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Amazon Bedrock AgentCore vs IBM watsonx Orchestrate
Amazon Bedrock AgentCore
AWS platform for building, deploying, and operating AI agents
IBM watsonx Orchestrate
Agent management platform to build, deploy, orchestrate, and govern AI agents
Short answer
Amazon Bedrock AgentCore is AWS’s platform to build, deploy, and operate agents, made of modular services billed by use; IBM describes watsonx Orchestrate as an agent management platform, sold by plan and offered as SaaS or on premises.Source 1, Source 2, Source 3, Source 4, Source 5 AgentCore Identity gives agents workload identities; in watsonx Orchestrate, per-agent identity is in private preview.Source 6, Source 7
Where each one sits
Six layers of running AI agents at a company, and what each product’s own public sources say it covers.
Amazon Bedrock AgentCore
IBM watsonx Orchestrate
At a glance
What each one is
Amazon Bedrock AgentCore
Amazon Bedrock AgentCore is AWS’s platform for building, deploying, and operating agents, which AWS says works with any framework and foundation model.Source 1 Its modular services, usable together or independently, include a serverless Runtime, Gateway, Identity, Policy, Observability, and AWS Agent Registry.Source 1, Source 6, Source 8, Source 23, Source 24, Source 25
IBM watsonx Orchestrate
IBM describes watsonx Orchestrate as an agent management platform to build, deploy, orchestrate, manage, and govern agents, for IT, security, and AI leaders.Source 3 It describes the Agentic Control Plane as a centralized layer to observe and govern agents, wherever they were built or run.Source 14
The differences that matter
How agents are built
Amazon Bedrock AgentCoreDefine an agent from a model, prompt, and tools in one API call, or write the loop in Python, for example with Strands or LangGraph.Source 1, Source 26
IBM watsonx OrchestrateIBM says you can build in a visual builder with drag-and-drop and natural language, or with the ADK, Python, and APIs.Source 11
Both offer ready-made pieces: AgentCore Gateway has 1-click tool integrations, and IBM says its catalog lists prebuilt IBM and partner agents.Source 23, Source 27
Agents from other platforms
Amazon Bedrock AgentCoreAWS Agent Registry can list agents on AWS, on premises, or in other clouds, and Gateway can front outside agents behind one endpoint.Source 1, Source 9
IBM watsonx OrchestrateAgents hosted elsewhere join at an accessible endpoint; AI Gateway (preview) can discover agents registered in AgentCore, Gemini Enterprise Agent Platform, or Azure AI Foundry.Source 22, Source 28, Source 29, Source 30, Source 31
Both can show data from agents running elsewhere: AgentCore shows metrics after extra telemetry setup; watsonx Orchestrate shows traces from registered agents built with any framework.Source 32, Source 33
Where policy is enforced
Amazon Bedrock AgentCorePolicies in Cedar or natural language decide which tools an agent may call, checked on each request through an AgentCore Gateway.Source 24
IBM watsonx OrchestrateOn SaaS outside AWS GovCloud, controls can block unsafe content, protect data, and govern model traffic; agent controls cover native, LangGraph, and A2A agents.Source 34
AgentCore Policy keeps logs of its decisions; the watsonx Orchestrate security control center shows each agent’s connections, tools, and permissions.Source 24, Source 35
For security teams
What a security review asks, answered from each vendor’s public documentation.
Full comparison
18 criteria in five groups. Every cell links to its source, or says no public source answers it.
