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Comparison · Analytics
Dagster vs OpenMetadata
A side-by-side editorial comparison of Dagster and OpenMetadata — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.
Dagster vs OpenMetadata: at a glance
What is Dagster?
Dagster is untangling itself from dbt-core so dbt Fusion can run without a fight.
Dagster's six most recent 1.13 releases are dominated by two threads. dagster-dbt no longer installs dbt-core, and a new extra installs dbt v2, the Fusion engine, with clear errors if the two are combined. The UI gained a phone layout covering Home, Jobs, Automation, Timeline, the Asset Catalog and run details. Dagster+ also added capacity-based alert policies, and agents can now retry code locations that fail to start.
What is OpenMetadata?
OpenMetadata reaches 2.1 rc1 after a month of repairing 2.0's connectors.
OpenMetadata has shipped a run of 2.0.x maintenance releases, each centered on connectors, lineage and search. 2.0.3 included a certificate-verification bypass fix and a SQL-injection fix, 2.0.5 restored metadata affected by 2.0 ingestion regressions, and 2.0.7 improved reliability for Pub/Sub, SQL Server and Unity Catalog. The 2.1.0-rc1 pre-release has now appeared, though its notes are a commit message about settings-modal styling rather than a feature list.
Dagster vs OpenMetadata: editorial side-by-side
Dagster
5.0ANALYTICS
Dagster is untangling itself from dbt-core so dbt Fusion can run without a fight.
◆ Current state
Dagster's six most recent 1.13 releases are dominated by two threads. dagster-dbt no longer installs dbt-core, and a new extra installs dbt v2, the Fusion engine, with clear errors if the two are combined. The UI gained a phone layout covering Home, Jobs, Automation, Timeline, the Asset Catalog and run details. Dagster+ also added capacity-based alert policies, and agents can now retry code locations that fail to start.
◆ Where it's heading
The dbt work is a dependency reset with real consequences, because Fusion and dbt-core claim the same import namespace and overwrite each other silently. Dagster made the safe path the default and accepted a breaking change to do it. The rest of the window is operational hardening: resuming run workers on ECS, cross-account service discovery and clearer failure reasons when a run worker dies.
◆ Prediction
Weekly-style 1.13 releases should keep extending Fusion coverage in dagster-dbt, since metadata fetching there still degrades to warnings. Declarative Automation for jobs does not appear in these entries, so its exit from preview remains unconfirmed.
OpenMetadata
5.0ANALYTICS
OpenMetadata reaches 2.1 rc1 after a month of repairing 2.0's connectors.
◆ Current state
OpenMetadata has shipped a run of 2.0.x maintenance releases, each centered on connectors, lineage and search. 2.0.3 included a certificate-verification bypass fix and a SQL-injection fix, 2.0.5 restored metadata affected by 2.0 ingestion regressions, and 2.0.7 improved reliability for Pub/Sub, SQL Server and Unity Catalog. The 2.1.0-rc1 pre-release has now appeared, though its notes are a commit message about settings-modal styling rather than a feature list.
◆ Where it's heading
The 2.0 launch is being paid for in connector repairs, and the cadence of roughly weekly maintenance suggests a large installed surface. Protecting user-managed metadata from bot ingestion, and multi-pod fixes in 2.0.6, point at production deployments rather than trials. The 2.1 candidate is the first sign of attention moving forward, but the published notes do not show its contents.
◆ Prediction
Expect a 2.1 release soon, with its real scope clearer once proper notes appear. 2.0.x maintenance should continue alongside it.
Alternatives to Dagster and OpenMetadata
Other Analytics products tracked by Sparkpulse, ranked by recent ship velocity. Each card links to a full editorial trajectory and lets you pivot into a head-to-head comparison with either Dagster or OpenMetadata.
Countly
Countly's two LTS lines now get the same security fixes within a week of each other.
Stitch
Stitch keeps patching connectors one replication bug at a time.
Datawrapper
Datawrapper's October is touch tooltips, keyboard focus and small chart repairs.
Fluent Bit
Fluent Bit spends October bounding what its inputs will accept.
Axiom
Axiom makes agent work checkable, and points alerts straight at coding agents
See all Dagster alternatives → · See all OpenMetadata alternatives →
Recent activity from Dagster and OpenMetadata
Latest ship moves from both products, interleaved chronologically. ⚡ = editorial spark.
- 2d agoOpenMetadata2.1.0 rc1 appears, with notes covering only a UI fix
- 2d agoDagster1.13.28: dbt v2 extra and retries for failed code locations
- 5d agoOpenMetadata2.0.7: Pub/Sub, SQL Server and Unity Catalog connector fixes
- 6d agoDagster1.13.27: mobile run details, bounded BigQuery Insights scans
- 11d agoOpenMetadata2.0.6: ingestion accuracy, safer upgrades, multi-pod fixes
- 23d agoDagster1.13.26: dagster-dbt stops installing dbt-core
- 23d agoOpenMetadata2.0.5 restores metadata lost to 2.0 ingestion regressions
- 26d agoOpenMetadata2.0.4: Glue and SQL Server connector fixes, search scoping
- 1mo agoDagster1.13.25: phone layout for the Dagster UI, ECS run resumes
- 1mo agoOpenMetadata2.0.3: connector fixes, data migrations, security patches
- 1mo agoDagster1.13.24: cross-account ECS discovery, snapshot column lineage
- 1mo agoDagster1.13.23: alert policies on deployment capacity
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between Dagster and OpenMetadata?
They serve adjacent needs but don't currently overlap on shipped themes. Dagster and OpenMetadata are shipping at a similar cadence (velocity 5.0 vs 5.0, both within Sparkpulse's "active" band). See the at-a-glance table above for a side-by-side breakdown of velocity, recent sparks, and editorial themes.
Is Dagster better than OpenMetadata?
Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. Dagster and OpenMetadata are shipping at a similar cadence (velocity 5.0 vs 5.0, both within Sparkpulse's "active" band). For your specific use case, the alternatives sections above list other Analytics products to evaluate alongside.
What are the best alternatives to Dagster?
Top Dagster alternatives in Analytics are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "Dagster alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/dagster for the full list with editorial commentary on each.
What are the best alternatives to OpenMetadata?
Top OpenMetadata alternatives in Analytics are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "OpenMetadata alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/openmetadata for the full list with editorial commentary on each.