Dify vs Sim
We give Dify and Sim the same GPA: 3.2 out of 4.0. They get the same grade on all five counts.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Dify
Open-source platform for building AI agents and agentic workflows
Sim
Open-source workspace for building and running AI agents
How we grade them
| 3.2GPADifyVery good | 3.2GPASimVery good | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | BProfessional is $59 a month per workspace, or $590 a year, and covers 3 team members, 50 apps and 5,000 message credits a month. Split three ways that's about typical. On your own it's dear. Team is $159 a month for up to 50 members. | BPro is $21.25 a user each month billed annually, or $25 monthly, about what agents in this category start at. It includes 6,000 credits a month plus 2,000 a week. One thing to know: every workflow run costs a base credit, even on your own model keys. |
| Free plan and trial | BSandbox is free but small: 1 member, 5 apps, 50 knowledge documents and 200 message credits that never refill, after which you bring your own model keys. The open-source Community Edition is free too, if you host it with Docker. | BFree on the cloud gets 1,000 credits, once, with no weekly refresh, 1 workspace and no teammates. That's a taster. The other free route is hosting the Apache-2.0 code yourself, with Docker or Kubernetes. |
| Features | AA visual canvas for workflows, agents you set up by chatting, and pipelines that turn files, websites and drives into a searchable knowledge base. Apps go out as web apps, embeds, API endpoints or MCP tools, with logs to see how they're doing. | ABlocks cover agents, API calls, conditions, loops, parallel branches and human-in-the-loop steps. Workflows start from a schedule, a webhook, an RSS feed or a table event, and draw on knowledge bases, tables and files. Each run is traced block by block, with tokens and cost per model. |
| Ease of use | BYou build on a visual canvas with no code, and the Marketplace has models and tools ready to install. It's still a builder, so expect some learning. There's no rating on record to go by, so a B. | BDescribe a system in plain language and Chat scaffolds the workflows, tables and knowledge bases for you. After that it's still a builder, so expect some learning. There's no rating on record to go by, so a B. |
| Platforms and integrations | BA web app. What you build can go out as an API endpoint, an embed or an MCP tool, and the Marketplace adds model providers and other tools. The listing has no phone or desktop app. | BA web app, plus a desktop app for Mac only. No phone app is listed. It connects to Slack, GitHub, Gmail, Notion, Salesforce, Jira and Linear, and there's an API and a command-line tool. A web app with integrations is a B. |
| Best for | building your own AI apps on your own data | teams building and monitoring their own agents |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Dify and Sim. How we grade
Where they differ
- Dify starts at $590 per workspace / year (Professional); $59 billed monthly. Sim starts at $21.25 per user / month, billed annually ($255); $25 billed monthly.
- Only Sim lists a macOS app.
- Dify also covers no-code.
At a glance
| Dify | Sim | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $590 per workspace / year (Professional); $59 billed monthly | $21.25 per user / month, billed annually ($255); $25 billed monthly |
| Free plan | Sandbox plan: 1 member, 5 apps, 50 knowledge documents, 50 MB of knowledge storage and 200 one-time message credits. The self-hosted Community Edition is also free. | 1,000 one-time credits (1 credit is $0.005), 1 workspace, 5 GB of file storage, 5 tables and 30 days of logs, with no teammates. The Apache-2.0 code can also be self-hosted. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Made by | LangGenius, Inc. | Sim Studio, Inc. |
| Price read from | dify.ai | sim.ai |
| Checked | Oct 5, 2026 | Oct 9, 2026 |
Who each one suits
Dify
- Teams building retrieval-backed agents and chatbots on their own data
- Organizations that need to self-host or deploy in a private cloud
- Developers who want to bring their own model API keys
Sim
- Teams building internal agents that share knowledge bases, tables and logs
- Developers who want a visual builder plus an API and a CLI
- Organizations that need to self-host an open-source agent platform
Worth knowing
Dify
- The Sandbox plan's 200 message credits are a one-time grant; after that you supply your own model API keys.
- Cloud plans are priced per workspace with member caps: 1 on Sandbox, 3 on Professional and 50 on Team.
- SSO, multiple workspaces and a commercial license are part of the Enterprise edition only.
- The free Community Edition is limited to a single workspace and uses Dify's own Apache-2.0-derived license.
Sim
- The Free plan's 1,000 credits are a one-time grant with no weekly refresh, and it allows 1 workspace and no teammates.
