Azure OpenAIvsMicrosoft Agent Framework
OpenAI models hosted on Azure with enterprise compliance and SLAs versus Microsoft's official agent SDK — merger of AutoGen and Semantic Kernel
Compare interactively in Explore →Choose Azure OpenAI when…
- •enterprise on Azure with compliance and data residency requirements
- •need GPT-4o with Azure AD auth and VNet integration
- •want OpenAI models with enterprise SLAs and support
Choose Microsoft Agent Framework when…
- •You are migrating off AutoGen or Semantic Kernel
- •You are building .NET-native agents and want a first-party SDK
- •You want a Microsoft-backed agent framework with enterprise support
Side-by-side comparison
Azure OpenAI
Azure OpenAI Service provides access to GPT-4o, o1, and other OpenAI models hosted within Microsoft Azure, offering enterprise-grade SLAs, data privacy guarantees, and compliance certifications. It's the default choice for enterprises on Azure that need OpenAI models.
Microsoft Agent Framework
Microsoft Agent Framework 1.0 (April 2026) is the official merger of AutoGen and Semantic Kernel into a single production-ready SDK for .NET and Python. Microsoft publishes a migration path from both predecessors; this is the recommended Microsoft path for new agentic applications.
Only Azure OpenAI (3)
Only Microsoft Agent Framework (6)
Explore the full AI landscape
See how Azure OpenAI and Microsoft Agent Framework fit into the bigger picture — 235 tools, 543 relationships, all mapped.