# dbt Core vs Prefect

| Attribute | dbt Core | Prefect |
|---|---|---|
| **Vioscale score** | 64.9 (77% (high)) | 69.8 (76% (high)) |
| activity.commits_last_30d | 100 | 100 |
| adoption.dependent_repos | 553 | 767 |
| adoption.github_stars | 13,694 | 23,691 |
| adoption.package_downloads_weekly | 21,005,917 | 2,710,819 |
| deployment.options | `{"cloud":true,"self_hosted":true}` | `{"cloud":true,"hybrid":true,"self_hosted":true}` |
| description.long | 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. | A workflow orchestration platform that enables teams to build resilient automated processes using Python, with features like automatic retries, state tracking, and run observability. Supports flexible deployment options ranging from managed cloud infrastructure to self-hosted environments on Kubernetes or user-provided compute. |
| 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}` | `{"role":"orchestrator","lineage":true,"paradigm":"batch","dbt_native":true,"python_first":true,"managed_cloud":true,"connector_count":"Not specified","self_hosted_oss":true,"incremental_runs":true,"distributed_executor":true}` |
| integrations.count | 6 | 5 |
| integrations.list | `[{"name":"Tableau"},{"name":"Fivetran"},{"name":"OpenAI"},{"name":"Snowflake"},{"name":"Azure AI"},{"name":"Databricks"}]` | `[{"name":"Pydantic AI"},{"name":"OpenAI"},{"name":"AWS Secrets Manager"},{"name":"HashiCorp Vault"},{"name":"dbt"}]` |
| language.primary | Rust | Python |
| license.spdx | Apache-2.0 | 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}` | `{"cli":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":true,"name":"Hobby","summary":"Free forever","features":["workflow scheduling","workflow observability","logging & alerting"],"minSeats":2,"description":"Starter tier for individual workflows","contactSales":false,"includedLimits":{"users":"2","deployments":"5","run_retention":"7 days","serverless_compute":"500 min/mo"}},{"free":false,"name":"Starter","summary":"$100/mo","features":["bring your own compute","webhooks","API access"],"minSeats":3,"commitment":"monthly","components":[{"kind":"fixed","amount":100,"period":"month","currency":"USD"}],"description":"For teams bringing their own compute infrastructure","contactSales":false,"includedLimits":{"users":"3","deployments":"20","serverless_compute":"75 hours/mo","api_requests_per_min":"1250"}},{"free":false,"name":"Team","summary":"$100/user/mo","features":["service accounts","audit logging","team collaboration"],"minSeats":4,"commitment":"annual","components":[{"kind":"per_unit","unit":"seat","amount":100,"period":"month","currency":"USD"}],"description":"Multi-user collaboration with governance features","contactSales":false,"includedLimits":{"users":"4-8","deployments":"100","serverless_compute":"225 hours/mo","audit_log_retention_hours":"24"}},{"free":false,"name":"Enterprise","summary":"Custom pricing","features":["SSO (SAML/OIDC)","RBAC with object-level ACLs","multiple workspaces","directory sync (SCIM)","IP allowlisting","PrivateLink private networking"],"minSeats":5,"description":"Custom deployment with advanced security and compliance","contactSales":true,"includedLimits":{"deployments":"unlimited","serverless_compute":"custom"}}],"summary":"Free tier. Starter from $100/mo. Team at $100/user/mo. Enterprise custom pricing.","currency":"USD","freeTier":true,"sourceUrl":"https://www.prefect.io/pricing","retrievedAt":"2026-08-14T15:26:09.793Z","startingPrice":{"amount":100,"period":"month","currency":"USD"},"billingPeriods":["month","year"]}` |
