--- title: Dust.tt vs ZincFlow competitor: Dust.tt category: AI Agent Platforms description: When Dust's per-seat pricing and platform limitations box you in, here's what custom AI automation can do instead. --- ## The Short Version - **Use Dust if**: You want a self-service platform to build simple AI agents, your team is small, and Slack/Notion/Google Drive cover your integration needs - **Use ZincFlow if**: You need custom AI automation built for your specific workflows, want to avoid per-seat costs, or need integrations Dust doesn't support - **Break-even point**: Around 15-20 users or when you hit platform limitations ## Real Limitations Users Report ### PDF and Document Management Issues From [Dust's own community forum](https://community.dust.tt/x/feedback/v9jyy2rqsgx1/improving-pdf-management-in-dust-feedback-and-sugg), users report: > "The fact that we need to build Dust folders instead of dropping PDFs in Google drive folders is quite inefficient and frustrating." > "PDF upload in Dust folders is quite a challenge: It is very slow and sometimes PDFs never get uploaded." ### Data Ingestion Shifting to Search-Only From the [Dust community](https://community.dust.tt/), users are concerned about product direction: > "MCP/Search =/= Ingestion with retrieval on top. And it is really visible in the quality of the outputs." Users note that Dust's native connections to HubSpot and Linear have shifted to search-only tools, and Slack is blocking data ingestion capabilities. ### Official Platform Limitations From [Dust's own documentation](https://docs.dust.tt/docs/troubleshooting-limitations): - **Limited conversation memory**: "Agents have a limited memory for conversation context. They may forget earlier parts of a long chat." - **No learning from feedback**: Agents cannot retain or incorporate user feedback across future conversations. - **No customer-facing use**: Agents are restricted to internal use by workspace members only. - **Document update lag**: Recently updated documents may not appear immediately in agent responses. - **Models fabricate URLs**: Documentation recommends using citation numbers instead of links because models tend to make up URLs. - **No internet access**: Agents cannot browse the web or access external tools not pre-approved. ### Complex Workflows Cause Errors From an [interview with Dust's founder](https://www.latent.space/p/dust): > Models struggle with complex decision-making. Providing too many tools without explicit scripting leads to agent errors in both tool selection and parameter extraction. ## Pricing Reality From [Dust's pricing page](https://dust.tt/home/pricing): **Pro Plan: €29/user/month** - Up to 1 GB per user of data sources - "Unlimited messages with fair use limits" - 100+ users requires Enterprise (custom pricing) The per-seat model means costs scale linearly: - 10 users: ~$315/month - 25 users: ~$790/month - 50 users: ~$1,580/month - 100+ users: Enterprise pricing required **ZincFlow pricing**: - Flat monthly based on what we build - No per-user fees - No data limits - Includes maintenance and support - Typical range: $400-1,500/month depending on scope ## What ZincFlow Builds Instead 1. **No per-seat fees** - Flat monthly cost regardless of how many people use the system. Add 50 users tomorrow, same price. 2. **No data limits** - Connect as much company knowledge as you need. No 1 GB/user cap. 3. **Any integration you need** - Not limited to Slack, Notion, Google Drive. We connect CRMs, ERPs, legacy databases, SharePoint, custom tools—anything with an API. 4. **Customer-facing if needed** - Unlike Dust's internal-only restriction, we can build AI that serves your customers directly. 5. **Complex workflows that work** - Multi-step processes, conditional logic, retries, error handling. Built and tested for your exact requirements, not constrained by what a platform allows. 6. **No "fair use" surprises** - Run as many queries as your business needs. 7. **Zero learning curve for your team** - We build and maintain it. Your team just uses it. ## When to Stay with Dust Dust is the right choice if: - You have a small team (under 15 people) - Your data lives in Slack, Notion, and Google Drive - You want to build simple Q&A agents yourself - Internal use only is fine - You have someone who can learn the platform - The 1 GB/user data limit works for you ## When to Call ZincFlow - Your team is 20+ people and per-seat costs are adding up - You need integrations Dust doesn't support (SharePoint, custom CRMs, legacy systems) - You've hit the 1 GB data limit - You need customer-facing AI, not just internal - You need complex multi-step workflows that Dust's agents can't handle reliably - You want to own the solution, not rent platform access ## Sources - [Dust Community Feedback - PDF Management](https://community.dust.tt/x/feedback/v9jyy2rqsgx1/improving-pdf-management-in-dust-feedback-and-sugg) - [Dust Documentation - Troubleshooting & Limitations](https://docs.dust.tt/docs/troubleshooting-limitations) - [Dust Pricing Page](https://dust.tt/home/pricing) - [Latent Space - Dust Founder Interview](https://www.latent.space/p/dust) - [Dust Community Forum](https://community.dust.tt/)