MetaGPT

MetaGPT is an open-source multi-agent framework that assigns product-manager, architect, project-manager, and engineer roles to LLMs. The CLI is $0 + BYOK. The 2025 hosted product launched as MGX at mgx.dev. That domain now redirects to Atoms, and atoms.dev/pricing sells Free $0, Pro from $20, and Max from $100.

Compare CrewAI if you wanted another Python crew framework, LangGraph if you wanted a durable graph runtime, and Claude Code if you wanted a single coding agent instead of a simulated company.

Key Features

Open CLI, paid models: pip install --upgrade metagpt and metagpt "Create a 2048 game" still write a repo under ./workspace. README wants Python 3.9 to <3.12, plus Node and pnpm. Models go in ~/.metagpt/config2.yaml.
Roles and Data Interpreter: The repo still describes SOP-driven roles and a Data Interpreter for analysis with code execution.
Atoms is the hosted successor, not the CLI: mgx.dev now markets Atoms (AI employees, export to GitHub). Do not call the live site "MGX" as if that brand is still on the homepage.
Research papers are not a star count: README still cites AFlow (ICLR 2025 oral). That is a paper, not a traffic audit.

Use Cases

People who will stay on the MIT CLI and pay their own OpenAI / Azure / Ollama / Groq keys.
People comparing MetaGPT vs CrewAI after they see 69,865 stars vs CrewAI's cloud seats.
People who still have an mgx.dev bookmark and need the Atoms price table.

Atoms credit math (15/day, 25/month on Free) is from the pricing FAQ, not a promise that those numbers never change.

Pricing

MetaGPT CLI and Atoms pricing on 2026-08-17.

Piece	Price	Notes from first-party pages
MetaGPT CLI	$0	MIT. 69,865 stars. BYOK for the LLM.
Atoms Free	$0 / month	15 credits/day, 25/month. Light use.
Atoms Pro	From $20 / month	FAQ default 100 credits → $20. Also lists 250 → $50, 350 → $70.
Atoms Max	From $100 / month	FAQ default 500 → $100. Also lists 1000 → $200, 1500 → $300, up to 10000.

If a leftover blog still says MGX has no public dollar table, treat this Atoms FAQ as the source.

Getting Started

Install with pip install --upgrade metagpt, then metagpt --init-config.
Put a real API key in ~/.metagpt/config2.yaml before you expect a 2048 repo.
Open atoms.dev/pricing only if you wanted the hosted team, not the CLI.
Do not paste 70k stars as an audited census.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is MetaGPT still ~70k stars?

We counted 69,865 on 2026-08-17. Use that check, not a rounded 70k.

Is MGX still the product name?

The live site is Atoms. mgx.dev redirects there.

Is the CLI free?

Yes. The library is MIT. Models are BYOK. Atoms is a separate hosted SKU.

Alternatives

CrewAI: Python crews plus Enterprise Cloud from $99/seat.
LangGraph: LangChain's durable agent graphs.
Claude Code: Anthropic's interactive coding agent.

Tips

Quote 69,865 stars and MIT from the GitHub check.
Quote Atoms Free $0 / Pro from $20 / Max from $100, not an unpriced MGX.
Confirm Python <3.12 before you install on 3.12+.

Conclusion

MetaGPT is a MIT multi-agent CLI with 69,865 stars, not an unpriced MGX forever. Start at github.com/FoundationAgents/MetaGPT, then decide whether atoms.dev/pricing or CrewAI already covers the hosted team you need.