Which is more popular, Agent Development Kit (ADK) or Semantic Kernel?

Semantic Kernel has more GitHub stars (28,622 vs 21,690).

Which is more actively developed, Agent Development Kit (ADK) or Semantic Kernel?

Agent Development Kit (ADK) had more commits in the last 90 days (1,360 vs 59).

Should I use Agent Development Kit (ADK) or Semantic Kernel?

Compare their capabilities, limitations and "best for" notes above. Both are open source, so trying each on a small task is the fastest way to decide.

Agent Development Kit (ADK) vs Semantic Kernel

Side-by-side comparison of two AI agent tools

Short answer

Semantic Kernel is growing faster: +166 GitHub stars in the last 30 days vs +30 for Agent Development Kit (ADK).
Pick Agent Development Kit (ADK) for: an open-source, code-first Python toolkit for building, evaluating, and deploying sophisticated AI agents. Pick Semantic Kernel for: integrate cutting-edge LLM technology quickly and easily into your apps.

From GitHub data refreshed daily.

Agent Development Kit (ADK)open-source

An open-source, code-first Python toolkit for building, evaluating, and deploying sophisticated AI agents with flexibility and control.

Semantic Kernelopen-source

Integrate cutting-edge LLM technology quickly and easily into your apps

Metrics

	Agent Development Kit (ADK)	Semantic Kernel
Stars	21.7k	28.6k
Star velocity /mo	30	166.19047619047618
Commits (90d)	1.4k	59
Releases (6m)	10	10
Overall score	0.7141691885622203	0.6825043139380368

Pros

+Model-agnostic design supports multiple LLM providers including OpenAI, Azure OpenAI, Hugging Face, and local models
+Enterprise-ready with built-in observability, security features, and stable APIs for production deployments
+Multi-language support (Python, .NET, Java) with comprehensive agent orchestration and multi-agent system capabilities

Cons

-Requires significant programming knowledge and understanding of AI agent concepts
-Complex setup and configuration for advanced multi-agent workflows
-Learning curve for mastering the framework's extensive feature set and architectural patterns

Use Cases

•Building enterprise chatbots and conversational AI applications with reliable LLM integration
•Creating complex multi-agent systems where specialized AI agents collaborate on business processes
•Developing AI applications that need flexibility to switch between different LLM providers and deployment environments

View Agent Development Kit (ADK) Details View Semantic Kernel Details

FAQ

Which is more popular, Agent Development Kit (ADK) or Semantic Kernel?: Semantic Kernel has more GitHub stars (28,622 vs 21,690).
Which is more actively developed, Agent Development Kit (ADK) or Semantic Kernel?: Agent Development Kit (ADK) had more commits in the last 90 days (1,360 vs 59).
Should I use Agent Development Kit (ADK) or Semantic Kernel?: Compare their capabilities, limitations and "best for" notes above. Both are open source, so trying each on a small task is the fastest way to decide.