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Developer Tools · head to head

Dagger vs ProfitWell

Dagger logo

Dagger

Developer Tools

Programmable CI/CD engine that runs your pipeline as containers on any runner

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Visit DaggerFull review
ProfitWell logo

ProfitWell

Business Intelligence

Revenue analytics by Paddle

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Visit ProfitWellFull review

The short version

  • ProfitWell is free; Dagger starts at $50/mo.
  • Only Dagger lists pipelines as code; only ProfitWell lists free Metrics.
  • Where ProfitWell falls short: ProfitWell is now part of Paddle and its pricing page redirects to paddle.com, so it is no longer sold or priced independently.
  • Prices and features on this page were last checked on 13 November 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Dagger and ProfitWell actually diverge.

Attributes where Dagger and ProfitWell differ
AttributeDaggerProfitWell
Pricing modelPer month per team for Dagger CloudFreemium
PlatformsLinux, macOS, Windows, Self-hostedWeb, API
CategoryDeveloper ToolsBusiness Intelligence

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes).

Not yet recorded: founded for Dagger.

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Dagger

  • Pipelines as code
  • Local and CI parity
  • Content-addressed caching
  • Dagger Functions and modules
  • CI-provider agnostic
  • Dagger Cloud traces
  • GitHub Checks integration
  • Container-native execution

Only in ProfitWell

  • Free Metrics
  • Churn Reduction
  • Price Optimization
  • Revenue Recognition
  • Benchmarking
  • Stripe
  • Chargebee
  • Recurly

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Dagger

  • A platform team maintaining near-identical build YAML across forty repositories that wants one versioned module every repository calls insteadnot ProfitWell
  • An engineering organisation migrating off a CI provider that does not want to rewrite every pipeline as part of the migrationnot ProfitWell
  • A team whose engineers waste hours pushing commits to debug CI-only failures and needs to reproduce the exact run locallynot ProfitWell
  • A monorepo where most commits touch a small subset of services and cache-accurate step skipping cuts build minutes materiallynot ProfitWell

ProfitWell

  • Subscription revenue metrics and churn reportingnot Dagger
  • Recovering failed payments and reducing involuntary churnnot Dagger

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Dagger

  • Dagger is not a CI provider, so you keep paying for GitHub Actions or GitLab runners underneath it; the Dagger Cloud subscription is an addition to your CI bill, not a replacement for it
  • Writing pipelines in Go or TypeScript raises the barrier to entry: a release engineer who could edit a YAML step now needs to read code, and the people who can fix a broken build shrink to those comfortable with the SDK
  • The engine runs as a container on the runner and needs a persistent cache volume to deliver its main benefit, so ephemeral CI runners give you correctness without the speed, and provisioning durable cache storage is extra platform work
  • The Team plan caps at ten users and ten million events per month; an organisation of any size crosses that quickly and moves to Enterprise pricing that is not published, so cost at scale is unknowable up front
  • The module ecosystem is young and thinly maintained relative to the marketplace of a mature CI provider, so integrations that exist as a one-line Action often have to be written yourself as a Dagger function

ProfitWell

  • ProfitWell is now part of Paddle and its pricing page redirects to paddle.com, so it is no longer sold or priced independently
  • Reaching any figure requires going through Paddle's own pricing rather than a ProfitWell rate card

Pricing, plan by plan

Dagger

Free
  • IndividualFree
    • One user
    • One million events per month
    • Workflow logs and function call traces
  • Team$50/mo
    • Up to ten users
    • Ten million events per month
    • Module insights and module catalogue
  • EnterpriseOn request
    • Custom user and event limits
    • SSO
    • Managed single-tenant deployment

ProfitWell

Free
  • Free MetricsFree
    • Revenue Metrics
    • Dashboards
    • Basic Reports
  • RetainFree
    • Churn Reduction
    • Payment Recovery
    • Custom Pricing

Which should you pick?

Choose Dagger if

  • You need pipelines as code.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Linux, macOS, Windows, Self-hosted.
  • You also want local and ci parity.
Dagger review

Choose ProfitWell if

  • You need free metrics.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, API.
  • You also want churn reduction.
ProfitWell review

Questions people ask

Is Dagger or ProfitWell better?
Neither clearly leads. Dagger starts at Free and ProfitWell at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Dagger or ProfitWell?
Dagger starts at Free and ProfitWell at Free.
Does Dagger or ProfitWell run on more platforms?
Dagger runs on Linux, macOS, Windows, Self-hosted. ProfitWell runs on Web, API.
Can I use Dagger for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Dagger best used for?
Dagger is most often used for a platform team maintaining near-identical build yaml across forty repositories that wants one versioned module every repository calls instead, an engineering organisation migrating off a ci provider that does not want to rewrite every pipeline as part of the migration, a team whose engineers waste hours pushing commits to debug ci-only failures and needs to reproduce the exact run locally, a monorepo where most commits touch a small subset of services and cache-accurate step skipping cuts build minutes materially. Of those, a platform team maintaining near-identical build yaml across forty repositories that wants one versioned module every repository calls instead and an engineering organisation migrating off a ci provider that does not want to rewrite every pipeline as part of the migration are not what ProfitWell is typically brought in for.
What can Dagger do that ProfitWell cannot?
Dagger covers Pipelines as code, Local and CI parity, Content-addressed caching, Dagger Functions and modules. ProfitWell covers Free Metrics, Churn Reduction, Price Optimization, Revenue Recognition.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Dagger: Does Dagger replace GitHub Actions?

No. Dagger runs inside GitHub Actions or any other CI. It replaces the YAML that describes your pipeline steps, not the trigger and runner layer.

ProfitWell: Is ProfitWell still available as a standalone product?

ProfitWell has been integrated into Paddle. The ProfitWell Metrics analytics tool is now part of Paddle's suite and is available at no cost.

Source
Dagger: Is the engine open source?

Yes, the Dagger engine and SDKs are open source and free. Dagger Cloud, the observability product, is what costs money.

ProfitWell: What is Paddle's standard pricing model?

Paddle charges 5% plus 50 cents per checkout transaction on its standard pay-as-you-go plan. Custom pricing is available for products under $10 or for customers requiring invoicing.

Source
Dagger: What is an event in the pricing?

Dagger Cloud meters pipeline telemetry events. One million per month is free; the Team plan at 50 USD per month allows ten million.

ProfitWell: What is included in Paddle's all-inclusive pricing?

Paddle's standard plan includes tax and compliance, unified billing, churn prevention tools, fraud protection, and 24/7 customer support. No separate monthly or hidden fees apply.

Source
Dagger: Can I run the same pipeline on my laptop?

Yes, that is the main reason teams adopt it. The dagger CLI executes the identical graph locally, so CI-only failures become reproducible.

ProfitWell: What is the minimum spend required for Paddle's enterprise plan?

Paddle offers custom enterprise pricing with negotiated rates for scaling and established businesses. Customers receive tailored pricing aligned with their business model and access to premium support and advisory services.

Source
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