Dagster vs Mage
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted automation & workflows options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
Dagster
Data orchestrator for the full development lifecycle
VS
Mage
Open-source data pipeline tool for transforming and integrating data
| Feature | Dagster | Mage |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Automation & Workflows | Automation & Workflows |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | Python | Python |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 2,048 MB | 2,048 MB |
| Deployment | docker, kubernetes, helm | docker, kubernetes, helm |
| GitHub stars | ★ 15,943 | ★ 8,789 |
| First released | 2019 | 2022 |
| Replaces | AWS Step Functions, Azure Data Factory | Azure Data Factory, Apache Airflow |
Why pick each one
Frequently asked questions
Is Dagster or Mage better?
Neither is universally better. Dagster has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Dagster and Mage free and open-source?
Yes. Dagster is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Mage under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Dagster and Mage with Docker?
Dagster: yes. Mage: yes.