Strands vs LangGraph: Benchmark results didn’t match my expectations — sanity check?

[T-Rishi444]

I wanted to sanity-check some results I got while comparing Strands with LangGraph. I ran a small, fair, apples-to-apples benchmark using the same set of questions (simple → complex) and the same evaluation criteria.

What I observed:

• First-pass correctness was the same for both (5/6)
• LangGraph was ~6× faster in my setup
• LangGraph used ~25–30× fewer tokens
• Strands tended to improve answers via refinement loops

This made me wonder whether Strands is generally considered “better” mainly because of validation, auditability, and structured execution — rather than raw latency or token efficiency.

I’d love to understand:

• Are there recommended Strands configurations or best practices that would change this comparison?
• Is this simply a case of different tools optimized for different goals?

I’m genuinely trying to learn here and make sure my assumptions and setup are sound. Any insight would be appreciated!