Dify
Open-source platform for building LLM apps and AI agents with visual workflows, RAG, and 100+ model providers
Freemium
About Dify
Dify is an open-source platform for building LLM apps and AI agents without wiring everything from scratch. You compose logic on a visual workflow canvas, attach a full RAG pipeline that ingests and chunks your documents, and define agents that reason with Function Calling or ReAct across 50+ built-in tools. It connects to hundreds of models from dozens of providers, ships observability and prompt testing, and runs in the cloud or self-hosted via Docker. Released under a license based on Apache 2.0.
Key Features
- Visual drag-and-drop workflow builder with branching, iteration, and parallel steps
- Built-in RAG pipeline covering ingestion, chunking, embedding, retrieval, and reranking
- Agents using LLM Function Calling or ReAct with 50+ built-in tools
- Integrates hundreds of models across 100+ proprietary and open-source providers
- Self-hostable via Docker Compose alongside a managed cloud option
- Observability, prompt testing, and logging baked into the app stack
Pros & Cons
What we like
- Genuinely open source under a license based on Apache 2.0, so you can self-host for free
- One canvas covers workflows, RAG, and agents instead of stitching several tools together
- Broad model support means you are not locked to a single LLM vendor
- Large active community with 140k-plus GitHub stars and frequent releases
Room for improvement
- Self-hosting needs Docker plus your own model API keys and ongoing maintenance
- Embedding Dify inside a SaaS you sell requires a separate commercial license
- Cloud message credits are capped per tier and can run out on heavy workloads
- Complex multi-branch workflows still take real effort to design and debug
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Dify?
Dify is an open-source platform for building LLM applications and agentic workflows. It bundles a visual workflow builder, RAG knowledge pipelines, agents, prompt management, and API access into one production-ready stack, so teams can ship chatbots and AI apps without assembling the pieces themselves.
Is Dify open source and free?
Yes, Dify is open source under a permissive license, and the self-hosted Community Edition is free with no per-seat fees or token markups. You only pay for your own server and model API usage. A managed Dify Cloud also exists, with Professional around 59 dollars per month as of 2026.
Who is Dify best for?
Dify is best for developers and teams who want an all-in-one platform to build, test, and operate LLM apps, especially RAG-based assistants. Self-hosting appeals to organizations needing data control, while the cloud edition suits teams who prefer a managed setup over running infrastructure.
Can Dify run with local or open models?
Yes, Dify supports Ollama, LocalAI, and any OpenAI-compatible inference server, so you can run open-source models locally with no cloud API cost. It also connects to hosted providers like OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google, letting you mix local and cloud models within the same application.
Best For
Shipping internal AI assistants and chatbots grounded in company documentsPrototyping and deploying agentic workflows that call tools and APIsBuilding RAG search over PDFs, slides, and knowledge basesSelf-hosting a private LLM app stack to keep data in your own infrastructure
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