Dify vs n8n

Detailed comparison between Dify and n8n. Which one to choose for your project?

D
Logo Dify
Dify
4.6/5 · 52
N
Logo n8n
n8n
4.8/5 · 182
Our verdict is revealed after the rounds. Scroll for the analysis →

Head to Head

Dify

The open-source platform to build LLM apps and AI agents without coding the orchestration

4.6/5 (52 reviews)
Price
Free plan available
Key features
  • Build Chatbot, Agent, Chatflow and Workflow without coding the orchestration
  • Built-in document ingestion and vector search to ground answers
  • OpenAI, Anthropic, Azure, Llama, Hugging Face, Replicate and local models
  • Orchestrate tool-using agents and conditional multi-step pipelines
Try Dify
Our recommendation

n8n

Open source automation for developers

4.8/5 (182 reviews)
Price
Free plan available
Key features
  • Open source, self-hostable
  • Native connectors + generic HTTP
  • JavaScript and Python in workflows
  • AI agents with tools and memory
Try n8n

Dify vs n8n — Specs at a glance

Criteria Dify n8n
Rating 4.6/5 · 52 reviews 4.8/5 · 182 reviews
Pricing model freemium freemium
Starting price Free plan + paid from $59/mo Free plan + paid from $20/mo
Free plan Yes Yes
Best for Developers and product teams wanting to build and ship LLM apps (chatbots, agents, RAG) fast, without building orchestration from scratch Technical teams wanting AI automations without vendor lock-in

Dify — Pros and Cons

Pros

  • Open-source: free self-hostable Community edition
  • Visual studio: chatbots, agents, RAG and workflows without coding orchestration
  • Model-agnostic: OpenAI, Anthropic, Llama, Hugging Face, Replicate…
  • Built-in RAG base + LLMOps (logs, evals) to reach production

Cons

  • LLM inference is billed separately (your own OpenAI/Anthropic API key…)
  • Self-hosting requires devops skills
  • The free Sandbox plan is limited (200 one-time, non-renewing credits)

n8n — Pros and Cons

Pros

  • Open source and self-hostable
  • Very powerful no-code and code mix
  • Natively built-in AI agents
  • Active community

Cons

  • Learning curve for non-developers
  • Fewer integrations than Zapier
  • Auto-hosting = maintenance

Frequently asked questions

Which one is cheaper: Dify or n8n?
Both Dify and n8n offer a free plan, so you can start with either at no cost. Dify has the lowest paid entry point (Free plan + paid from $59/mo).
Does Dify or n8n offer a free plan?
Yes, both Dify and n8n offer a free plan.
Which has the higher user rating, Dify or n8n?
n8n has a higher user rating: 4.8/5 (182 reviews) versus 4.6/5 (52 reviews) for Dify.
What is Dify best for compared to n8n?
Dify is best for developers and product teams wanting to build and ship llm apps (chatbots, agents, rag) fast, without building orchestration from scratch. n8n is best for technical teams wanting ai automations without vendor lock-in. Choose based on which use case matches your needs.
Should I choose Dify or n8n?
Pick Dify if you need developers and product teams wanting to build and ship llm apps (chatbots, agents, rag) fast, without building orchestration from scratch, and n8n for technical teams wanting ai automations without vendor lock-in. Dify has the lower entry price (Free plan + paid from $59/mo), while n8n edges ahead on user ratings at 4.8/5. Try any free plan before you commit.

Our choice: n8n

Open source automation for developers

Try n8n