# dbt Core vs Mage

**Leader by vioscaleAI score:** dbt Core

| Attribute | dbt Core | Mage |
|---|---|---|
| **vioscaleAI score** | 65.7 (73% (medium)) | 58.7 (74% (medium)) |
| activity.commits_last_30d | 100 | - |
| adoption.dependent_repos | 553 | - |
| adoption.github_stars | 14,028 | - |
| adoption.package_downloads_weekly | 21,005,917 | - |
| content.faq | `[{"answer":"dbt is a framework that enables data teams to transform data using SQL-based development practices similar to software engineering, with built-in testing, version control, and deployment capabilities. It provides lineage tracking, documentation, and can run locally or in the cloud. It is indexed under Data Engineering Tools.","source":"https://www.getdbt.com","question":"What is dbt Core?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"dbt Core is open source, so it can be self-hosted and used at no licence cost. It is released under the Apache-2.0 licence. A commercial or hosted edition starts at $100 per user per month. Prices are published openly on the vendor's own pricing page. Pricing changes often, so verify at source before relying on it.","source":"https://www.getdbt.com","question":"Is dbt Core free to use?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"dbt Core supports the web, Windows, macOS, Linux and a command-line interface. Platforms we have not confirmed are simply not listed here rather than ruled out.","source":"https://www.getdbt.com","question":"What platforms does dbt Core support?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Yes. dbt Core can be deployed cloud / SaaS and self-hosted, so it does not have to run on the vendor's infrastructure.","source":"https://www.getdbt.com","question":"Can dbt Core be self-hosted?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have confirmed 6 integrations for dbt Core, including Tableau, Fivetran, OpenAI, Snowflake, Azure AI and Databricks. This is what we could verify from public sources, so the vendor may support others we have not indexed.","source":"https://www.getdbt.com","question":"What does dbt Core integrate with?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have independently confirmed ISO 27001 and GDPR for dbt Core. Certifications we do not list are ones we have not been able to verify from public sources, which is not the same as dbt Core not holding them. Always confirm compliance directly before you rely on it.","source":"https://www.getdbt.com/security","question":"What security certifications does dbt Core have?","confidence":0.7},{"answer":"Yes. dbt Core is published under the Apache-2.0 licence, a permissive licence that generally allows commercial use and modification. Licence terms can change between releases, so verify against the repository for the version you intend to use.","source":"https://github.com/dbt-labs/dbt-core","question":"Is dbt Core open source?","confidence":0.95},{"answer":"dbt Core is available worldwide. Its primary market is the United States.","source":"https://www.getdbt.com","question":"Where is dbt Core available?","confidence":0.5}]` | `[{"answer":"Automates the full lifecycle of data pipelines—from design and validation to execution and monitoring. Provides AI-assisted workflow generation and automatic recovery for reliable data delivery. It is indexed under Data Engineering Tools.","source":"https://www.mage.ai","question":"What is Mage?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Mage is a paid product; published pricing starts at $0.50. It is sold across 2 plans (Mage Cloud and Mage Pro). There is no free tier. Pricing changes often, so verify at source before relying on it.","source":"https://www.mage.ai/pricing","question":"How much does Mage cost?