Agentic Index
Dify vs n8n (2026)
Dify versus n8n is one of the most searched agent building questions because they approach the same goal from different sides: Dify is an LLM application platform (agents, RAG, model management, observability), free self hosted or from 59 dollars a month, while n8n is workflow automation with AI nodes woven in, free self hosted or from 20 euros a month. The clean split: Dify when the AI app is the product, n8n when AI steps serve a broader automation. Many teams run both, with n8n calling Dify apps.
| At a glance | Dify | n8n |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Agent builder | Agent builder |
| Entry price | From $59/mo · Sandbox free demo + free self-host | From €20/mo (annual) · free self-host |
| Free / trial | Free | Free trial (no card required) |
| Pricing confidence | public partial | public partial |
| Feature |
D
Dify
|
n
n8n
|
|---|---|---|
| Action & orchestration | ||
|
Integrations & Tool Calling Ability to connect agents to real systems through native integrations, OAuth-authenticated actions, custom tools, APIs, webhooks, or MCP-compatible tools. |
Full / Explicit | Full / Explicit |
|
Workflow Orchestration Ability to sequence, branch, retry, route, and combine deterministic workflow nodes with autonomous agent steps. |
Full / Explicit | Full / Explicit |
|
Triggers & Channel Coverage How agents wake up and where they work: schedules, webhooks, message events, CRM events, inbox events, chat, email, voice, and collaboration tools. |
Partial | Full / Explicit |
| Knowledge & context | ||
|
Knowledge Grounding & RAG Ability to ground agent behavior in company data through document ingestion, retrieval, external knowledge APIs, semantic search, or RAG layers. |
Full / Explicit | Full / Explicit |
|
Memory & State Persistence Ability to persist context across a run, conversation, workflow, user, team, or longer-term memory layer. |
Partial | Partial |
| Control & trust | ||
|
Human Oversight & Guardrails Approval steps, consent checkpoints, escalation rules, structured guardrails, policy constraints, and pause/resume controls. |
Unknown / Unspecified | Full / Explicit |
|
Security, Identity & Governance RBAC, SSO, auditability, encryption, least-privilege tool access, compliance posture, and data handling policy. |
Partial | Full / Explicit |
|
Observability & Auditability Traces, logs, execution histories, metrics, audit events, and debugging detail for production agent behavior. |
Full / Explicit | Full / Explicit |
|
Deployment & Data Residency Deployment modes and options, including SaaS, dedicated cloud, VPC, on-prem, hybrid, local runtime, and self-hosting. |
Full / Explicit | Full / Explicit |
| Solution readiness | ||
|
Prebuilt Agents, Templates & Packs Ready-made workflows, packaged employees, templates, blueprints, industry solutions, and role-specific agents that reduce time-to-value. |
Partial | Full / Explicit |
| Platform extensibility | ||
|
Model Flexibility & Routing Ability to work across multiple foundation models, route tasks to different models, or let buyers bring their own providers and keys. |
Full / Explicit | Partial |
|
APIs, SDKs & MCP Extensibility Composability layer: stable APIs, SDKs, MCP tool consumption/serving, custom tools, and integration into internal systems. |
Full / Explicit | Partial |
|
Testing, Debugging & Optimization Testing, debugging, scoring, retries, fallbacks, quality gates, and optimization loops for improving agent workflows before and after deployment. |
Partial | Full / Explicit |
| Specialist automation | ||
|
Browser & Computer Use Browser, desktop, or remote/local computer control for workflows that cannot be handled through stable APIs alone. |
No / Not documented | No / Not documented |
Pricing snapshot
Sourced from the Index pricing dataset · open each vendor's profile for full detail.
| Pricing |
D
Dify
|
n
n8n
|
|---|---|---|
|
Entry price Lowest public entry point |
From $59/mo · Sandbox free demo + free self-host | From €20/mo (annual) · free self-host |
|
Pricing confidence How public the numbers are |
Public — partial | Public — partial |
|
Billing Primary billing axis |
credits | runs |
|
Variable cost Workload / overage exposure |
Medium variable cost | Medium variable cost |
|
Free tier / trial Try before you buy |
Free tier
|
Free tierTrial
|
|
Buying motion Self-serve vs sales call |
Mixed | Mixed |
Choose Dify if
- You are building AI applications (assistants, RAG apps, agents) as the deliverable.
- Model management, prompt versioning, and observability are core needs.
- App operations for non developers matter after launch.
Choose n8n if
- Business process automation is the job, with AI as powerful steps inside it.
- The 400+ integration nodes connect your whole stack.
- Per execution pricing and self hosting fit your scale economics.