Dify
Open-source platform for building, deploying and observing LLM applications.
why this verdict
Keep paying — Anthropic has not replaced it
Anthropic's version overlaps, but does not finish the automation job, so this one still earns its $59/mo.
- A named launch, not a vibe named, unlinked
- Model providers offering assistant builders and custom GPTs at no additional cost. Anthropic, November 25, 2025 — no announcement link recorded yet.
- How much of the job it covers not the job editorial call
- Parts of it. The job still needs the tool to get finished.
- Is there a free way to do it? yes
- 3 of 3 listed replacements have a usable free tier: Langflow, Flowise and Open WebUI.
- What the call is worth $708/yr
- $59/mo at the entry paid tier — $708 a year per seat.
- Threatened by
- Anthropic
- Since
- November 25, 2025
- List price
- $59/mo
- Per year
- $708
The backstory
Dify is the most complete open-source LLM application platform, covering prompt design, retrieval pipelines, agent workflows, observability and deployment in one self-hostable package. Custom assistants from the model vendors are free and easier, which takes the casual builders. Dify's audience is organisations that need the whole stack inside their own network, particularly across Asia and Europe where data residency rules make a vendor-hosted assistant a non-starter.
Escape hatches
Lighter visual builder for flows
langflow.org open_in_newSimpler if you only need a chatbot
flowiseai.com open_in_newSelf-hosted chat interface for local models
openwebui.com open_in_new3 of 3 replacements have a usable free tier.