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have confirmed browser-based access to Mage. That is the extent of what we could verify from public sources, so it may well offer desktop or mobile clients we have not indexed.","source":"https://www.mage.ai","question":"What platforms does Mage support?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Yes. Mage can be deployed cloud / SaaS and self-hosted, so it does not have to run on the vendor's infrastructure.","source":"https://www.mage.ai","question":"Can Mage be self-hosted?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have confirmed 14 integrations for Mage, including Apache Spark, PySpark, Kafka, Stripe, Salesforce, BigQuery, AWS EMR and Kubernetes, plus 6 more. This is what we could verify from public sources, so the vendor may support others we have not indexed.","source":"https://www.mage.ai","question":"What does Mage integrate with?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have independently confirmed SOC 2 and GDPR for Mage. Certifications we do not list are ones we have not been able to verify from public sources, which is not the same as Mage not holding them. Always confirm compliance directly before you rely on it.","source":"https://www.mage.ai/stories/regulatory-compliance-reporting","question":"What security certifications does Mage have?","confidence":0.7}]` |
| deployment.options | `{"cloud":true,"self_hosted":true}` | `{"cloud":true,"hybrid":true,"on_prem":true,"self_hosted":true}` |
| description.long | A data transformation framework that applies software engineering principles—such as version control, testing, and modularity—to SQL-based analytics workflows. | A platform combining AI orchestration, data validation, and automated issue resolution to manage and optimize production data workflows. |
| features.capabilities | `{"role":"transform","lineage":true,"paradigm":"batch","dbt_native":true,"data_quality":true,"managed_cloud":true,"connector_count":"6+ named integrations with broader ecosystem","self_hosted_oss":true,"self_hosted_available":true}` | `{"cdc":true,"role":"orchestrator","lineage":true,"paradigm":"both","dbt_native":true,"data_quality":true,"elt_pushdown":true,"python_first":true,"managed_cloud":true,"connector_count":"12+","self_hosted_oss":true,"incremental_runs":false,"distributed_executor":true}` |
| integrations.count | 6 | 5 |
| integrations.list | `[{"name":"Tableau"},{"name":"Fivetran"},{"name":"OpenAI"},{"name":"Snowflake"},{"name":"Azure AI"},{"name":"Databricks"}]` | `[{"name":"Apache Spark"},{"name":"PySpark"},{"name":"Kafka"},{"name":"Stripe"},{"name":"Salesforce"},{"name":"BigQuery"},{"name":"AWS EMR"},{"name":"Kubernetes"},{"name":"EHR systems"},{"name":"Billing platforms"},{"name":"Lab systems"},{"name":"Clinical systems"},{"name":"MySQL"},{"name":"dbt","native":true,"category":"transformation"},{"name":"Slack","native":true,"category":"chat","direction":"outbound"}]` |
| language.primary | Rust | - |
| license.spdx | Apache-2.0 | - |
| market.availability | `{"primaryMarkets":["US"],"availabilityScope":"global","availableCountries":[],"notAvailableCountries":[]}` | `{"primaryMarkets":[],"availabilityScope":"global","availableCountries":[],"notAvailableCountries":[]}` |
| platform.support | `{"cli":true,"mac":true,"web":true,"linux":true,"windows":true}` | `{"web":true}` |
