Dagster vs dbt Labs Pricing (2026)

Which one is cheaper?

Dagster starts lower at $10/mo, compared to $100/mo for dbt Labs.

Can I use either one for free?

dbt Labs has a free plan. Dagster doesn't — though they do offer a free trial.

How do they charge?

Different approach here. Dagster uses usage-based pricing, while dbt Labs goes with per-seat. That changes the math depending on your team size and usage.

Which one is a better deal?

Depends on what you need. Dagster: At $10-$100/mo for self-serve tiers, Dagster is undercutting Prefect and positioning against Airflow's operational overhead cost rather than competing on raw price with open-source. They're going after the mid-market data team that wants managed orchestration without paying Astronomer-level enterprise prices. dbt Labs: At $100/seat, they're not cheap — that's squarely mid-to-premium for a data transformation tool, putting them above scrappier open-source-first competitors but below full-stack data platform pricing. They're clearly targeting data-mature teams at growth-stage and enterprise companies, not early-stage shops watching every dollar.

Still deciding? See the best Dagster alternatives or the best dbt Labs alternatives, ranked with verified pricing.