> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.elementary-data.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Elementary OSS vs. Elementary Cloud

Elementary comes in two offerings: an open-source package you host yourself, and a fully managed cloud platform. Which one fits depends on your goals, scale, and team setup.

 **Elementary OSS**

A self-maintained, open-source CLI for teams running dbt. It requires a dbt project, and integrates with it through the Elementary dbt package. It covers a single dbt project with dbt test results, table-level lineage, test coverage, and basic alerting, all through the self-hosted Elementary observability report.

 **Elementary Cloud**

A fully managed platform for data observability, quality, and governance, with no infrastructure to maintain. It connects directly to your data warehouse and does not require dbt, and covers your whole stack end to end - from ingestion through the warehouse and dbt to BI and AI consumption - across multiple projects, with column-level lineage, ML-powered detection, governance, and enterprise security built in.

On top of that, the Elementary AI Agent works in the background while you supervise, and helps you work at scale: it recommends tests, triages and resolves incidents, enriches governance metadata, and optimizes costly models and tests.

Through the MCP server, other agents, like analytics and code agents, get the same lineage, test results, and incidents, so they return more accurate results on trustworthy data.

> [!NOTE]
>
> No lock-in. Any dbt tests and configuration stay in your dbt project and code repository, and Cloud lets you manage tests and monitors from the UI or as code. OSS and Cloud share the same foundation, so you can move between them freely.

> [card] [Not sure which one fits?](https://meetings-eu1.hubspot.com/joost-boonzajer-flaes/intro-call-docs)
>
> If you're trying to decide what would work best, feel free to talk to the team.

Below is a detailed comparison between the OSS and Cloud features:

| Feature | **OSS** | **Cloud** |
| - | - | - |
| **Requirements** | <ul><li>A dbt project, with the [Elementary dbt package](https://docs.elementary-data.com/data-tests/dbt/quickstart-package.md) installed</li><li>Your own environment to host the CLI and the report</li></ul> | <ul><li>A [data warehouse connection](https://docs.elementary-data.com/cloud/integrations/elementary-integrations.md)</li><li>dbt is optional — connect a dbt project to also collect its models, tests, and run results</li></ul> |
| **AI agent & MCP** | <ul><li>No AI</li></ul> | <ul><li>The [Elementary AI Agent](https://docs.elementary-data.com/cloud/ai-agents/overview.md), which you put to work at scale while you supervise (AI Governance, AI Triage & Resolution, AI Test Coverage, AI Catalog, AI Performance & Cost)</li><li>[MCP server](https://docs.elementary-data.com/cloud/mcp/overview.md) for your own AI tools</li></ul> |
| **Coverage** | <ul><li>Single dbt project and its warehouse</li></ul> | <ul><li>Multiple projects, connected directly to your warehouse</li><li>End to end, from [ingestion](https://docs.elementary-data.com/cloud/integrations/pipeline/fivetran.md) (Fivetran, SAP, and more) through the warehouse and dbt to [BI](https://docs.elementary-data.com/cloud/features/data-lineage/exposures-lineage.md) and [AI consumption](https://docs.elementary-data.com/cloud/mcp/overview.md)</li></ul> |
| **Data lineage** | <ul><li>Table-level lineage</li></ul> | <ul><li>[Column-level lineage up to BI](https://docs.elementary-data.com/cloud/features/data-lineage/column-level-lineage.md)</li><li>[Downstream exposures](https://docs.elementary-data.com/cloud/features/data-lineage/exposures-lineage.md)</li></ul> |
| **Detection** | <ul><li>dbt tests and anomaly detection tests (freshness, volume)</li></ul> | <ul><li>[ML-powered anomaly detection](https://docs.elementary-data.com/cloud/features/anomaly-detection/monitors-overview.md)</li><li>[No-code cloud tests](https://docs.elementary-data.com/cloud/features/data-tests/cloud-tests-overview.md), including [data contracts](https://docs.elementary-data.com/cloud/features/data-tests/data-contract-test.md) and [custom SQL tests](https://docs.elementary-data.com/cloud/features/data-tests/custom-sql-tests.md)</li><li>[Schema validation](https://docs.elementary-data.com/cloud/features/data-tests/schema-validation-test.md)</li><li>Bulk add/edit for tests</li></ul> |
| **Test coverage** | <ul><li>Test results in the self-hosted report</li></ul> | <ul><li>[Test coverage screen](https://docs.elementary-data.com/cloud/features/data-tests/test-coverage-screen.md)</li><li>Automated coverage recommendations</li></ul> |
| **Triage & Response** | <ul><li>Basic Slack and Teams alerts</li></ul> | <ul><li>[Interactive alerts](https://docs.elementary-data.com/cloud/features/alerts-and-incidents/alerts-and-incidents-overview.md) and [alert rules](https://docs.elementary-data.com/cloud/features/alerts-and-incidents/alert-rules.md)</li><li>[Incident management](https://docs.elementary-data.com/cloud/features/alerts-and-incidents/incident-management.md)</li><li>[BI integrations](https://docs.elementary-data.com/cloud/integrations/bi/connect-bi-tool.md)</li><li>Test results history</li></ul> |
| **Performance & cost** | <ul><li>Model and test performance</li></ul> | <ul><li>[Task and test performance](https://docs.elementary-data.com/cloud/features/performance-monitoring/performance-monitoring.md)</li><li>[Performance alerts](https://docs.elementary-data.com/cloud/features/performance-monitoring/performance-alerts.md)</li><li>Continuous cost and performance monitoring</li></ul> |
| **Governance** | X | <ul><li>[Catalog](https://docs.elementary-data.com/cloud/features/collaboration-and-communication/catalog.md)</li><li>[Metadata in code and UI](https://docs.elementary-data.com/cloud/features/data-governance/manage-metadata.md)</li><li>[AI-generated descriptions](https://docs.elementary-data.com/cloud/features/data-governance/ai-descriptions.md)</li><li>[Critical assets](https://docs.elementary-data.com/cloud/features/data-governance/critical_assets.md)</li></ul> |
| **Enabling non-technical users** | X | <ul><li>[No-code test editor](https://docs.elementary-data.com/cloud/features/data-tests/cloud-tests-overview.md)</li><li>[Data health scores](https://docs.elementary-data.com/cloud/features/collaboration-and-communication/data-health.md)</li><li>[External catalog integrations](https://docs.elementary-data.com/cloud/integrations/governance/atlan.md)</li><li>Ticketing integrations ([Jira](https://docs.elementary-data.com/cloud/integrations/alerts/jira.md), [Linear](https://docs.elementary-data.com/cloud/integrations/alerts/linear.md), [ServiceNow](https://docs.elementary-data.com/cloud/integrations/alerts/servicenow.md))</li></ul> |
| **Security & privacy** | <ul><li>Fully self-hosted, your data and metadata stay in your environment</li></ul> | <ul><li>[RBAC](https://docs.elementary-data.com/cloud/features/roles-and-permissions.md) at account, environment, and asset level</li><li>SSO ([Okta](https://docs.elementary-data.com/cloud/integrations/security-and-connectivity/okta.md), [Microsoft Entra](https://docs.elementary-data.com/cloud/integrations/security-and-connectivity/ms-entra.md))</li><li>[Audit logs](https://docs.elementary-data.com/cloud/features/collaboration-and-communication/audit_logs/overview.md) and [PrivateLink](https://docs.elementary-data.com/cloud/integrations/security-and-connectivity/aws-privatelink-integration.md)</li><li>[SOC 2 Type II and HIPAA](https://docs.elementary-data.com/cloud/general/security-and-privacy.md) controls with customer-managed warehouse permissions</li></ul> |

