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LangChain

langchain.com

From $39/mo Free plan APISelf-hosted
Visit langchain.com
Spec score 8.3 #4 of 49 in LLM Application Development Frameworks

What it is

LangChain is a free, MIT-licensed open-source framework for building agents with models and tools. Its create_agent harness combines a model, tools, prompt and middleware, with templates for common uses and a ReAct pattern. Middleware can add human approval, conversation compression, sensitive-data removal, guardrails, retries, routing and custom tool policies. Agents run on LangGraph’s durable runtime, which supports persistence, rewind, checkpointing and human-in-the-loop workflows. LangChain documents more than 1,000 integrations across chat and embedding models, tools, toolkits, document loaders and vector stores. Standard interfaces for chat models and embeddings support switching providers with minimal code changes. Documentation covers Python and JavaScript/TypeScript. LangSmith adds tracing, debugging and output evaluation. The framework supports API and self-hosted use. LangChain was started in 2023 and is headquartered in San Francisco.

Spec sheet

Purpose
LangChain is an open-source framework that provides a pre-built agent architecture and integrations for models and tools.Read 4 Oct 2026 · langchain.com
Integrations
LangChain documents 1000+ integrations across chat and embedding models, tools and toolkits, document loaders, and vector stores.Read 4 Oct 2026 · docs.langchain.com
Support
The LangSmith Developer plan includes community support, while the Enterprise plan includes a support SLA.Read 4 Oct 2026 · langchain.com
Headquarters
San Francisco, United StatesRead 28 Sep 2026 · langchain.com
Founded
2023Read 28 Sep 2026 · langchain.com
Company
LangChain says it was started as a company in early 2023 and is headquartered in San Francisco.Read 4 Oct 2026 · langchain.com
Agent harness
The `create_agent` harness composes a model, tools, prompt, and middleware into a configurable agent.Read 4 Oct 2026 · docs.langchain.com
Agent patterns
The framework provides templates for common use cases and a ReAct pattern through `create_agent`.Read 4 Oct 2026 · langchain.com
Data use
The LangSmith pricing FAQ states that customer data is not used to train models and remains private to the customer’s organization.Read 4 Oct 2026 · langchain.com
Languages
The maker provides LangChain framework documentation and installation examples for Python and JavaScript/TypeScript.Read 4 Oct 2026 · docs.langchain.com
Middleware
Middleware can add human approval, conversation compression, sensitive-data removal, guardrails, retries, routing, and custom tool policies.Read 4 Oct 2026 · langchain.com
Model portability
LangChain provides a standard interface for chat models and embeddings across providers, allowing models to be switched with minimal code changes.Read 4 Oct 2026 · docs.langchain.com
Notable limits
The Developer plan includes one seat and up to 5k base traces per month before pay-as-you-go charges apply.Read 4 Oct 2026 · langchain.com
Observability
LangSmith can trace requests and help developers debug agent behavior and evaluate outputs from LangChain applications.Read 4 Oct 2026 · docs.langchain.com
Runtime
LangChain agents run on LangGraph’s durable runtime, with persistence, rewind, checkpointing, and human-in-the-loop support.Read 4 Oct 2026 · langchain.com
Security compliance
LangChain’s Trust Center lists SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001:2022, GDPR, and HIPAA compliance for LangSmith.Read 4 Oct 2026 · trust.langchain.com

Plans and prices

Developer (LangSmith) Free $0 / seat per month; usage billed pay as you go. 1 seat · Up to 5k base traces / mo, then pay-as-you-go · Community support Read 4 Oct 2026 · langchain.com
LangChain framework Free Free to use; MIT-licensed open-source library. Open-source framework Read 4 Oct 2026 · langchain.com
Plus (LangSmith) $39 a month $39 / seat per month; usage billed pay as you go. Up to 10k base traces / mo, then pay-as-you-go · Add unlimited seats · 1 free Serverless (Small) deployment included Read 4 Oct 2026 · langchain.com
Enterprise (LangSmith) Priced on request Custom pricing; Enterprise plans are invoiced annually upfront. Self-hosted and hybrid deployment options · Custom SSO, ABAC, and RBAC · Support SLA · Custom seats and workspaces Read 4 Oct 2026 · langchain.com

Every LangChain plan and price →

Strong points and limits

Strong points

  • Free MIT-licensed open-source framework
  • More than 1,000 documented integrations
  • Configurable middleware and agent patterns
  • Durable runtime with checkpoints
  • Python and JavaScript/TypeScript support

Limits

  • LangSmith usage can incur pay-as-you-go charges
  • Developer plan has one seat
  • Base traces are limited before extra charges
  • Enterprise pricing is custom

Who it suits

It suits developers building configurable model-and-tool agents in Python or JavaScript/TypeScript. Teams needing tracing, evaluation, self-hosting or provider portability can use the related LangSmith and framework options.

Verdict

LangChain provides a broad, open framework for agent construction, runtime controls and model portability. LangSmith extends it with observability, but its paid plans and usage limits should be reviewed.

Where Specifiction places it

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