Top 11 Fivetran Competitors & Alternatives (Free & Paid)

If you are a Fivetran user, you may have struggled with complex configurations, skyrocketing prices, or limited scalability. You are not alone. Several users have reported inadequacies in support, rigid integrations, and a lack of transparency in pricing. These limitations have pushed various users to look for better Fivetran alternatives that provide value for their money.

In this post, we will walk you through why you should consider Fivetran Competitors and present the 11 best options to help you choose the best fit for your data integration needs. 

Our reviews are based on in‑depth research, real user feedback, and firsthand experience, so you can make an informed decision that best suits your business needs.

How Have We Curated This List? We’ve compiled this list by combining real user reviews on trusted sites like G2 and Capterra with detailed assessments of key features, pricing, scalability, etc. Our goal was to find solutions that not only address common challenges faced by Fivetran users but also deliver a user-friendly experience without compromising on performance.

Quick Summary of Fivetran Alternatives

Here is a quick overview of the alternatives to Fivetran, including the features they possess, so you can make an informed decision.

Tool	No. of Connectors	Type of Data Processing	Ease of Use	Pricing
Hevo Data	150+	ETL/ELT	Fully managed, no-code interface, easy setup	Affordable, tier-based pricing, starting from $239/month
Airflow	Varies	ETL/ELT	Open-source, requires Python knowledge, flexible but complex	Free (self‑managed)
Airbyte	350+	ELT	Intuitive interface but requires technical knowledge.	Free (self‑hosted) / Managed plans
IBM DataStage	80+	ETL	Enterprise-focused, requires technical expertise	Tiered pricing options
Meltano	550+	ELT	Open-source, code-first approach, requires some technical knowledge	Free with custom support options
Rivery	200+	ELT	Serverless, no-code environment, user-friendly	Credits‑based pricing
Talend (Qlik)	100+	ETL	Comprehensive interface requires some technical knowledge	Custom pricing
AWS Glue	20+	ETL	Serverless, integrated with AWS services, requires AWS familiarity	Region‑based and job‑based pricing.
Matillion	150+	ELT	GUI-based, user-friendly for data transformation	Expensive, Based on credits.
Stitch	140+	ETL	Simple setup, best for common data sources, limited customization	From $100/month
Skyvia	200+	ETL/ELT	Fully managed, easy setup, easily connect multiple connectors.	Multiple tiers from Free to Enterprise.

What is Fivetran?

Fivetran is a popular cloud-based ELT (Extract, Load, Transform) service that automates the movement of data from various sources into a central data warehouse. It is known for its extensive library of pre-built connectors and its fully managed, zero-maintenance architecture, which simplifies the data ingestion process for many businesses.

The platform aims to make data accessible for analytics without requiring extensive engineering resources for pipeline development and maintenance. Fivetran extracts data from applications, databases, and files, loads it into a destination, and then allows transformations to be run post-load using tools like dbt Core.

Why Are People Moving Away From Fivetran?

While Fivetran offers convenience, several recurring concerns drive users to seek alternatives. These limitations often become more pronounced as data volumes and complexity grow.

1. Connector Reusability

While Fivetran aims for simplicity, users sometimes find that customizing connectors or handling non-standard data schemas can become unexpectedly complex, requiring workarounds.

2. Skyrocketing and Opaque Pricing

Fivetran’s pricing, primarily based on Monthly Active Rows (MAR), can become very expensive and unpredictable, especially for businesses with high data volumes or fluctuating usage patterns. This lack of cost control is a major pain point.

3. Limited Scalability and Performance Bottlenecks

For huge datasets or high-frequency updates, some users report performance issues or find that the platform doesn’t scale as cost-effectively as they’d hoped, leading to slower sync times or higher costs.

4. Inadequate Support for Complex Issues

While basic support is available, resolving more complex technical issues or getting timely, in-depth assistance can be challenging, leading to frustration and delays in critical data operations.

