Haystack vs LlamaIndex

Comprehensive side-by-side comparison — features, pricing, performance, and more.

Data last refreshed August 2026

Haystack

deepset GmbH

Build custom AI agents and RAG applications with open AI orchestration

Open Source

77% verification coverage

LlamaIndex

LlamaIndex Inc.

AI Agents for Document OCR + Workflows

Freemium

82% verification coverage

Trust & Reliability

Haystack

Uptime:100% (90-day)Status page

Customers (per vendor):Lufthansa Industry Solutions, Accenture, NVIDIA +5

GDPR

SOC 2

HIPAA

LlamaIndex

Uptime:99.99%Status page

Users:100K-1M

Customers (per vendor):Jeppesen (a Boeing Company), NTT Data, Carlyle

GDPR

SOC 2

HIPAA

Too Close to Call

LlamaIndex (6.8) vs Haystack (6.5) — difference of 0.3 points

Scores are AI-estimated from publicly available data — not an independent test or a verified user rating. How we rank →

AI Comparison Summary

Haystack

6.5

avg score

LlamaIndex

6.8

avg score

Both tools score very similarly overall — the best choice depends on your specific priorities.

Based on 6 dimensions

Scores are AI-estimated from publicly available data — not an independent test or a verified user rating. How we rank →

Too close to call — it's a tie

Haystack

Best For

AI engineers building production-ready LLM applications

Developers needing explicit control over AI agent decisions

Teams integrating diverse AI models and data stores

Enterprises deploying AI workflows with reliability and observability

LlamaIndex

Best For

Engineering and R&D teams accelerating product development

Administrative operations streamlining business processes

Financial analysts building AI-powered financial models

Insurance companies automating claims and underwriting

* Verdict is based on our algorithmic scoring of publicly available data. Learn about our methodology

Haystack is best for

🔍Research5.3🎧Customer Support4.5🤖Automation & Agents4.3

LlamaIndex is best for

✍️Writing & Content7.0🤖Automation & Agents6.2🔍Research5.8

Filter by your use case:

Limitations

Haystack

Cons

Enterprise features and support are part of a separate paid offering

LlamaIndex

Cons

LlamaParse is a commercial platform and not open source, though LlamaIndex and Workflows are open source projects.
Bonus credits on the Pro plan expire immediately upon downgrade and require a business email domain.

Weighted Score — Adjust What Matters to You

Pick a profile or drag sliders — scores and radar update instantly on the right.

Quick profiles:

Ease of Use5

Customization5

Support5

Integration5

Compliance & Data Protection5

Performance5

Planning Quality5

Dimension Comparison

Haystack

6.5

/ 10

LlamaIndex

6.8

/ 10

Your pick

Dimension Breakdown

Ease of Use

How intuitive is onboarding, UI navigation, and day-to-day usage for the target audience?

Haystack

3.0

LlamaIndex

3.0

Customization

Calculated

How much can users tailor workflows, settings, prompts, or outputs to their needs?

Haystack

9.0

LlamaIndex

10.0▲ +1.0

Support

How strong is the documentation, customer support, community, and learning resources?

Haystack

10.0

LlamaIndex

10.0

Integration

Calculated

How well does it connect with other tools, APIs, and workflows?

Haystack

8.0▲ +3.0

LlamaIndex

5.0

Compliance & Data Protection

Calculated

Compliance certifications and data-protection posture, counted from ten verified signals: SOC 2 Type II, GDPR compliance, HIPAA, WCAG AA/AAA, PII redaction, licensed-only training, a published sub-processor list, a downloadable DPA, not training on user data, and a documented deletion path

Haystack

4.0

LlamaIndex

8.0▲ +4.0

Performance

Calculated

Latency + throughput speed

Haystack

5.0

LlamaIndex

5.0

Planning Quality

Calculated

Multi-step planning depth + replanning capability

Haystack

—

LlamaIndex

—

Calculated = derived from structured signals (integration count, API/open-source config, compliance certs, response-time). AI = LLM-assessed from public website content. Methodology

Task Performance

Haystack

Task

LlamaIndex

3.0

Role Definition

6.0

3.0

Task Decomposition

6.0

7.0

Agent Coordination

6.0

3.0

Inter Agent Communication

5.0

7.0

Workflow Orchestration

8.0

7.0

Tool Use Delegation

7.0

3.0

State Management

7.0

5.0

Error Recovery

6.0

9.0

Observability

7.0

Scalability Throughput

7.0

3.0

Task Delegation

6.0

3.0

Parallel Execution

6.0

* Task scores (1–10) are algorithmically generated from publicly available data.

Data is sourced from public information and vendor websites. It may not always be up-to-date — verify pricing and features directly with the vendor before purchasing.Report inaccuracy

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the main differences between Haystack and LlamaIndex?

Haystack — "Build custom AI agents and RAG applications with open AI orchestration". LlamaIndex — "AI Agents for Document OCR + Workflows". The Features section on this page compares them side by side.

Who is Haystack best for compared with LlamaIndex?

Haystack is best for AI engineers building production-ready LLM applications; and for Developers needing explicit control over AI agent decisions. LlamaIndex is best for Engineering and R&D teams accelerating product development; and for Administrative operations streamlining business processes.

How does the pricing of Haystack compare with LlamaIndex?

Haystack is open source, includes a free plan. LlamaIndex is freemium, includes a free plan, paid plans start at $50/month. Always verify current pricing with the vendor.

Does Haystack or LlamaIndex have a free plan?

Haystack is open source. LlamaIndex has a free plan. Always verify current pricing with the vendor.

Do Haystack and LlamaIndex offer an API?

Haystack offers a public API. LlamaIndex offers a public API.

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