vioscaleAI
Comparison

Apache Airflow vs dbt Core

No clear leader: Apache Airflow (69.0) and dbt Core (65.7) are within the 5-point margin; treat as a tie. The attribute-by-attribute breakdown below, with a source and date on every value, is the honest way to compare them.

Apache Airflow full profile →dbt Core full profile →
Machine formatsMarkdownJSONGraphQLMarkdown is open. JSON and GraphQL need a free key.
Apache Airflow69
dbt Core66
Score
vioscaleAI score
Apache Airflow69 / 100medium · 66%
dbt Core66 / 100medium · 73%
Pricing
Free tier
Apache Airflow✓
dbt Core✓
Model
Apache Airflowopen_source
dbt Coreopen_source
Price level
Apache Airflowfree
dbt Corefree
Transparent
Apache Airflow✓
dbt Core✓
Integrations
Count
Apache Airflow54
dbt Core6
Security
Gdpr
Apache Airflow–
dbt Core✓
Iso27001
Apache Airflow–
dbt Core✓
Scorecard
Apache Airflow7.3
dbt Core6
Vulnerabilities
Reliability
Status page
Apache Airflow–
dbt Core✓
Adoption
Dependent repos
Apache Airflow189
dbt Core553
Github stars
Apache Airflow47,054
dbt Core14,028
Package downloads weekly
Apache Airflow1,607,065
dbt Core21,005,917
Activity
Commits last 30d
Apache Airflow100
dbt Core100
Release
Cadence days
Apache Airflow14
dbt Core2
History
Apache Airflow20 items
dbt Core20 items
License
Spdx
Apache AirflowApache-2.0
dbt CoreApache-2.0
Language
Primary
Apache AirflowPython
dbt CoreRust
Market
Availability
Apache Airflow–
dbt CoreAvailable worldwide · Popular in US
Content
Faq
Apache Airflow6 items
dbt Core8 items

Capabilities

Feature-by-feature on the axes that matter for data engineering tools. “-” means undocumented, not absent.

Core
Tool role
Apache AirflowOrchestrator
dbt CoreTransformation
Processing paradigm
Apache AirflowBatch
dbt CoreBatch
Connectivity
Connector count
Apache Airflow100+
dbt Core6+ named integrations with broader ecosystem
CDC / log-based replication
Apache Airflow-
dbt Core-
Transformation
In-warehouse transformation (push-down)
Apache Airflow-
dbt Core-
dbt-native orchestration
Apache Airflow✓
dbt Core✓
Deployment
Self-hosted / open-source available
Apache Airflow✓
dbt Core✓
Managed cloud available
Apache Airflow✓
dbt Core✓
Governance
Data lineage / asset catalog
Apache Airflow✓
dbt Core✓
Authoring
Python-first authoring
Apache Airflow✓
dbt Core-
Execution
Incremental / partition-aware runs
Apache Airflow✓
dbt Core-
Quality
Built-in data quality / tests
Apache Airflow✓
dbt Core✓
Scale
Horizontal scale (distributed executor)
Apache Airflow✓
dbt Core-

What each one is

The product in its own terms, so the numbers below have context.

Apache Airflow

Apache Airflow is a workflow orchestration platform that enables users to define data pipelines in Python and schedule their execution across distributed workers. It provides a web interface for visualization and monitoring, plus extensive integrations with cloud platforms and services.

Independently observed

dbt Core

A data transformation framework that applies software engineering principles—such as version control, testing, and modularity—to SQL-based analytics workflows.

Independently observed

Pricing

List pricing as published by each vendor, with the date we read it. Always verify at the source before you buy.

Apache Airflow

Open source
as of verify ↗

dbt Core

from $100/moHybridFree tier14-day trial

Free Developer tier, $100/seat/month for Starter, custom pricing for Enterprise

  • DeveloperFree
    • Browser-based IDE
    • Multi-factor authentication (MFA)
    • Job scheduling
    • Keep on the latest dbt release
  • Starter$100/seat/month
    • All Developer features
    • dbt Catalog basic
    • dbt Semantic Layer basic
    • dbt Copilot code generation
    • API access
  • EnterpriseContact sales
    • All Starter features
    • dbt Catalog advanced
    • dbt Semantic Layer advanced
    • dbt Copilot
    • dbt Canvas
    • +2 more
  • Enterprise+Contact sales
    • All Enterprise features
    • PrivateLink
    • IP Restrictions
    • Rollback
    • Hybrid projects
as of verify ↗

Platform & deployment

Where each product runs and how it can be hosted. A dash means undocumented, not unsupported.

Platforms
Web
Apache Airflow✓
dbt Core✓
macOS
Apache Airflow✓
dbt Core✓
Windows
Apache Airflow✗
dbt Core✓
Linux
Apache Airflow✓
dbt Core✓
CLI
Apache Airflow✓
dbt Core✓
Deployment
Cloud / SaaS
Apache Airflow✓
dbt Core✓
Self-hosted
Apache Airflow✓
dbt Core✓
On-premise
Apache Airflow✓
dbt Core✗
Hybrid
Apache Airflow✓
dbt Core✗

Integrations

What each product connects to. Counts come from the vendor's own integration directory where one exists.

In common (4)
  • Databricks
  • Snowflake
  • Tableau
  • OpenAI

Apache Airflow

61 total - 57 not shared
  • Amazon Web Services
  • Microsoft Azure
  • Google Cloud Platform
  • dbt Cloud
  • Slack
  • Salesforce
  • PostgreSQL
  • MySQL
  • MongoDB
  • Redis
  • Kubernetes
  • Docker
  • Apache Spark
  • Apache Kafka
  • Apache Cassandra
  • Apache Flink
  • Apache Druid
  • Elasticsearch
  • Datadog
  • Jenkins
  • GitHub
  • Anthropic
  • Cohere
  • Pinecone
  • +33 more
Independently observed

dbt Core

6 total - 2 not shared
  • Fivetran
  • Azure AI
Independently observed
Still deciding?

Apache Airflow or dbt Core: which one depends on you

A composite score cannot know your constraints. Describe them and both get re-weighted against what you actually need, with the evidence behind every position.

Free to run, no account needed to start. How the evaluation works

Comparison generated from independently-sourced facts. Every value links to its source and retrieval date. See the method.