5. Rigid Integrations and Limited Customization

Fivetran’s pre-built connectors, while numerous, can be rigid. Users find themselves constrained if a specific data source isn’t supported or if custom extraction logic is needed. The “load then transform” model also limits pre-load data manipulation.

11 Fivetran Alternatives For Better Data Integration Needs

Our research, combining user reviews from G2 and Capterra with detailed assessments of features, pricing, and scalability, has led to this curated list of solutions addressing common Fivetran challenges.

1. Hevo Data

G2 Rating: 4.4(259)
Capterra Rating: 4.7(100)

Hevo Data offers a comprehensive, no-code ELT platform designed to streamline your entire data pipeline from source to analysis-ready insights. For years, Hevo has empowered users to effortlessly stream data from over 150 sources, providing robust in-flight transformations. 

Hevo is a multi-tenant platform hosted on AWS and is designed to handle billions of records. Furthermore, Hevo offers two data transformation options: drag-and-drop transformations and Python code-based transformations, which offer users flexibility based on choice. Hevo is a very easy-to-use platform and does not require any technical expertise.

Choose Hevo for its blend of ease of use, robust performance, extensive connector library (with the option to request new ones), and transparent, affordable pricing.

Key Features

• No-Code Interface: User-friendly, drag-and-drop setup for fast pipeline creation.
• Auto Schema Management: Handles evolving source schemas automatically, reducing maintenance.
• Seamless Integration with dbt Core: Create, test, and run dbt models directly on Hevo’s platform, leveraging dbt Core’s full capabilities like version control and modular SQL, while potentially avoiding the licensing fees associated with dbt Cloud.
• Pre and Post-Load Transformations: Offers flexibility to clean, enrich, and transform data both before and after loading, using Python or dbt.
• Transparent and Competitive Pricing: Clear, event-based pricing that is often more predictable and affordable than MAR.

Customer Review

Ebury, previously a Fivetran user, switched to Hevo for better support, enhanced reliability, and attractive pricing. Juan Ramos, Analytics Engineer at Ebury, stated:
“With Hevo, our data is more reliable as it is compared to Fivetran at a way better price. Hevo allows us to build complex pipelines with ease. After factoring in the excellent customer service and reverse ETL functionality, it is undoubtedly the best solution available in the market.”

Pros

• User-friendly drag-and-drop interface simplifies pipeline setup.
• Transparent and affordable pricing, offering better cost predictability.
• Dedicated 24/7 customer support and extensive documentation.

Cons

• Lacks on-premise hosting options (cloud-based only).
• Fewer connectors than Fivetran, but new ones can be requested and are frequently added.
• Primarily focused on data integration; advanced orchestration might require other tools.

Why Choose Hevo Data over Fivetran?

Hevo Data offers a more cost-effective and user-friendly solution, especially for teams seeking flexibility with pre-load transformations and predictable pricing. Its emphasis on no-code operations and strong customer support provides a smoother experience, particularly for businesses looking to reduce engineering overhead and avoid Fivetran’s MAR-based cost escalations. The inclusion of Reverse ETL capabilities also adds significant value.

For a more detailed comparison, check out our blog on Hevo vs Fivetran.

Pricing

• Free Plan: Supports up to 1M events per month for 5 users per team
• Starter Pack: Starting at 299$ per month with up to 50M monthly events with SSH/SSL encryption connection.
• Professional Pack: This pack starts at $679 monthly and includes up to 100M monthly events, reverse SSH, and unlimited users.
• Business Critical: If you want to transfer for more than 100M monthly events, you can contact our sales team for a custom quote.

Resources

Documentation | Pricing | Connectors

2. Airbyte

G2 Rating: 4.5(47)
Capterra Rating: NA

Airbyte is an open-source data integration platform for ELT, offering extensive customization through its vast connector library. It uses Debezium as an embedded library to capture and monitor changes in your database. Airbyte also provides AI-assisted functionality, which reads through your API documentation and autofills the configuration fields while setting up the CDC pipeline.

