Agent Zero vs Sim
Short answer
Agent Zero: General-purpose personal AI agent that uses its own Linux environment, browser, memory and tools. Sim: Visual builder for AI agent workflows, with knowledge bases, integrations and an API. Both are in our AI app & agent builders category.
Choose Agent Zero if you want: cheaper to host (from €11.99/mo vs €69.99/mo), lighter official minimum (2 GB vs 12 GB RAM) and simpler deploy (one container vs a multi-container stack).
Choose Sim if you want: larger community (30.0k vs 19.7k GitHub stars).
Last updated · computed from each project's official docs and live GitHub data · sources
Agent Zero vs Sim side by side
| Agent Zero | Sim | |
|---|---|---|
| Category | AI app & agent builders | AI app & agent builders |
| What it is | General-purpose personal AI agent that uses its own Linux environment, browser, memory and tools. | Visual builder for AI agent workflows, with knowledge bases, integrations and an API. |
| License | MIT | Apache-2.0 |
| License type | Permissive | Permissive |
| License conditions | Permissive. Internal and commercial use, modification and redistribution allowed; keep the copyright and license notice. | Permissive. Internal and commercial use allowed; keep license and notices. The built-in Chat feature is a Sim-managed service that needs a Chat API key from sim.ai. |
| Status | Active | Active |
| GitHub stars | 19.7k | 30.0k |
| Last commit | Nov 1, 2026 | Nov 3, 2026 |
| Latest release | v2.15 | v0.9.41 |
| Minimum hardware | 1 vCPU · 2 GB RAM · 20 GB disk | 2 vCPU · 12 GB RAM · 20 GB disk |
| Recommended hardware | 2 vCPU · 4 GB RAM · 50 GB disk | 4 vCPU · 16 GB RAM · 50 GB disk |
| RAM measured by us | Not tested yet | Not tested yet |
| GPU | No. It calls the model providers you configure; no GPU requirement is documented. | Not required / not stated |
| Est. server cost | from €11.99/mo (recommended spec: €19.99/mo) | from €69.99/mo |
| Deploy method | Docker (single container) | Docker Compose (setup wizard or manual) |
| Known gotchas | 3 listed | 4 listed |
| Telemetry | Not documented | On by default |
| Calls home by default | Not documented | Not documented |
| SSO (OIDC / SAML / LDAP) | Not documented | Free (OIDC free · SAML free) |
| Audit log | Not documented | Yes, free |
| RBAC | Not documented | Yes, free |
| Details | Full Agent Zero guide → | Full Sim guide → |
Key differences
- License: Agent Zero: MIT (Permissive). Sim: Apache-2.0 (Permissive).
- Official hardware: Agent Zero: minimum 1 vCPU · 2 GB RAM · 20 GB disk (recommended 2 vCPU · 4 GB RAM · 50 GB disk). Sim: minimum 2 vCPU · 12 GB RAM · 20 GB disk (recommended 4 vCPU · 16 GB RAM · 50 GB disk).
- GPU: Agent Zero: optional / see notes. Sim: not required or not stated.
- Est. server cost: Agent Zero: from €11.99/mo. Sim: from €69.99/mo.
- Deploy: Agent Zero: Docker (single container) · single container. Sim: Docker Compose (setup wizard or manual) · multi-container stack.
- GitHub stars: Agent Zero: 19.7k. Sim: 30.0k.
- Last commit: Agent Zero: Nov 1, 2026. Sim: Nov 3, 2026.
- Latest release: Agent Zero: v2.15 (Nov 1, 2026). Sim: v0.9.41 (Nov 3, 2026).
Same for both: Category: AI app & agent builders; Status: Active.
Agent Zero vs Sim: FAQ
Agent Zero or Sim: which should a small business choose?
Choose Agent Zero if you want: cheaper to host (from €11.99/mo vs €69.99/mo), lighter official minimum (2 GB vs 12 GB RAM) and simpler deploy (one container vs a multi-container stack). Choose Sim if you want: larger community (30.0k vs 19.7k GitHub stars).
Which is cheaper to self-host, Agent Zero or Sim?
Agent Zero: cheaper to host (from €11.99/mo vs €69.99/mo).
How much hardware do Agent Zero and Sim need?
Agent Zero: minimum 1 vCPU · 2 GB RAM · 20 GB disk (recommended 2 vCPU · 4 GB RAM · 50 GB disk). Sim: minimum 2 vCPU · 12 GB RAM · 20 GB disk (recommended 4 vCPU · 16 GB RAM · 50 GB disk).
What is the license difference between Agent Zero and Sim?
Agent Zero: MIT (Permissive). Permissive. Internal and commercial use, modification and redistribution allowed; keep the copyright and license notice. Sim: Apache-2.0 (Permissive). Permissive. Internal and commercial use allowed; keep license and notices. The built-in Chat feature is a Sim-managed service that needs a Chat API key from sim.ai. This is a summary, not legal advice.
Is Agent Zero or Sim more actively maintained?
Agent Zero: Active, last commit Nov 1, 2026. Sim: Active, last commit Nov 3, 2026. GitHub data refreshed Nov 3, 2026.
Which is easier to deploy, Agent Zero or Sim?
Agent Zero installs via Docker (single container) (single container); Sim via Docker Compose (setup wizard or manual) (multi-container stack). Agent Zero lists 3 known gotchas and Sim lists 4; see each app page.
Related
- Agent Zero self-hosting guide · Sim self-hosting guide
- All Agent Zero alternatives, ranked
- All Sim alternatives, ranked
- Activepieces vs Sim
- Agent Zero vs AstrBot
- Agent Zero vs AutoGPT Platform
- Agent Zero vs CowAgent
- Agent Zero vs Coze Studio
- Agent Zero vs DB-GPT
- Agent Zero vs Dify
- Agent Zero vs Flowise
- Agent Zero vs Langflow
- Agent Zero vs Mem0
- AstrBot vs Sim
- AutoGPT Platform vs Sim
- Add a third app in the interactive comparison
Sources
- Agent Zero GitHub repository: github.com/agent0ai/agent-zero
- Agent Zero documentation, Agent Zero deploy instructions: github.com/agent0ai/agent-zero/blob/main/docs/setup/installation.md
- Agent Zero license: github.com/agent0ai/agent-zero/blob/main/LICENSE
- Agent Zero hardware requirements: github.com/agent0ai/agent-zero/blob/main/docs/setup/vps-deployment.md
- Sim GitHub repository: github.com/simstudioai/sim
- Sim documentation: docs.sim.ai/platform/self-hosting
- Sim license: github.com/simstudioai/sim/blob/main/LICENSE
- Sim hardware requirements: docs.sim.ai/platform/self-hosting#requirements
- Sim deploy instructions: docs.sim.ai/platform/self-hosting/docker
- Hetzner Cloud pricing used for cost estimates (read 2026-11-01): www.hetzner.com/cloud/regular-performance
- GitHub REST API (stars, commits, releases): docs.github.com/en/rest
Every value is generated from the same verified data as the app pages. Spotted something wrong? Tell us.