Google Cloud's managed agents, with grounding and enterprise controls attached. Built by Google Cloud.
Others in vendor sdk
Claude Agent SDKClaude Code as a library you can run yourself.
Google ADKGoogle's agent toolkit, from the loop up, runnable with no API key.
Microsoft Agent Framework
OpenAI Agent BuilderCommon questions
Is Vertex AI Agent Builder free to use?
Vertex AI Agent Builder is open source and free to run yourself. You still pay whichever model provider you point it at, and this tutorial is free with no signup.
Do I need to know Python to use Vertex AI Agent Builder?
Basic Python is enough. Functions, dictionaries and imports cover most of what Vertex AI Agent Builder asks of you.
When should I not use Vertex AI Agent Builder?
When something else in vendor sdk fits the job better. The others in that group are listed below.
Lessons for Vertex AI Agent Builder are being written. Meanwhile the APIs for AI tutorial covers the same ground: state, tools, loops, memory and human approval. Most of it carries straight over.
Start the APIs for AI tutorial →