One of the unique features of Airbyte is the ability to build custom connectors using their Connector Development Kit (CDK), in addition to the 550+ pre-built connectors that Airbyte provides. Currently, Airbyte supports log-based CDC from Postgres, MySQL, and Microsoft SQL Server to any destination, such as BigQuery or Snowflake.

So, if you are an open-source enthusiast looking for an AI-supported CDC tool with excellent community support, then Airbyte is your go-to platform.

Key Features

• Deployment Options: Self-hosted (free) or managed cloud service.
• Integration with dbt: Supports in-warehouse transformations.
• Flexibility to Develop Python CDC Pipelines: Through PyAirbyte, Airbyte’s open-source Python library, users can develop and manage CDC pipelines in Python.
• Structured and Unstructured Sources: Airbyte supports both structured and unstructured data sources, as well as vector database destinations, making it an ideal solution for AI use cases.
• Self-Managed Enterprise Features: The self-managed enterprise edition of Airbyte provides the capabilities to gain complete control over your sensitive information with features like role-based access control.
• Metadata Tracking: Automatically tracks change metadata (e.g., ab_cdc* columns) to maintain data lineage and facilitate accurate updates.

Customer Review

“The best thing about Airbyte is easy transferring of data. There are lots of sources and destinations where we can transfer the data between different types of databases. We can perform transformations through dbt for data visualization and analytics. And one more thing—we can create our own connectors to transfer data between the databases.” — Mahesh B., Data Scientist, Mid-Market

Pros

• Cost-effective due to its open-source core and free self-hosted option.
• Highly customizable, allowing development of new connectors or modification of existing ones.
• Eliminates vendor lock-in.
• Active community support and a growing list of integrations.

Cons

• Steep learning curve, requiring technical expertise (especially for self-hosting).
• Maintenance overhead for self-hosted deployments.
• Cloud offerings can become expensive based on credit usage.

Why Choose Airbyte over Fivetran?

Airbyte is a better alternative for highly technical teams seeking maximum control, customization, and cost savings through open-source, self-hosted solutions. Unlike Fivetran’s more “black-box” approach, Airbyte allows deep modification and extension, ideal for unique or rapidly evolving data source requirements.

For a more detailed comparison, check out Fivetran vs Airbyte

Pricing

• Open Source Edition: Free (self-hosted) with community support.
• Cloud Edition: $2.50 per credit (credits consumed based on data volume and sync frequency).
• Enterprise Edition: Custom pricing for large enterprises needing advanced features and support.

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3. Rivery

G2 Rating: 4.7(113)
Capterra Rating: 5.0(12)

Rivery is a SaaS ELT platform offering data integration, transformation, activation, and orchestration capabilities. Rivery also offers reverse ETL, which allows you to sync data from data warehouses to operational systems.

Rivery has pre-built data solution kits that can be used to easily build end-to-end pipelines and data models, without figuring out the technical requirements behind them. For data engineers, Rivery also provides CLI or API to manage, execute, edit, and deploy the data pipelines. Rivery’s acquisition by Boomi is expected to bring the best of iPaaS and AI orchestration, along with data integration and data movement.

If you are looking for an all-in-one solution with multiple features, less coding, and reverse ETL, then Rivery is a good contender.

Key Features

• Centralized Reporting and Logging: A unified dashboard for your entire data flow.
• Workflow Orchestration: Built-in tools to manage complex data flow dependencies.
• Data Transformation: Native transformation capabilities and Python scripting.
• Monitoring & Alerts: Create alerts that automatically help key stakeholders identify and control any issues.

Customer Review

“Rivery is an incredibly user-friendly platform that stands out for its stability and exceptional customer service. Not one day goes by without us using Rivery—it’s been a massive time-saver, significantly boosting productivity for me and my team. What makes it perfect for analysts like us is the full ownership and autonomy it offers over our pipelines and processes, empowering us to manage our data with confidence and efficiency.” — Inbal R., Product Analytics Team Lead, Mid-Market

Read the full review on G2

Pros

• Highly customizable with strong data transformation and orchestration features.
• Built-in version control allowing you to revert changes with a click.
• Separate walled environments for each stage of development.