| pricing | `{"type":"hybrid","plans":[{"free":true,"name":"Developer","summary":"Free","features":["Browser-based IDE","Multi-factor authentication (MFA)","Job scheduling","Keep on the latest dbt release"],"minSeats":1,"description":"The fastest way to get started with dbt","contactSales":false,"includedLimits":{"seats":"1","projects":"1","successful_models_per_month":"3,000"}},{"free":false,"name":"Starter","summary":"$100/seat/month","features":["All Developer features","dbt Catalog basic","dbt Semantic Layer basic","dbt Copilot code generation","API access"],"minSeats":5,"components":[{"kind":"per_unit","unit":"seat","amount":100,"period":"month","currency":"USD"}],"description":"Pay as you go pricing for your first dbt project","contactSales":false,"includedLimits":{"seats":"5","projects":"1","queried_metrics_per_month":"5,000","successful_models_per_month":"15,000"}},{"free":false,"name":"Enterprise","summary":"Custom pricing","features":["All Starter features","dbt Catalog advanced","dbt Semantic Layer advanced","dbt Copilot","dbt Canvas","dbt Insights","dbt Mesh Enterprise"],"contactSales":true,"includedLimits":{"projects":"30","queried_metrics_per_month":"20,000","successful_models_per_month":"100,000"}},{"free":false,"name":"Enterprise+","summary":"Custom pricing","features":["All Enterprise features","PrivateLink","IP Restrictions","Rollback","Hybrid projects"],"contactSales":true,"includedLimits":{"projects":"Unlimited","queried_metrics_per_month":"20,000","successful_models_per_month":"100,000"}}],"summary":"Free Developer tier, $100/seat/month for Starter, custom pricing for Enterprise","currency":"USD","freeTier":true,"sourceUrl":"https://www.getdbt.com","retrievedAt":"2026-08-05T13:08:54.690Z","freeTrialDays":14,"startingPrice":{"amount":100,"period":"month","currency":"USD"},"billingPeriods":["month"]}` | `{"type":"subscription","plans":[{"free":false,"name":"Starter","summary":"$29/month + $0.50 per CPU-hour. Includes 50 AI credits/month.","features":["Managed orchestration","Alerts","Monitoring"],"minSeats":1,"commitment":"monthly","components":[{"kind":"fixed","amount":29,"period":"month","currency":"USD"},{"per":{"qty":1,"unit":"cpu-hour"},"kind":"metered","amount":0.5,"currency":"USD"}],"description":"For solo builders and small projects transitioning from open-source to managed services.","contactSales":false,"includedLimits":{"ai_credits":"50/month","developer_seats":"1"}},{"free":false,"name":"Team","summary":"$100/month. Includes 250 shared AI credits/month.","features":["Advanced controls","Lineage","Deployment workflows"],"minSeats":10,"commitment":"monthly","components":[{"kind":"fixed","amount":100,"period":"month","currency":"USD"}],"description":"For teams running production workflows with collaboration and AI-assisted operations.","contactSales":false,"includedLimits":{"ai_credits":"250/month","developer_seats":"10"}},{"free":false,"name":"Enterprise","summary":"Custom pricing. Annual contract.","commitment":"annual","contactSales":true}],"addOns":[{"name":"AI credits","components":[{"per":{"qty":1,"unit":"credit"},"kind":"per_unit","amount":0.12,"currency":"USD"}]}],"summary":"From $29/month (Starter). Free 7-day trial, no credit card required.","currency":"USD","freeTier":false,"sourceUrl":"https://www.mage.ai/pricing","retrievedAt":"2026-10-07T15:25:20.415Z","freeTrialDays":7,"startingPrice":{"amount":29,"period":"month","currency":"USD"},"billingPeriods":["month","year"]}` |
| pricing.free_tier | yes | no |
| pricing.model | open_source | commercial |
| pricing.price_level | free | mid |
| pricing.starting_price | - | `{"amount":29,"currency":"USD"}` |
| pricing.transparent | yes | yes |
| release.cadence_days | 2 | - |
| release.history | `[{"url":"https://github.com/dbt-labs/dbt/releases/tag/v2.0.8","date":"2026-10-14T07:49:06Z","type":"stable","version":"v2.0.8"},{"url":"https://github.com/dbt-labs/dbt/releases/tag/v1.13.0b1","date":"2026-10-14T07:41:52Z","type":"prerelease","version":"v1.13.0b1"},{"url":"https://github.com/dbt-labs/dbt/releases/tag/v1.12.6","date":"2026-10-14T10:24:02Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.12.6"},{"url":"https://github.com/dbt-labs/dbt/releases/tag/v1.11.16","date":"2026-10-14T08:25:55Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.11.16"},{"url":