Meet the Perfect dbt Cloud Alternative

dbt Cloud is the easiest way to get started with dbt, but teams may hit limitations as they mature in their dbt use and workflows become more complex.

Book a demo
vs
Datacoves

dbt Cloud is easy to get started but Datacoves offers ultimate flexibility.

dbt Cloud’s intuitive interface makes it easy for teams to get started with dbt, offering basic job scheduling and a managed development environment. However, as projects grow in complexity, its limited flexibility may restrict teams needing more control over their end-to-end data management.

For teams requiring greater customization, a self-hosted dbt Core environment provides the full power of dbt. However, managing such a setup can introduce significant overhead in terms of time, cost, and expertise.  Datacoves delivers the best of both worlds with the control and customization of a self-hosted dbt Core setup, combined with the ease of a managed experience like dbt Cloud.

With a pre-configured VS Code environment, Datacoves gives technical users a familiar, customizable, and flexible workspace. Its also important to note, while dbt Cloud is good for Transformations, you will always need additional tools for orchestration as complexity grows. Datacoves has solved for this with its managed Airflow solution, allowing teams to orchestrate not only Transformations but the full ELT pipeline in an integrated way.

If simplicity is your priority, dbt Cloud is a solid choice. But for teams seeking the flexibility of custom workflows, the convenience of managed services, and a platform designed to handle the entire ELT+ process, Datacoves is the clear winner.

‍

“

Datacoves solves the infrastructure problem. Datacoves packages together all the tools needed to support data teams of all sizes.

Nate Sooter
Senior Manager Business Analytics
Product Page

Why choose Datacoves?

End-to-end ELT

With Datacoves
Datacoves provides a fully integrated ELT stack where teams can integrate existing tools or use the ones provided in the platform. Its tight integration with dbt and Airflow allows teams to manage everything in one environment without worrying about platform maintenance, tool upgrades, or managing multiple SaaS contracts
With dbt Cloud
dbt Cloud's focus is on the "Transform" phase of the ELT process, providing powerful tools for SQL-based data transformations. Additional tooling will be required to Extract and Load data. The orchestration of those steps is also outside the scope of dbt Cloud, however, when supported, the EL tool can trigger a dbt run via a webhook. For small teams that have simple data ingestion needs, dbt Cloud is a good choice, while more dynamic organization with higher complexity may need to buy or build tooling outside of dbt Cloud to overcome its limitations.

Flexibility for the organization

With dbt Cloud
While dbt Cloud simplifies setup and provides managed development environment, teams seeking more control over their infrastructure may find the platform limiting. Additional tooling for data Extract and Load, Orchestration, and Activation may be needed in all but the simplest of cases.

Scalability as you grow

With Datacoves
Datacoves is designed to scale with the growing complexity of data operations. Its Kubernetes based managed Airflow solution enables Datacoves to efficiently handle large and complex workflows. Additionally, Datacoves Mesh enhances scalability by enabling large projects to be split into multiple smaller projects,
With dbt Cloud
dbt Cloud is well-suited for scaling SQL-based transformations as organizations grow. Its managed service reduces the burden of platform management. However, as teams mature, they may need to leverage additional tooling. Integrating dbt Cloud with additional tools to manage full ELT pipelines will add complexity and increase the total cost of ownership.

DataOps compatibility

With Datacoves
Datacoves is fully compatible with modern DataOps practices with no black-box processes. Out of the box blueprints are provided to accelerate process maturity including best practices for CI/CD , dbt project architecture, blue-green deployments, data security and more. Datacoves helps reduce technical debt by establishing a mature process from the start.
With dbt Cloud
dbt Cloud integrates well with DataOps workflows, offering features like automated testing, CI/CD integration, and version control, which ensure data quality and streamline deployments. However, the cloud-based nature of the platform can make some parts of the workflow feel like a "black box." While dbt Cloud simplifies much of the process, this abstraction can make it harder to adjust workflows or use existing enterprise tooling.

Vendor lock in

With Datacoves
Datacoves minimizes vendor lock-in by leveraging open-source tools like dbt Core,  Airflow, and incorporating best-in-class open source libraries that enhance developer productivity.  Additionally, Datacoves is adaptable. When new open-source tools become available, they can extend parts of the stack so you stay aligned with evolving technology needs.
With dbt Cloud
As a managed SaaS platform, dbt Cloud can introduce some level of vendor lock-in. While the underlying tool, dbt Core, is open source, organizations using dbt Cloud become reliant on the cloud-hosted infrastructure and may find it challenging to migrate away without losing some of the managed services that dbt Cloud provides such as dbt Explorer.

What our clients have to say

Nice end-to-end system

Datacoves brings a very well-thought-out devlopment to deployment system. The project structure and workflow you inherit by working with them saves a ton of work.

Craig Lathrop
IT & Data Operating Partner
Cold Bore Capital Management LLC

Thought leadership on data engineering

Datacoves allowed us to switch to more modern technology stack but most of all adopt a different mindset and approach to building and maintaining data pipelines and working with data as an asset.

Tobias Temmink
Data Management Lead
The Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson