They essentially have the same meaning in english. However in japanese, くれる is used when the thing is being given to the speaker, and あげる is used when the thing is being given away by the speaker. For example, "彼女からプレゼントをくれた" means "She gave me a present" whereas "彼女にプレゼントをあげた" means "I gave her a present" It would be wrong to say "彼女にプレゼントをくれた" if you are trying to say "I gave her the present" because the verb "くれる" is only used if the item is being given to the sender. It is the same as if you say "彼女からプレゼントをあげた" in that the verb "あげる" is only used when the item that is being given is going to somebody other than the speaker. As you can probably see, they are both used with the same particles and everything. Hope that makes sense =]