Dify vs Semantic Kernel

Comprehensive side-by-side comparison — features, pricing, performance, and more.

Data last refreshed October 2026

Dify

LangGenius, Inc.

The Platform for Production-Ready Agentic Workflows

Freemium

86% verification coverage

Semantic Kernel

Microsoft

Microsoft's SDK to build AI agents and orchestrate models

Open Source

66% verification coverage

Trust & Reliability

Dify

Uptime:99.98%Status page

Users:1M-10M

Customers (per vendor):Maersk, ETS, Anker +1

GDPR

SOC 2

Semantic Kernel

Customers (per vendor):J.M. Family Enterprises

Overall Winner: Dify

8.0/10 vs Semantic Kernel at 4.2/10

Leads in:

Support

Customization

Integration

Scores are AI-estimated from publicly available data — not an independent test or a verified user rating. How we rank →

AI Comparison Summary

Dify

8.0

avg score

Semantic Kernel

4.2

avg score

Dify leads overall — particularly in Ease of Use and Support and 3 more.

Based on 6 dimensions

Scores are AI-estimated from publicly available data — not an independent test or a verified user rating. How we rank →

Overall Winner

Dify

8.0 / 10

Dify

Best For

Independent developers building production AI apps

Small teams building production AI apps

Medium-sized teams needing collaboration and higher throughput

Enterprises requiring advanced security, compliance, and dedicated support

Semantic Kernel

Best For

Developers building AI-powered applications

Organizations looking to integrate AI with existing systems

Students learning AI development with Microsoft technologies

* Verdict is based on our algorithmic scoring of publicly available data. Learn about our methodology

Dify is best for

🎨Image & Design8.0🎧Customer Support8.0🤖Automation & Agents6.9

Semantic Kernel is best for

🤖Automation & Agents5.8📊Data & Analytics4.0🎧Customer Support3.5

Filter by your use case:

Limitations

Dify

Cons

App Version Control is listed as 'Coming Soon' for Professional and Team plans.
Pay by Invoice via bank transfer is not yet available, only for annual Team subscriptions.
Some models cannot be used with message credits and require an own API key.
The Sandbox plan has limited message credits, team members, apps, knowledge documents, and data storage.
The Sandbox plan has a 30-day log history limit.
The Community Edition is for non-commercial projects and complies with Dify Open Source License.

Semantic Kernel

Cons

No cons listed yet.

Weighted Score — Adjust What Matters to You

Pick a profile or drag sliders — scores and radar update instantly on the right.

Quick profiles:

Ease of Use5

Customization5

Support5

Integration5

Compliance & Data Protection5

Performance5

Planning Quality5

Dimension Comparison

Dify

8.0

/ 10

Clear winner

Semantic Kernel

4.2

/ 10

Dimension Breakdown

Ease of Use

How intuitive is onboarding, UI navigation, and day-to-day usage for the target audience?

Dify

7.0▲ +6.0

Semantic Kernel

1.0

Customization

Calculated

How much can users tailor workflows, settings, prompts, or outputs to their needs?

Dify

9.0▲ +1.0

Semantic Kernel

8.0

Support

How strong is the documentation, customer support, community, and learning resources?

Dify

10.0▲ +3.0

Semantic Kernel

7.0

Integration

Calculated

How well does it connect with other tools, APIs, and workflows?

Dify

8.0▲ +5.0

Semantic Kernel

3.0

Compliance & Data Protection

Calculated

Compliance certifications and data-protection posture, counted from ten verified signals: SOC 2 Type II, GDPR compliance, HIPAA, WCAG AA/AAA, PII redaction, licensed-only training, a published sub-processor list, a downloadable DPA, not training on user data, and a documented deletion path

Dify

6.0▲ +5.0

Semantic Kernel

1.0

Performance

Calculated

Latency + throughput speed

Dify

8.0▲ +3.0

Semantic Kernel

5.0

Planning Quality

Calculated

Multi-step planning depth + replanning capability

Dify

—

Semantic Kernel

—

Calculated = derived from structured signals (integration count, API/open-source config, compliance certs, response-time). AI = LLM-assessed from public website content. Methodology

Task Performance

Dify

Task

Semantic Kernel

6.0

Role Definition

7.0

6.0

Task Decomposition

6.0

7.0

Agent Coordination

7.0

6.0

Inter Agent Communication

6.0

9.0

Workflow Orchestration

8.0

Tool Use Delegation

8.0

7.0

State Management

6.0

Error Recovery

6.0

7.0

Observability

8.0

7.0

Scalability Throughput

6.0

Task Delegation

6.0

7.0

Parallel Execution

5.0

* Task scores (1–10) are algorithmically generated from publicly available data.

Data is sourced from public information and vendor websites. It may not always be up-to-date — verify pricing and features directly with the vendor before purchasing.Report inaccuracy

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the main differences between Dify and Semantic Kernel?

Dify — "The Platform for Production-Ready Agentic Workflows". Semantic Kernel — "Microsoft's SDK to build AI agents and orchestrate models". The Features section on this page compares them side by side.

Who is Dify best for compared with Semantic Kernel?

Dify is best for Independent developers building production AI apps; and for Small teams building production AI apps. Semantic Kernel is best for Developers building AI-powered applications; and for Organizations looking to integrate AI with existing systems.

How does the pricing of Dify compare with Semantic Kernel?

Dify is freemium, includes a free plan, paid plans start at $59/month. Semantic Kernel is open source, includes a free plan. Always verify current pricing with the vendor.

Does Dify or Semantic Kernel have a free plan?

Dify has a free plan. Semantic Kernel is open source. Always verify current pricing with the vendor.

Do Dify and Semantic Kernel offer an API?

Dify offers a public API. Semantic Kernel offers a public API.

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