RStudio
RStudio's first October patch is a branch merge, extending a long run of release-train upkeep.
Comparison · Analytics
dbt Core vs Mage
A side-by-side editorial comparison of dbt Core and Mage — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.
dbt Core vs Mage: at a glance
What is dbt Core?
dbt's 1.x releases now point users at v2 straight from the command line.
dbt 2.0 GA split the project into a proprietary 'dbt' binary and dbt-oss, and the 2.0 dev channel has since added read-only Databricks Unity Catalog access through Lake Compute. The 1.x line is still shipping: 1.13.0b1 adds an opt-in --use-v2-parser that hands parsing to the Fusion parser, and today's 1.12.6 prints a v2 availability notice on dbt --version and relays Fusion parser logs through the otel log format.
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.
dbt Core vs Mage: editorial side-by-side
dbt Core
6.3ANALYTICS
dbt's 1.x releases now point users at v2 straight from the command line.
◆ Current state
dbt 2.0 GA split the project into a proprietary 'dbt' binary and dbt-oss, and the 2.0 dev channel has since added read-only Databricks Unity Catalog access through Lake Compute. The 1.x line is still shipping: 1.13.0b1 adds an opt-in --use-v2-parser that hands parsing to the Fusion parser, and today's 1.12.6 prints a v2 availability notice on dbt --version and relays Fusion parser logs through the otel log format.
◆ Where it's heading
The 1.x branch is being turned into an on-ramp for v2: a PyPI banner in 1.12.5, a CLI notice in 1.12.6, deprecated-version warnings and the Fusion parser opt-in in 1.13. Meanwhile 2.0 work concentrates on adapter parity (ClickHouse, Databricks) and Lake Compute.
◆ Prediction
Expect 1.13 to reach GA with the v2 parser opt-in and more migration prompts, and 2.0.x to extend Lake Compute past read-only Unity access. The entries don't show an end-of-life date for 1.x.
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 dbt Core 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 dbt Core or Mage.
OpenReplay
OpenReplay moves its Go backend to pgx v5 and patches vulnerable deps across 1.25–1.27.
Basedash
Basedash automations can now attach scheduled CSV exports to Slack and email.
OpenPanel
OpenPanel tags three more note-free builds in one evening, reaching 3.16.4.
Fulcrum
Fulcrum turns on Insights, its AI assistant for field data, for every customer.
Holistics
Holistics lets admins put a key dashboard on everyone's Home page.
See all dbt Core alternatives → · See all Mage alternatives →
Recent activity from dbt Core and Mage
Latest ship moves from both products, interleaved chronologically. ⚡ = editorial spark.
- 15d agodbt Coredbt 1.12.6 points users to v2 and fixes Fusion parser logging
- 15d agodbt Coredbt 1.11.16 fixes nested wildcard selectors, adds tarball path check
- 15d agodbt Coredbt-core 1.13 beta adds opt-in Fusion parser and dbt login
- 1mo agodbt CoreLake Compute gains Databricks Unity Catalog read access
- 1mo agodbt Coredbt v2.0.0 ⚡
- 1mo agodbt Coredbt v1.12.5
- 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 dbt Core and Mage?
They serve adjacent needs but don't currently overlap on shipped themes. dbt Core is currently shipping more aggressively (velocity 6.3 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 dbt Core better than Mage?
Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. dbt Core is currently shipping more aggressively (velocity 6.3 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 dbt Core?
Top dbt Core alternatives in Analytics are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "dbt Core alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/dbt-core 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.