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Spring AI

Free#4 of 49 in LLM Application Development Frameworks

Spring AI: A free, open-source Java framework for building RAG and AI applications in Spring. Ranked #4 of 49 in LLM Application Development Frameworks by our editors (9.0/10); pricing: Free plan; best for java teams building RAG and AI applications.

9.0/10Editor score
Visit Spring AI
Spring AI9.0 Visit Spring AI

At a glance

  • Editor score
    9.0 / 10
  • Pricing
    Free plan
  • Best for
    Java teams building RAG and AI applications
  • Free plan
    Yes
  • Paid from
    None
  • RAG support
    Yes
  • Facts checked
    28 Sep 2026

  • Where it wins

    • Portable APIs cover multiple model providers and synchronous or streaming use.
    • RAG advisors, document ETL, evaluation, and observability support end-to-end workflows.
    • Connects to a broad range of model providers and vector stores.

  • Where it doesn't

    • Java and Spring focus makes it less suited to teams using other application stacks.
    • Self-hosted deployment puts application operation on the adopting team.
    • Framework code requires developers to assemble and maintain the application.

Our verdict on Spring AI

Spring AI is an open-source Java framework for building AI-powered applications in the Spring ecosystem. It is aimed at teams that want to connect models, enterprise data, and application APIs while keeping model-provider implementations replaceable. Its scope spans chat, embeddings, image and audio models, moderation, tool calling, and retrieval-augmented generation, making it relevant to Java teams building more than a single model-backed feature.

The framework's breadth is a practical distinction: portable model APIs offer synchronous and streaming options, while ChatClient and Advisors provide fluent APIs for assembling interactions. RAG advisors and modular flows work alongside a document ingestion ETL framework, vector-store integrations, and portable metadata filtering. Developers can also use evaluation utilities and observability for AI operations. MCP client and server integration extends the set of application connections. Model providers include Anthropic, OpenAI, Microsoft, Amazon, Google, and Ollama; vector-store options include PostgreSQL/PGVector, Pinecone, Qdrant, Redis, and others. This breadth suits teams that need to shape a full Java application workflow rather than adopt a narrowly focused RAG library.

Spring AI is distributed as open-source framework code, with a free plan and Apache-2.0 license; it is self-hosted rather than a vendor-hosted service. Spring Boot starters and auto-configuration are intended to help connect services and data, but teams still need to build and operate the application in their own environment. Documentation and community are the listed support channels. Choose it when Java and the Spring ecosystem are already a fit and provider portability, RAG, tool use, and observability matter together. Teams seeking a general-purpose framework for other programming environments or a hosted, managed deployment should look elsewhere.

Spring AI pricing

Plans Free planFree Free to use — no paid tier required for the core job.
See plans on spring.io

Spring AI fact sheet

Free planYes
Paid fromNone
Primary languageJava
RAG supportYes
Agent and tool useYes
Workflow graphsNot verified
Prompt optimizationYes
Open-source licenseApache-2.0
JavaScript/TypeScript SDKNot verified
DeploymentSelf-hosted
SupportDocs, Community
Built forSmall business, Mid-market, Enterprise (editorial estimate)
Integrations16 integrations: Anthropic, OpenAI, Microsoft, Amazon, Google, Ollama …
PricingFree plan
Websitespring.io
Facts checked28 Sep 2026

Spring AI integrations

Spring AI lists 16 integrations on its own site.

  • Anthropic
  • OpenAI
  • Microsoft
  • Amazon
  • Google
  • Ollama
  • Apache Cassandra
  • Chroma
  • Milvus
  • MongoDB Atlas
  • Neo4j
  • PostgreSQL/PGVector
  • Pinecone
  • Qdrant
  • Redis
  • Weaviate

Alternatives to Spring AI

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Spring AI vs the competition

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Featured on iTechGuides

Featured on iTechGuides — Spring AI 9.0/10

Spring AI is listed in our LLM Application Development Frameworks directory. Add the badge to your site — it links back to this page.

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Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026

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