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Comparison

OpenAI Agents SDK vs Claude Agent SDK

The verdict

Choose the OpenAI Agents SDK when you want a lightweight, provider-agnostic library with handoffs, guardrails, built-in tracing and realtime voice agents that runs inside an ordinary web service. Choose the Claude Agent SDK when the agent needs a full harness with file, shell and web tools, subagents, hooks, permissions and resumable sessions, the same loop that powers Claude Code. Both SDKs are free; you pay for model usage.

OpenAI Agents SDKClaude Agent SDK
What it isA lightweight library of agent primitives with very few abstractionsClaude Code's agent loop, tools and context management as a library
LanguagesPython and TypeScriptPython and TypeScript
Core primitivesAgents, handoffs, agents as tools, guardrails, sessions and tracingBuilt-in tools, subagents, hooks, permissions, sessions, skills, plugins and MCP
Built-in toolsHosted tools on OpenAI models such as web search, file search and code interpreter; you write function tools for the restReady to use tools to read, write and edit files, run shell commands and search the web
Model choiceOpenAI models by default, plus other providers through OpenAI-compatible endpoints and adaptersClaude models, through the Claude API, Amazon Bedrock, Google Cloud or Microsoft Foundry
Runtime modelRuns in your application processSpawns a Claude Code subprocess with its own shell, working directory and session files
HostingAny normal web service or workerA container or sandbox per agent, sized for long-running sessions
VoiceRealtime voice agents and speech pipelines built inNot a focus; pair with a separate voice stack
ObservabilityBuilt-in tracing to OpenAI's dashboard, or your own trace processorOpenTelemetry export of traces, metrics and logs
Safety controlsInput and output guardrails, human-in-the-loop approvalsPermission modes, allow and deny rules, and hooks around every tool call

Choose OpenAI Agents SDK if

  • You want several specialized agents that hand conversations to each other
  • You need realtime voice agents
  • You want to keep the option of running non-OpenAI models
  • The agent should run inside an existing web service without a sandbox per session
  • Most of your tools are your own API calls rather than files and shell commands

Choose Claude Agent SDK if

  • The agent works through files, documents, spreadsheets or code over many steps
  • You want ready tools for reading, editing, running commands and searching instead of writing them
  • You need fine-grained permissions and hooks around every tool call
  • Sessions must resume or fork later, such as a research or operations agent
  • You plan to standardize on Claude models

The short version

These two SDKs look similar from a distance but sit at different levels. The OpenAI Agents SDK is a small set of primitives: agents, handoffs, guardrails, sessions and tracing. You bring the tools. The Claude Agent SDK is a full agent harness: it ships with tools to read and edit files, run commands and search the web, plus subagents, hooks and permissions, because it is the engine inside Claude Code.

Pick the OpenAI Agents SDK when you want a light library inside your existing service. Pick the Claude Agent SDK when the agent needs to do long, multi-step work through files and tools with strong guardrails.

Where the OpenAI Agents SDK wins

Light and flexible. It runs in your application process like any other library. A customer-facing chat agent behind your API needs no sandbox per user, which keeps hosting simple.

Handoffs between agents. Triage, billing and technical agents can pass a conversation to each other cleanly. That pattern suits support agents and front-desk assistants.

Voice. Realtime agents with interruption handling and speech pipelines are built in, a real head start for phone support agents.

Model flexibility. You can run non-OpenAI models through compatible endpoints and adapters, so you are not locked to one vendor.

Tracing out of the box. Every run produces a trace you can inspect, and you can route traces to your own processor.

Where the Claude Agent SDK wins

Tools already built. File reading and editing, shell commands, search and web access work on day one. For an agent that processes documents, reconciles spreadsheets or researches a topic across many sources, that removes a lot of code.

Long tasks done well. Claude Code’s context management, subagents and session resume and fork are designed for work that runs for many steps. Sessions can persist to your own storage and resume later.

Control over every action. Permission modes, allow and deny rules, and hooks that run before or after each tool call let you block risky actions, require approvals and log everything.

Packaging and extension. Skills, plugins and MCP servers let you package know-how and connect internal systems in a reusable way.

Enterprise cloud options. You can run Claude models through Amazon Bedrock, Google Cloud or Microsoft Foundry, which often fits existing procurement and data residency rules.

What we recommend

For conversational, customer-facing agents, multi-agent handoffs and voice, start with the OpenAI Agents SDK. For back-office agents that work through documents, data and tools over many steps, start with the Claude Agent SDK. We pick the model for each task based on tests, not loyalty, and the model choice is covered in OpenAI API vs Claude API for agents.

Lumeor builds agents with either SDK. For budgets, see the cost of a custom AI agent.

Frequently asked questions

Is the Claude Agent SDK the same as Claude Code?

It is Claude Code as a library. The Claude Agent SDK, formerly the Claude Code SDK, gives you the same tools, agent loop and context management that power Claude Code, programmable in Python and TypeScript. It is used for far more than coding, such as research, document processing and operations agents.

Can the OpenAI Agents SDK use Claude or other models?

Yes. The SDK is provider-agnostic. You can point it at any OpenAI-compatible endpoint or use its LiteLLM and Any-LLM adapters, which are labeled beta. Some features, such as OpenAI's hosted tools, only work with OpenAI models on the Responses API, and tracing needs extra setup without an OpenAI key.

Can the Claude Agent SDK use non-Claude models?

It is built for Claude models. You can reach them through the Claude API, Amazon Bedrock, Google Cloud or Microsoft Foundry, which helps with procurement and data residency. If you need to switch between model vendors freely, the OpenAI Agents SDK or a framework like LangGraph is a better fit.

How much do these SDKs cost?

Both SDKs are free to use. You pay the model provider for tokens, billed per input and output token, and you pay for your own hosting. The Claude Agent SDK runs a subprocess per session, so plan container capacity; Anthropic's docs note that token spend usually far outweighs container cost. Check each provider's current pricing.

Do OpenAI or Anthropic train on data sent through these SDKs?

Both companies state that they do not train models on API data by default. Review each provider's data retention terms and, for healthcare data, whether a BAA is available for your use case.

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Last updated October 14, 2026. Product details change often; check each vendor's current documentation and pricing.