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Comparison · Analytics
Dagster vs Mage
A side-by-side editorial comparison of Dagster and Mage — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.
Shared themes:orchestration
Dagster vs Mage: at a glance
What is Dagster?
Dagster drops Python 3.10 and lets agents run schedules and sensors through MCP.
Dagster's 1.13 line ships weekly and follows two threads. dagster-dbt no longer installs dbt-core and gained a dbt v2 extra for the Fusion engine, while the UI keeps getting phone layouts and faster search and catalog pages. 1.13.30 on November 12 makes Python 3.11 the minimum and widens the Dagster+ MCP server to reading and toggling schedules and sensors and managing partitions.
What is Mage?
Feature releases every two months in 2024; one bugfix release in the last twelve.
The release cadence has collapsed. Through 2024 Mage shipped roughly every two months with substantial features each time — memory management rework, dynamic blocks, new sources and destinations, Python 3.11 and 3.12 support. 2025 produced two releases. The most recent entry, 0.9.79 in January 2026, contains no feature section at all: it is dependency pinning, SQLAlchemy 2.0 compatibility, character escaping during code interpolation, and log file handle cleanup. Nothing has followed it in the six months since.
Dagster vs Mage: editorial side-by-side
Dagster
5.0ANALYTICS
Dagster drops Python 3.10 and lets agents run schedules and sensors through MCP.
◆ Current state
Dagster's 1.13 line ships weekly and follows two threads. dagster-dbt no longer installs dbt-core and gained a dbt v2 extra for the Fusion engine, while the UI keeps getting phone layouts and faster search and catalog pages. 1.13.30 on November 12 makes Python 3.11 the minimum and widens the Dagster+ MCP server to reading and toggling schedules and sensors and managing partitions.
◆ Where it's heading
The Dagster+ MCP server has grown release by release, from launching runs without a code location in September to controlling schedules, sensors and partitions now. Combined with the dbt split, Dagster is trimming legacy dependencies while making the orchestrator something an agent can operate, not just a person in the UI.
◆ Prediction
The MCP server still lacks write access to things like backfills and alert policies, so expanding it there is the most visible next step; further Python and dbt version floors are likely to follow the 3.10 cut.
Mage
0.0ANALYTICS
Feature releases every two months in 2024; one bugfix release in the last twelve.
◆ Current state
The release cadence has collapsed. Through 2024 Mage shipped roughly every two months with substantial features each time — memory management rework, dynamic blocks, new sources and destinations, Python 3.11 and 3.12 support. 2025 produced two releases. The most recent entry, 0.9.79 in January 2026, contains no feature section at all: it is dependency pinning, SQLAlchemy 2.0 compatibility, character escaping during code interpolation, and log file handle cleanup. Nothing has followed it in the six months since.
◆ Where it's heading
The arc runs from expanding the product to keeping it compiling. The 2024 releases added capability — a canvas rework, multi-project support, streaming sinks, Kubernetes job parameters. The 2025 releases shifted toward integrations and CVE response, including a batch of path traversal fixes carrying assigned identifiers. The last release is entirely defensive, including vendoring croniter into the repository and locking scikit-learn to stop upstream changes from breaking builds. That is the profile of a codebase being kept viable rather than developed.
◆ Prediction
The entries give no basis for predicting the next release — a six-month gap after a dependency-only patch is the only signal available, and nothing here indicates whether the line is paused or finished.
Alternatives to Dagster and Mage
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 Mage.
Dovetail
Dovetail lets admins choose which connectors members can plug into the workspace.
OpenHouse
OpenHouse adds time-zone-aware retention and per-database table caps.
Countly
Countly 25.03.59 defaults to Node 26, supports MongoDB 9 and tightens app scoping.
Kubecost
Kubecost cuts three 3.3.2 release candidates in two days, still without notes.
RStudio
RStudio opens the 2026.11 train with another NOTICE file update.
See all Dagster alternatives → · See all Mage alternatives →
Recent activity from Dagster and Mage
Latest ship moves from both products, interleaved chronologically. ⚡ = editorial spark.
- 1d agoDagster1.13.30: Python 3.11 minimum, more Dagster+ MCP tools
- 8d agoDagster1.13.29: more mobile layouts, faster search and catalog
- 14d agoDagster1.13.28: dbt v2 extra and retries for failed code locations
- 18d agoDagster1.13.27: mobile run details, bounded BigQuery Insights scans
- 1mo agoDagster1.13.26: dagster-dbt stops installing dbt-core
- 1mo agoDagster1.13.25: phone layout for the Dagster UI, ECS run resumes
- 9mo agoMageDependency pinning and SQLAlchemy 2.0 compatibility fixes
- 1y agoMagePath traversal CVE fixes and cancellation callbacks
- 1y agoMageTeradata, Doris and Airtable connectors, rotatable API tokens
- 1y agoMageAirtable destination and Python 3.11 and 3.12 support
- 2y agoMageGoogle Cloud Storage source and Airtable integration
- 2y agoMageMemory management rework and dynamic blocks 2.0
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between Dagster and Mage?
Both compete on the same themes — orchestration — within Analytics. Dagster is currently shipping more aggressively (velocity 5.0 vs 0.0), with 0 editorial sparks in the last 30 days against 0. See the at-a-glance table above for a side-by-side breakdown of velocity, recent sparks, and editorial themes.
Is Dagster better than Mage?
Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. Dagster is currently shipping more aggressively (velocity 5.0 vs 0.0), with 0 editorial sparks in the last 30 days against 0. 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 Mage?
Top Mage alternatives in Analytics are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "Mage alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/mage-ai for the full list with editorial commentary on each.