MCP vs A2A vs ACP: How to Choose the Best AI Agent Protocol

MCP vs A2A vs ACP: A Technical Guide to Choosing the Right Agent Protocol (Image ALT: Functional comparison diagram of MCP, A2A, and ACP protocols) Why Should You Care About Agent Protocols? Building AI agent systems often leads developers to critical questions: How do multiple agents collaborate efficiently? Can tools from different vendors interoperate seamlessly? Which protocols balance security and scalability? This is where MCP, A2A, and ACP come into play. Let’s break down their core differences through real-world analogies and technical deep dives. The Big Three: Capabilities at a Glance MCP (Model Context Protocol) by Anthropic ▎Design Philosophy: Plug-and-Play …