# What is Dify? Facts, license and pricing (Oct 2026)

Canonical: https://theagenticweekly.com/what-is/dify · Last verified: 2026-10-25 · Published: 2026-10-25 · Author: Agentic Weekly (operated independently from Texas, US) · Evidence: Evidence: Reported. Everything here was read from Dify's own pages and the public GitHub API on 2026-10-25 (America/Chicago). We have not run Dify for this page, so it says nothing about quality or speed.

> Dify is open-source platform for building LLM apps and agent workflows with a visual canvas; licensed under a modified Apache 2.0 with extra conditions. License: Modified Apache 2.0 (Dify Open Source License). Its GitHub repository (langgenius/dify) had 159,534 stars on Oct 25, 2026. Facts were read from official pages on Oct 25, 2026 and are Reported, not Tested.

## What Dify is

Dify's LICENSE file says it is a modified Apache License 2.0 with additional conditions, including a requirement for a commercial license for certain multi-tenant service use. v1.18.0 was tagged Oct 23, 2026.

We list Dify under Agent building.

## Dify key facts

Table: Dify facts (vendor pages and GitHub, 2026-10-25)

|  | Dify |
|---|---|
| Vendor | LangGenius |
| License | Modified Apache 2.0 (Dify Open Source License) |
| Platforms | Cloud and self-hosted |
| Pricing model | Freemium and self-host |
| Free tier | Open-source self-hosted version; hosted plans exist |
| GitHub | langgenius/dify: 159,534 stars, last push Oct 26, 2026 (GitHub API, Oct 25, 2026) |
| Latest release we saw | v1.18.0 on Oct 23, 2026 |
| Evidence | Reported from vendor pages |

## Who Dify is for

- Good for: Teams that want a visual builder they can self-host.
- Good for: Internal RAG and agent apps.
- Skip if: You need a standard OSI-approved license for redistribution.

## How to start with Dify

1. Self-host with Docker Compose per the repository's README or sign up for the cloud.

## Dify alternatives

- Flowise: Open-source drag-and-drop builder for LLM flows and agents; GitHub marks the main repository as archived with its last push in Aug 2026.
- Langflow: MIT-licensed visual builder for AI agents and MCP servers with a very large GitHub following.
- n8n: Fair-code workflow automation with 400+ integrations and native AI agent features; self-host or cloud.

## What we did not verify

- Cloud pricing.
- Output quality, speed and reliability of Dify: we have not run it for this page.

## FAQ

### What is Dify?

Dify's LICENSE file says it is a modified Apache License 2.0 with additional conditions, including a requirement for a commercial license for certain multi-tenant service use. v1.18.0 was tagged Oct 23, 2026.

### What license is Dify under?

Modified Apache 2.0 (Dify Open Source License). Read from the project's own pages on Oct 25, 2026.

### Is Dify free?

Open-source self-hosted version; hosted plans exist. Checked Oct 25, 2026; prices change, so confirm on the vendor's page.

## Sources

- [Dify](https://dify.ai/) (fetched 2026-10-25)
- [Dify license](https://github.com/langgenius/dify/blob/main/LICENSE) (fetched 2026-10-25)
- [Dify repository (GitHub)](https://github.com/langgenius/dify) (fetched 2026-10-25)

## Related

- [Dify facts and sources](https://theagenticweekly.com/tools/dify)
- [Alternatives to Dify](https://theagenticweekly.com/alternatives/dify)
- [Agent building: all tools we track](https://theagenticweekly.com/best/agent-building)
- [Dify vs Botpress](https://theagenticweekly.com/compare/dify-vs-botpress)
- [Dify vs Flowise](https://theagenticweekly.com/compare/dify-vs-flowise)
- [Dify vs Langflow](https://theagenticweekly.com/compare/dify-vs-langflow)
- [n8n vs Dify](https://theagenticweekly.com/compare/n8n-vs-dify)
- [Open WebUI vs Dify](https://theagenticweekly.com/compare/open-webui-vs-dify)

## Changelog

- 2026-10-25: First published from official pages read on 2026-10-25.

## How to cite

Agentic Weekly, "What is Dify? Facts, license and pricing (Oct 2026)", last updated 2026-10-25, https://theagenticweekly.com/what-is/dify