Dagster vs Prefect
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
Prefect
Modern workflow orchestration for data and Python pipelines
| Feature | Dagster | Prefect |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Automation & Workflows | Automation & Workflows |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | Python | Python |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 2,048 MB | 1,024 MB |
| Deployment | docker, kubernetes, helm | docker, kubernetes, helm |
| GitHub stars | ★ 15,943 | ★ 23,573 |
| First released | 2019 | 2018 |
| Replaces | AWS Step Functions, Azure Data Factory | AWS Step Functions, Azure Data Factory |
Why pick each one
Frequently asked questions
Is Dagster or Prefect better?
Neither is universally better. Prefect has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Dagster and Prefect free and open-source?
Yes. Dagster is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Prefect under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Dagster and Prefect with Docker?
Dagster: yes. Prefect: yes.