What is Dify?

Dify is an open-source platform for building AI applications visually. Instead of writing code to wire together LLMs, vector databases, and tools, you use a drag-and-drop workflow builder to create chatbots, agents, and AI-powered workflows — then deploy them with an auto-generated API.

Key Features

Visual Workflow Builder

Build AI applications by connecting nodes in a visual canvas. Each node is a step — LLM call, knowledge retrieval, code execution, HTTP request, conditional logic. No coding required for basic apps.

Built-in RAG

Upload documents to create knowledge bases. Dify handles chunking, embedding, and retrieval automatically. Connect multiple knowledge bases to a single app for comprehensive context.

Multi-Model Support

Dify works with 200+ models. Use OpenAI for quality, switch to a local Ollama model for privacy, or use different models for different steps in your workflow. Model selection is per-node.

API-First

Every app you build gets a REST API endpoint automatically. Embed the chat widget on your website, call the API from your backend, or integrate via webhooks.

Pricing

Dify open-source is free to self-host. The cloud version has a free tier with 200 messages/day. Paid plans start at $59/month for teams.

Who Should Use Dify?

• Non-technical teams who want to build AI apps without coding
• Developers who want to prototype AI workflows quickly
• Companies needing a self-hosted AI platform with visual management
• Product teams building customer-facing AI features

The Bottom Line

Dify is the best open-source option for building AI apps visually. The workflow builder is intuitive, RAG works out of the box, and the multi-model support means you’re never locked into one provider. For teams that want AI apps without writing boilerplate code, Dify is an excellent choice.