Is LlamaIndex better than Agent Development Kit (ADK)?

LlamaIndex ranks higher in our list of AI agent frameworks and tooling (#3 against #5, score 88.0 against 85.5), but the gap is small and the better choice depends on what you need. Agent Development Kit (ADK) is best for: agents built in code and deployed to Google Cloud. LlamaIndex is best for: agents that work over documents and data.

Which is cheaper, Agent Development Kit (ADK) or LlamaIndex?

Agent Development Kit (ADK): Apache-2.0 framework is free to use and self-host. LlamaIndex: MIT-licensed framework is free; LlamaParse is a separate service.

Do Agent Development Kit (ADK) and LlamaIndex run on the same platforms?

Agent Development Kit (ADK) supports Command line, Windows, macOS, Linux. LlamaIndex supports Self-hosted.

Comparison · AI agent frameworks and tooling

Agent Development Kit (ADK) vs LlamaIndex: which is better in 2026?

Agent Development Kit (ADK)85.5#5 in best AI agent frameworks and tooling

LlamaIndex88.0#3 in best AI agent frameworks and tooling

LlamaIndex ranks higher in our list of AI agent frameworks and tooling (#3 against #5, score 88.0 against 85.5), but the gap is small and the better choice depends on what you need.

How we rank Share

85.5
Editorial score
88.0
4
Platforms
1
Yes
Free to use
Yes
Yes
Open source
Yes

Which should you choose?

Choose Agent Development Kit (ADK) if you want

Agents built in code and deployed to Google Cloud.

Apache-2.0 code-first toolkit from Google with Python, TypeScript, Go and Java versions and a built-in web interface. Its deployment shortcuts point mainly to Google Cloud, so it fits teams already there.

Choose LlamaIndex if you want

Agents that work over documents and data.

The strongest focus on documents and retrieval, with an MIT-licensed framework and a separate parsing service. It is narrower for general agent work than LangChain.

The main differences

Only Agent Development Kit (ADK) runs on Linux.
Only Agent Development Kit (ADK) runs on Windows.
Only Agent Development Kit (ADK) runs on macOS.

Side by side

	Agent Development Kit (ADK)	LlamaIndex
Score	85.5	88.0
Rank in list	#5 of 12	#3 of 12
Price	Free and open sourceApache-2.0 framework is free to use and self-host	Free and open sourceMIT-licensed framework is free; LlamaParse is a separate service
Free to use	Yes	Yes
Open source	Yes	Yes
Platforms	Command lineWindowsmacOSLinuxCommand line, Windows, macOS, Linux	Self-hostedSelf-hosted
Made by	Google	LlamaIndex
Language	Python, TypeScript, Go and Java	Not listed
Agent approach	Code-first agents with a web interface	Document-centric agents
Paid hosted service	Agent Runtime on Google Cloud	LlamaParse, separate
Best for	Agents built in code and deployed to Google Cloud	Agents that work over documents and data
Strengths	Apache-2.0 license with an active repository Code-first agents with a built-in web interface Same framework in Python, TypeScript, Go and Java	MIT licensed with source on GitHub Focus on document and data workflows Separate parsing service available
Limits	Deployment shortcuts point mainly to Google Cloud Hosted model access is billed by the provider	Parsing service is a separate product to evaluate Narrower agent focus than general orchestration frameworks
Links	Visit site	Visit site

Questions about Agent Development Kit (ADK) vs LlamaIndex

Is LlamaIndex better than Agent Development Kit (ADK)?: LlamaIndex ranks higher in our list of AI agent frameworks and tooling (#3 against #5, score 88.0 against 85.5), but the gap is small and the better choice depends on what you need. Agent Development Kit (ADK) is best for: agents built in code and deployed to Google Cloud. LlamaIndex is best for: agents that work over documents and data.
Which is cheaper, Agent Development Kit (ADK) or LlamaIndex?: Agent Development Kit (ADK): Apache-2.0 framework is free to use and self-host. LlamaIndex: MIT-licensed framework is free; LlamaParse is a separate service.
Do Agent Development Kit (ADK) and LlamaIndex run on the same platforms?: Agent Development Kit (ADK) supports Command line, Windows, macOS, Linux. LlamaIndex supports Self-hosted.