Mastra vs Strands
Updated March 10, 2026
Overview
Mastra is a TypeScript-first agent framework for building production AI applications. It provides primitives for agents, workflows, RAG, integrations, and memory with a focus on developer experience and type safety. Mastra is designed for full-stack TypeScript developers who want to build AI features without leaving their existing tech stack.
AWS-backed open-source agentic SDK for building AI agents
Key features
Core capabilities each platform advertises.
- TypeScript agent framework
- Built-in tool calling and workflows
- Sync engine for agent state
- Integration marketplace
- Production-ready agent primitives
StrandsStrengths and tradeoffs
What each tool does well, and the limitations to keep in mind.
Pros
- Production-ready platform
- Good performance
- Active development
- Strong features
Cons
- Enterprise pricing varies
- Setup complexity
- Learning curve required
StrandsPros
- Production-proven by AWS teams (Amazon Q, AWS Glue)
- True provider-agnostic support for 8+ LLM providers
- Comprehensive multi-agent orchestration with A2A protocol
- Rich AWS ecosystem integration
- Open-source with active development
Cons
- Relatively new framework (launched 2025)
- AWS ecosystem bias in design and tooling
- Variable costs depending on chosen providers
Mastra or Strands — which should you choose?
Choose Mastra if you wantChoose if you want
- TypeScript-native agent development
- Building AI workflows with tool use
- Agent state management
- Production agent deployment
- Multi-step task automation
Choose Strands if you wantChoose if you want
Compare Mastra and Strands on your own traffic
Respan lets you trace LLM and agent calls across any model or framework, A/B test prompts on production traffic, and route requests across 500+ models through one gateway.
