Haystack vs Semantic Kernel

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

	Haystack Open-source Python orchestration framework from deepset for production LLM and RAG applications.	Semantic Kernel Microsoft's open-source SDK for embedding LLM agents and plugins into .NET, Python, and Java apps.
Category	framework	framework
Vendor type	hybrid	open source
Pricing	freemium	free
Strengths	+ Transparent, modular pipeline architecture + Strong, mature support for RAG and retrieval workflows + Broad ecosystem of model and document-store integrations + Production focus with a commercial platform option from deepset	+ 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	− Pipeline/component model adds boilerplate for simple tasks − Historically RAG-centric, with agents added more recently	− 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	0	0