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Dagster alternatives · Automation

Free alternatives to Dagster

Dagster has no free plan. 73 of the 134 other automation tools in this directory are free or have a free plan.

Dagster is a paid product with a free trial, starting at $10 per month plus $0.040 per credit (Solo). 14 of them have no paid plan at all; the rest pair a free plan with paid ones.

73 tools · Listings checked up to Nov 13, 2026 · Where the facts come from

The 12 closest to Dagster

  1. Prefect

    Python workflow orchestration with an open-source core and a cloud

    What is free: Hobby plan: 2 users, up to 5 deployments, 500 minutes a month of Prefect Serverless and 7 days of run retention.

    • Prefect starts at $100 per month, billed monthly (Starter, 3 users). Dagster starts at $10 per month plus $0.040 per credit (Solo).
    • Prefect has a free plan. Dagster does not, though it has a free trial.
    • Prefect also covers AI agents.
    • Dagster also covers dashboards.
    Prefect vs DagsterPrefect pricing and details

  2. Apache Airflow

    Open-source platform for authoring and scheduling workflows in Python

    What is free: Everything. There is no paid plan.

    • Apache Airflow is free. Dagster starts at $10 per month plus $0.040 per credit (Solo).
    • Apache Airflow has a free plan. Dagster does not, though it has a free trial.
    • Dagster also covers dashboards.
    Apache Airflow vs DagsterApache Airflow pricing and details

  3. Kestra

    Open-source workflow orchestration platform defined in YAML

    What is free: The open-source edition is free to self-host, with unlimited flows and executions.

    • Kestra has a free plan. Dagster does not, though it has a free trial.
    • Dagster also covers dashboards.
    Kestra vs DagsterKestra pricing and details

  4. Windmill

    Open-source platform for scripts, workflows and internal apps

    What is free: Self-hosted Community Edition: unlimited executions, up to 3 workspaces and 50 users. Windmill Cloud Free: 1,000 executions a month, with no credit card required.

    • Windmill starts at $10 per seat / month (Cloud Team); self-hosted Pro from $48 / month. Dagster starts at $10 per month plus $0.040 per credit (Solo).
    • Windmill has a free plan. Dagster does not, though it has a free trial.
    • Windmill also covers AI agents and app builder.
    • Dagster also covers dashboards.
    Windmill vs DagsterWindmill pricing and details

  5. Apache DolphinScheduler

    Open-source workflow scheduler for data pipelines

    What is free: Everything. There is no paid plan.

    • Apache DolphinScheduler is free. Dagster starts at $10 per month plus $0.040 per credit (Solo).
    • Apache DolphinScheduler has a free plan. Dagster does not, though it has a free trial.
    • Apache DolphinScheduler also covers job scheduling.
    • Dagster also covers dashboards.
    Apache DolphinScheduler vs DagsterApache DolphinScheduler pricing and details

  6. Argo Workflows

    Open-source container-native workflow engine for Kubernetes

    What is free: Everything. There is no paid plan.

    • Argo Workflows is free. Dagster starts at $10 per month plus $0.040 per credit (Solo).
    • Argo Workflows has a free plan. Dagster does not, though it has a free trial.
    • Argo Workflows also covers job scheduling.
    • Dagster also covers dashboards.
    Argo Workflows vs DagsterArgo Workflows pricing and details

  7. Hatchet

    Open-source task queue and durable workflow engine

    What is free: Pay-as-you-go: 1M runs and 1M events free every month, 100 workers, 10 tenants and 50 users with a card on file.

    • Hatchet starts at $0, then $30 per million runs and $5 per million events. Dagster starts at $10 per month plus $0.040 per credit (Solo).
    • Hatchet has a free plan. Dagster does not, though it has a free trial.
    • Hatchet also covers AI agents and job scheduling.
    • Dagster also covers dashboards.
    Hatchet vs DagsterHatchet pricing and details

  8. Activepieces

    Open-source automation with flows, AI agents and tables

    What is free: Cloud Free plan: 1,000 credits a month for up to 5 users, with unlimited flows, agents, chat, tables, MCP and API access. The self-hosted Community Edition is also free and unmetered, but leaves out agents, chat and MCP.

    • Activepieces starts at $16 / month flat, billed yearly ($20 billed monthly), for up to 5 users. Dagster starts at $10 per month plus $0.040 per credit (Solo).
    • Activepieces has a free plan. Dagster does not, though it has a free trial.
    • Activepieces also covers databases and AI agents.
    • Dagster also covers dashboards.
    Activepieces pricing and details

  9. Skyvern

    Open-source AI agents that automate workflows in the browser

    What is free: The open-source edition (AGPL-3.0) is free to self-host with pip or Docker. Skyvern Cloud's Free plan gives 5,000 credits, about 170 actions, which the pricing page does not show as renewing monthly.

    • Skyvern starts at $29 / month for 30,000 credits (Hobby). Dagster starts at $10 per month plus $0.040 per credit (Solo).
    • Skyvern has a free plan. Dagster does not, though it has a free trial.
    • Skyvern also covers AI agents and no-code.
    • Dagster also covers dashboards.
    Skyvern pricing and details

  10. Apache NiFi

    Open-source system for routing and processing data flows

    What is free: Everything. There is no paid plan.

    • Apache NiFi is free. Dagster starts at $10 per month plus $0.040 per credit (Solo).
    • Apache NiFi has a free plan. Dagster does not, though it has a free trial.
    • Only Apache NiFi lists Windows, macOS and Linux apps.
    • Dagster also covers dashboards.
    Apache NiFi pricing and details

  11. Apache Camel

    Open-source Java framework for integration routes

    What is free: Everything. There is no paid plan.

    • Apache Camel is free. Dagster starts at $10 per month plus $0.040 per credit (Solo).
    • Apache Camel has a free plan. Dagster does not, though it has a free trial.
    • Only Apache Camel lists Linux, macOS and Windows apps.
    • Only Dagster lists a web app.
    Apache Camel pricing and details

  12. n8n

    Workflow automation and AI agents you can self-host

    What is free: The self-hosted Community Edition is free with almost the complete feature set, but without SSO, projects, environments, Git version control or workflow sharing. n8n Cloud has no free plan, only a trial.

    • n8n starts at €20 / month, billed annually, for 2,500 executions (n8n Cloud Starter). Dagster starts at $10 per month plus $0.040 per credit (Solo).
    • n8n has a free plan. Dagster does not, though it has a free trial.
    • Dagster is open source, according to its own site.
    • Dagster also covers dashboards.
    n8n pricing and details

61 more that are free or have a free plan

All 73 in one table

Common questions

Is there a free alternative to Dagster?

Yes. Prefect, Apache Airflow, Kestra, Windmill, Apache DolphinScheduler, Argo Workflows, Hatchet, Activepieces and 65 more are free or have a free plan.

Does Dagster have a free plan?

Dagster has no free plan. Dagster is a paid product with a free trial, starting at $10 per month plus $0.040 per credit (Solo).

When was this checked?

Each listing shows its own date. On this page they run from Oct 4, 2026 to Nov 13, 2026. Vendors change prices and plans without notice, so confirm on their site before you buy.

This page is built from the listings. A tool is here because its listing says so, and the order is how close each is to Dagster: the alternatives its listing names first, then the tools that share the most features with it.