dbt
SQL-based framework and cloud platform for transforming, testing and documenting data inside a warehouse.
Updated · AppBreakup editorial · Web, Windows, macOS, Linux
Is dbt free?
Yes, free and open source
- Starting price:
- $100 per user/month (Starter)
- Free plan:
- 1 developer seat, 3,000 models/month
Checked on dbt's site Nov 8, 2026
Full dbt pricing and plansSwitch from dbt to
All 5- Verified facts
- 4 of 4
- Alternatives ranked
- 5
- Approved reviews
- 0
- Visits sent from here
- 0
About dbt
dbt (data build tool) is the standard way many analytics teams turn raw tables in a warehouse into clean, tested models. You write SELECT statements and a bit of YAML, and dbt works out the order to build them, runs them against Snowflake, BigQuery, Databricks, Postgres and other platforms, and checks the results with tests. Projects live in Git, so changes go through review and CI like application code, and dbt generates lineage and documentation from the same files. The core engine is open source under the Apache 2.0 licence and runs from the command line or a VS Code extension. The hosted dbt platform adds a browser IDE, job scheduling, a data catalog, a semantic layer for shared metrics and an AI agent. It does not extract or load data itself, so it is usually paired with a loader such as Fivetran or Airbyte. dbt Labs and Fivetran have merged into one company. The platform has a free single-developer plan, per-seat team pricing and custom enterprise contracts.
Best for: Analytics engineers who want version-controlled, tested SQL models in their data warehouse.
dbt pricing (checked Nov 8, 2026)
Each line is quoted from dbt's own site, with the page it came from.
| Plan or term | What it says | Checked | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free plan | 1 developer seat, 3,000 models/month | Nov 8, 2026 | getdbt.com |
| Starting price | $100 per user/month (Starter) | Nov 8, 2026 | getdbt.com |
Pros and cons
What works
- Open-source core under Apache 2.0, usable without paying for the cloud platform
- Models, tests and docs live in Git and go through normal code review
- Works across the major warehouses and lakehouses
- Large community and package ecosystem
Why people leave
- Only transforms data; you still need a separate tool to extract and load it
- Team plan is priced per developer seat, which adds up for larger teams
- Assumes comfort with SQL, Git and the command line
dbt vs Airbyte, Fivetran and Talend (Qlik Talend Cloud)
From each app's listing and the prices verified on its own site. A dash means we haven't verified it yet.
| Attribute | dbt | Airbyte | Fivetran | Talend (Qlik Talend Cloud) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Open source | Open source | Free plan + paid | Paid |
| Verified price | $100 per user/month (Starter) | $20/month (cloud) | Usage-based; $5 monthly base charge per standard connection | — |
| Free plan | 1 developer seat, 3,000 models/month | Free app | Yes | No |
| Open source | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| Self-hostable | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| Platforms | Web, Windows, macOS, Linux | Web, Self-hosted | Web | Web, Self-hosted |
Top dbt alternatives
See all 5- 1
Airbyte79.8Open-source pipelines that cover extract and load, with a self-hostable core if you want to avoid a vendor platform.
- 2
Fivetran68.8Same company now, and its managed connectors load the data that dbt transforms, with transformation runs built in.
- 3
Talend (Qlik Talend Cloud)61.8Visual low-code transformations plus data quality and governance in one enterprise suite.
- 4
Dataform59.4Free managed SQLX pipelines inside Google Cloud, a simpler fit when your warehouse is only BigQuery.
- 5
Informatica59.4Enterprise data management cloud with ETL, data quality and master data under one consumption contract.
Why people left dbt
In reviewers' own words, from reviews of the apps they moved to. These are their opinions, not ours.
No switching stories yet. If you moved away from dbt, review the app you switched to and tell us why.
Reviews
No approved reviews yet. How we verify reviewers
Write a review of dbt
dbt: common questions
What is dbt?
dbt: SQL-based framework and cloud platform for transforming, testing and documenting data inside a warehouse. Best for analytics engineers who want version-controlled, tested SQL models in their data warehouse. Available for Web, Windows, macOS and Linux.
Is dbt free?
Yes. dbt is free, open-source software that you can host yourself.
How much does dbt cost?
dbt is free and open source. Free plan: 1 developer seat, 3,000 models/month; Starting price: $100 per user/month (Starter). Checked on dbt's own site, November 2026.
Is dbt open source?
Yes. The source code is on GitHub at dbt-labs/dbt-core. You can also run it on your own server.
What platforms does dbt run on?
dbt is available for Web, Windows, macOS and Linux.
What are the best alternatives to dbt?
The highest-ranked dbt alternatives right now are Airbyte, Fivetran and Talend (Qlik Talend Cloud). See the full ranked list for pricing, platforms and verified facts.
dbt vs Airbyte: what's the difference?
Both dbt and Airbyte are free and open source. Verified prices: dbt $100 per user/month (Starter), Airbyte $20/month (cloud). Only dbt runs on Windows, macOS and Linux.