Langflow
Open-source drag-and-drop builder for agents, RAG and MCP
Overview
Langflow is a free, MIT-licensed visual canvas for building AI agents, RAG pipelines and MCP servers in Python, then serving them as APIs. It came to IBM through its 2025 acquisition of DataStax; the DataStax-hosted cloud closed in April 2026, leaving self-hosting and the free Langflow Desktop app.
Pricing
Pricing shown for reference only. These figures reflect RECATOOLS research as of 12 Oct 2026 and may be out of date or incomplete. This is not financial or purchasing advice — always confirm the current price on the provider’s official website before making any decision.
Use cases
What you can produce with Langflow
- Drag-and-drop visual flow builder with Python components
- Agents, RAG pipelines and MCP server support
- Flows served as APIs, with Docker and Kubernetes deployment
- Free Langflow Desktop for macOS and Windows
- MIT-licensed open source
- Paid IBM support and professional services on request
Langflow lets you wire up an agent, a RAG pipeline or an MCP server by dragging components on a canvas, drop into Python where the canvas runs out, and serve the result as an API. It is MIT-licensed, actively maintained and quick for prototypes and internal tools.
Large canvases get unwieldy, and recent releases have moved fast enough to break upgrades. The DataStax-hosted cloud was removed in April 2026, so today you self-host or use the free desktop app, while IBM sells support. A good fit for builders happy to run it themselves.
What we found
Langflow is an MIT-licensed, Python-based visual builder for agents, RAG pipelines and MCP servers, and it is under active development. Version 1.12 arrived on 1 September 2026 with OpenTelemetry support, and 1.12.5 followed on 6 October; the 1.11 line added human-in-the-loop steps, A2A protocol support and AG-UI streaming. Version 1.12 also completed a packaging change that can break upgrades: the default install now carries only a curated set of providers, and flows that use others need their extension packages installed.
Ownership has changed twice. DataStax bought Logspace, the Uberlândia, Brazil, start-up founded by Rodrigo Nader and Gabriel Almeida, in April 2024. IBM announced it would acquire DataStax in February 2025 and the deal closed on 28 May 2025; datastax.com now redirects to an IBM product page, and IBM says Langflow support is sold as an IBM support offering. The often-quoted promise that Langflow will forever be open, free and agnostic was written by Nader about the DataStax deal in 2024, not made by IBM, and earlier versions of this page attributed it to IBM.
The DataStax-hosted service did not survive. DataStax's release notes record that DataStax Langflow was removed from Astra on 9 April 2026, naming Langflow OSS as the alternative. The website's main download button now leads to a form-gated Langflow Desktop app for macOS and Windows, yet the homepage still mentions a free cloud account and IBM's page still mentions publishing to Langflow Cloud. We found no sign-up route for one, and no public price for IBM support.
Third-party reviews are thin. G2 shows no Langflow ratings, and many 2026 reviews are aggregator pages. Automation Atlas, which scores Langflow 7.2 out of 10, still describes the DataStax cloud as available, though its main criticism is fair: the canvas struggles with flows of 20 or more nodes. Langflow is model-agnostic and self-hostable in any region.
Compiled by RECATOOLS from public sources: vendor documentation and pricing, code repositories and published reporting.
About this listing
This entry was compiled from publicly available data including Langflow's official website, press releases, documentation, and reputable third-party publications. RECATOOLS is not affiliated with Langflow unless explicitly stated.
Third-party AI tools update their pricing, features, availability, and policies frequently. Information here may be outdated by the time you read this — we make reasonable efforts to keep listings current, but cannot guarantee absolute accuracy.
For the latest details, please refer to Langflow directly →
Spotted something out of date? Suggest an update →
Langflow in the news
From our guides
Guide · 16 min read
Self-Host Langflow with Docker: The Visual Agent Builder, Locked Down (2026)
We ran Langflow 1.10.2 in a single Docker container, hit its fail-closed auth ga...
Guide · 13 min read
n8n vs Dify vs Langflow vs Flowise: Which Visual AI Workflow Builder Fits You? (2026)
Four self-hostable visual AI workflow builders, four very different licenses and...
Alternatives to Langflow
More in Agents & Automation
