LlamaIndex vs Semantic Kernel

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

Data last refreshed October 2026

LlamaIndex

LlamaIndex Inc.

AI Agents for Document OCR + Workflows

Freemium

82% verification coverage

Semantic Kernel

Microsoft

Microsoft's SDK to build AI agents and orchestrate models

Open Source

66% verification coverage

Trust & Reliability

LlamaIndex

Uptime:99.99%Status page

Users:100K-1M

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

GDPR

SOC 2

HIPAA

Semantic Kernel

Customers (per vendor):J.M. Family Enterprises

Overall Winner: LlamaIndex

6.8/10 vs Semantic Kernel at 4.2/10

Leads in:

Customization

Support

Compliance & Data Protection

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

AI Comparison Summary

LlamaIndex

6.8

avg score

Semantic Kernel

4.2

avg score

LlamaIndex leads overall — particularly in Ease of Use and Customization and 3 more.

Based on 6 dimensions

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

Overall Winner

LlamaIndex

6.8 / 10

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

Semantic Kernel

Best For

Developers building AI-powered applications

Organizations looking to integrate AI with existing systems

Students learning AI development with Microsoft technologies

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

LlamaIndex is best for

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

Semantic Kernel is best for

🤖Automation & Agents5.8📊Data & Analytics4.0🎧Customer Support3.5

Filter by your use case:

Limitations

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.

Semantic Kernel

Cons

No cons listed yet.

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

LlamaIndex

6.8

/ 10

Clear winner

Semantic Kernel

4.2

/ 10

Dimension Breakdown

Ease of Use

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

LlamaIndex

3.0▲ +2.0

Semantic Kernel

1.0

Customization

Calculated

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

LlamaIndex

10.0▲ +2.0

Semantic Kernel

8.0

Support

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

LlamaIndex

10.0▲ +3.0

Semantic Kernel

7.0

Integration

Calculated

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

LlamaIndex

5.0▲ +2.0

Semantic Kernel

3.0

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

LlamaIndex

8.0▲ +7.0

Semantic Kernel

1.0

Performance

Calculated

Latency + throughput speed

LlamaIndex

5.0

Semantic Kernel

5.0

Planning Quality

Calculated

Multi-step planning depth + replanning capability

LlamaIndex

—

Semantic Kernel

—

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

LlamaIndex

Task

Semantic Kernel

6.0

Role Definition

7.0

6.0

Task Decomposition

6.0

Agent Coordination

7.0

5.0

Inter Agent Communication

6.0

8.0

Workflow Orchestration

8.0

7.0

Tool Use Delegation

8.0

7.0

State Management

6.0

Error Recovery

6.0

7.0

Observability

8.0

7.0

Scalability Throughput

6.0

8.0

Workflow Building

7.0

4.0

Trigger Variety

4.0

* 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 LlamaIndex and Semantic Kernel?

LlamaIndex — "AI Agents for Document OCR + Workflows". Semantic Kernel — "Microsoft's SDK to build AI agents and orchestrate models". The Features section on this page compares them side by side.

Who is LlamaIndex best for compared with Semantic Kernel?

LlamaIndex is best for Engineering and R&D teams accelerating product development; and for Administrative operations streamlining business processes. Semantic Kernel is best for Developers building AI-powered applications; and for Organizations looking to integrate AI with existing systems.

How does the pricing of LlamaIndex compare with Semantic Kernel?

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

Does LlamaIndex or Semantic Kernel have a free plan?

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

Do LlamaIndex and Semantic Kernel offer an API?

LlamaIndex offers a public API. Semantic Kernel offers a public API.

Explore Alternatives

LlamaIndex Alternatives

Tools similar to LlamaIndex

Semantic Kernel Alternatives

Tools similar to Semantic Kernel

Compare More AI Tools

Use our comparison tool to compare up to 5 AI tools side-by-side with AI-powered recommendations.