Quick Verdict: CrewAI vs LlamaIndex

Choose CrewAI if: You need multi-agent teams with role-based task delegation.

Choose LlamaIndex if: You’re building RAG systems with complex data ingestion and indexing needs.

Choose Draft’n Run if: You want both capabilities in a visual builder with production deployment.

Head-to-Head Comparison

Feature	CrewAI	LlamaIndex	Winner
Primary Focus	Multi-agent orchestration	RAG & data pipelines	Different strengths
Data Handling	Basic	Advanced (40+ loaders)	🏆 LlamaIndex
Agent Support	Native multi-agent	Single agent focus	🏆 CrewAI
Learning Curve	Easy	Moderate	🏆 CrewAI
Production Tools	Basic	LlamaCloud available	🏆 LlamaIndex
Pricing	$40/mo cloud	$200/mo cloud	🏆 CrewAI

Use Case Comparison

Best for CrewAI:

• Customer service teams
• Content generation pipelines
• Sales automation
• Task delegation systems
• Role-based workflows

Best for LlamaIndex:

• Document Q&A systems
• Knowledge base search
• Data analysis pipelines
• PDF/document processing
• Semantic search applications

Code Examples: Building a Research Assistant

CrewAI Approach:

from crewai import Agent, Task, Crew

researcher = Agent(
    role='Research Analyst',
    goal='Find and analyze information',
    tools=[search_tool, web_scraper]
)

analyst = Agent(
    role='Data Analyst',
    goal='Extract insights from data',
    tools=[data_tool]
)

research_task = Task(
    description='Research {topic} thoroughly',
    agent=researcher,
    expected_output='Comprehensive research report'
)

crew = Crew(
    agents=[researcher, analyst],
    tasks=[research_task],
    verbose=True
)

result = crew.kickoff({"topic": "AI frameworks"})

LlamaIndex Approach:

from llama_index import VectorStoreIndex, SimpleDirectoryReader
from llama_index.llms import OpenAI

# Load and index documents
documents = SimpleDirectoryReader('data/').load_data()
index = VectorStoreIndex.from_documents(documents)

# Create query engine
query_engine = index.as_query_engine(
    llm=OpenAI(model="gpt-4"),
    similarity_top_k=5
)

# Query the knowledge base
response = query_engine.query("Tell me about AI frameworks")

Performance Metrics

Metric	CrewAI	LlamaIndex
Setup Time	5 minutes	10 minutes
Document Processing	Limited	Excellent
Query Speed	1.5s average	0.8s with cache
Memory Usage	150MB base	200MB+ with index
Token Efficiency	Good	Excellent with retrieval

Integration Capabilities

CrewAI Integrations:

• OpenAI, Anthropic, Google AI
• Basic web tools
• Custom Python functions
• ~20 built-in tools

LlamaIndex Integrations:

• 40+ data loaders
• Multiple vector stores
• All major LLMs
• Observability tools
• Knowledge graphs

Pricing Breakdown

CrewAI:

• Open Source: Free
• CrewAI Cloud: $40/month
• Enterprise: Custom

LlamaIndex:

• Open Source: Free
• LlamaCloud: $200/month
• LlamaParse: $0.003/page
• Enterprise: Custom

Draft’n Run Alternative:

• Free Tier: 1,000 runs/month
• Pro: $49/month
• Enterprise: Custom
• Includes: Both agent orchestration AND RAG capabilities

When to Use Each

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use both frameworks together?

Yes! Use LlamaIndex for data ingestion and RAG, then CrewAI for multi-agent orchestration. Draft’n Run makes this combination seamless.

Which is better for document processing?

LlamaIndex is superior for document processing with 40+ data loaders and advanced indexing. CrewAI would need custom tools for complex document handling.

Which framework scales better?

LlamaIndex scales better for data-heavy applications. CrewAI scales better for multi-agent coordination. Draft’n Run handles both scaling patterns.

Final Recommendation

For multi-agent systems: CrewAI wins with simpler setup and native agent coordination.

For RAG and data pipelines: LlamaIndex is unmatched in document processing and retrieval.

For comprehensive AI workflows: Use Draft’n Run to get both capabilities in a visual, production-ready platform.

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Related Comparisons & Resources

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• Make vs Zapier vs Draft’n Run - Full platform comparison
• LangChain vs LlamaIndex - RAG framework comparison
• CrewAI vs LangChain - Multi-agent frameworks

Alternative Platform Guides:

• LangChain Alternatives - LangChain alternatives
• Zapier Alternatives - Zapier alternatives for AI
• Make Alternatives - Make alternatives
• n8n Alternatives - n8n alternatives guide

Draft’n Run Platform:

• AI Workflow Builder - Visual workflow builder
• AI Chatbot Platform - Build production chatbots
• AI Automation - End-to-end automation
• Integration Library - 100+ integrations
• Pricing - See plans
• Request Demo - Get started