Side by side
Bonobo vs Ibis
Both stand on data transformation tools. Which one you can start free with, which one lets you read the code, and what each costs once you pay.
Free plan LinuxMacSelf-hosted+1
Bonobo offers Python-based pipeline construction with graph execution, built-in format support, and extensions for SQL and Docker. Its documented small-scale focus and alpha status matter when considering it for a project.
Visit Bonobo Free plan APILinuxMac+2
Ibis offers a portable dataframe interface and a local-to-remote workflow, with backend coverage that varies. Check the required operations for your chosen backend and avoid installing the separate ibis package alongside ibis-framework.
Visit IbisThe facts
| Bonobo | Ibis | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | Not published | Not published |
| Runs on | Linux, Mac, Self-hosted, Windows | API, Linux, Mac, Self-hosted, Windows |
| Lowest paid plan | Free or on request | Free or on request |
| Plans published | 1 | 1 |
| Maker | Not published | Not published |
| Website | bonobo-project.org | ibis-project.org |
| On data transformation tools | #5 of 37 | #9 of 37 |
Bonobo: what it does well
- Graph nodes process independent rows in parallel.
- Built-in extractors and writers include CSV and JSON.
- SQL database support is available through SQLAlchemy.
- Notebook status appears in an HTML widget.
What to know first
- Documentation describes it as intended for small-scale data.
- The release is alpha, and APIs may change.
- The Docker extension cannot run inside a Docker container.
Ibis: what it does well
- One API supports more than 20 backends
- DuckDB is the default for local dataframes
- Move from local to remote by changing one code line
- Combines SQL with Python dataframe code
- Install with pip, conda, mamba or pixi
What to know first
- Full API coverage varies by backend
- Named cloud backends may shift to best-effort support
- The separate PyPI ibis package conflicts with ibis-framework