Hasura vs DreamFactory
SEPT 2026 auditA comparison of Hasura and DreamFactory built from values read directly from each provider's own documentation, with the source recorded against every figure.
The short answer
Choose Hasura if…
Putting one GraphQL API over several data sources at once when the free tier's terms matter more than the paid one's: unlimited models at any scale, no cap on API requests or concurrent users, and self-hosting with the v3 engine, all at $0.
Editorial · Palash Bagchi · approved
Choose DreamFactory if…
Generating REST APIs across a mixed estate — databases, file stores, SaaS and SOAP — behind one contract, self-hosted, with role-based access control and API key management included from the entry paid tier.
Editorial · Palash Bagchi · approved
Consider something else if…
- Hasura: The bill has to be predictable before you design the schema. Hasura charges $5 per active model per month, so cost scales with how wide your supergraph is rather than how much traffic it serves, and connector hosting is billed separately by vCPU-hour on top.
- DreamFactory: The entry price is the constraint. DF Linux Lite is $1,500 a month billed annually with no monthly-billing rate published and a single connector of your choice; the open-source edition is free but ships the PostgreSQL connector only.
3 sourced criteria separate them — see where, with sources, below.
Pick the criteria you care about. The chart counts how many of them lean toward each provider — the same read as scanning the bars below, just totalled for the ones you chose.
Hasura 0
DreamFactory 0
At a glance.
| Criterion | Hasura | DreamFactory |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | ||
| Free tier | Yes | Yes |
| What the free plan includes | Unlimited models at any scale, one supergraph developer, and 15 minutes of observability retention. API requests per month and concurrent API users are both listed as no limit. | The open-source edition, described as being for hands-on learning, personal projects and early-stage development, with the PostgreSQL database connector. |
| Entry paid plan | DDN Base starts at $5 per active model per month — a per-model rate rather than a plan fee, so no magnitude is recorded. Hosting third-party and code connectors is separate, at $0.075/vCPU-hour and $0.0075/GiB-hour. | $1,500/month for DF Linux Lite, billed annually — no monthly-billing rate is published. It includes a single connector of your choice and unlimited roles, keys, API creation and API requests. |
| Pricing model | Per active model, per month, with connector hosting billed separately by vCPU-hour and GiB-hour. API requests and concurrent users are not metered. | Flat annual plans bounded by how many connectors you may use, not by requests: the entry paid tier states unlimited roles, keys, API creation and API requests against a single connector. |
| Observability | ||
| Self-hostable | Supported | Supported |
Where they differ.
What the free plan includes
- Hasura
- Unlimited models at any scale, one supergraph developer, and 15 minutes of observability retention. API requests per month and concurrent API users are both listed as no limit.
- DreamFactory
- The open-source edition, described as being for hands-on learning, personal projects and early-stage development, with the PostgreSQL database connector.
Sources (2) →Sources ↓
- Hasura DDN Pricing ↗
“Includes: Unlimited models, at any scale 1 supergraph developer Observability: 15-minute retention [...] Infrastructure API requests/month - No limit Concurrent API users - No limit”
Read 2026-09-14 · official pricing
- DreamFactory Pricing ↗
“Open Source Created for hands-on learning, personal project, and early stage development Free Try for free on Digital Ocean Database Connectors PostgreSQL DF Linux Lite”
Read 2026-09-14 · official pricing
Entry paid plan
- Hasura
- DDN Base starts at $5 per active model per month — a per-model rate rather than a plan fee, so no magnitude is recorded. Hosting third-party and code connectors is separate, at $0.075/vCPU-hour and $0.0075/GiB-hour.
- DreamFactory
- $1,500/month for DF Linux Lite, billed annually — no monthly-billing rate is published. It includes a single connector of your choice and unlimited roles, keys, API creation and API requests.
Sources (2) →Sources ↓
- Hasura DDN Pricing ↗
“Optional hosting for third-party & code connectors - $0.075/vCPU-hour, $0.0075/GiB-hour [...] DDN Base Starting at $5/active model/month* For a single team building a business-critical supergraph.”
Read 2026-09-14 · official pricing
- DreamFactory Pricing ↗
“DF Linux Lite Ideal for small to medium businesses building basic RESTful APIs. Single Connector of your choice Unlimited Roles, Keys, API creation, and API requests. $1500 /mo billed annually”
Read 2026-09-14 · official pricing
Pricing model
- Hasura
- Per active model, per month, with connector hosting billed separately by vCPU-hour and GiB-hour. API requests and concurrent users are not metered.
- DreamFactory
- Flat annual plans bounded by how many connectors you may use, not by requests: the entry paid tier states unlimited roles, keys, API creation and API requests against a single connector.
Sources (2) →Sources ↓
- Hasura DDN Pricing ↗
“Hasura Data Delivery Network (DDN) offers innovative model-based pricing that scales with your needs - from startup to enterprise - in a predictable way.”
Read 2026-09-14 · official pricing
- DreamFactory Pricing ↗
“Single Connector of your choice Unlimited Roles, Keys, API creation, and API requests. $1500 /mo billed annually”
Read 2026-09-14 · official pricing
When these numbers change, hear about it. Sources are re-checked monthly; a repricing goes out as a short note.
Documented by only one.
These criteria are published by one provider and not the other. An absence here means we have not found a source, not that the feature is missing.
Questions this comparison answers.
Entry paid plan: Hasura or DreamFactory?
Hasura: DDN Base starts at $5 per active model per month — a per-model rate rather than a plan fee, so no magnitude is recorded. Hosting third-party and code connectors is separate, at $0.075/vCPU-hour and $0.0075/GiB-hour.
DreamFactory: $1,500/month for DF Linux Lite, billed annually — no monthly-billing rate is published. It includes a single connector of your choice and unlimited roles, keys, API creation and API requests.
Should I choose Hasura or DreamFactory?
Pick Hasura if Putting one GraphQL API over several data sources at once when the free tier's terms matter more than the paid one's: unlimited models at any scale, no cap on API requests or concurrent users, and self-hosting with the v3 engine, all at $0.
Pick DreamFactory if Generating REST APIs across a mixed estate — databases, file stores, SaaS and SOAP — behind one contract, self-hosted, with role-based access control and API key management included from the entry paid tier.