Best Dagster Alternatives (2026)

Dagster alternatives at a glance

1. 1

   Airbyte

   Data

   Open-source data integration.

   Airbyte built its reputation as the scrappy open-source alternative to Fivetran and Stitch, and that DNA shows — the free tier is genuinely generous. They're not trying to be the enterprise-first premium play; they're going after cost-conscious data teams who want flexibility without a five-figure contract.

   Plans: Free $0/mo · Individual $29/mo · Team $299/mo · Custom Contact Sales

   From $29/mo Free plan · Dagster vs Airbyte → Airbyte pricing →
2. 2

   Astronomer

   Data

   Managed Apache Airflow.

   Astronomer is positioning as the managed Airflow premium — not the cheapest way to run pipelines, but cheaper than building and maintaining your own Airflow infrastructure at scale. They're going after data engineering teams already bought into Airflow who want to offload ops, competing with MWAA and Cloud Composer on convenience and Airflow fidelity.

   Plans: Developer Contact Sales · Team Contact Sales · Business Contact Sales · Enterprise Contact Sales · Astro Private Cloud Contact Sales

   Custom pricing Free trial · Dagster vs Astronomer → Astronomer pricing →
3. 3

   Census

   Data

   Reverse ETL from your warehouse.

   Opaque custom pricing across all paid tiers signals they're not trying to win on being the cheapest option — they're positioning against tools like Hightouch and Segment as a data activation layer for teams already invested in a modern data stack. The free tier and 14-day trial per connection are the low-friction entry points to get teams hooked before the sales motion kicks in.

   Plans: Free $0/mo · Standard Contact Sales · Enterprise Contact Sales · Business Critical Contact Sales

   Custom pricing Free plan Free trial · Dagster vs Census → Census pricing →
4. 4

   Databricks

   Data

   Unified data and AI platform.

   Databricks plays in the premium enterprise data platform space, competing directly with Snowflake and Google BigQuery — they're not trying to win on price, they're winning on unified platform breadth (data engineering + ML + warehousing in one place). The all-custom pricing signals they're targeting mid-market and enterprise accounts with real budget, not self-serve startups.

   Plans: Data Engineering Contact Sales · Data Warehousing Contact Sales · Interactive workloads Contact Sales · Operational Database Contact Sales · Artificial Intelligence Contact Sales · Genie Contact Sales · Platform Contact Sales

   Custom pricing Free trial · Dagster vs Databricks → Databricks pricing →
5. 5

   dbt Labs

   Data

   Analytics engineering workflow.

   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.

   Plans: Developer $0/mo per seat · Starter $100/mo per seat · Enterprise Contact Sales · Enterprise+ Contact Sales

   From $100/mo Free plan Free trial · Dagster vs dbt Labs → dbt Labs pricing →
6. 6

   Fivetran

   Data

   Automated data movement platform.

   Fivetran sits at the premium end of the ELT connector market — they're not trying to win on price, they're selling reliability and connector breadth against cheaper alternatives like Airbyte or Stitch. The custom pricing wall signals they're targeting mid-market and enterprise data teams with budget, not scrappy startups watching every dollar.

   Plans: Free $0/mo · Standard Contact Sales · Enterprise Contact Sales · Business Critical Contact Sales

   Custom pricing Free plan Free trial · Dagster vs Fivetran → Fivetran pricing →
7. 7

   Hevo

   Data

   No-code data pipelines.

   Hevo sits in the mid-market of the ETL/ELT space — more affordable than Fivetran at scale but positioned above scrappy open-source alternatives. They're going after data teams that want a managed pipeline without enterprise pricing, likely competing hardest against Airbyte Cloud and Stitch.

   Plans: FREE $0/mo · STARTER $299/mo · PROFESSIONAL $849/mo · BUSINESS CRITICAL Contact Sales

   From $299/mo Free plan Free trial · Dagster vs Hevo → Hevo pricing →
8. 8

   Hightouch

   Data

   Composable CDP on your warehouse.

   Hightouch is positioning as the premium, warehouse-native alternative to legacy CDPs like Segment or mParticle — they're not competing on price, they're competing on architecture. The free tier undercuts traditional CDPs on entry cost, but the custom pricing on upper tiers signals they're hunting mid-market and enterprise deals where ACV justifies a sales motion.

   Plans: Basic Reverse ETL $0/mo · Agentic Marketing Platform Contact Sales · Composable CDP Contact Sales

   Custom pricing Free plan · Dagster vs Hightouch → Hightouch pricing →
9. 9

   Metabase

   Data

   Open-source BI and analytics.

   Sitting in the mid-market sweet spot, Metabase undercuts Tableau and Looker significantly while positioning above scrappier open-source alternatives. They're going after technical-but-not-data-team companies — startups and mid-size SaaS businesses that want real analytics without the enterprise procurement circus.

   Plans: Starter $100/mo · Pro $575/mo · Enterprise Contact Sales

   From $100/mo Free trial · Dagster vs Metabase → Metabase pricing →
10. 10

    Prefect

    Data

    Workflow orchestration for data teams.

    They're positioned in the mid-market sweet spot — not trying to undercut Airflow's self-hosted free tier, but not as aggressively priced as Dagster Cloud or as enterprise-heavy as Astronomer. The $100/user/mo Team tier targets growing data engineering teams who've outgrown DIY orchestration but aren't ready for a six-figure platform deal.

    Plans: Hobby $0/mo · Starter $100/mo · Team $100/mo · Pro Contact Sales · Enterprise Contact Sales

    From $100/mo Free plan · Dagster vs Prefect → Prefect pricing →

None of these fit? Browse the full pricing directory →

What is the best alternative to Dagster?

Airbyte is the closest Dagster alternative we track for data. Paid plans start at $29/mo, and there is a free plan to start on. Astronomer and Census are also worth a look.

Are there free alternatives to Dagster?

Yes — Airbyte, Census, dbt Labs and 4 more offer a free plan, so you can switch without paying up front.

How much do Dagster alternatives cost?

Entry prices range from $29/mo (Airbyte) to $299/mo (Hevo). Each product page has the full verified tier breakdown.

Is there a cheaper alternative to Dagster?

Not on entry price — Dagster starts at $10/mo, which is at or below every priced alternative here. Where you land depends on the tier you actually need.