Mastra vs VoltAgent
Mastra and VoltAgent are TypeScript agent frameworks with the same core shape: supervisor agents delegating to subagents, plus typed workflows that can suspend and resume. Mastra adds A2A client and server and ACP for coding agents, with source-available ee/ directories. VoltAgent is MIT throughout, builds on the Vercel AI SDK and ships AG-UI as its own package.
Facts side by side
| Fact | Mastra | VoltAgent |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Framework | Framework |
| Languages / SDKs | TypeScript | TypeScript |
| License | unknown | MIT |
| Pricing model | Open core | Open core |
| Orchestration pattern | Supervisor | Supervisor |
| GitHub stars | 28,449 (as of 2026-09-30) | 10,707 (as of 2026-09-30) |
| GitHub forks | 2,890 | 1,148 |
| Last push | 2026-09-30 | 2026-09-28 |
| Latest release | @mastra/core@1.72.0 | @voltagent/core@2.11.0 |
| Repository | mastra-ai/mastra | VoltAgent/voltagent |
| Website | mastra.ai | voltagent.dev |
| Documentation | mastra.ai | voltagent.dev |
| Last verified | 2026-09-30 | 2026-09-30 |
| MCP support | Yes (checked 2026-09-30) | Yes (checked 2026-09-30) |
| A2A support | Yes (checked 2026-09-30) | Yes (checked 2026-09-30) |
| AG-UI support | Partial (checked 2026-09-30) | Yes (checked 2026-09-30) |
| Install verified | 2026-09-30 | 2026-09-30 |
Choose Mastra if
- You need A2A in both directions: Mastra serves agents over A2A and wraps remote A2A agents as subagents; VoltAgent documents the server side only.
- You want to run coding agents such as OpenCode as a tool or subagent through
@mastra/acp, or register Claude Agent SDK agents in the project. - You want layered memory (message history, observational memory, working memory, semantic recall) from the framework.
Choose VoltAgent if
- You need one license for the whole repository: VoltAgent is MIT, while Mastra's
ee/directories require an agreement and license key for production use. - You already use the Vercel AI SDK v6; VoltAgent agents run on it.
- You want AG-UI from a first-party package (
@voltagent/ag-ui); Mastra's AG-UI adapter is maintained in the AG-UI repository.
Migration notes
The concepts line up closely. Mastra subagents listed in a parent's agents property correspond to VoltAgent subAgents with the generated delegate_task tool; Mastra's onDelegationStart / onDelegationComplete hooks correspond roughly to VoltAgent's onHandoffComplete. Workflows translate step by step: .then(), .parallel(), .branch() and .foreach() in Mastra versus andThen, andAll, andWhen and andForEach in VoltAgent, and both pause with suspend() and a resume schema. Tool approval is requireApproval in Mastra and needsApproval in VoltAgent. Things to check: both need a configured storage adapter for resumable runs (Mastra fails with "snapshot not found" without one; VoltAgent defaults to in-memory); Mastra's @mastra/core requires Node.js 22.13 or newer, VoltAgent's quick start asks for 20.19 or newer; VoltAgent labels its Workflows API as preview; Mastra's older .network() API is deprecated in favour of supervisor agents.
FAQ
Are Mastra and VoltAgent both open source?
VoltAgent's repository is MIT-licensed. Mastra is Apache-2.0 outside its ee/ directories, which use a source-available enterprise license; GitHub therefore reports no single license for Mastra.
Do both support MCP, A2A and AG-UI?
MCP: both, as client and server. A2A: Mastra in both directions, VoltAgent server side only. AG-UI: VoltAgent through its own package (yes); Mastra through an adapter maintained in the AG-UI repository (partial).
What do the paid offerings cover?
Both are recorded as open-core. Mastra publishes plans on its pricing page and licenses its ee/ code separately; VoltAgent sells the separate VoltOps Console for tracing, evals and deployment, with a free Developer plan limited to 250 traces a month.
Which releases more often?
Both are active. Mastra's @mastra/core went from 1.64.0 to 1.71.0 during September 2026, so pinning versions matters; VoltAgent's latest core release is 2.11.0.