head to head · open source
n8n vs Dify
n8n has 209,375 GitHub stars, 61,361 forks, 1,143 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Dify has 160,251 stars, 25,336 forks, 1,067 open issues and last shipped yesterday. n8n leads on adoption by 31% (209,375 vs 160,251 stars). n8n is written in TypeScript under a custom or non-standard licence; Dify is written in Python under a custom or non-standard licence. n8n has attracted 29% as many forks as stars, Dify 16%. n8n was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 3 topic tags (ai, automation, low-code), so they are genuine substitutes rather than adjacent tools.
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
| n8n | Dify | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 209K | ★ 160K |
| License | Custom / other | Custom / other |
| Written in | TypeScript | Python |
| Last push | 2026-11-02 | 2026-11-02 |
| Forks | ⑂ 61K | ⑂ 25K |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick n8n if
- You weight community size — 209K 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 Dify if
- You want the Dify feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Custom / other license terms
- Your stack matches Python
- You evaluated both and Dify fits your workflow better
About n8n
n8n – The Platform for AI Agents and Workflow Automation Fair code platform to build and deploy AI agents and workflows. Combine a visual canvas with custom code, run it self hosted or in the cloud, and connect to 1500+ integrations. AI automation you can trust with real work, from prototype to production. Key Capabilities AI Native Automation Platform : Build and operationalize AI workflows and multi step agents using your own data, models, and tools Model Flexibility, No Lock In : Connect to OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, or open source models and switch providers without changing your architecture From Prototype…
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…
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Frequently asked questions
Is n8n or Dify more popular?
n8n has 209,375 GitHub stars and Dify has 160,251. n8n has the larger community by that measure.
Are n8n and Dify free?
Neither n8n nor Dify declares a licence in this registry, so check each project's own repository before relying on either for a commercial use. Both are free to self-host.
What is the difference between n8n and Dify?
n8n is written in TypeScript and Dify 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, n8n or Dify?
Choose n8n if you want the larger community (209,375 stars) or its Custom / other licence terms. Choose Dify if its feature set, stack or Custom / other licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.