Claude Agent SDK vs Semantic Kernel

Pick two tools from the same category to compare side-by-side.

	Claude Agent SDK Anthropic's official SDK for building production agents on Claude.	Semantic Kernel Microsoft's open-source SDK for embedding LLM agents and plugins into .NET, Python, and Java apps.
Category	framework	framework
Vendor type	commercial	open source
Pricing	free	free
Strengths	+ First-class Claude features (prompt caching, extended thinking) + Designed around production agent patterns + Compatible with the Skills standard	+ Strong enterprise and multi-language support (.NET, Python, Java) + Plugin/connector model and Azure ecosystem integration + Backed by Microsoft with extensive documentation + Established memory and planner/agent primitives
Tradeoffs	− Claude-only (cross-provider needs a gateway like Portkey)	− Most new investment has shifted to Microsoft Agent Framework − API churn and migration overhead for long-lived projects − Heavier, enterprise-oriented abstractions
Used in stacks	9	0