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The Bottom Line

Entry price

Paid plans only

Biggest pro

Modern data orchestration

Biggest con

Learning curve

TL;DR - Dagster

  • Modern data pipeline tool
  • Declarative YAML configurations
  • Built-in data quality checks
Pricing: Paid only
Best for: Enterprises & pros

What is Dagster?

Editorial review
Dagster orchestrates data pipelines with a focus on developer experience. Define assets and their dependencies, let Dagster handle scheduling and execution-data engineering that fits software engineering practices. The asset-based model aligns with how data teams think. Observability is built in. Testing and development workflows feel natural. Data teams wanting modern tooling for pipeline orchestration choose Dagster for data engineering that applies software engineering discipline.

Available on: Web

Pros & Cons

Pros

  • Modern data orchestration
  • Good DX
  • Asset-centric
  • Type system
  • Good documentation

Cons

  • Learning curve
  • Newer than Airflow
  • Cloud expensive
  • Ecosystem smaller
  • Resource intensive

Ratings Across the Web

4.5(2 reviews)

Ratings aggregated from independent review platforms. Learn more

Key Features

Data orchestrationAssetsLineageObservabilityML pipelinesOpen source

Pricing Plans

30-day Free Trial

Pricing checked Jul 13, 2026

Open Source

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Usage-based pricing

  • Full orchestration
  • All features
  • Community support

Solo

$10/month

Cloud

  • 7,500 free credits
  • $0.04/extra credit
  • 1 user
Most Popular

Starter

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Teams

  • 30,000 free credits
  • $0.03/extra credit
  • Multiple users

Pro

null

Enterprise

  • Custom credits
  • SLA
  • Dedicated support

How Dagster's pricing compares

At $10/mo, Dagster is mid-range of its 2 direct competitors ($0.35 to $450/mo across the set).

Dagster
$10

Entry paid plan, monthly. Pricing checked Jul 13, 2026.

Reviews

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Dagster FAQ

How does Dagster support machine learning pipelines?

Dagster orchestrates data pipelines specifically with a focus on developer experience, which is crucial for managing the complexities of machine learning workflows. It allows users to define data assets and their dependencies, enabling a structured approach to ML pipeline development and execution.

Which teams benefit most from using Dagster?

Data teams that prioritize modern tooling and want to apply software engineering discipline to their data engineering practices will find Dagster most beneficial. Its asset-based model and built-in observability are designed to align with how these teams think and operate.

How does Dagster compare to Apache Airflow?

Dagster offers a more modern approach to data orchestration compared to Apache Airflow, emphasizing an asset-centric model and developer experience. While Airflow is well-established, Dagster is newer and has a smaller ecosystem, though it provides a strong type system and good documentation.

What kind of trade-offs should users consider when adopting Dagster?

Users should be aware that Dagster has a learning curve and is newer than some established alternatives, leading to a smaller ecosystem. Additionally, running Dagster in the cloud can be expensive, and the platform itself can be resource-intensive.

How is Dagster priced?

Dagster is offered as a paid product. It does not include a permanently free tier for its services.

Can Dagster integrate with existing development workflows?

Yes, Dagster is designed to make testing and development workflows feel natural for data engineers. It aims to provide data engineering that fits seamlessly into existing software engineering practices.

Source: dagster.io

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