Dify: Open-Source LLM App Builder
Dify is an open-source platform for building LLM apps and AI agents. You can self-host the whole thing or use Dify Cloud. It bundles a visual workflow editor, a RAG pipeline, a chat-app builder, and an agent runtime into one product. Most people pick it when they want to ship a customer-facing AI feature without writing a framework from scratch.
The 30-second version
- What: open-source LLM app platform with visual workflow editor and agent runtime
- Who: teams shipping customer-facing AI apps (chat, RAG, internal tools)
- Price: self-host free, Cloud Sandbox free with 200 credits, Professional $59/workspace/month
- Best at: end-to-end LLM app development on a single platform
- Verdict: pick Dify when you want a polished cloud option for shipping LLM apps
What Dify actually is
Dify started as a developer tool and grew into a full LLM app platform. It is open source on GitHub and you can self-host the entire stack. The Dify Cloud version sits on the same code but adds a managed environment.
The four things you can build in Dify: chat apps, agent apps, workflow apps, and text-completion apps. Each one starts from a template, and you customize via the visual editor or by writing prompts and chaining tools.
For AI agents specifically, Dify supports tool calling, multi-step reasoning, and persistent memory. The Workflow feature lets you orchestrate (coordinate multiple steps) longer sequences than a simple chat-with-tools setup.
Key capabilities
- Visual workflow editor for LLM apps
- Built-in RAG (retrieval-augmented generation) pipeline
- Agent runtime with tool calling, memory, multi-step reasoning
- Chat-app builder with shareable URLs
- Self-host (open source) or Dify Cloud
- Multiple LLM provider support (OpenAI, Anthropic, local models)
Pricing (checked May 2026)
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Self-host | Free | Full open-source feature set, run anywhere |
| Sandbox (Cloud) | $0 | 200 credits/month, 1 workspace, 5 apps, 50MB storage |
| Professional | $59/workspace/month | 5,000 credits, 50 apps, 5GB storage, 3 team members |
| Team | $159/workspace/month | 10,000 credits, 200 apps, 20GB storage, 50 team members |
| Enterprise | Custom | Contact sales |
Prices change. Verified May 2026. Check current rates at dify.ai/pricing.
Who Dify fits
- Teams shipping a customer-facing AI feature (chatbot, RAG search, agent)
- Solo developers who want an LLM app stack without building it from scratch
- Companies needing self-host for compliance or data residency reasons
Who Dify does not fit
- Non-technical users (interface is more developer-leaning than Gumloop)
- Workflows that mix AI with classic automation (Make or n8n are better)
- Pure multi-agent collaboration use cases (CrewAI or Relevance AI fit better)
Dify vs Flowise and Langflow
| Axis | Dify | Flowise | Langflow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Open source | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Cloud option | Yes (polished) | Yes (smaller) | Yes (via DataStax) |
| Built-in RAG | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Agent runtime | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Polish | Highest of the three | Developer-leaning | Developer-leaning |
| Best for | Customer-facing AI apps | LangChain users on a canvas | LangChain users on a canvas |
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Open source plus polished cloud is rare in this category
- Built-in RAG saves real time
- Workflows + agents + chat in one product
Cons:
- Cloud pricing is per-workspace and adds up fast
- Smaller integration catalog than no-code tools like Make
- Less suited for pure multi-agent collaboration
How I'd use Dify on SellerShorts
I tested Dify Cloud for an internal customer support chatbot for SellerShorts sellers. It pulls from our seller docs and answers questions about listing AI Tools, payouts, and integrations. Setup took an afternoon. The built-in RAG made it usable on day one without writing a vector store or retrieval pipeline.
Try Dify
Get started with Dify
Self-host for free or try the Cloud Sandbox tier. Both run the same code.
Building an AI tool for Amazon sellers? Check the Amazon AI hub for sector-specific picks.
Frequently asked questions
Is Dify free?
Dify is open source and you can self-host it for free. Dify Cloud has a free Sandbox tier with 200 message credits per month. Paid tiers start at $59 per workspace per month.
Dify vs Flowise vs Langflow: what is the difference?
All three are visual open-source LLM app builders. Dify focuses on the end-to-end product (RAG, chat apps, agents, workflows) with a polished cloud option. Flowise and Langflow are more developer-leaning and tend to be self-hosted. Pick Dify when you want the smoothest cloud option and you do not mind paying for it.
Can Dify run AI agents, not just chatbots?
Yes. Dify supports agent applications with tool calling, multi-step reasoning, and memory. The Workflow feature lets you orchestrate longer sequences of LLM calls and tools, which is the agent pattern.
Is Dify a good fit for Amazon sellers?
For internal apps like customer support chatbots trained on your product catalog, yes. For workflows that take actions on Amazon Seller Central, n8n or Make are usually a better fit because they have native Amazon connectors.