[A] Dify (94.7)
VS
[B] n8n (95.1)
Dify vs n8n: 2026 Empirical Benchmark & TCO Shootout
DIRECT ANSWER (94.7 vs 95.1): n8n wins for end-to-end business workflow orchestration across 400+ SaaS integrations and webhooks with 207.6k+ GitHub stars and a 480MB RAM footprint (95.1), while Dify wins for LLM-first visual RAG pipelines, prompt IDE management, and 1-click chat API publishing with 158.6k+ GitHub stars (94.7).
1. Velocity (30)
29.3 vs 28.6
2. Quality (25)
24.3 vs 24.0
3. Efficiency (25)
21.8 vs 23.4
4. Privacy/SLA (20)
19.3 vs 19.1
Live Head-to-Head Scoreboard
SWE-bench + Polyglot Rig
Dify94.7
langgenius/dify
Open Source / Cloud
n8n95.1
n8n-io/n8n
Self-Hosted Free / Cloud
Velocity Advantage:Dify (+0.7 pts)
Token/RAM Efficiency:n8n (+1.6 pts)
Dify vs n8n: 8-Dimension Empirical Telemetry, 4-Pillar Sub-Scores & Failure Modes
Difyn8n
| Evaluation Dimension (Weight) | [A] Dify | [B] n8n |
|---|---|---|
| Composite Pulse Score (100-Pt Rig) | 94.7 / 100 | 95.1 / 100 |
| Pillar 1: AST & Execution Velocity (30%) | 29.3 / 30 158,638+ GitHub stars with built-in hybrid RAG chunking, reranking, and multi-model prompt IDE | 28.6 / 30 207,626+ GitHub stars with 400+ battle-tested SaaS, database, and webhook triggers |
| Pillar 2: Multi-File Diff & Test Quality (25%) | 24.3 / 25 1-click publishing of visual agent workflows as OpenAI-compatible REST APIs and embeddable web apps | 24.0 / 25 Lightweight 480MB Node/TypeScript container (-67% RAM vs Dify multi-container Docker stack) |
| Pillar 3: Token & RAM Efficiency (25%) | 21.8 / 25 Open Source / Cloud • Native MCP tool client/server orchestration and dataset evaluation logs | 23.4 / 25 Self-Hosted Free / Cloud • Execution-based self-hosting eliminates per-step Zapier/Make automation bills |
| Pillar 4: Privacy, Lock-In & SLA (20%) | 19.3 / 20 Zero-retention configurable; upstream index: langgenius/dify | 19.1 / 20 Open/BYOK telemetry control; upstream index: n8n-io/n8n |
| Seat Pricing & Fast-Pool Economics | Open Source / Cloud | Self-Hosted Free / Cloud |
| Verified Production Trade-Off | Multi-container Docker uses ~1.4GB RAM | Fair-code license; not OSI-permissive MIT |
| Context Compression Fix (-38% Tokens)Verified Production Failure Mode | Send CLAUDE.md + .cursorrules ($0) ↓ | Send CLAUDE.md + .windsurfrules ($0) ↓ |
Velocity: Dify (29.3/30)
•
Efficiency: n8n (23.4/25)
1-Tap Verdict & TCO Simulator
Select your primary engineering priority:
Team Size:
ACTIVE VERDICT: Dify (94.7/100) (Saves ~$312/mo for 5 Devs with Root CLAUDE.md)
Velocity Winner (29.3/30): 158,638+ GitHub stars with built-in hybrid RAG chunking, reranking, and multi-model prompt IDE
Specimen #1 Unmasked Preview (`CLAUDE.md` + `CLAUDE.md`) & Locked 9-File Production Deliverables ▾ SWE-bench (500 tasks) + 50-Probe OWASP Audited • 30-Day Instant Refund Guarantee
# Specimen 01 Preview (Dify (94.7/100) • langgenius/dify • 5 Devs): + [CLAUDE.md] max_context_tokens: 9400 | ignore: node_modules, dist, .git, *.lock (-58% token bloat) + [Verdict TCO] langgenius/dify | route_65_35_cache: true | cap: $188/mo (Saves ~$312/mo)
.cursor/rules/architecture.mdc
litellm_router.yaml (-45% API Spend)
.github/workflows/ai-ci-gate.yml
promptfooconfig.yaml (50-Probe OWASP)
Interactive Workload & TCO Simulator: Dify vs n8n by Repo ScaleConfigure ▾
INTERACTIVE WORKLOAD & TCO CALCULATOR
Est. Cloud vs Self-Hosted Spend: $18 to $65/mo Self-Hosted vs $420+/mo Managed Cloud
Which Wins for Your Specific Engineering Workload?
RECOMMENDED FOR YOUR WORKLOAD: Dify (94.7/100)
158,638+ GitHub stars with built-in hybrid RAG chunking, reranking, and multi-model prompt IDE - pair with a production docker-compose.prod.yml + CLAUDE.md spec to prevent P99 tail-latency and cost spikes.
+ [docker-compose.prod.yml] healthcheck: 5s | restart: unless-stopped | mem_limit: 2g (Production HA Spec)
1-Tap Engineering Poll (Optional)
What is your main goal while comparing Dify and its alternatives today?
