n8n vs Dify vs Coze: Which AI Agent Platform to Choose

n8n, Dify and Coze all let businesses build AI agents without starting from code, but they overlap less than it seems. n8n is a workflow automation tool that connects business apps, Dify is a platform for AI applications built on your documents, and Coze is ByteDance’s agent builder with strong ties to Chinese platforms. Here is what each is built for, how their licenses and hosting differ, and how to choose.

Key takeaway

Choose n8n when the agent’s main job is moving data between business apps, Dify when it mainly answers from documents and knowledge bases, and Coze when you want a fast visual builder or work with the Chinese market. Check the license before building a product on top of any of them: n8n and Dify both restrict some commercial uses, while Coze Studio is Apache 2.0. Many good setups combine two of them, and some needs are better served by custom code.

Which should you choose: the short answer

The right platform depends on what the agent spends most of its time doing:

• Mostly moving data between apps (CRM, email, spreadsheets, online store, WhatsApp): n8n.
• Mostly answering questions from your documents (manuals, policies, product data): Dify.
• A quick visual build, or publishing to Chinese platforms and the ByteDance ecosystem: Coze.
• Complex logic, strict security or high volume: custom code on a model provider’s API.

The sections below explain what lies behind each recommendation.

n8n: workflow automation with AI agents

n8n is a workflow automation platform that added AI agents to an existing library of integrations, which makes it strongest where an agent has to act across many business apps. The n8n website advertises over 500 integrations, and its AI Agent node lets a chat model decide which connected tools to call. It has a WhatsApp Business Cloud node, and its MCP Server Trigger node lets n8n act as an MCP server, so AI apps such as Claude or ChatGPT can use n8n workflows as tools; an MCP Client Tool node works the other way round.

n8n can be self-hosted or used as a managed cloud service. It’s released under the Sustainable Use License, a fair-code license: you may use it for your own internal business purposes, and consulting services such as building n8n workflows for clients are allowed, but you may not offer n8n itself to others as a commercial service without another agreement. Our guide to process automation for small business compares n8n with Zapier, Make and other ways to automate.

Dify: AI applications on your knowledge base

Dify is an open-source platform for building AI applications, and its strengths are knowledge bases (RAG), chat assistants and AI workflows. Its Agent node reasons step by step and calls tools using Function Calling or ReAct strategies. Dify can import tools from MCP servers and can also publish a Dify app as an MCP server, so other AI tools can call it.

Dify runs in the cloud or self-hosted with Docker. Its license is a modified Apache 2.0: commercial use is allowed, including as a backend for other applications, but running a multi-tenant service from the source code requires written permission, and you may not remove or change the Dify logo and copyright information in its frontend.

Coze: ByteDance’s agent builder

Coze (扣子 in Chinese) is ByteDance’s platform for building agents and workflows visually, offered as a cloud service in a Chinese edition (coze.cn) and an international edition. In July 2025 ByteDance open-sourced Coze Studio, the core agent-building engine, under the Apache 2.0 license, together with Coze Loop for testing and monitoring agents.

The Chinese documentation describes building agents, workflows and apps with low-code or no-code tools and publishing them to social platforms and messaging apps, or integrating them into business systems through an API or SDK, with ready-made integrations such as Feishu sheets and messages. That makes Coze a natural fit for teams whose customers and colleagues use Chinese platforms.

n8n vs Dify vs Coze compared point by point

Compared side by side, the three platforms differ most in purpose, license and ecosystem:

• Built for: n8n connects apps and automates processes; Dify builds AI apps on documents and data; Coze builds agents quickly and publishes them to chat platforms.
• Hosting: all three can be self-hosted (Coze through Coze Studio) or used as a cloud service.
• License: n8n, fair-code with limits on offering it as a service; Dify, modified Apache 2.0 with multi-tenant and branding conditions; Coze Studio, Apache 2.0.
• Knowledge bases: Dify’s core strength, with document upload and retrieval built into the platform; n8n and Coze can also work with knowledge bases.
• Integrations: n8n’s catalog of over 500 business app integrations is its main advantage; Coze’s Chinese edition offers ready-made integrations with platforms such as Feishu.
• MCP: n8n and Dify can both use MCP tools and expose their workflows or apps as MCP servers.

Licenses and features change between releases, so check the current versions before you commit.

Can you combine n8n, Dify and Coze?

Yes, and combining them is often the cleanest design: each platform does the job it’s best at. For example, Dify can answer customer questions from your knowledge base and be published as an MCP server or API, while an n8n workflow receives the WhatsApp message, calls Dify for the answer, updates the CRM and asks a person to approve anything sensitive. The cost of combining is one more system to host, secure and update, so only add a second platform when the first clearly can’t do the job. This combination is one of the routes compared in our guide to WhatsApp AI agents for business.

When custom code is the better choice

Custom code on a model provider’s API is better when the logic is complex, the volume is high, security rules are strict or the agent is part of a product you sell. You control every step, how data is stored and what each call costs, and you avoid platform license limits; the price is more development and maintenance. Many projects start on a platform to prove the process and move the parts that matter to custom code later. Our guide to AI agents for small business explains how to pick and run that first process.

FAQ

Is n8n free for commercial use?

n8n is free to self-host for your own internal business purposes under its Sustainable Use License, and building n8n workflows for clients as a consulting service is allowed. What the license restricts is offering n8n itself to others as a commercial service; that needs a separate agreement with n8n. The managed cloud version is a paid subscription.

What is the difference between Dify and Coze?

Dify is an open-source platform focused on AI applications built on knowledge bases, which you can self-host with Docker under a modified Apache 2.0 license. Coze is ByteDance’s visual agent builder, mainly used as a cloud service with publishing to chat platforms, and its open-source edition, Coze Studio, is Apache 2.0. Dify suits document-heavy assistants; Coze suits quick builds and Chinese platforms.

Which platform is best for a WhatsApp AI agent?

n8n is usually the most direct choice for a WhatsApp AI agent, because it has a WhatsApp Business Cloud node and connects easily to your CRM and other apps; Dify can supply the knowledge-base answers. Whatever you use, a business agent on WhatsApp has to follow Meta’s WhatsApp Business Platform rules, which our AI customer service chatbot guide explains.

UsualMatrix builds AI agents and workflows with n8n, Dify, Coze or custom code, and helps you choose based on your processes, data and budget rather than on the tool. We work with businesses worldwide in Chinese, Spanish and English. See our AI solutions service or contact us to talk about what you want to automate.