The short answer
Pick AgentOps if you are a developer building agents in Python frameworks and you want session replays, cost tracking across many LLMs and a full audit trail of each run. Pick AgentPilots if you run many agents across tools such as Grok Bot, Claude Code, Cursor and Codex, and you mainly need to see live who is working and who needs your approval, without adding an SDK.
What each tool is
AgentOps describes itself as agent observability for "OpenAI, CrewAI, Autogen, and 400+ LLMs and frameworks". You install it with pip install agentops and it records runs so you can replay them ("time travel debugging"), track LLM cost and analyze sessions (agentops.ai). Its SDK is open source under the MIT license (GitHub).
AgentPilots is a lightweight Windows desktop app for operating many agents. Agents report through an MCP connector with three tools (report_status, report_step, report_message), and the app shows live working, needs-approval and idle indicators, a live activity feed, a graph view and per-client setup snippets. It does not capture traces.
Feature comparison
| AgentPilots | AgentOps | |
|---|---|---|
| Live working / needs-approval / idle status | Yes | No |
| No SDK, proxy or code changes | Yes | No |
| Grok Bot, Claude Code, Cursor, Codex in one view | Yes | No |
| Full trace capture & replay | No | Yes |
| Evals & prompt management | No | Partial |
| Token & cost tracking | Soon | Yes |
| Open source | No | Yes |
| Lightweight desktop app | Yes | No |
See all details
| Capability | AgentPilots | AgentOps |
|---|---|---|
| Primary job | Live operations view: which agents are working, need approval or are idle | Agent observability: tracing, replay, cost tracking, analytics |
| Built for | People who run many agents (operators, founders, agencies) | Developers building agents and LLM apps |
| How agents connect | MCP connector (3 tools). No SDK, no proxy | Python SDK (pip install agentops) with framework integrations |
| Code changes required | None for MCP-capable clients: add a server and a short instruction | Yes: install and initialize the SDK in your agent code |
| Live working / needs-approval / idle indicators | Yes | Session-level views; not an operator status board |
| Live activity feed of milestones | Yes | Session timelines per run |
| Full trace and span capture | No | Yes |
| Evals, datasets, prompt management | No | Analytics and replay; see their docs for evals |
| Token and cost tracking | Not yet (on the roadmap) | Yes ("LLM Cost Tracking (400+ LLMs)") |
| Grok Bot, Claude Code, Cursor, Codex agents in one view | Yes (Claude Desktop via mcp-remote; ChatGPT not yet) | Integrates with agent frameworks in code, not end-user agent apps |
| Form factor | Lightweight Windows desktop app | Web dashboard (cloud) |
| Open source | No | SDK is MIT-licensed |
| Self-hosting | Not applicable (local desktop app) | On-premise mentioned for Enterprise |
AgentOps details are from its public website and docs as of October 13, 2026: agentops.ai, github.com/AgentOps-AI/agentops. Tell us if something has changed and we'll fix it.
Who should pick which
Choose AgentOps if
- You write the agent code yourself, in Python, with frameworks such as CrewAI or AutoGen.
- You need to replay a run step by step to debug it.
- You want cost tracking per LLM call today.
Choose AgentPilots if
- Your agents live in end-user tools (Grok Bot, Claude Code, Cursor, Codex) where you cannot or do not want to add an SDK.
- Your main pain is missed approvals and agents that quietly stall.
- You want a small desktop window you can leave open all day.
Pricing summary
| Plan | Published price (checked October 13, 2026) |
|---|---|
| Basic | $0 per month, free up to 5,000 events |
| Pro | Starts at $40 per month, pay as you go |
| Enterprise | Custom |
Source: https://www.agentops.ai/. Vendor prices change, so always check the source. AgentPilots is free during the beta; paid tiers have not been announced.
Can you use both?
Yes. They look at different layers. AgentOps records what happened inside an agent run for debugging; AgentPilots shows the live state of every agent for day-to-day operations. A team building CrewAI agents could trace them in AgentOps and also have them call report_status so they appear next to their Claude Code and Grok Bot agents in AgentPilots.
FAQ
Is AgentPilots an AgentOps alternative?
Partly. If what you want from AgentOps is a live view of which agents are working or need you, AgentPilots does that with no SDK. If you need session replay, trace capture or LLM cost tracking, AgentOps does things AgentPilots does not do today.
Does AgentPilots need an SDK like AgentOps?
No. Agents connect through an MCP connector with three tools. MCP-capable clients like Claude Code, Cursor, Codex and Grok Bot only need a config snippet and a short instruction.
Does AgentPilots track LLM costs?
Not yet. Usage and cost tracking is on the roadmap but is not shipped. AgentOps lists LLM cost tracking for 400+ LLMs on its site.
How much does AgentOps cost?
As of Oct 13, 2026, agentops.ai lists Basic at $0 (up to 5,000 events), Pro from $40 per month pay as you go, and custom Enterprise pricing. Check agentops.ai for current prices.
How much does AgentPilots cost?
AgentPilots is in private beta. Join the waitlist and we will email you a download link when it is ready. Paid plans have not been announced; waitlist members get Founding Pilot perks.
ready for takeoff?
AgentPilots is in private beta. Join the waitlist and we'll email you a download link when it's ready.