head to head · open source
Dify vs apm
Dify has 156,215 GitHub stars, 24,668 forks, 1,067 open issues and last shipped today. apm has 3,838 stars, 361 forks, 215 open issues and last shipped today. Dify leads on adoption by 3,970% (156,215 vs 3,838 stars). Dify is written in TypeScript under a custom or non-standard licence; apm is written in Python under MIT. Dify has attracted 16% as many forks as stars, apm 9%. Dify was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee.
Two open source projects, one decision. Both are free and self-hostable — the differences are community size, license terms, language stack and release pace.
← all 8884 open source comparisons
Side by side
| Dify | apm | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 156K | ★ 3.8K |
| License | Custom / other | MIT |
| Written in | TypeScript | Python |
| Last push | 2026-09-18 | 2026-09-18 |
| Forks | ⑂ 25K | ⑂ 361 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick Dify if
- You weight community size — 156K stars and counting
- You want the Custom / other license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick apm if
- You want the apm feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches Python
- You evaluated both and apm fits your workflow better
About Dify
Dify is an open source LLM application development platform built in TypeScript. It provides a visual interface for designing, testing, and deploying AI workflows, RAG pipelines, and agentic systems without writing extensive code. The platform lives in the generative AI development ecosystem and targets teams needing to move from prototype to production using consistent tooling across environments.
About apm
APM – Agent Package Manager An open source, community driven dependency manager for AI agents. Think package.json , requirements.txt , or Cargo.toml — but for AI agent configuration. GitHub Copilot Claude Code Grok Build Cursor OpenCode Codex Gemini Windsurf Kiro Documentation · Quick Start · CLI Reference · Roadmap Portable by manifest. Secure by default. Governed by policy. One file describes every agent's context; one command reproduces it everywhere; one policy controls what an org will allow. Why APM AI coding agents need context to be useful — standards, prompts, skills, plugins — but today every developer …
More in AI & Machine Learning
Related comparisons
More AI Development Platforms projects
Compare either of these against the rest of the AI Development Platforms field.
Frequently asked questions
Is Dify or apm more popular?
Dify has 156,215 GitHub stars and apm has 3,838. Dify has the larger community by that measure.
Are Dify and apm free?
Both are open source. Dify has no licence declared in this registry, and apm is licensed under MIT. Both are free to self-host.
What is the difference between Dify and apm?
Dify is written in TypeScript and apm in Python. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, Dify or apm?
Choose Dify if you want the larger community (156,215 stars) or its Custom / other licence terms. Choose apm if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.