| Amazon Bedrock AgentCore | IBM watsonx Orchestrate | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | ||
| What it is and who it’s for | AWS platform for building, deploying, and operating agents, for organizations moving agents from proof of concept to production.Source 1, Source 16 | IBM describes it as an agent management platform to build, deploy, orchestrate, manage, and govern agents, for IT, security, and AI leaders.Source 3 |
| Maturity | Generally available since October 2025.Source 19 AWS Agent Registry since August 2026, and Policy since March 2026.Source 19 | IBM said watsonx Orchestrate’s unified release was GA in January 2024; the Agentic Control Plane followed in June 2026.Source 20, Source 21 Some dashboards and AI Gateway: preview.Source 22, Source 55 |
| Control | ||
| Agent registry and discovery | AWS Agent Registry catalogs agents, MCP servers, tools, and skills behind an approval workflow, including ones on premises or in other clouds.Source 1, Source 8 | IBM says its catalog of prebuilt and custom agents and tools can be searched.Source 27 AI Gateway’s agent directory, in preview, registers imported external agents.Source 46 |
| Identity and access control | Workload identities in AgentCore Identity.Source 6 Runtime calls use IAM SigV4 by default, or JWTs from an OAuth 2.0 provider such as Entra ID or Okta.Source 16, Source 39, Source 40 | Platform SSO with OIDC or SAML, and user, builder, and administrator roles.Source 41, Source 56 Per-agent identity is in private preview.Source 7 |
| Ownership, policy, and revocation | Gateway policies, in Cedar or natural language, limit an agent’s tools.Source 24 Only approved registry records are discoverable.Source 8, Source 57 Owner field: not publicly documented. | On SaaS outside AWS GovCloud, controls can cover unsafe content, sensitive data, model traffic, and network access.Source 34 Agent owners: private preview.Source 7 |
| Audit log and observability | CloudTrail can log Gateway calls (data events are off by default) and logs Registry control-plane calls.Source 43, Source 47, Source 48 Policy logs its decisions.Source 24 | On IBM Cloud, audit events, such as undeploying a released agent version, can be routed where you choose.Source 45, Source 49 On AWS, audit logs can go to your S3 and CloudWatch.Source 50 |
| Connection | ||
| How agents connect | Agents can run in serverless AgentCore Runtime.Source 1 Gateway passthrough targets route to any HTTP endpoint, given its URL, without protocol translation.Source 9 | ADK agents run on watsonx Orchestrate.Source 12 Agents elsewhere need an accessible endpoint.Source 28 IBM Cloud adds private endpoints and a Satellite TLS tunnel.Source 37, Source 38 |
| Agents across organizations | A registry can be shared with other AWS accounts through AWS RAM, by invitation outside your AWS Organization.Source 10 Runtime agents can be opened to other accounts.Source 42 | Except on premises, partner A2A agents can be added from the catalog.Source 15 A connection sets how Orchestrate authenticates to an external A2A agent.Source 58 |
| Protocol support | Runtime agents can serve HTTP, MCP, A2A, or AG-UI.Source 59 Gateway acts as one MCP server for its MCP targets; the Registry has its own MCP endpoint.Source 60, Source 61 | Calls external A2A agents over JSON-RPC and exposes its agents through A2A endpoints.Source 62, Source 63 Imports MCP tools; OAuth 2.1 isn’t supported for MCP connections.Source 64 |
| Frameworks, models, and clouds supported | Runtime works with custom and open-source frameworks, such as CrewAI and LangGraph.Source 1 The Registry can list agents built on other providers or on premises.Source 16 | IBM says it supports native, Langflow, LangGraph, and A2A agents.Source 65 Agents with OpenAI-style chat endpoints, and Copilot Studio agents, can be added.Source 62 |
| Operations | ||
| Deployment options and data residency | AWS says cross-region inference can move Memory, Policy, and Evaluations prompts out of the primary Region; AgentCore may store content to improve your service.Source 1, Source 66 | SaaS on AWS or IBM Cloud, or on premises on IBM Cloud Pak for Data or IBM Software Hub.Source 5, Source 17 The control plane isn’t supported in AWS GovCloud (US).Source 55 |
| Compliance attestations | AWS lists AgentCore as FedRAMP (Class C and Class D) compliant.Source 51, Source 52 It is HIPAA eligible, and SOC 2, ISO 27001:2022, and CSA STAR compliant.Source 19, Source 51 | IBM says watsonx Orchestrate is FedRAMP authorized, deployed on AWS GovCloud (US).Source 53 IBM says the company holds ISO/IEC 27001:2022.Source 54 Premium: HIPAA-ready option.Source 4 |