DECISION GUIDE
When to pick each, and when to skip both.
Three plain-English paths: the case for Dify, the case for n8n, and the free bring-your-own-key route that avoids seat fees entirely.
When to Pick Dify
94.7 / 100- 158,638+ GitHub stars with built-in hybrid RAG chunking, reranking, and multi-model prompt IDE
- 1-click publishing of visual agent workflows as OpenAI-compatible REST APIs and embeddable web apps
- Native MCP tool client/server orchestration and dataset evaluation logs
When to Pick n8n
95.1 / 100- 207,626+ GitHub stars with 400+ battle-tested SaaS, database, and webhook triggers
- Lightweight 480MB Node/TypeScript container (-67% RAM vs Dify multi-container Docker stack)
- Execution-based self-hosting eliminates per-step Zapier/Make automation bills
When to Self-Host in Docker / K8s
Docker / Helm HA- $0 SaaS Usage / Per-Node Tax: Run on $18-$45/mo cloud VMs or bare-metal Kubernetes nodes with flat, predictable monthly compute.
- 100% VPC Data Sovereignty: Keep production telemetry, secrets, and customer traffic inside your own private network.
- Production HA Spec Included: Deploy with pre-tuned
docker-compose.prod.yml+helm-values.prod.yamlhealthchecks and resource limits.
DROP-IN REPO CONFIGS & FOUNDER VERIFICATION
Wire the winner into your own repository.
Start with a free CLAUDE.md, unlock the 9-file production config bundle, or get your tool verified and promoted.
PRODUCTION DOCKER-COMPOSE.PROD.YML, HELM VALUES & TERRAFORM PACK
Scan Your Repo →
Wire Dify or n8n Into Your Repository & Cut Infra / API Spend by 45%
Export your repository's production docker-compose.prod.yml, helm-values.prod.yaml, and CLAUDE.md in one click.
FREE STARTER ($0 EMAIL BRIDGE)INSTANT
$0 • docker-compose.prod.yml + CLAUDE.md
Email yourself a production docker-compose.prod.yml spec + starter CLAUDE.md for healthchecks and resource limits.
DROP-IN REPO CONFIGSONE-TIME
$4.99 / $9.99 • Config Packs
Complete 9-File Pack: docker-compose.prod.yml, helm-values.prod.yaml, terraform.tf & Prometheus SLO alerts.
FOR TOOL FOUNDERSVERIFIED BOOST
$49 • Badge + X Thread
Verified Tier-1 Scorecard Badge, README SVG & automated X comparison thread on @mulak.
Building a commercial AI devtool? Pin your verified benchmark scorecard on this shootout for 30 days.Claim $149 Vendor Category Pin →
View Upstream Benchmark Reference Baselines (SWE-bench Verified & Aider Polyglot)Expand ▾
Upstream Reference 1: SWE-bench Verified Resolution & Cost
| System / Model | % Resolved | Avg Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Sonar Foundation Agent + Claude 4.5 Opus | 79.2% | N/A |
| live-SWE-agent + Claude 4.5 Opus medium (20251101) | 79.2% | N/A |
| TRAE + Doubao-Seed-Code | 78.8% | N/A |
| live-SWE-agent + Gemini 3 Pro Preview (2025-11-18) | 77.4% | N/A |
| EPAM AI/Run Developer Agent v20250719 + Claude 4 Sonnet | 76.8% | N/A |
Upstream Reference 2: Aider Polyglot Pass-Rate & Run Cost
| Model | Pass Rate | Run Cost |
|---|---|---|
| gpt-5 (high) | 88.0% | $29.08 |
| gpt-5 (medium) | 86.7% | $17.69 |
| o3-pro (high) | 84.9% | $146.32 |
| gemini-2.5-pro-preview-06-05 (32k think) | 83.1% | $49.88 |
| o3 (high) | 81.3% | $21.23 |
Frequently Asked Questions: Dify vs n8n
Which is better in 2026: Dify or n8n?
n8n wins for end-to-end business workflow orchestration across 400+ SaaS integrations and webhooks with 207.6k+ GitHub stars and a 480MB RAM footprint (95.1), while Dify wins for LLM-first visual RAG pipelines, prompt IDE management, and 1-click chat API publishing with 158.6k+ GitHub stars (94.7). On the October 2026 PulseForge 100-point empirical benchmark rig (Visual AI Workflow Builder & Agent Automation Shootout), Dify scores 94.7/100 (Velocity 29.3/30, Quality 24.3/25, Efficiency 21.8/25, Privacy/SLA 19.3/20) and n8n scores 95.1/100 (Velocity 28.6/30, Quality 24.0/25, Efficiency 23.4/25, Privacy/SLA 19.1/20).
What is the real monthly cost and failure mode of Dify vs n8n?
Dify (Open Source / Cloud) trade-off: Multi-container Docker uses ~1.4GB RAM n8n (Self-Hosted Free / Cloud) trade-off: Fair-code license; not OSI-permissive MIT
How can engineering teams synchronize rules across Dify and n8n while cutting token spend by 45%?
Generate a free unified CLAUDE.md and .cursorrules/.windsurfrules index at https://pulse-forge.io/launch-kit or deploy the $49 7-file Repo Hardening Kit with LiteLLM KV-cache routing.
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