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Head-to-head · DataOps Platforms

Kestra vs Dagster

  • Updated Oct 2026
  • Both researched from official sources
  • 1 check side by side
Higher score Kestra #6 in DataOps Platforms 8.7/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 0 of 4 features Visit Kestra
Dagster #8 in DataOps Platforms 8.5/10 Free plan · 30-day trial Free planFree trial✓ 0 of 4 features Visit Dagster

Kestra leads on 0 checks, Dagster on 0, and 1 is even. Who comes out ahead on the 1 yes/no, price and count check where we have data for both products. The editor score weighs everything else too.

Our verdict

  • Highest scoreKestra · 8.7/10
  • Free planboth
  • Free trialonly Dagster

Kestra scores higher on our rubric for dataops platforms: 8.7 against 8.5 out of 10; our editors rank them #6 and #8.

Kestra is the better fit for teams wanting visual workflows and approval gates. Dagster is the better fit for data teams focused on assets, lineage, and quality.

  • Kestra fits best

    Teams wanting visual workflows and approval gates

  • Dagster fits best

    Data teams focused on assets, lineage, and quality

Advertiser disclosure: iTechGuides is reader-supported. Vendors can pay for top positions in our rankings and for a place on other products' pages, and we may earn a commission when you click some links. Bought places stand at the number bought; this page and our disclosure say so. Paying vendors may get a fuller, more detailed review from our editors, and that review can change their score. How we rank.

Side by side

Feature Kestra 8.7/10 Visit ↗ Dagster 8.5/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score 8.7 8.5
Ranking #6 in DataOps Platforms #8 in DataOps Platforms
Best for Teams wanting visual workflows and approval gates Data teams focused on assets, lineage, and quality
Pricing model Free Free plan + paid
Starting price Free $10/mo
Free plan ✓ ✓
Free trial — 30 days
Deployment Cloud, Self-hosted Cloud, Self-hosted
Platforms Web Web
Support Email, Community, Docs · 24/7 Community, Docs, Live chat
Compliance SOC 2 SOC 2, GDPR
Integrations 2,000+ integrations 13 integrations
Built for Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features Kestra 0/4 · Dagster 0/4
Workflow scheduling Not checked yet Not checked yet
Pipeline monitoring Not checked yet Not checked yet
Data quality checks Not checked yet Not checked yet
Version control Not checked yet Not checked yet
Specs
Deployment options Not checked yet Not checked yet
Supported integrations Not checked yet Not checked yet
Our review
Pros
  • Choose a no-code editor or declarative YAML workflow definitions.
  • Use schedules, webhooks, polling, realtime, flow, and MCP triggers.
  • Track executions with logs, metrics, retries, replay, and approval gates.
  • Tracks asset dependencies and lineage with freshness and quality checks
  • Supports schedules, event-driven sensors, retries, partitions, and backfills
  • Integrates with dbt, Snowflake, Fivetran, Spark, and Databricks
Cons
  • YAML definitions may be less approachable for teams avoiding configuration files.
  • Enterprise Edition and Kestra Cloud pricing details require a vendor conversation.
  • Deployment and governance options vary across the three offerings.
  • Solo is limited to 1 user, 1 code location, and 1 deployment
  • Starter costs $100/month and supports up to 3 users
  • Pro requires a sales conversation, and usage-based charges can apply
Our verdict

Kestra orchestrates workflows for data engineers, software engineers, and platform teams. Flows can be created in a no-code editor or defined declaratively in YAML, then run across languages and infrastructure. The Open Source plan…

Read the review →

Dagster is a data orchestration framework and platform for data engineering teams building analytics, machine learning, AI, ingestion, and transformation workflows. Its asset-based model connects dependencies, lineage, metadata, execution,…

Read the review →
  1. KestraDataOps Platforms 8.7Free plan
  2. DagsterDataOps Platforms 8.5Free plan · 30-day trial

Strengths and trade-offs

  • Kestra — where it wins

    • Choose a no-code editor or declarative YAML workflow definitions.
    • Use schedules, webhooks, polling, realtime, flow, and MCP triggers.
    • Track executions with logs, metrics, retries, replay, and approval gates.

    Where it doesn't

    • YAML definitions may be less approachable for teams avoiding configuration files.
    • Enterprise Edition and Kestra Cloud pricing details require a vendor conversation.
    • Deployment and governance options vary across the three offerings.

  • Dagster — where it wins

    • Tracks asset dependencies and lineage with freshness and quality checks
    • Supports schedules, event-driven sensors, retries, partitions, and backfills
    • Integrates with dbt, Snowflake, Fivetran, Spark, and Databricks

    Where it doesn't

    • Solo is limited to 1 user, 1 code location, and 1 deployment
    • Starter costs $100/month and supports up to 3 users
    • Pro requires a sales conversation, and usage-based charges can apply
  • Kestra8.7/10 · Free plan

    Visual and YAML workflow orchestration with broad triggers, plugin integrations, and approval gates.

    Visit KestraFull verdict →
  • Dagster8.5/10 · Free plan · 30-day trial

    A flexible orchestration platform for teams managing data assets and production pipelines.

    Visit DagsterFull verdict →

More comparisons

All DataOps platforms comparisons → · Full ranking →

Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026

Last updated · How we research and update