| Support and SLA | AWS says the Amazon Bedrock SLA applies to AgentCore.Source 16 Basic Support is included for all AWS customers.Source 67 | On AWS, IBM states a 99.9% availability SLA.Source 68 On IBM Cloud, it points to the base IBM Cloud Service Description for the SLA.Source 69 Support cases can be opened.Source 70 |
| Time and effort to get running | An AWS account with credentials and permissions for AgentCore API calls and CDK deployment.Source 26 Outside Runtime, telemetry needs the ADOT SDK or a Lambda layer.Source 32 | IBM’s administrator guide covers environment setup and user access.Source 71 Platform SSO is configured with IBM.Source 41 The control plane needs the Admin or Builder role.Source 55 |
| Pricing model and public prices | By use, per service, with no minimum fee.Source 2 Runtime v1 CPU is $0.0895 per vCPU-hour; AWS Agent Registry has a monthly free tier.Source 2 | Essentials from $530 and Standard from $6,360 a month, sized by users and messages; Premium on request.Source 4 List prices are indicative.Source 4 30-day free trial.Source 4 |
| Building | ||
| Agent building tools | A managed harness defines an agent from a model, prompt, and tools in one API call; code agents can use Strands, LangGraph, Google ADK, or OpenAI Agents.Source 1, Source 26 | IBM says agents can be built with drag-and-drop and natural language, or with the ADK, Python, and APIs.Source 11 It says Langflow workflows deploy as tools.Source 11 |
| Model access | Model-agnostic, AWS says, in or outside Amazon Bedrock: OpenAI, Gemini, Claude, Amazon Nova, Llama, Mistral.Source 16 The harness works with OpenAI-compatible providers.Source 1 | IBM-hosted and third-party models, varying by cloud, region, and deployment.Source 72 Default in most regions: GPT-OSS 120B via Groq.Source 72 Others as virtual models.Source 73 |
| Integrations and ecosystem | Gateway has 1-click integrations with tools such as Salesforce, Slack, Jira, and Zendesk, and can import partner tools bought on AWS Marketplace.Source 16, Source 23 | IBM says its catalog lists prebuilt IBM and partner agents, and ISVs can list agents through Agent Connect.Source 27, Source 74 Sold via IBM Cloud Catalog or AWS Marketplace.Source 4 |
Which to choose
Choose Amazon Bedrock AgentCore if
- You want to pay only for what you use, service by service, with no upfront commitment or minimum fee.Source 2
- Your developers write agents with frameworks such as LangGraph, CrewAI, or Strands Agents and want a serverless runtime for them.Source 1
- You want workload identities for agents, and tool calls checked against Cedar or natural-language policies at a gateway.Source 6, Source 24
- Your agents span AWS accounts: a registry can be shared through AWS RAM, and one account can monitor AgentCore resources across them.Source 10, Source 75
Choose IBM watsonx Orchestrate if
- You want a visual builder, which IBM says uses drag-and-drop and natural language, alongside the Python Agent Development Kit.Source 11, Source 12
- You need it on premises, where IBM says some agent controls aren’t available, or as SaaS on IBM Cloud.Source 5, Source 17, Source 76
- You want prebuilt agents: IBM says its catalog lists IBM and partner agents; partner A2A agents can be collaborators, except on premises.Source 15, Source 27
- You want controls that block unsafe content, protect sensitive data, and restrict network access, on SaaS outside AWS GovCloud.Source 34
Questions buyers ask
How is each one priced?
Do they support MCP and A2A?
AgentCore Runtime can host agents that serve MCP or A2A, Gateway acts as an MCP server, and the Registry validates agent records against the A2A schema.Source 43, Source 59, Source 60 IBM watsonx Orchestrate calls external A2A agents, exposes its agents through A2A endpoints, and imports tools from MCP servers.Source 62, Source 63, Source 64
Which models can each one use?
AWS calls AgentCore model-agnostic and names OpenAI, Gemini, Claude, Amazon Nova, Llama, and Mistral models, in or outside Amazon Bedrock.Source 16 IBM watsonx Orchestrate supports IBM-hosted and third-party models, with availability varying by cloud, region, and deployment, and registers other providers’ models as virtual models.Source 72, Source 73
Can either one connect agents across organizations?
How we compare
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Sources
82 public sources, each with the date we checked it. Every one opens in a new tab.
