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Automation Integration · head to head

Dify vs Temporal

Dify logo

Dify

Automation Integration

The Platform for Production-Ready Agentic Workflows

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Temporal logo

Temporal

Automation Integration

Durable execution platform for fault-tolerant workflows.

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Dify free tier limited to 200 monthly message credits; Temporal cloud pricing scales with action volume, with per-million overage fees ($50 per million initially)
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 29 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Dify and Temporal actually diverge.

Attributes where Dify and Temporal differ
AttributeDifyTemporal
PlatformsWebWeb, API, Self-hosted

Identical on both: starting price (Free), pricing model (freemium), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Automation Integration).

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Dify

  • AI workflow automationnot Temporal
  • Custom application deploymentnot Temporal

Temporal

  • AI pipeline orchestration and long-running AI workflowsnot Dify
  • Distributed system workflows requiring state durabilitynot Dify
  • Complex backend processes with retry requirementsnot Dify
  • High-volume asynchronous task executionnot Dify
  • Microservices coordination with guaranteed state consistencynot Dify

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Dify

  • Free tier limited to 200 monthly message credits
  • Professional tier supports only 3 team members

Temporal

  • Cloud pricing scales with action volume, with per-million overage fees ($50 per million initially)
  • Enterprise customers incur additional storage costs beyond base allocations
  • Self-hosted deployments require operational expertise to deploy and maintain the Temporal Service
  • No native workflow UI builder; workflows must be defined in code
  • Free tier limited to self-hosted option only; no free cloud tier

Pricing, plan by plan

Dify

Free
  • SandboxFree
    • 200 monthly message credits
    • 1 workspace
    • 5 apps
  • Professional$590/year
    • 5,000 monthly message credits
    • 3 team members
    • 50 apps
  • Team$1590/year
    • 10,000 monthly message credits
    • 50 team members
    • 200 apps

Temporal

Free
  • Open-sourceFree
    • Self-hosted deployment
    • Full platform functionality
    • Community support
  • Essentials$100/month
    • 1 million actions monthly
    • 1 GB active storage
    • 40 GB retained storage
  • Business$500/month
    • 2.5 million actions monthly
    • 2.5 GB active storage
    • 100 GB retained storage
  • Enterprise$undefined/month
    • 10 million actions monthly
    • 10 GB active storage
    • 400 GB retained storage

Which should you pick?

Choose Dify if

  • You want to start without paying.
Dify review

Choose Temporal if

  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, API, Self-hosted.
Temporal review

Questions people ask

Is Dify or Temporal better?
Neither clearly leads. Dify starts at Free and Temporal at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Dify or Temporal?
Dify starts at Free and Temporal at Free.
Does Dify or Temporal run on more platforms?
Dify runs on Web. Temporal runs on Web, API, Self-hosted.
Can I use Dify for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Dify best used for?
Dify is most often used for ai workflow automation, custom application deployment. Of those, ai workflow automation and custom application deployment are not what Temporal is typically brought in for.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Dify: How much does Dify cost?

Dify Cloud offers a free Sandbox tier, Professional at $590/year with 5,000 monthly credits, and Team at $1,590/year with 10,000 monthly credits.

Source
Temporal: What programming languages does Temporal support?

Temporal provides native SDKs for Go, Java, .NET, PHP, Python, Ruby, Rust, and TypeScript.

Source
Dify: Is Dify free to use?

Yes, Dify offers a free Sandbox tier with 200 monthly message credits, 1 workspace, 5 apps, and 50MB storage. Community edition is free and open-source.

Source
Temporal: Can I run Temporal on-premises or self-hosted?

Yes. Temporal is available as open-source software under the MIT license, allowing self-hosted deployment. Temporal Cloud is also available as a managed service alternative.

Source
Dify: What are Dify's team collaboration limits?

Professional tier supports 3 team members. Team tier supports 50 team members. Enterprise plans with custom team sizes require contacting sales.

Source
Temporal: What is included in the free tier?

$1,000 in free credits for new users to explore Temporal Cloud. Self-hosted Temporal is available free with full platform functionality.

Source
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