| pricing.free_tier | yes | yes |
| pricing.model | open_source | commercial |
| pricing.price_level | free | high |
| pricing.transparent | yes | yes |
| release.cadence_days | 2 | 1 |
| release.history | `[{"url":"https://github.com/dbt-labs/dbt-core/releases/tag/v1.12.3","date":"2026-08-21T00:28:55Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.12.3"},{"url":"https://github.com/dbt-labs/dbt-core/releases/tag/v1.11.14","date":"2026-08-20T15:48:47Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.11.14"},{"url":"https://github.com/dbt-labs/dbt-core/releases/tag/v2.0.0-beta.2","date":"2026-08-18T18:00:10Z","type":"prerelease","version":"v2.0.0-beta.2"},{"url":"https://github.com/dbt-labs/dbt-core/releases/tag/v1.8.10","date":"2026-08-14T06:08:39Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.8.10"},{"url":"https://github.com/dbt-labs/dbt-core/releases/tag/v1.7.20","date":"2026-08-14T06:51:29Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.7.20"},{"url":"https://github.com/dbt-labs/dbt-core/releases/tag/v1.6.19","date":"2026-08-14T08:06:53Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.6.19"},{"url":"https://github.com/dbt-labs/dbt-core/releases/tag/v1.5.12","date":"2026-08-14T08:46:08Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.5.12"},{"url":"https://github.com/dbt-labs/dbt-core/releases/tag/v1.4.10","date":"2026-08-14T10:47:20Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.4.10"},{"url":"https://github.com/dbt-labs/dbt-core/releases/tag/v1.3.8","date":"2026-08-14T13:11:35Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.3.8"},{"url":"https://github.com/dbt-labs/dbt-core/releases/tag/v1.2.7","date":"2026-08-14T13:54:14Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.2.7"},{"url":"https://github.com/dbt-labs/dbt-core/releases/tag/v1.1.6","date":"2026-08-14T13:48:20Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.1.6"},{"url":"https://github.com/dbt-labs/dbt-core/releases/tag/v1.9.11","date":"2026-08-13T20:13:01Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.9.11"},{"url":"https://github.com/dbt-labs/dbt-core/releases/tag/v1.12.2","date":"2026-08-12T19:27:40Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.12.2"},{"url":"https://github.com/dbt-labs/dbt-core/releases/tag/v1.12.1","date":"2026-08-12T10:43:22Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.12.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/dbt-labs/dbt-core/releases/tag/v1.11.13","date":"2026-08-12T15:48:56Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.11.13"},{"url":"https://github.com/dbt-labs/dbt-core/releases/tag/v1.10.23","date":"2026-08-12T16:28:10Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.10.23"},{"url":"https://github.com/dbt-labs/dbt-core/releases/tag/v2.0.0-beta.1","date":"2026-08-10T15:35:44Z","type":"prerelease","version":"v2.0.0-beta.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/dbt-labs/dbt-core/releases/tag/v2.0.0-alpha.5","date":"2026-07-20T10:03:00Z","type":"prerelease","version":"v2.0.0-alpha.5"},{"url":"https://github.com/dbt-labs/dbt-core/releases/tag/v1.12.0","date":"2026-07-16T13:56:39Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.12.