Source 1: Overview - Amazon Bedrock AgentCore (Developer Guide) Back:abcdefghijklmnopq
Source 5: Regional availability and outbound IP addresses Back:abcd
Source 6: Provide identity and credential management for agent applications with Amazon Bedrock AgentCore Identity Back:abcdefg
Source 7: Prerequisites for configuring agent identity Back:abcde
Source 8: AWS Agent Registry: Discover and manage agents, tools, and resources Back:abcd
Source 9: HTTP passthrough targets - AgentCore Gateway Back:abcd
Source 10: Sharing a registry across accounts with AWS RAM Back:abcde
Source 11: AI Agent Builder | IBM watsonx Orchestrate Back:abcdef
Source 12: Welcome to IBM watsonx Orchestrate Agent Development Kit Back:abc
Source 14: AI Agent Control Plane | IBM watsonx Orchestrate Back:ab
Source 17: Installing on IBM watsonx Orchestrate On-premises Back:abc
Source 19: Release notes - Amazon Bedrock AgentCore Back:abcd
Source 20: The AI Assistant for everyone: watsonx Orchestrate combines generative AI and automation to boost productivity | IBM Back:ab
Source 21: Agentic Control Plane in IBM watsonx Orchestrate: One place to control every AI agent Back:ab
Source 23: Amazon Bedrock AgentCore Gateway: A secure AI gateway for agents, tools, and models Back:abc
Source 24: Policy in Amazon Bedrock AgentCore: Control Agent Interactions Back:abcdefg
Source 25: Observe your agent applications on Amazon Bedrock AgentCore Observability Back to text
Source 26: Get started with Amazon Bedrock AgentCore Back:abc
Source 28: Adding agents from third-party platforms Back:abc
Source 29: Connecting and configuring Amazon Bedrock Back:ab
Source 30: Connecting and configuring Gemini Enterprise Agent Platform Back to text
Source 31: Connecting and configuring Microsoft Azure AI Foundry Back to text
Source 32: Add observability to your Amazon Bedrock AgentCore resources Back:ab
Source 33: Exporting observability traces with OpenTelemetry (watsonx Orchestrate ADK docs) Back to text
Source 35: Managing access using the security control center Back to text
Source 36: Connect to private resources in your VPC using VPC Lattice Back to text
Source 39: Authenticate and authorize with Inbound Auth and Outbound Auth Back:ab
Source 42: Resource-based policies for Amazon Bedrock AgentCore Back:ab
Source 47: Log Amazon Bedrock AgentCore Gateway API calls with CloudTrail Back:ab
Source 48: Enable CloudTrail data event logging for Amazon Bedrock AgentCore Gateway resources - Amazon Bedrock AgentCore Back:ab
Source 51: Compliance validation for Amazon Bedrock AgentCore Back:abc
Source 52: Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP) - Services in Scope - Amazon Web Services Back:ab
Source 53: IBM Expands FedRAMP Portfolio with Authorization of 11 Software Solutions, Including watsonx Back:ab
Source 54: ISO 27001 - IBM Corporation Certificate (Bureau Veritas, ISO/IEC 27001:2022) Back:ab
Source 57: Concepts and terminology - AWS Agent Registry Back to text
Source 59: Understand the AgentCore Runtime service contract Back:ab
Source 60: Supported targets for Amazon Bedrock AgentCore gateways Back:ab
Source 62: Connect to external agents (watsonx Orchestrate ADK docs) Back:abc
Source 64: MCP servers Back:ab
Source 65: Manage all your AI agents in one place with watsonx Orchestrate Back to text
Source 66: Cross-region inference in AgentCore Memory, Policy in AgentCore, and AgentCore Evaluations Back to text
Source 68: High availability, business continuity, backups and disaster recovery on AWS Back to text
Source 69: Licenses and entitlements for watsonx Orchestrate on IBM Cloud Back to text
Source 73: Choosing your LLM (watsonx Orchestrate ADK docs) Back:ab
Source 74: Any agent, any framework: Inside the IBM watsonx Orchestrate Agent Catalog Back to text
Source 75: Monitor AgentCore resources across accounts Back to text
Source 77: Importing agents into the agent directory Back to text