Dify vs Flowise
Short answer
Dify: Visual platform for building LLM apps, RAG chatbots, agents and workflows. Flowise: Drag-and-drop builder for LLM agents and chatflows (archived August 2026). Both are in our AI app & agent builders category.
Flowise's repository is archived, so it gets no updates or security fixes. For a new deployment, Dify is the maintained option; Flowise only makes sense if you already run it.
Choose Dify if you want: an actively maintained project (Flowise is archived) and larger community (159k vs 55.5k GitHub stars).
Choose Flowise if you want: fewer license conditions (Open core vs Custom / conditional).
Flowise publishes no official RAM figure, so we cannot compare hosting cost directly.
Last updated · computed from each project's official docs and live GitHub data · sources
Dify vs Flowise side by side
| Dify | Flowise | |
|---|---|---|
| Category | AI app & agent builders | AI app & agent builders |
| What it is | Visual platform for building LLM apps, RAG chatbots, agents and workflows. | Drag-and-drop builder for LLM agents and chatflows (archived August 2026). |
| License | Dify Open Source License (modified Apache-2.0) | Apache-2.0 (enterprise directory under a commercial license) |
| License type | Custom / conditional | Open core |
| License conditions | Commercial use is allowed, including as a backend for your own apps. Extra conditions: you may not run a multi-tenant service (one tenant = one workspace) without written permission, and you may not remove or modify the Dify logo or copyright in the frontend. | Most of the code is Apache-2.0. Code under packages/server/src/enterprise and files with explicit copyright notices are under a separate commercial license. |
| Status | Active | Archived |
| GitHub stars | 159k | 55.5k |
| Last commit | Oct 22, 2026 | Aug 13, 2026 |
| Latest release | 1.17.1 | flowise@3.1.4 |
| Minimum hardware | 2 vCPU · 4 GB RAM | Not published |
| Recommended hardware | Not published | Not published |
| RAM measured by us | Not tested yet | Not tested yet |
| GPU | Not required / not stated | Not required / not stated |
| Est. server cost | from €19.99/mo | Not estimated |
| Deploy method | Docker Compose | npm or Docker Compose |
| Known gotchas | 2 listed | 3 listed |
| Telemetry | On by default | Not documented |
| Calls home by default | Yes, by default | Not documented |
| SSO (OIDC / SAML / LDAP) | Paid / enterprise only | Paid / enterprise only (OIDC paid) |
| Audit log | Not documented | Not documented |
| RBAC | Basic free, more in paid plan | Paid / enterprise only |
| Details | Full Dify guide → | Full Flowise guide → |
Key differences
- License: Dify: Dify Open Source License (modified Apache-2.0) (Custom / conditional). Flowise: Apache-2.0 (enterprise directory under a commercial license) (Open core).
- Official hardware: Dify: minimum 2 vCPU · 4 GB RAM. Flowise: not published.
- Est. server cost: Dify: from €19.99/mo. Flowise: not estimated (no official RAM figure).
- Deploy: Dify: Docker Compose · multi-container stack. Flowise: npm or Docker Compose · multi-container stack.
- Status: Dify: Active. Flowise: Archived.
- GitHub stars: Dify: 159k. Flowise: 55.5k.
- Last commit: Dify: Oct 22, 2026. Flowise: Aug 13, 2026.
- Latest release: Dify: 1.17.1 (Sep 10, 2026). Flowise: flowise@3.1.4 (Jul 29, 2026).
Same for both: Category: AI app & agent builders; GPU: not required or not stated.
Dify vs Flowise: FAQ
Dify or Flowise: which should a small business choose?
Flowise's repository is archived, so it gets no updates or security fixes. For a new deployment, Dify is the maintained option; Flowise only makes sense if you already run it. Choose Dify if you want: an actively maintained project (Flowise is archived) and larger community (159k vs 55.5k GitHub stars). Choose Flowise if you want: fewer license conditions (Open core vs Custom / conditional). Flowise publishes no official RAM figure, so we cannot compare hosting cost directly.
Which is cheaper to self-host, Dify or Flowise?
Dify: from €19.99/mo. Flowise: not estimated (no official RAM figure). Our estimate is the cheapest Hetzner Cloud plan that meets each project's official RAM and vCPU figure; it covers the server only.
How much hardware do Dify and Flowise need?
Dify: minimum 2 vCPU · 4 GB RAM. Flowise: not published.
What is the license difference between Dify and Flowise?
Dify: Dify Open Source License (modified Apache-2.0) (Custom / conditional). Commercial use is allowed, including as a backend for your own apps. Extra conditions: you may not run a multi-tenant service (one tenant = one workspace) without written permission, and you may not remove or modify the Dify logo or copyright in the frontend. Flowise: Apache-2.0 (enterprise directory under a commercial license) (Open core). Most of the code is Apache-2.0. Code under packages/server/src/enterprise and files with explicit copyright notices are under a separate commercial license. This is a summary, not legal advice.
Is Dify or Flowise more actively maintained?
Dify: Active, last commit Oct 22, 2026. Flowise: Archived, last commit Aug 13, 2026. GitHub data refreshed Oct 22, 2026.
Which is easier to deploy, Dify or Flowise?
Dify installs via Docker Compose (multi-container stack); Flowise via npm or Docker Compose (multi-container stack). Dify lists 2 known gotchas and Flowise lists 3; see each app page.
Related
- Dify self-hosting guide · Flowise self-hosting guide
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Sources
- Dify GitHub repository: github.com/langgenius/dify
- Dify documentation, Dify hardware requirements: docs.dify.ai/en/self-host/deploy/quick-start/docker-compose
- Dify license: github.com/langgenius/dify/blob/main/LICENSE
- Dify deploy instructions: github.com/langgenius/dify#quick-start
- Flowise GitHub repository: github.com/FlowiseAI/Flowise
- Flowise documentation, Flowise hardware requirements, Flowise deploy instructions: github.com/FlowiseAI/Flowise#readme
- Flowise license: github.com/FlowiseAI/Flowise/blob/main/LICENSE.md
- Hetzner Cloud pricing used for cost estimates (read 2026-10-22): www.hetzner.com/cloud/regular-performance
- GitHub REST API (stars, commits, releases): docs.github.com/en/rest
Every value is generated from the same verified data as the app pages. Spotted something wrong? Tell us.