- Every workflow run carries a base charge of 1 credit, even when you bring your own model keys.
- Sim Mailer, KB Live Sync, sandboxes and Slack Connect start at Max; access control and SSO are Enterprise only.
- The desktop app is for macOS only (macOS 12 or later); on other systems Sim is used in a browser.
Key features
Dify
- Workflow Studio
- A visual canvas for workflows and chatflows, where blocks define how an app retrieves data, makes decisions, calls tools, asks for human input and completes a task.
- Agents
- Agents are built by chatting or by manual configuration with skills, tools and knowledge, then used as an app, embedded in a website or reused as a node inside a workflow.
- Knowledge pipeline
- Repeatable pipelines extract, clean, chunk and index files, websites, online documents and drives into a knowledge base, with retrieval testing before it is connected to an app.
- Marketplace and plugins
- Model providers, tools, data sources and MCP integrations are installed from the Marketplace or defined yourself, and reused across the apps in a workspace.
- Publishing and monitoring
- Apps ship as hosted web apps, API endpoints, embeds or MCP-compatible tools, with logs, feedback, annotations, latency and usage data to review.
- Cloud, enterprise or self-hosted
- Use Dify Cloud, deploy the Enterprise edition in your own VPC or on Kubernetes with a Helm chart, or self-host the Community Edition with Docker.
Sim
- Workflow builder
- Agent logic is laid out as connected blocks: agents, API calls, functions, conditions, routers, loops, parallel branches and human-in-the-loop steps.
- Building in Chat
- Describe a system in plain language and Chat scaffolds the workflows, tables and knowledge bases, which you then open, run and refine in the builder.
- Knowledge bases, tables and files
- Knowledge bases draw on uploaded documents and on connectors to sources such as Notion, Google Drive, Confluence and SharePoint. Tables hold structured rows, and files store agent inputs and outputs.
- Triggers and deployment
- Workflows start from a schedule, a webhook, an RSS feed or a table event, and are deployed as an API endpoint, a chat interface or an MCP server.
- Logs and cost tracking
- Each run is traced block by block, with token counts and cost per model, and alerts can be set on the logs.
- Enterprise governance
- The Enterprise plan adds SSO and SCIM provisioning, permission groups that decide which models and integrations a group may use, audit logs and data retention settings.
Plans
Dify
SandboxFree
1 member, 5 apps, 50 knowledge documents, 50 MB of knowledge storage, 200 one-time message credits and 30 days of log history.
CommunityFree
Open-source edition you self-host with Docker: all core features in the public repository, a single workspace and community support.
Professional$59
per workspace / month ($590 per year billed annually)
3 team members, 50 apps, 5,000 message credits a month, 500 knowledge documents, 5 GB of storage and 20,000 trigger events a month.
Team$159
per workspace / month ($1,590 per year billed annually)
50 team members, 200 apps, 10,000 message credits a month, 1,000 knowledge documents, 20 GB of storage and unlimited trigger events.
EnterpriseCustom
Self-hosted or VPC deployment with a commercial license, multiple workspaces, SSO, advanced security controls and professional support.
Sim
Free$0
1,000 one-time credits, 1 workspace, 10 concurrent executions, 5 GB of file storage, 5 tables and 30-day log retention.
Pro$21.25
per user / month, billed annually ($255); $25 billed monthly
6,000 credits a month plus 2,000 a week, 3 workspaces, teammates, 50 concurrent executions, 50 GB of storage and unlimited log retention.
Max$85
per user / month, billed annually ($1,020); $100 billed monthly
25,000 credits a month plus 4,000 a week, 200 concurrent executions, 500 GB of storage, Sim Mailer, KB Live Sync, sandboxes and Slack Connect.
EnterpriseCustom
Custom credits and limits, with access control, SSO, SOC 2 compliance, self-hosting and dedicated support.
Ways to pay less
Dify
- Annual discount
Save 17% with annual billing
Dify's pricing page lists a 17% saving for annual billing: Professional is $590 a year instead of $59 a month, and Team is $1,590 a year instead of $159 a month.
- Education
Free Professional plan for students and educators
Verified students, teachers and school staff aged 18 or over can use the Yearly Professional plan at no cost, re-verified each year. Message credits stay at the Sandbox level of 200.
Sim
- Annual discount
15% off with annual billing
Sim's docs list annual billing at a 15% discount on all paid plans: Pro is $255 a year instead of $25 a month, and Max is $1,020 a year instead of $100 a month.
