Dust costs $15/mo.
These cost $0.
6 free alternatives to Dust, checked for license, recent activity and real adoption. Each one tells you the catch, so you can switch with your eyes open.
The top-rated free, open-source replacement for Dust is Dify (Open Source Open Source). Across this category, 5 self-hostable tools are available (including Dify and Onyx). Switching a 5-person team saves up to $900/year compared to Dust's $15/mo subscription.
The catch: Requires self-hosting setup, updates, and server maintenance compared to managed Dust.
Dust vs Free Alternatives
Quick side-by-side comparison · $0/mo vs $15/mo
| Alternative | Type | License | Where It Runs | Stars | Head-to-Head |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dify | open source | Open Source | Self-host | ★ 160.6k | Dust vs Dify → |
| LobeHub | open source | Open Source | Local | ★ 84.3k | Dust vs LobeHub → |
| Onyx | open source | Open Source | Self-host | ★ 33.3k | Dust vs Onyx → |
| OpenWork | open source | Open Source | Self-host | ★ 24.4k | Dust vs OpenWork → |
| Kortix | open source | Open Source | Self-host | ★ 20.4k | Dust vs Kortix → |
| Pipeshub | open source | Open Source | Self-host | ★ 4k | Dust vs Pipeshub → |
The picks
6 open source · ranked by fit
- 01
Dify
open sourceOpen SourceSelf-host160.6knov 2026Visual platform for building agentic workflows, RAG pipelines, and LLM-powered apps. Supports hundreds of models, MCP integration, and self-hosted deployment.
The catch vs DustRequires self-hosting setup, updates, and server maintenance compared to managed Dust.
Install, platforms & data +
- platforms
- webself-hosteddocker to self-host
- install
- Clone https://github.com/langgenius/dify or deploy with Docker Compose
- setup
- Deploy via Docker or binary release from GitHub and configure environment variables.
- your data
- All application data and configuration live on your own server or local database.
- checked
- 2026-11-07
- 02
LobeHub
open sourceOpen SourceLocal84.3knov 2026Add AI agents to Slack, Discord or Telegram that pick up requests, hand coding to Claude Code or Codex, report back in thread, and learn from your corrections.
The catch vs DustCommunity-driven open source project without dedicated enterprise SLAs.
Install, platforms & data +
- platforms
- desktopcross-platformone-click install
- install
- Clone https://github.com/lobehub/lobehub or deploy with Docker Compose
- setup
- Download the native package or installer for your operating system.
- your data
- All application data lives locally on your own machine.
- checked
- 2026-11-07
- 03
Onyx
open sourceOpen SourceSelf-host33.3knov 2026An open-source platform that connects to 40+ apps to provide intelligent search and AI assistance across all company information
The catch vs DustRequires self-hosting setup, updates, and server maintenance compared to managed Dust.
Install, platforms & data +
- platforms
- webself-hosteddocker to self-host
- install
- Clone https://github.com/onyx-dot-app/onyx or deploy with Docker Compose
- setup
- Deploy via Docker or binary release from GitHub and configure environment variables.
- your data
- All application data and configuration live on your own server or local database.
- checked
- 2026-11-07
- 04
OpenWork
open sourceOpen SourceSelf-host24.4knov 2026Desktop app for teams to run AI agents across 50+ LLMs, share skills and MCP servers org-wide, and automate browser tasks with your own keys.
The catch vs DustRequires self-hosting setup, updates, and server maintenance compared to managed Dust.
Install, platforms & data +
- platforms
- webself-hosteddocker to self-host
- install
- Clone https://github.com/different-ai/openwork or deploy with Docker Compose
- setup
- Deploy via Docker or binary release from GitHub and configure environment variables.
- your data
- All application data and configuration live on your own server or local database.
- checked
- 2026-11-07
- 05
Kortix
open sourceOpen SourceSelf-host20.4knov 2026Manages a team of AI agents across your company, with every agent, skill, memory, and connector stored as versioned files in a git repo you own and self-host.
The catch vs DustRequires self-hosting setup, updates, and server maintenance compared to managed Dust.
Install, platforms & data +
- platforms
- webself-hosteddocker to self-host
- install
- Clone https://github.com/kortix-ai/suna or deploy with Docker Compose
- setup
- Deploy via Docker or binary release from GitHub and configure environment variables.
- your data
- All application data and configuration live on your own server or local database.
- checked
- 2026-11-07
- 06
Pipeshub
open sourceOpen SourceSelf-host4knov 2026Self-hostable enterprise AI platform that unifies business data across apps, powers a knowledge graph for cited answers, and lets teams build AI agents across their stack.
The catch vs DustRequires self-hosting setup, updates, and server maintenance compared to managed Dust.
Install, platforms & data +
- platforms
- webself-hosteddocker to self-host
- install
- Clone https://github.com/pipeshub-ai/pipeshub-ai/ or deploy with Docker Compose
- setup
- Deploy via Docker or binary release from GitHub and configure environment variables.
- your data
- All application data and configuration live on your own server or local database.
- checked
- 2026-11-07
Dust Head-to-Head Comparisons (2027)
Side-by-side trade-off breakdowns · 6 free alternatives
Frequently Asked Questions
Direct answers · Dust open-source replacements
What is the best free alternative to Dust?+
The top free alternative to Dust is Dify (open source, Open Source). Visual platform for building agentic workflows, RAG pipelines, and LLM-powered apps. Supports hundreds of models, MCP integration, and self-hosted deployment. Other popular Dust replacements include LobeHub, Onyx, OpenWork.
Can I self-host a free replacement for Dust?+
Yes. Of the 6 free alternatives to Dust, 5 can be self-hosted on your own server or local machine: Dify (Open Source), Onyx (Open Source), OpenWork (Open Source), Kortix (Open Source), Pipeshub (Open Source).
How much does switching from Dust to a free alternative save?+
Dust starts at $15/month per seat ($180/year). Switching a 5-person team to a free alternative like Dify saves $900 per year in software subscription fees.
Should I vibe-code or build my own Dust clone from scratch?+
Our build verdict for Dust is NO (use a free alternative, save the tokens). Instead of paying recurring SaaS fees for Dust or rebuilding it from scratch, deploy one of the 6 battle-tested open-source alternatives like Dify.
What is the catch when switching from Dust to Dify?+
Requires self-hosting setup, updates, and server maintenance compared to managed Dust.
