dbt Semantic Layer vs Sema
dbt Semantic Layer
getdbt.comSema
semalayer.comSide by side
| Figure | dbt Semantic Layer | Sema |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $0.09/mo | $49/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hosted | — | Yes |
| Plans published | 5 | 4 |
| Spec score · Semantic Layer Software | 9.2 (#2) | 8.7 (#4) |
| Founded | 2016 | 2025 |
| Integrations | The product page says the Semantic Layer offers an API, the dbt MCP Server, and dozens of out-of-the-box integrations for BI, notebooks, spreadsheets, embedded analytics, and AI systems. | Sema describes its capabilities as MCP tools for use with Claude, Cursor, or an in-house agent, and supports OAuth2/OIDC identity providers including Okta, Entra, Auth0, and Google Workspace. |
| Licence | The dbt Semantic Layer service and APIs are proprietary cloud software; MetricFlow and dbt-semantic-interfaces are Apache 2.0 licensed. | The EULA grants a limited, non-exclusive internal-use subscription licence and prohibits copying, modification, redistribution and reverse engineering; it is not an open-source licence. |
| Support | The pricing page lists 24x5 support for Starter and priority support with SLAs for Enterprise. | The Pro plan includes email support, Business includes priority support, and Enterprise includes a named customer success manager. |
| What it does | The Semantic Layer centralizes metric definitions in dbt and generates queries with joins for downstream tools. | Sema is a governed semantic layer that connects databases, models business meaning and answers questions in plain English with audit evidence. |
Plans
dbt Semantic Layer
- DeveloperFree
- dbt State add-on$0.09 a month
- Starter$100 a month
- EnterprisePriced on request
- Enterprise+Priced on request
In their own words
dbt Semantic Layer
The dbt Semantic Layer centralizes metric definitions on dbt models and handles joins so downstream tools and applications can use metrics consistently. MetricFlow generates SQL at query time from semantic model and metric configurations. Teams define those models and metrics in YAML as version-controlled, lineage-aware code. MetricFlow can optimize joins, rewrite queries to reduce compute and latency, and cache repeated queries. The product offers an API, the dbt MCP Server and integrations for BI tools, notebooks, spreadsheets, embedded analytics and AI systems. GraphQL and JDBC APIs and a Python SDK provide ways to query metrics and dimensions; Claude and ChatGPT can connect to governed metrics through the MCP server. Documented warehouse platforms include Snowflake, BigQuery, Databricks and Redshift. Defining and querying metrics requires a dbt Starter or Enterprise-tier account, and single-tenant accounts need account-representative setup and enablement. Starter includes 5,000 queried metrics per month; Enterprise and Enterprise+ each include 20,000. Starter costs $100 a month per user. The free Developer plan does not list the Semantic Layer.
Sema
Sema is a semantic layer for enterprise AI that connects databases and answers business questions in plain English, with governance controls. It maps tables, joins, metrics, and business terms into a typed graph; verified inferred joins can be reused in later answers. It can ask clarifying questions, show the SQL and graph nodes behind an answer, and select a chart. Users can save and schedule reports for email delivery and set metric alerts for thresholds or deviations. Available connectors include PostgreSQL, MySQL, MariaDB, SQLite, and SQLAlchemy URIs; ClickHouse and Amazon Redshift are in beta, while SQL Server, Snowflake, BigQuery, Databricks, and dbt metadata are on the roadmap. Sema can run in a customer VPC or its own environment; self-hosting uses Kubernetes and Helm with customer-provided Postgres and object storage. The free Sandbox costs nothing and limits use to one connector, one user, 100 monthly chat queries, and five saved reports, without scheduled delivery or alerts. Pro costs $49 a month per user, with a three-seat minimum and a 14-day trial.