Agentic Index
Dify vs StackAI (2026)
Both build and deploy agents on enterprise data without code, at 9.5 and 11.5 of 14.
Dify is open source for building agents, chatbots and workflows, from 59 dollars a month with a free sandbox and free self hosting. StackAI is no code for workflows and agents on enterprise data, free to 500 runs monthly then enterprise custom per seat. StackAI documents more and leans harder into enterprise data connectivity; Dify is open source, which for some organizations settles it.
Choose Dify if
- Open source with free self hosting is a requirement rather than a preference.
- Chatbots alongside agents and workflows is the range you need.
- A free sandbox lets you evaluate before any commitment.
Choose StackAI if
- Documented coverage is broader and enterprise data connectivity is the hard part.
- Enterprise per seat pricing is the model your procurement expects.
- No self hosting burden is what your team can actually operate.
| At a glance | Dify | StackAI |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Agent builder | Agent builder |
| Entry price | From $59/mo · Sandbox free demo + free self-host | Free (500 runs/mo) · Enterprise custom (per-seat) |
| Free / trial | Free | Free |
| Pricing confidence | public partial | contact only |
| Feature | D Dify |
S StackAI |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | Partial |
| 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 | Full / Explicit |
|
APIs, SDKs & MCP Extensibility Composability layer: stable APIs, SDKs, MCP tool consumption/serving, custom tools, and integration into internal systems. |
Full / Explicit | Full / Explicit |
|
Testing, Debugging & Optimization Testing, debugging, scoring, retries, fallbacks, quality gates, and optimization loops for improving agent workflows before and after deployment. |
Partial | Partial |
| 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 |
S StackAI |
|---|---|---|
|
Entry price Lowest public entry point |
From $59/mo · Sandbox free demo + free self-host | Free (500 runs/mo) · Enterprise custom (per-seat) |
|
Pricing confidence How public the numbers are |
Public — partial | Contact only |
|
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 tier
|
|
Buying motion Self-serve vs sales call |
Mixed | Mixed |