Visual no-code automation platform with AI agents connecting 3,000+ apps.
Dify vs Lindy
Features, pricing, strengths and trade-offs — and which one fits your situation.
The verdict
Summary
Dify is best for building and self-hosting LLM apps, RAG chatbots and agentic workflows, while Lindy is best for teams wanting an AI teammate in Slack that handles email, meetings and research. Only Dify offers visual workflow builder and self-hosting. Dify has a medium learning curve, compared with low for Lindy. Dify has a free plan, while Lindy offers a free trial.
Which should you choose?
Choose Dify if…
- You need building and self-hosting LLM apps, RAG chatbots and agentic workflows
- Visual workflow builder matters to you
- Self-hosting matters to you
- You're one of: developers building llm apps, teams needing on-premise ai, rag chatbot projects
- You want a free plan (Lindy only has a trial)
Choose Lindy if…
- You need teams wanting an AI teammate in Slack that handles email, meetings and research
- You're one of: small teams living in slack, founders and executives, sales and customer-facing teams
- You want something quicker to learn
- Natural-language setup with no flow diagrams to maintain
At a glance
| Dify | Lindy | |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Building and self-hosting LLM apps, RAG chatbots and agentic workflows | Teams wanting an AI teammate in Slack that handles email, meetings and research |
| Free plan | Yes | Trial only |
| Starting price | From $590/workspace/yr | From $29.99/mo |
| Learning curve | Medium | Low |
| Platforms | Web, API | Web, Chrome extension |
| Ideal for | Developers building LLM apps, Teams needing on-premise AI, RAG chatbot projects, AI product prototyping | Small teams living in Slack, Founders and executives, Sales and customer-facing teams, Operations generalists |
Feature comparison
| Dify | Lindy | |
|---|---|---|
| Visual workflow builder | Yes | No |
| Integrations, approx. | Hundreds of plugins | 1,000+ |
| AI agents | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hosting | Yes | No |
| Custom code steps | Yes | — |
| Webhooks | Yes | — |
| Human approval steps | Yes | Yes |
| Billed per | Message credit | Credit |
IncludedLimited / higher plansNot available— Not confirmed
Security & enterprise
| Dify | Lindy | |
|---|---|---|
| Business / enterprise plan | Yes | Yes |
| SSO (SAML / OIDC) | Enterprise plan | Enterprise plan |
| SCIM user provisioning | Enterprise plan | Enterprise plan |
| SOC 2 | Type II | Type II |
| ISO 27001 | Yes | — |
| HIPAA (BAA available) | — | Enterprise plan (BAA) |
| GDPR DPA | Yes | — |
| Data residency options | — | — |
| No training on your data | — | — |
| Audit logs | Enterprise plan | — |
| Admin controls | Yes | Yes |
| Deployment | Cloud, self-hosted, on-prem | Cloud |
From each vendor's security documentation. "—" = not confirmed. What to ask vendors · Compare all tools
What each tool does
Dify
Dify is an open-source platform for building AI applications, combining a visual workflow canvas, agent builder and RAG knowledge base pipeline. It can be used as a cloud service or self-hosted for free via the Community Edition. It is used mainly by developers and technical teams shipping AI chatbots, internal assistants and LLM-powered workflows.
Key features- Visual workflow and chatflow canvas
- Agent builder with tool calling
- RAG knowledge base with document ingestion
- Schedule, webhook and plugin triggers
- Human Input node for review and approval
- Plugin marketplace and API for every app
Lindy
Lindy is an AI assistant that works primarily inside Slack, with access via iMessage, Gmail and a Chrome extension, and connects to a team's apps to carry out tasks. Users @mention it or configure skills in natural language instead of building visual flows. Work is metered in credits, and it includes built-in approval steps and computer-use capability for sites without an API.
Key features- Slack-native assistant for channels and DMs
- 40+ built-in skills plus custom skills
- Meeting recording and scheduling
- Computer use for websites without integrations
- Built-in approvals before actions
- MCP server support
Pricing
Dify
Free plan (Sandbox) + open-source self-hosted; Professional $590/workspace/year
Lindy
Free trial; paid from $29.99/mo per user
Prices last checked September 2026. Plans change often — confirm on each vendor's site.
Pros and cons
Dify
Strengths- Open-source Community Edition can be self-hosted at no cost
- Works with many LLM providers, including local models
- Every app is exposed as an API out of the box
- Built-in RAG pipeline removes the need for a separate vector tool
- Far fewer ready-made SaaS app connectors than Zapier or Make
- Free cloud Sandbox plan is limited to a handful of apps and message credits
- SSO and multiple workspaces require the Enterprise edition
- Self-hosting means managing Docker, upgrades and databases yourself
Not ideal for: Non-technical users who mainly want to connect everyday SaaS apps should look at Zapier or Make, which have far larger connector libraries.
Lindy
Strengths- Natural-language setup with no flow diagrams to maintain
- Human approval built in for emails and other sensitive actions
- Computer use covers tools that lack an integration
- Choice of AI models
- No free plan, only a short trial
- Not designed for complex branching, data-heavy workflows
- Credit consumption varies widely with model choice and task length
- No self-hosting option
Not ideal for: Teams that want deterministic, auditable multi-step automations should use a visual workflow tool such as Make, n8n or Zapier.
Integrations
Dify
Lindy
FAQ
What is the main difference between Dify and Lindy?
Dify is built for building and self-hosting LLM apps, RAG chatbots and agentic workflows; Lindy is built for teams wanting an AI teammate in Slack that handles email, meetings and research. Key differences: Dify offers visual workflow builder and self-hosting.
Is Dify or Lindy cheaper?
Dify starts from $590/workspace/yr and Lindy starts from $29.99/mo (as of September 2026). On entry price, Lindy is cheaper — but compare what each plan includes, since limits differ. Always confirm current pricing on each vendor's site.
Do Dify and Lindy have free plans?
Dify has a free plan, while Lindy offers a free trial.
Which is easier to use, Dify or Lindy?
Lindy is generally quicker to learn (Dify: medium, Lindy: low learning curve).
What are good alternatives to Dify and Lindy?
Other automation tools worth comparing include Make, n8n and Gumloop.
