Pydantic AI vs smolagents

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

	Pydantic AI Type-safe Python agent framework built by the Pydantic team around validated structured outputs.	smolagents Hugging Face's minimalist agent library where agents act by writing and running code.
Category	framework	framework
Vendor type	open source	open source
Pricing	free	free
Strengths	+ Strong type safety and validated structured outputs + Familiar, ergonomic API for Pydantic users + Model-agnostic with broad provider support + Native OpenTelemetry/Logfire observability	+ Minimal, readable codebase with few abstractions + Code-agent approach can reduce steps and LLM calls + Model-agnostic via LiteLLM and the Hub + Sandboxed execution options (E2B, Modal, Docker)
Tradeoffs	− Younger framework with a smaller ecosystem than incumbents − Fewer built-in high-level multi-agent orchestration abstractions − APIs still maturing	− Minimalism means fewer built-in features for complex orchestration − Executing model-written code requires careful sandboxing − Younger, smaller ecosystem than larger frameworks
Used in stacks	0	0