KaibanJSvsPI from Scratch
Generated from the two spec rows. Green marks the better value where a spec has a clear direction. Everything else is just different.
KaibanJS
Kaiban AI · Agent framework
OSS
Panel
5.22 spec wins
- Reliability
- 4.8
- Usefulness
- 4.7
- Cost
- 7.3
- Longevity
- 4.0
“LangChain-compatible, which is either a feature or a warning depending on which week you read the changelog.”
PI from Scratch
SaladDay · Agent framework
OSS
Panel
5.02 spec wins
- Reliability
- 3.3
- Usefulness
- 3.3
- Cost
- 9.2
- Longevity
- 4.3
“A tutorial for building a TypeScript coding agent that executes commands locally without a sandbox.”
Spec by spec
| Spec | KaibanJS | PI from Scratch |
|---|---|---|
| Architecture | ||
| Category | Agent framework | Agent framework |
| Runs | local | local |
| Platforms | macos, linux, windows, web | macos, linux, windows |
| Context window | not documented | not documented |
| Protocols | ||
| MCP client | No | No |
| MCP server | No | No |
| Capabilities | ||
| Runs terminal commands | No | Yes |
| Multi-file edits | No | Yes |
| Git operations | No | No |
| Browser control | No | No |
| Sandboxed execution | No | No |
| Multi-agent orchestration | Yes | No |
| Headless / CI mode | No | No |
| Models | ||
| Backbone | GPT, Claude, Gemini | |
| Bring your own model | Yes | Yes |
| Local models | No | No |
| Cost | ||
| Pricing model | byok | free |
| Starts at | $0/mo | n/a |
| Free tier | Yes | Yes |
| Bring your own key | Yes | Yes |
| Openness | ||
| Open source | Yes | Yes |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| GitHub stars | 1,480 | 1,261 |
Which one would each critic pick
| Critic | KaibanJS | PI from Scratch | Pick |
|---|---|---|---|
| El Juez | — | — | not enough reviews |
| El Amigo | 5.5 | 4.3 | KaibanJS — Pick KaibanJS if watching agents move across a board is how you want to debug them; pick VoltAgent if you need MCP tools and a way to run it unattended. |
| El Crítico | 5.0 | 5.0 | no preference |
| El Profesor | 5.8 | 3.3 | KaibanJS — Agents are declared by role and goal, tasks carry an expected output, and results feed forward, with the board rendered as a view over a single state store. |
| La Inversora | 4.3 | 6.5 | PI from Scratch — This is a well-executed open-source tutorial, not a company; it's a portfolio piece for its creator, not a foundation for a business. |
| La Jefa | 4.5 | 3.3 | KaibanJS — Free to install and pleasant in a demo, but it does not run headless, so it can never become a step in the pipeline, and support is one small repository. |
| El Hacker | 6.3 | 8.0 | PI from Scratch — PI from Scratch is an MIT-licensed tutorial, not a production tool, but it's the right way to learn how an agent works from the metal up. |
Picks are derived from each critic's own scores. Humans vote on matchups on the duels page.