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Open WebUI & Dify

Last updated: May 2026

Dify by LangGenius takes a fundamentally different approach to AI tooling. Where most tools on this page focus on conversation, Dify focuses on building: visual workflow design, agent orchestration, prompt engineering, and deploying AI-powered applications. If you think of AI as a platform for building things rather than just chatting, Dify is worth a serious look.

GitHub · Source Available (modified Apache 2.0)

What Dify Does Well​

  • Visual workflow builder with drag-and-drop interface for designing complex AI pipelines and logic
  • Agent framework for building autonomous agents that reason, use tools, and take actions
  • Prompt engineering IDE for crafting, versioning, testing, and comparing prompts in a dedicated environment
  • Workflow marketplace for sharing and importing community-built workflows and templates
  • Model routing with smart routing across multiple providers for cost and capability optimization
  • RAG pipeline with document ingestion, processing, and retrieval built in
  • Batch processing for running prompts and workflows against large datasets
  • Annotation and feedback for collecting human feedback to improve AI outputs over time
  • Observability including integrated monitoring, logging, and cost tracking for production use
  • Backend-as-a-Service for deploying AI apps as APIs instantly
  • Embeddable widget for adding AI chat to any website or application
  • Strong community with a large and active contributor and user base

What Open WebUI Does Well​

  • Full agentic platform where the model works through builtin tools, MCP servers, sub-agents, timers and automations, deciding its own steps rather than following a drawn graph
  • Customise practically everything, from per-model prompts, tools, knowledge and parameters to filters, pipes, actions and event functions that change behaviour anywhere in the pipeline, plus theming, banners and per-group permissions
  • Any model, any provider including Ollama, OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, Azure, and Bedrock in one interface
  • Knowledge & RAG with 13 vector databases, 8 extraction engines, and hybrid search with reranking
  • Team collaboration including Channels, model agents, RBAC, SSO/OIDC/LDAP, and SCIM 2.0
  • Open Terminal providing a full sandboxed computing environment for code execution
  • Simpler deployment with a single Docker container to get started

At a Glance​

Open WebUIDify
Primary focusAI chat platform with knowledge, tools, and team featuresAI application builder with visual workflows
ApproachConversation-firstBuild-first
Workflow buildingPython tools and pipelinesVisual drag-and-drop workflow designer
RAG13 vector DBs, 8 extraction engines, hybrid searchBuilt-in RAG pipeline
Agent capabilitiesModel agents with bound tools and knowledgeAgent framework with reasoning and tool use
Multi-providerAny OpenAI-compatible API + OllamaMulti-provider with model routing
ObservabilityOpenTelemetry, analytics dashboardsBuilt-in monitoring, logging, and cost tracking
LicenseOpen WebUI LicenseSource Available (modified Apache 2.0 with commercial restrictions)

When to Use Each​

Choose Dify if you want to build AI-powered applications with visual workflows. The drag-and-drop builder, prompt IDE, and agent framework are designed for developers and product teams who are creating AI features, not just chatting.

Choose Open WebUI if your team needs a daily AI workspace for chat, knowledge management, and collaboration. Open WebUI focuses on using AI rather than building AI applications.

Use both. Dify exposes an OpenAI-compatible API. Connect Open WebUI to Dify's API and your Dify workflows appear as models in Open WebUI. Build in Dify, use in Open WebUI.

Use Them Together​

Dify exposes an OpenAI-compatible API for any workflow or app you build. You can connect Open WebUI to Dify's API endpoint to use your Dify-built AI applications as models inside Open WebUI, combining Dify's workflow orchestration with Open WebUI's chat interface, knowledge management, and team features.

How to connect:

  1. In Dify, publish your app and copy the API endpoint and key
  2. In Open WebUI, go to Admin → Settings → Connections
  3. Add a new OpenAI-compatible connection with Dify's API URL and key
  4. Your Dify apps will appear as models in Open WebUI

Dify is for building AI applications. Open WebUI is for using AI daily. The AI ecosystem needs both builders and users.

Ready to try Open WebUI? Get started →

Frequently Asked Questions​

How do Dify and Open WebUI compare? Dify takes a visual, workflow-first approach to building AI applications. Open WebUI leans more toward conversation and daily AI use. They come at AI from different angles, and many teams could use both.

Can I use Dify with Open WebUI? Yes. Dify exposes an OpenAI-compatible API. Connect Open WebUI to Dify's API to use your Dify workflows as models inside Open WebUI.

Is Dify free? The community edition is free to self-host. Dify is source available under a modified Apache 2.0 license.

Related: Open WebUI & Onyx · Open WebUI & LibreChat · Open WebUI & AnythingLLM

This content is for informational purposes only and does not constitute a warranty, guarantee, or contractual commitment. Open WebUI is provided "as is." See your license for applicable terms.