AutoGen and Pulumi actually diverge.

Attributes where AutoGen and Pulumi differ
Attribute	AutoGen	Pulumi
Pricing model	Open source, no pricing	subscription
Platforms	Python, .NET	Linux, Windows, Mac, Api
Category	AI	Cloud
Founded	Unknown	2017

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in AutoGen

Multi-agent orchestration
Message passing API
AgentChat API
Extensions API
MCP server support
AutoGen Studio
Cross-language support
Observable agent networks

Only in Pulumi

Multi-language support
Multi-cloud
State management
Secrets management
RBAC
Stacks
Automation API
Policy as Code

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

AutoGen

Building multi-agent conversational systemsnot Pulumi
Rapid prototyping of agent applicationsnot Pulumi
Research on agentic AI patterns and architecturesnot Pulumi
Distributed agent networks across boundariesnot Pulumi

Pulumi

Infrastructure as codenot AutoGen
Cloud resource provisioningnot AutoGen
DevOps automationnot AutoGen
Multi-cloud managementnot AutoGen

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

AutoGen

Framework now in maintenance mode, no new features planned
Steeper learning curve for advanced use cases
Microsoft recommends new projects use Agent Framework instead
Limited to Python and .NET platforms

Pulumi

The free Individual plan allows one user and one concurrent stack update
The Team plan is $40 per month base including 40 credits, and caps the organisation at 10 users
SAML/SSO, RBAC, audit logs and drift detection require the Enterprise plan at $400 per month base
The per-resource rate rises from $0.1825 per resource per month on Team to $0.365 on Enterprise, so upgrading raises the unit price as well as the base fee
Managed secrets are billed separately at $0.50 per secret per month on Team and $0.75 on Enterprise
Self-hosting, SCIM user sync, audit log export and 24x7 support are only in Business Critical, which is custom priced with no published rate
Team includes up to 500 resources and Enterprise up to 2,000, with everything beyond billed on demand as credits

Pricing, plan by plan

AutoGen

Free

Open SourceFree
- MIT and CC-BY-4.0 licenses
- Full framework access
- Community support

Pulumi

Free

IndividualFree
- 1 user
- Unlimited projects/stacks
- 500 workflow minutes monthly
Team$40/month
- Up to 10 users
- Secure collaboration
- CI/CD integration
Enterprise$400/month
- Unlimited users
- SAML/SSO
- RBAC
Business Critical$null/custom
- Self-hosting
- Advanced compliance
- SCIM integration

Which should you pick?

Choose AutoGen if

You need multi-agent orchestration.
You want to start without paying.
You work on Python, .NET.
You also want message passing api.

AutoGen review

Choose Pulumi if

You need multi-language support.
You want to start without paying.
You work on Linux, Windows, Mac, Api.
You also want multi-cloud.

Pulumi review

Questions people ask

Is AutoGen or Pulumi better?: Neither clearly leads. AutoGen starts at Free and Pulumi at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, AutoGen or Pulumi?: AutoGen starts at Free and Pulumi at Free.
Does AutoGen or Pulumi run on more platforms?: AutoGen runs on Python, .NET. Pulumi runs on Linux, Windows, Mac, Api.
Can I use AutoGen for free?: Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is AutoGen best used for?: AutoGen is most often used for building multi-agent conversational systems, rapid prototyping of agent applications, research on agentic ai patterns and architectures, distributed agent networks across boundaries. Of those, building multi-agent conversational systems and rapid prototyping of agent applications are not what Pulumi is typically brought in for.
What can AutoGen do that Pulumi cannot?: AutoGen covers Multi-agent orchestration, Message passing API, AgentChat API, Extensions API. Pulumi covers Multi-language support, Multi-cloud, State management, Secrets management.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

AutoGen: Is AutoGen still actively developed?

As of March 2026, AutoGen is in maintenance mode and will not receive new features. Microsoft recommends new projects use the Microsoft Agent Framework instead.

Source

Pulumi: How much does Pulumi cost?

Pulumi offers a free Individual tier forever, Team plan at $40/month with 40 credits, and Enterprise at $400/month with 400 credits. Credit usage varies by resource type and workflow needs.

Source

AutoGen: Can I still use AutoGen for new projects?

While AutoGen is stable and maintained for existing projects, Microsoft recommends using the Microsoft Agent Framework for new development.

Source

Pulumi: What is included in the Pulumi free tier?

The free Individual tier includes 1 user, unlimited projects/stacks, 500 workflow minutes monthly, and 5 million Neo tokens free.

Source

AutoGen: What LLM providers does AutoGen support?

AutoGen includes extensions for OpenAI and Azure OpenAI through its Extensions API, with community support for other providers.

Source

Pulumi: How are Pulumi credits charged?

1 Pulumi Credit equals $1 USD. Credits are drawn from a shared pool. IaC resources cost $0.1825/month per resource on Team and $0.365 on Enterprise; ESC secrets cost $0.50-$0.75/month; workflow minutes cost $0.01 each.

Source

Pulumi: Does Pulumi offer volume discounts?

Yes, the Enterprise tier ($400/month) includes volume discounts and is designed for approximately 2,000 IaC resources.

Source

AutoGen vs Pulumi

AutoGen

Pulumi

The short version

Where they differ

What each one covers

Only in AutoGen

Only in Pulumi

What people use each for

AutoGen

Pulumi

Where each one falls short

AutoGen

Pulumi

Pricing, plan by plan

AutoGen

Pulumi

Which should you pick?

Choose AutoGen if

Choose Pulumi if

Questions people ask

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Related pages

More on AutoGen

More on Pulumi

Keep looking

Other head to heads