Alternatives · Automation
Dagster alternatives
As of Nov 13, 2026, the highest-graded Dagster alternative is Windmill (2.6 GPA). It's also the best free one.
Dagster compared with 8 alternatives: Prefect, Apache Airflow, Astronomer, Kestra, Windmill and 3 more.
Dagster is a paid product with a free trial, starting at $10 per month plus $0.040 per credit (Solo). 7 of the 8 alternatives are free or have a free plan. One more offers a free trial.
Listings checked up to Nov 13, 2026 · Where the facts come from
Black Friday: is there a Dagster sale?
At a glance
| Tool | Price | Free plan | Runs on |
|---|---|---|---|
| DagsterThis tool | Free trial · from $10/mo | Trial only | Web |
| Prefect | Free plan · from $100/mo | Yes | Web |
| Apache Airflow | Free | Free | Web |
| Astronomer | Free trial · from $0.35 | Trial only | Web |
| Kestra | Free plan | Yes | Web |
| Windmill | Free plan · from $10/mo | Yes | Web |
| Apache DolphinScheduler | Free | Free | Web |
| Argo Workflows | Free | Free | Web |
| Hatchet | Free plan · from $0 | Yes | Web |
Price against what you get
Dagster starts at $10 a month and scores 2.0 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. 2 of the 5 alternatives on this chart score higher and start lower: Apache DolphinScheduler and Argo Workflows.
Prefect and Windmill score higher without starting lower. Apache Airflow starts lower without scoring higher.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
How each one differs from Dagster
Prefect
Python workflow orchestration with an open-source core and a cloud
- Prefect starts at $100 per month, billed monthly (Starter, 3 users).
- Prefect has a free plan, which Dagster lacks.
- Prefect also covers AI agents.
- Prefect does not cover dashboards, which Dagster does.
Suits: Python data and ML teams moving scripts into scheduled, monitored workflows
Apache Airflow
Open-source platform for authoring and scheduling workflows in Python
- Apache Airflow is free.
- Apache Airflow has a free plan, which Dagster lacks.
- Apache Airflow does not cover dashboards, which Dagster does.
Suits: Python-literate data teams that want full control of their orchestrator
Astronomer
Managed Apache Airflow platform (Astro) with usage-based pricing
- Astronomer starts at $0.35 per hour for a Developer deployment, plus worker hours billed separately.
- Astronomer also covers AI agents.
Suits: Data teams that want Apache Airflow without running the scheduler themselves
Kestra
Open-source workflow orchestration platform defined in YAML
- Kestra has a free plan, which Dagster lacks.
- Kestra does not cover dashboards, which Dagster does.
Suits: Data and platform engineers who want workflows as code
Windmill
Open-source platform for scripts, workflows and internal apps
- Windmill starts at $10 per seat / month (Cloud Team); self-hosted Pro from $48 / month.
- Windmill has a free plan, which Dagster lacks.
- Windmill also covers AI agents and app builder.
- Windmill does not cover dashboards, which Dagster does.
Suits: Engineering teams that want internal tools and automations kept as code
Apache DolphinScheduler
Open-source workflow scheduler for data pipelines
- Apache DolphinScheduler is free.
- Apache DolphinScheduler has a free plan, which Dagster lacks.
- Apache DolphinScheduler also covers job scheduling.
- Apache DolphinScheduler does not cover dashboards, which Dagster does.
Suits: Data engineering teams running dependent batch pipelines
Argo Workflows
Open-source container-native workflow engine for Kubernetes
- Argo Workflows is free.
- Argo Workflows has a free plan, which Dagster lacks.
- Argo Workflows also covers job scheduling.
- Argo Workflows does not cover dashboards, which Dagster does.
Suits: Platform and data teams that already run Kubernetes
Hatchet
Open-source task queue and durable workflow engine
- Hatchet starts at $0, then $30 per million runs and $5 per million events.
- Hatchet has a free plan, which Dagster lacks.
- Hatchet also covers AI agents and job scheduling.
- Hatchet does not cover dashboards, which Dagster does.
Suits: Engineering teams replacing a queue like Celery with durable workflows
Limits worth knowing in Dagster
- Usage is billed in credits: one per asset materialized and one per op executed, on top of the monthly fee.
- There is no free hosted plan; the trial lasts 30 days, though the core framework can be self-hosted.
- Cost tracking, role scoping by project and several alert types are limited to the Pro plan.
- The site says Dagster is now part of Prefect, so plans and branding may change.
Common questions
What are the alternatives to Dagster?
The alternatives to Dagster in this directory are Prefect, Apache Airflow, Astronomer, Kestra, Windmill, Apache DolphinScheduler, Argo Workflows and Hatchet. Each one has a side-by-side comparison with Dagster.
Is there a free alternative to Dagster?
Yes. Apache Airflow, Apache DolphinScheduler and Argo Workflows are free to use. Prefect, Kestra, Windmill and Hatchet have a free plan alongside paid ones.
When were these prices checked?
Each listing shows its own date. On this page they run from Oct 6, 2026 to Nov 13, 2026. Vendors change prices without notice, so confirm on their site before you buy.
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