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/dbt-labs/dbt-core/releases/tag/v1.12.0rc3","date":"2026-07-14T22:48:06Z","type":"prerelease","version":"v1.12.0rc3"}]` | `[{"url":"https://github.com/PrefectHQ/prefect/releases/tag/3.8.4","date":"2026-08-25T17:15:13Z","type":"stable","version":"3.8.4"},{"url":"https://github.com/PrefectHQ/prefect/releases/tag/3.8.4.dev7","date":"2026-08-25T08:17:08Z","type":"prerelease","version":"3.8.4.dev7"},{"url":"https://github.com/PrefectHQ/prefect/releases/tag/3.8.4.dev6","date":"2026-08-22T08:08:27Z","type":"prerelease","version":"3.8.4.dev6"},{"url":"https://github.com/PrefectHQ/prefect/releases/tag/3.8.4.dev5","date":"2026-08-21T08:15:17Z","type":"prerelease","version":"3.8.4.dev5"},{"url":"https://github.com/PrefectHQ/prefect/releases/tag/3.8.4.dev4","date":"2026-08-20T08:14:17Z","type":"prerelease","version":"3.8.4.dev4"},{"url":"https://github.com/PrefectHQ/prefect/releases/tag/3.8.4.dev3","date":"2026-08-19T08:12:16Z","type":"prerelease","version":"3.8.4.dev3"},{"url":"https://github.com/PrefectHQ/prefect/releases/tag/3.8.4.dev2","date":"2026-08-18T08:12:04Z","type":"prerelease","version":"3.8.4.dev2"},{"url":"https://github.com/PrefectHQ/prefect/releases/tag/3.8.4.dev1","date":"2026-08-14T08:31:14Z","type":"prerelease","version":"3.8.4.dev1"},{"url":"https://github.com/PrefectHQ/prefect/releases/tag/3.8.3","date":"2026-08-13T18:53:23Z","type":"stable","version":"3.8.3"},{"url":"https://github.com/PrefectHQ/prefect/releases/tag/3.8.3.dev3","date":"2026-08-13T08:33:56Z","type":"prerelease","version":"3.8.3.dev3"},{"url":"https://github.com/PrefectHQ/prefect/releases/tag/3.8.3.dev2","date":"2026-08-12T08:32:30Z","type":"prerelease","version":"3.8.3.dev2"},{"url":"https://github.com/PrefectHQ/prefect/releases/tag/3.8.3.dev1","date":"2026-08-11T08:23:35Z","type":"prerelease","version":"3.8.3.dev1"},{"url":"https://github.com/PrefectHQ/prefect/releases/tag/3.8.2","date":"2026-08-07T21:15:48Z","type":"stable","version":"3.8.2"},{"url":"https://github.com/PrefectHQ/prefect/releases/tag/3.8.2.dev6","date":"2026-08-07T08:27:11Z","type":"prerelease","version":"3.8.2.dev6"},{"url":"https://github.com/PrefectHQ/prefect/releases/tag/3.8.2.dev5","date":"2026-08-06T08:59:18Z","type":"prerelease","version":"3.8.2.dev5"},{"url":"https://github.com/PrefectHQ/prefect/releases/tag/3.8.2.dev4","date":"2026-08-05T08:58:55Z","type":"prerelease","version":"3.8.2.dev4"},{"url":"https://github.com/PrefectHQ/prefect/releases/tag/3.8.2.dev3","date":"2026-08-04T09:00:27Z","type":"prerelease","version":"3.8.2.dev3"},{"url":"https://github.com/PrefectHQ/prefect/releases/tag/3.8.2.dev2","date":"2026-08-03T09:13:20Z","type":"prerelease","version":"3.8.2.dev2"},{"url":"https://github.com/PrefectHQ/prefect/releases/tag/3.8.2.dev1","date":"2026-08-01T08:49:58Z","type":"prerelease","version":"3.8.2.dev1"},{"url":"https://github.com/PrefectHQ/prefect/releases/tag/3.8.1","date":"2026-07-30T21:15:25Z","type":"stable","version":"3.8.1"}]` |
| reliability.sla_pct | - | 99.99 |
| reliability.status_page | yes | yes |
| security.gdpr | yes | yes |
| security.hipaa | - | yes |
| security.iso27001 | yes | - |
| security.scorecard | 6 | 6.9 |
| 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"}` | `{"count":8,"source":"https://advisories.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/advisories?ecosystem=pypi&package_name=prefect&per_page=100","last_12m":6,"max_severity":"HIGH"}` |

## Capabilities (Data Engineering Tools)

| Capability | dbt Core | Prefect |
|---|:--:|:--:|
| **Core** |  |  |
| Tool role | Transformation | Orchestrator |
| Processing paradigm | Batch | Batch |
| **Connectivity** |  |  |
| Connector count | 6+ named integrations with broader ecosystem | Not specified |
| 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: Vioscale. Generated 2026-09-01T17:16:56.298Z. "-" = undocumented, not absent.*