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Dify vs n8n

Side-by-side comparison · AI Agents & Automation

At a glance

DimensionDifyn8n
PricingFree open-source community edition for self-hosting; a managed cloud tier is available with paid plans above it - verify current pricing on the official pageFree self-hosted community edition; managed cloud plans start at a modest monthly tier and scale with executions - verify current pricing on the official page
Free planYesYes
Rating★★★★☆★★★★★
Best forinternal tools, knowledge assistants, rag applications and llm prototypestechnical teams, self-hosted automation, ai agent workflows and internal tooling
CategoryAI Agents & AutomationAI Agents & Automation

Dify - strengths & limits

Strengths

  • One platform covers RAG, agents and prompt operations
  • Self-hosting keeps data and prompts under your control
  • Open source avoids lock-in to a single vendor

Watch out for

  • Self-hosting carries upgrade and maintenance work
  • Visual workflows get unwieldy for very complex logic
  • Retrieval quality still depends on how you prepare documents

n8n - strengths & limits

Strengths

  • Self-hosting keeps sensitive data inside your own infrastructure
  • AI agents and ordinary automation live in one workflow
  • Code steps prevent the visual editor from becoming a dead end

Watch out for

  • Self-hosting means you own upgrades and uptime
  • Complex workflows need real engineering discipline
  • The learning curve is steeper than simpler no-code tools

Which should you choose?

If your priority is internal tools, knowledge assistants, rag applications and llm prototypes, Dify is the stronger pick. If instead you care more about technical teams, self-hosted automation, ai agent workflows and internal tooling, go with n8n. For most people, trying both on a free tier is the fastest way to decide - they serve the same AI Agents & Automation space but differ in workflow and output style.

FAQ

Which is better, Dify or n8n?

It depends on your task. Dify leads on internal tools, knowledge assistants, rag applications and llm prototypes; n8n is better when you need technical teams, self-hosted automation, ai agent workflows and internal tooling. Try both free tiers.

Can I use Dify and n8n together?

Yes - many users keep one as the daily driver and the other for specific tasks where it is stronger.