Difyvs
n8n
Both get introduced as ways to build AI agents, and the foundations are different. Dify is a platform for LLM applications and RAG, where the model is the centre of the work. n8n is workflow automation where the model is one node among many. What you are building decides it. Figures from each vendor's public pricing page, November 2026.
Published · updated
The short answer
- A chatbot that answers from internal documents → Dify
- Moving data between SaaS tools → n8n
- Both have open-source editions, so neither forces data into someone else's cloud
- n8n needs your own model API key, so model usage is billed separately at cost
Side by side
| Dify | n8n | |
|---|---|---|
| Vendor | LangGenius | n8n GmbH |
| Primary use | LLM apps, RAG, internal chatbots | SaaS integration, workflow automation |
| Free plan | Sandbox: 200 message credits (total) | Cloud trial of 1,000 executions |
| Entry paid | Professional $590/yr | Starter EUR 20/mo (annual) |
| Mid | Team $1,590/yr | Pro EUR 50/mo (annual, 10,000 executions) |
| Billing unit | Message credits | One workflow run = 1 |
| Model cost | Included in plan credits | Your own API key, billed at cost |
| Self-hosting | Community edition (OSS) | Community edition (OSS), Business, Enterprise |
| RAG over internal documents | Pipeline built in a GUI | Assembled from nodes yourself |
| Third-party integrations | Limited | Large connector library plus an HTTP node |
| Branching and loops | Workflow feature available | Core strength |
| Publishing what you build | Web app or API | Webhook or scheduled run |
Highlighted cells mark where one is clearly ahead on that row. Pricing and specifications come from published vendor information and change without notice.
Who wins what
Answering from internal documents
Dify
The RAG pipeline is built in a GUI; you never implement vector search.
Connecting several SaaS tools
n8n
Prebuilt connectors plus an HTTP node mean anything with a documented API can be reached.
Data cannot leave the building
Either
Both have open-source editions you can self-host. The difference is purpose, not deployment.
Predictable monthly cost
Dify
Model usage is inside the plan credits. n8n's model spend floats with usage.
Someone else will inherit it
n8n
The flow stays visual, so another engineer can follow the structure.
Strengths and trade-offs
Dify
Strengths
- RAG pipeline, prompt management and agent logic in one GUI
- Publishes as a web app or an API
- Model usage included in plan credits, so cost is predictable
- Open-source edition is self-hostable
Trade-offs
- Sandbox credits are a one-time total, not monthly
- Few third-party integrations compared with automation platforms
- Heavily customised apps eventually outgrow the GUI
n8n
Strengths
- Wide connector library plus raw HTTP for anything else
- Strong branching, looping and data shaping
- Self-hostable under a fair-code licence
- Choose any model, including one running internally
Trade-offs
- Model costs are separate and scale with runs
- Building RAG means assembling it yourself
- Self-hosting carries real operational work
What it costs
From each vendor's public pricing page in November 2026. n8n publishes annual-billing monthly rates, converted here to twelve months: Starter EUR 240, Pro EUR 600. Dify Professional is $590/yr and Team $1,590/yr. n8n's real total is higher than these figures because model API usage is billed separately.
Which one, for who you are
Internal IT at a mid-size company
Dify, self-hosted
Wants a chatbot over company policies; documents cannot leave the network
RAG is the whole job, and the open-source edition keeps the documents inside.
Operations lead
n8n
Inbound enquiries need classifying, routing to Slack and logging to a sheet
The model is one step; the rest is integration and branching, which is n8n's core.
Small product team
Dify for the assistant, n8n for the plumbing
Both a document assistant and downstream automation
A natural split, at the cost of operating two systems — write down how they fit together.
Questions we get
- Is there any point running both?
- Yes. Dify for the bot that answers from documents, n8n for pushing the result into Slack or a CRM, is a natural division. The cost is two systems to operate and document.
- Which has the lower learning curve?
- It depends on the target. For a chatbot, Dify needs fewer steps; for SaaS integration, n8n's prebuilt connectors do. Both assume you understand authentication, requests and responses.
- How far does Dify's free tier go?
- Sandbox's 200 message credits are a one-time total, not monthly, and are not replenished. Plan what you want to prove before signing up.
- Is self-hosted n8n really free?
- The Community edition has no licence fee. Server cost plus upgrades, backups and incident response replace it. Avoid a situation where only one person can do that.