# dbt Core alternatives

The highest-scoring alternative to dbt Core in Data Engineering Tools is **Census** (82/100), against dbt Core's 65/100. Ranked on independent signals, not user reviews. No vendor pays for placement.

| # | Alternative | Score | Confidence | Compare |
|--:|---|--:|---|---|
| 1 | [Census](https://www.vioscale.ai/software/census) | 82 | 74% (medium) | [dbt Core vs Census](https://www.vioscale.ai/compare/census-vs-dbt-core) |
| 2 | [Estuary Flow](https://www.vioscale.ai/software/estuary-flow) | 80 | 71% (medium) | [dbt Core vs Estuary Flow](https://www.vioscale.ai/compare/dbt-core-vs-estuary-flow) |
| 3 | [Apache Airflow](https://www.vioscale.ai/software/apache-airflow) | 73 | 66% (medium) | [dbt Core vs Apache Airflow](https://www.vioscale.ai/compare/apache-airflow-vs-dbt-core) |
| 4 | [Hightouch](https://www.vioscale.ai/software/hightouch) | 72 | 74% (medium) | [dbt Core vs Hightouch](https://www.vioscale.ai/compare/dbt-core-vs-hightouch) |
| 5 | [Dagster](https://www.vioscale.ai/software/dagster) | 70 | 68% (medium) | [dbt Core vs Dagster](https://www.vioscale.ai/compare/dagster-vs-dbt-core) |
| 6 | [Apache Beam](https://www.vioscale.ai/software/apache-beam) | 70 | 35% (low) | [dbt Core vs Apache Beam](https://www.vioscale.ai/compare/apache-beam-vs-dbt-core) |
| 7 | [Prefect](https://www.vioscale.ai/software/prefect) | 70 | 76% (high) | [dbt Core vs Prefect](https://www.vioscale.ai/compare/dbt-core-vs-prefect) |
| 8 | [Stitch](https://www.vioscale.ai/software/stitch) | 68 | 72% (medium) | [dbt Core vs Stitch](https://www.vioscale.ai/compare/dbt-core-vs-stitch) |
| 9 | [Apache NiFi](https://www.vioscale.ai/software/apache-nifi) | 68 | 39% (low) | [dbt Core vs Apache NiFi](https://www.vioscale.ai/compare/apache-nifi-vs-dbt-core) |
| 10 | [dlt](https://www.vioscale.ai/software/dlt) | 66 | 49% (low) | [dbt Core vs dlt](https://www.vioscale.ai/compare/dbt-core-vs-dlt) |
| 11 | [Airbyte](https://www.vioscale.ai/software/airbyte) | 65 | 76% (high) | [dbt Core vs Airbyte](https://www.vioscale.ai/compare/airbyte-vs-dbt-core) |
| 12 | [Hevo Data](https://www.vioscale.ai/software/hevo-data) | 65 | 58% (medium) | [dbt Core vs Hevo Data](https://www.vioscale.ai/compare/dbt-core-vs-hevo-data) |

dbt Core itself ranks #13 of 21 in Data Engineering Tools.

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*Source: Vioscale (https://www.vioscale.ai/alternatives/dbt-core). Generated 2026-09-01T17:08:28.265Z.*