head to head · open source
Dify vs PI-Desktop
Dify has 160,251 GitHub stars, 25,336 forks, 1,067 open issues and last shipped yesterday. PI-Desktop has 7,609 stars, 744 forks, 102 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Dify leads on adoption by 2,006% (160,251 vs 7,609 stars). Dify is written in Python under a custom or non-standard licence; PI-Desktop is written in TypeScript under LGPL-3.0. Dify has attracted 16% as many forks as stars, PI-Desktop 10%. 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.
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Side by side
| Dify | PI-Desktop | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 160K | ★ 7.6K |
| License | Custom / other | LGPL-3.0 |
| Written in | Python | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-11-02 | 2026-11-02 |
| Forks | ⑂ 25K | ⑂ 744 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick Dify if
- You weight community size — 160K stars and counting
- You want the Custom / other license terms
- Your stack matches Python
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick PI-Desktop if
- You want the PI-Desktop feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the LGPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You evaluated both and PI-Desktop fits your workflow better
About Dify
Dify Cloud · Self hosting · Documentation · Dify edition overview Dify is an open source LLM app development platform. Its intuitive interface combines AI workflow, RAG pipeline, agent capabilities, model management, observability features (including Opik, Langfuse, and Arize Phoenix) and more, letting you quickly go from prototype to production. Here's a list of the core features: Quick start Before installing Dify, make sure your machine meets the following minimum system requirements: CPU = 2 Core RAM = 4 GiB The easiest way to start the Dify server is through Docker Compose. Before running Dify with the…
About PI-Desktop
PI Desktop The desktop workspace for AI coding agents. Bring your own model. Open any local project. Let agents work — while you stay in control. Local first · Model agnostic · Extensible · macOS / Windows / Linux Download · Documentation · Screenshots · Build a Plugin · 简体中文 No PI Desktop account. No mandatory relay. No editor lock in. Projects and sessions stay on your machine. Model requests go directly to the provider or endpoint you configure. [!IMPORTANT] PI Desktop is in Early Preview. It is already usable for real coding workflows, while APIs, extension interfaces, and some desktop behaviors are still…
read the full PI-Desktop overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Dify or PI-Desktop more popular?
Dify has 160,251 GitHub stars and PI-Desktop has 7,609. Dify has the larger community by that measure.
Are Dify and PI-Desktop free?
Both are open source. Dify has no licence declared in this registry, and PI-Desktop is licensed under LGPL-3.0. Both are free to self-host.
What is the difference between Dify and PI-Desktop?
Dify is written in Python and PI-Desktop in TypeScript. 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 PI-Desktop?
Choose Dify if you want the larger community (160,251 stars) or its Custom / other licence terms. Choose PI-Desktop if its feature set, stack or LGPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.