Agent Zero vs Dify
Short answer
Agent Zero: General-purpose personal AI agent that uses its own Linux environment, browser, memory and tools. Dify: Visual platform for building LLM apps, RAG chatbots, agents and workflows. Both are in our AI app & agent builders category.
Choose Agent Zero if you want: cheaper to host (from €11.99/mo vs €19.99/mo), lighter official minimum (2 GB vs 4 GB RAM), fewer license conditions (Permissive vs Custom / conditional) and simpler deploy (one container vs a multi-container stack).
Choose Dify if you want: larger community (160k vs 19.7k GitHub stars).
Last updated · computed from each project's official docs and live GitHub data · sources
Agent Zero vs Dify side by side
| Agent Zero | Dify | |
|---|---|---|
| Category | AI app & agent builders | AI app & agent builders |
| What it is | General-purpose personal AI agent that uses its own Linux environment, browser, memory and tools. | Visual platform for building LLM apps, RAG chatbots, agents and workflows. |
| License | MIT | Dify Open Source License (modified Apache-2.0) |
| License type | Permissive | Custom / conditional |
| License conditions | Permissive. Internal and commercial use, modification and redistribution allowed; keep the copyright and license notice. | 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. |
| Status | Active | Active |
| GitHub stars | 19.7k | 160k |
| Last commit | Nov 1, 2026 | Nov 3, 2026 |
| Latest release | v2.15 | 1.18.0 |
| Minimum hardware | 1 vCPU · 2 GB RAM · 20 GB disk | 2 vCPU · 4 GB RAM |
| Recommended hardware | 2 vCPU · 4 GB RAM · 50 GB disk | Not published |
| RAM measured by us | Not tested yet | Not tested yet |
| GPU | No. It calls the model providers you configure; no GPU requirement is documented. | Not required / not stated |
| Est. server cost | from €11.99/mo (recommended spec: €19.99/mo) | from €19.99/mo |
| Deploy method | Docker (single container) | Docker Compose |
| Known gotchas | 3 listed | 2 listed |
| Telemetry | Not documented | On by default |
| Calls home by default | Not documented | Yes, by default |
| SSO (OIDC / SAML / LDAP) | Not documented | Paid / enterprise only |
| Audit log | Not documented | Not documented |
| RBAC | Not documented | Basic free, more in paid plan |
| Details | Full Agent Zero guide → | Full Dify guide → |
Key differences
- License: Agent Zero: MIT (Permissive). Dify: Dify Open Source License (modified Apache-2.0) (Custom / conditional).
- Official hardware: Agent Zero: minimum 1 vCPU · 2 GB RAM · 20 GB disk (recommended 2 vCPU · 4 GB RAM · 50 GB disk). Dify: minimum 2 vCPU · 4 GB RAM.
- GPU: Agent Zero: optional / see notes. Dify: not required or not stated.
- Est. server cost: Agent Zero: from €11.99/mo. Dify: from €19.99/mo.
- Deploy: Agent Zero: Docker (single container) · single container. Dify: Docker Compose · multi-container stack.
- GitHub stars: Agent Zero: 19.7k. Dify: 160k.
- Last commit: Agent Zero: Nov 1, 2026. Dify: Nov 3, 2026.
- Latest release: Agent Zero: v2.15 (Nov 1, 2026). Dify: 1.18.0 (Oct 23, 2026).
Same for both: Category: AI app & agent builders; Status: Active.
Agent Zero vs Dify: FAQ
Agent Zero or Dify: which should a small business choose?
Choose Agent Zero if you want: cheaper to host (from €11.99/mo vs €19.99/mo), lighter official minimum (2 GB vs 4 GB RAM), fewer license conditions (Permissive vs Custom / conditional) and simpler deploy (one container vs a multi-container stack). Choose Dify if you want: larger community (160k vs 19.7k GitHub stars).
Which is cheaper to self-host, Agent Zero or Dify?
Agent Zero: cheaper to host (from €11.99/mo vs €19.99/mo).
How much hardware do Agent Zero and Dify need?
Agent Zero: minimum 1 vCPU · 2 GB RAM · 20 GB disk (recommended 2 vCPU · 4 GB RAM · 50 GB disk). Dify: minimum 2 vCPU · 4 GB RAM.
What is the license difference between Agent Zero and Dify?
Agent Zero: MIT (Permissive). Permissive. Internal and commercial use, modification and redistribution allowed; keep the copyright and license notice. 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. This is a summary, not legal advice.
Is Agent Zero or Dify more actively maintained?
Agent Zero: Active, last commit Nov 1, 2026. Dify: Active, last commit Nov 3, 2026. GitHub data refreshed Nov 3, 2026.
Which is easier to deploy, Agent Zero or Dify?
Agent Zero installs via Docker (single container) (single container); Dify via Docker Compose (multi-container stack). Agent Zero lists 3 known gotchas and Dify lists 2; see each app page.
Related
- Agent Zero self-hosting guide · Dify self-hosting guide
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Sources
- Agent Zero GitHub repository: github.com/agent0ai/agent-zero
- Agent Zero documentation, Agent Zero deploy instructions: github.com/agent0ai/agent-zero/blob/main/docs/setup/installation.md
- Agent Zero license: github.com/agent0ai/agent-zero/blob/main/LICENSE
- Agent Zero hardware requirements: github.com/agent0ai/agent-zero/blob/main/docs/setup/vps-deployment.md
- Dify GitHub repository: github.com/langgenius/dify
- Dify documentation, Dify hardware requirements: docs.dify.ai/en/self-host/deploy/quick-start/docker-compose
- Dify license: github.com/langgenius/dify/blob/main/LICENSE
- Dify deploy instructions: github.com/langgenius/dify#quick-start
- Hetzner Cloud pricing used for cost estimates (read 2026-11-01): www.hetzner.com/cloud/regular-performance
- GitHub REST API (stars, commits, releases): docs.github.com/en/rest
Every value is generated from the same verified data as the app pages. Spotted something wrong? Tell us.