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Databases · head to head

dbt vs Earthly

dbt logo

dbt

Databases

SQL transformation framework enabling analytics engineers to version, test and deploy models

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Visit dbtFull review
Earthly logo

Earthly

Developer Tools

Engineering guardrails for the AI era

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Visit EarthlyFull review

The short version

  • dbt is a transformation framework.
  • Earthly is free; dbt starts at $100/user/mo.
  • Where dbt falls short: free tier severely limited: 3,000 models/month cap and single project maximum restricts team and production use.
  • Where Earthly falls short: pricing model not published; requires sales contact.
  • Prices and features on this page were last checked on 13 November 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which dbt and Earthly actually diverge.

Attributes where dbt and Earthly differ
AttributedbtEarthly
Pricing modelSubscription|freeNo pricing published on website
PlatformsWeb, Self-hosted, IDE integration (VS Code, Cursor, Claude Code, Windsurf)Web, API
CategoryDatabasesDeveloper Tools

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

Not yet recorded: founded for dbt.

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 dbt

Nothing recorded that Earthly does not also cover.

Only in Earthly

  • Policy as code
  • Multi-stage enforcement
  • AI agent governance
  • Repository-wide policies
  • Incident response automation
  • Compliance management
  • Earthfiles build tool
  • Satellites

What people use each for

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

dbt

  • Data warehouse transformation and ELT pipelinesnot Earthly
  • Analytics engineering for reporting and business intelligencenot Earthly
  • Data quality testing and validation at scalenot Earthly
  • Cross-functional data collaboration with version controlnot Earthly
  • Cost optimisation of warehouse usage through intelligent schedulingnot Earthly

Earthly

  • Enforcing engineering standards across AI and human developersnot dbt
  • Automating incident response procedures across all repositoriesnot dbt
  • Embedding compliance requirements into development workflowsnot dbt
  • Standardizing build processes with Earthfilesnot dbt

Where each one falls short

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

dbt

  • Free tier severely limited: 3,000 models/month cap and single project maximum restricts team and production use
  • Starter at $1,200/year per seat: minimum 5-seat team costs $6,000/year baseline; no single-seat or 2-seat paid option
  • Enterprise pricing opaque: 'custom pricing' with no budget range for startups vs. enterprises; requires sales consultation
  • Model volume metering unclear: 'successful models/month' as a limit is ambiguous; unclear if this counts transformation runs, test runs, or deployment attempts

Earthly

  • Pricing model not published; requires sales contact
  • Earthly Lunar is a recent launch (2025) with limited track record
  • Primarily GitHub-focused; limited integration with other platforms
  • No public documentation on pricing or feature tiers

Pricing, plan by plan

dbt

Free
  • DeveloperFree
    • Browser-based IDE
    • MFA
    • job scheduling
  • Starter$100/user/mo
    • dbt Wizard
    • basic Catalog
    • Semantic Layer
  • EnterpriseOn request
    • Advanced Catalog
    • Semantic Layer
    • dbt Copilot
  • Enterprise+On request
    • All Enterprise features
    • PrivateLink
    • IP restrictions

Earthly

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Earthly review.

Which should you pick?

Choose dbt if

  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Self-hosted, IDE integration (VS Code, Cursor, Claude Code, Windsurf).
dbt review

Choose Earthly if

  • You need policy as code.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, API.
  • You also want multi-stage enforcement.
Earthly review

Questions people ask

Is dbt or Earthly better?
Neither clearly leads. dbt starts at Free and Earthly at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, dbt or Earthly?
dbt starts at Free and Earthly at Free.
Does dbt or Earthly run on more platforms?
dbt runs on Web, Self-hosted, IDE integration (VS Code, Cursor, Claude Code, Windsurf). Earthly runs on Web, API.
Can I use dbt for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is dbt best used for?
dbt is most often used for data warehouse transformation and elt pipelines, analytics engineering for reporting and business intelligence, data quality testing and validation at scale, cross-functional data collaboration with version control. Of those, data warehouse transformation and elt pipelines and analytics engineering for reporting and business intelligence are not what Earthly is typically brought in for.
What can dbt do that Earthly cannot?
Earthly covers Policy as code, Multi-stage enforcement, AI agent governance, Repository-wide policies.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

dbt: How much does dbt cost?

dbt Developer is free. dbt Starter is $100/seat/month with a 5-seat minimum (or custom annual billing). Enterprise and Enterprise+ have custom pricing and require contacting sales.

Source
Earthly: What is the difference between Earthfiles and Earthly Lunar?

Earthfiles is an open-source build tool that reached 12,000 GitHub stars and is used by companies like NVIDIA, Intel, and Databricks. Earthly Lunar is a separate governance platform launched in 2025 for enforcing standards across development workflows.

Source
dbt: What is included in the free Developer plan?

The Developer plan is free and includes 1 developer seat, 3,000 successful models/month limit, 1 project, browser-based IDE, MFA, and job scheduling.

Source
Earthly: How does Earthly Lunar enforce standards?

Lunar converts engineering standards, compliance requirements, and processes documented in AGENTS.md files, wikis, and incident postmortems into enforceable guardrails that apply consistently across repositories and development stages.

Source
dbt: What is the model limit on each plan?

Developer tier allows 3,000 successful models/month. Starter allows 15,000/month. Enterprise and Enterprise+ allow 100,000/month.

Source
Earthly: What is the pricing for Earthly Lunar?

Pricing is not published on the website. Interested customers should contact Earthly's sales team for current pricing and feature tiers.

Source
dbt: Can I upgrade or downgrade my dbt plan?

Yes. dbt allows you to 'upgrade or downgrade at any time.' Starter plans bill monthly by credit card based on seat count; Enterprise plans are annual invoicing.

Source
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