Question 1

Dify or n8n: which should a small business choose?

Accepted Answer

Choose Dify if you want: fewer license conditions (Custom / conditional vs Source-available). Choose n8n if you want: simpler deploy (one container vs a multi-container stack). n8n publishes no official RAM figure, so we cannot compare hosting cost directly.

Question 2

Which is cheaper to self-host, Dify or n8n?

Accepted Answer

Dify: from €19.99/mo. n8n: 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.

Question 3

How much hardware do Dify and n8n need?

Accepted Answer

Dify: minimum 2 vCPU · 4 GB RAM. n8n: not published.

Question 4

What is the license difference between Dify and n8n?

Accepted Answer

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. n8n: Sustainable Use License (fair-code) + n8n Enterprise License for .ee files (Source-available). You may use or modify n8n for your own internal business purposes or for non-commercial use. You may not sell it or offer it to others as a paid service. Files with ".ee" in the name need an n8n Enterprise License. This is a summary, not legal advice.

Question 5

Is Dify or n8n more actively maintained?

Accepted Answer

Dify: Active, last commit Oct 22, 2026. n8n: Active, last commit Oct 22, 2026. GitHub data refreshed Oct 22, 2026.

Question 6

Which is easier to deploy, Dify or n8n?

Accepted Answer

Dify installs via Docker Compose (multi-container stack); n8n via Docker (single container). Dify lists 2 known gotchas and n8n lists 2; see each app page.

	Dify	n8n
Category	AI app & agent builders	Workflow automation with AI
What it is	Visual platform for building LLM apps, RAG chatbots, agents and workflows.	Workflow automation with 1,500+ integrations and built-in AI agent nodes.
License	Dify Open Source License (modified Apache-2.0)	Sustainable Use License (fair-code) + n8n Enterprise License for .ee files
License type	Custom / conditional	Source-available
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.	You may use or modify n8n for your own internal business purposes or for non-commercial use. You may not sell it or offer it to others as a paid service. Files with ".ee" in the name need an n8n Enterprise License.
Status	Active	Active
GitHub stars	159k	208k
Last commit	Oct 22, 2026	Oct 22, 2026
Latest release	1.17.1	n8n@2.44.6
Minimum hardware	2 vCPU · 4 GB RAM	Not published
Recommended hardware	Not published	Not published
RAM measured by us	Not tested yet	412 MiB idle, 607 MiB working (our test, v2.44.6, Oct 22, 2026)
GPU	Not required / not stated	Not required / not stated
Est. server cost	from €19.99/mo	from €11.99/mo (based on our test, not official)
Deploy method	Docker Compose	Docker
Known gotchas	2 listed	2 listed
Telemetry	On by default	On by default
Calls home by default	Yes, by default	Yes, by default
SSO (OIDC / SAML / LDAP)	Paid / enterprise only	Paid / enterprise only (OIDC paid · SAML paid · LDAP paid)
Audit log	Not documented	Paid / enterprise only
RBAC	Basic free, more in paid plan	Paid / enterprise only
Details	Full Dify guide →	Full n8n guide →

Dify vs n8n

Short answer

Dify vs n8n side by side

Key differences

Dify vs n8n: FAQ