"https://github.com/dbt-labs/dbt/releases/tag/v2.0.0-dev.41-test-pypi","date":"2026-09-23T14:17:38Z","type":"prerelease","version":"v2.0.0-dev.41-test-pypi"},{"url":"https://github.com/dbt-labs/dbt/releases/tag/v2.0.5","date":"2026-09-18T15:47:44Z","type":"stable","version":"v2.0.5"},{"url":"https://github.com/dbt-labs/dbt/releases/tag/v2.0.4","date":"2026-09-16T07:12:13Z","type":"stable","version":"v2.0.4"},{"url":"https://github.com/dbt-labs/dbt/releases/tag/v2.0.3","date":"2026-09-16T01:44:05Z","type":"stable","version":"v2.0.3"},{"url":"https://github.com/dbt-labs/dbt/releases/tag/v2.0.2","date":"2026-09-15T16:08:05Z","type":"stable","version":"v2.0.2"},{"url":"https://github.com/dbt-labs/dbt/releases/tag/v2.0.2-test-pypi","date":"2026-09-15T14:48:47Z","type":"prerelease","version":"v2.0.2-test-pypi"},{"url":"https://github.com/dbt-labs/dbt/releases/tag/v1.12.5","date":"2026-09-15T19:07:42Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.12.5"},{"url":"https://github.com/dbt-labs/dbt/releases/tag/v2.0.1","date":"2026-09-14T22:07:43Z","type":"stable","version":"v2.0.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/dbt-labs/dbt/releases/tag/v2.0.0","date":"2026-09-14T20:50:56Z","type":"stable","version":"v2.0.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/dbt-labs/dbt/releases/tag/v2.0.0-dev.39-test-pypi","date":"2026-09-09T13:17:55Z","type":"prerelease","version":"v2.0.0-dev.39-test-pypi"},{"url":"https://github.com/dbt-labs/dbt/releases/tag/v2.0.0-dev.38-test-pypi","date":"2026-09-09T11:24:08Z","type":"prerelease","version":"v2.0.0-dev.38-test-pypi"},{"url":"https://github.com/dbt-labs/dbt/releases/tag/v2.0.0-dev.37-test-pypi","date":"2026-09-09T09:21:59Z","type":"prerelease","version":"v2.0.0-dev.37-test-pypi"},{"url":"https://github.com/dbt-labs/dbt/releases/tag/v2.0.0-rc.2","date":"2026-09-08T14:57:16Z","type":"prerelease","version":"v2.0.0-rc.2"},{"url":"https://github.com/dbt-labs/dbt/releases/tag/v1.12.4","date":"2026-09-08T10:00:57Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.12.4"},{"url":"https://github.com/dbt-labs/dbt/releases/tag/v1.11.15","date":"2026-09-08T06:42:56Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.11.15"},{"url":"https://github.com/dbt-labs/dbt/releases/tag/v2.0.0-dev.35-test-pypi","date":"2026-09-03T12:35:02Z","type":"prerelease","version":"v2.0.0-dev.35-test-pypi"}]` | - |
| reliability.status_page | yes | yes |
| security.disclosure_policy | - | yes |
| security.gdpr | yes | yes |
| security.iso27001 | yes | - |
| security.scorecard | 6 | - |
| security.soc2 | - | yes |
| security.vulnerabilities | `{"count":4,"source":"https://advisories.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/advisories?ecosystem=pypi&package_name=dbt-core&per_page=100","last_12m":0,"max_severity":"HIGH"}` | - |

## Capabilities (Data Engineering Tools)

| Capability | dbt Core | Mage |
|---|:--:|:--:|
| **Core** |  |  |
| Tool role | Transformation | Orchestrator |
| Processing paradigm | Batch | Batch + streaming |
| **Connectivity** |  |  |
| Connector count | 6+ named integrations with broader ecosystem | 12+ |
| CDC / log-based replication | - | ✓ |
| **Transformation** |  |  |
| In-warehouse transformation (push-down) | - | ✓ |
| dbt-native orchestration | ✓ | ✓ |
| **Deployment** |  |  |
| Self-hosted / open-source available | ✓ | ✓ |
| Managed cloud available | ✓ | ✓ |
| **Governance** |  |  |
| Data lineage / asset catalog | ✓ | ✓ |
| **Authoring** |  |  |
| Python-first authoring | - | ✓ |
| **Execution** |  |  |
| Incremental / partition-aware runs | - | ✗ |
| **Quality** |  |  |
| Built-in data quality / tests | ✓ | ✓ |
| **Scale** |  |  |
| Horizontal scale (distributed executor) | - | ✓ |

*Source: vioscaleAI. Generated 2026-10-16T17:44:48.970Z. "-" = undocumented, not absent.*