### Frequently asked questions

> [accordion] What is the difference between Elementary OSS and Elementary Cloud?
>
> Elementary OSS is an open-source CLI and dbt package that you host yourself. It covers a single dbt project with dbt test results, table-level lineage, test coverage, and basic alerting. Elementary Cloud is a fully managed platform that adds ML-powered anomaly detection, column-level lineage up to BI, incident management, governance, enterprise security, and an AI agent you put to work at scale, across your whole stack, with no infrastructure to maintain.

> [accordion] Do I need dbt to use Elementary?
>
> For Elementary Cloud, no. You connect your data warehouse to get started, and Elementary monitors the databases and schemas you select. dbt is one popular integration, not a prerequisite — if you do use it, the Elementary dbt package adds automatic collection of your dbt test and run results on top.
>
> Elementary OSS does require dbt. It installs as a dbt package, and the CLI reads the schema that package creates in your warehouse.

> [accordion] Is Elementary OSS free?
>
> Yes. Elementary OSS is open source and free to use. You install the dbt package and CLI in your own environment and run the observability report yourself.

> [accordion] How do I get started with Elementary Cloud?
>
> [Talk to the team](https://meetings-eu1.hubspot.com/joost-boonzajer-flaes/intro-call-docs) and they'll help set up Elementary and open an account for you. If you're not sure whether OSS or Cloud fits your setup, they can help you decide too.

> [accordion] Does Elementary Cloud include everything in OSS?
>
> Yes. Cloud builds on the same open-source foundation and includes the OSS capabilities, then adds automated detection, lineage, governance, security, and an AI agent on top.

> [accordion] Can I move from Elementary OSS to Elementary Cloud?
>
> Yes. If you use dbt, Cloud uses the same Elementary dbt package, so moving from OSS to Cloud means connecting your existing dbt project rather than starting over. You can also connect your data warehouse directly. See the [dbt package quickstart](https://docs.elementary-data.com/data-tests/dbt/quickstart-package.md).

> [accordion] Does Elementary lock me into a vendor?
>
> No. Any dbt tests, monitors, and configuration stay in your dbt project and code repository, and Cloud lets you manage tests from the UI or as code. You keep full ownership and can move between OSS and Cloud freely.

> [accordion] Is Elementary Cloud secure, and does it access my data?
>
> Elementary Cloud is SOC 2 Type II certified and HIPAA compliant. It collects metadata, logs, and aggregated metrics only, with no read access to raw data in your warehouse. It supports [RBAC](https://docs.elementary-data.com/cloud/features/roles-and-permissions.md), SSO, audit logs, and [PrivateLink](https://docs.elementary-data.com/cloud/integrations/security-and-connectivity/aws-privatelink-integration.md). See [security and privacy](https://docs.elementary-data.com/cloud/general/security-and-privacy.md) for details.

> [accordion] Which one should I choose?
>
> Choose OSS for a free, self-hosted package on a single dbt project. Choose Cloud to cover multiple projects end to end with automated detection, governance, enterprise security, and an AI agent you supervise at scale, without managing infrastructure. Still unsure? [Talk to the team](https://meetings-eu1.hubspot.com/joost-boonzajer-flaes/intro-call-docs) and we'll help you decide.

### Want to know more?

> [card] [Want to know if it's what you need?](https://meetings-eu1.hubspot.com/joost-boonzajer-flaes/intro-call-docs)
>
> Book some time with our team.


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