Cons

• Credit-based pricing can be less transparent or predictable for new users.
• Initial setup for complex workflows might take more time.
• May lack some niche connectors available in larger ecosystems.

Why Choose Rivery over Fivetran?

Rivery excels where Fivetran is more limited in native transformations and orchestration. It offers a more integrated solution for managing the entire data lifecycle, from ingestion to complex transformations and workflow management, making it suitable for organizations
wanting more than just EL.

For a more detailed comparison, check out Fivetran vs Rivery

Pricing

• Starter: $0.75 per credit.
• Professional: $1.20 per credit (volume discounts may apply).
• Enterprise: Custom pricing tailored to specific needs.

4. Talend

G2 Rating: 4.0(65)
Capterra Rating: 4.6(14)

Talend is a data integration and management platform, with its Talend Data Fabric product suite offering an end-to-end solution. It aims to unify data integration, data quality, and data governance within a single, low-code environment. Talend can handle batch and real-time data streams, generating executable code under the hood.

What distinguishes Talend is its commitment to open-source roots, with Talend Open Studio being a well-known entry point, combined with enterprise-grade features in its commercial offerings. Its ability to generate code from visual designs allows for customization and extensibility.

Talend is suitable for organizations seeking an end-to-end data management solution that spans various deployment models, such as cloud, multi-cloud, hybrid, or on-premises. Data engineers and ETL developers who appreciate a visual development environment but also need the option to delve into generated code or leverage its extensive component library will find Talend versatile.

Key Features

• Flexible Deployment: On-premises, cloud, multi-cloud, or hybrid options.
• Visual Transformation Studio (Talend Studio): Talend Studio provides a graphical, drag-and-drop interface where developers design data integration “jobs” by connecting a vast library of pre-built components.
• Integrated Data Quality Management: A key strength is the tight integration of data quality tools directly within transformation workflows.
• Code Generation and Extensibility: While primarily visual, Talend generates underlying Java or Spark code that can be inspected, customized, or extended by developers needing to implement highly specific logic or integrate custom routines.

Customer Review

“It has a wide range of applications and palettes to connect to various data sources, and we can connect and transform the data with ease. The jobs are easy to design.” — Kingston Joseph, Associate, Enterprise

Read the full review on G2

Pros

• End-to-end solution for complex, enterprise-wide data needs.
• Strong data governance, quality, and compliance features.
• Versatile deployment options catering to various infrastructures.

Cons

• Steep learning curve and may require dedicated IT resources.
• Pricing can be high, making it less suitable for smaller organizations.
• The interface can feel complex compared to newer, more streamlined tools.

Why Choose Talend over Fivetran?

Talend is a better alternative for large enterprises needing a comprehensive data management suite that goes beyond simple ELT. Its strengths in data quality, governance, and support for complex, hybrid environments offer capabilities Fivetran doesn’t natively provide.

Pricing

Talend offers several plans (Stitch Data Loader, Talend Cloud Data Integration, etc.) with custom pricing. Contact sales for details.

5. AWS Glue

G2 Rating: 4.2(189)
Capterra Rating: 4.0(9)

AWS Glue is a fully managed ETL service by Amazon that is deeply integrated within the AWS ecosystem. It’s best for organizations heavily invested in AWS, looking for a serverless solution to prepare and load data for analytics.

Glue helps users discover, prepare, move, and integrate data from various sources using a data catalog, visual ETL job authoring, and schedulers. It’s designed for data lakes and data warehouses on AWS.

Choose AWS Glue for its seamless integration with other AWS services (S3, Redshift, RDS), serverless architecture, and pay-as-you-go pricing model, which can be cost-effective for AWS-centric workloads.

Key Features

• Serverless ETL: No infrastructure to manage; scales automatically.
• AWS Ecosystem Integration: Connects natively with S3, Redshift, RDS, etc.
• Data Catalog: Central metadata repository for discovered data.
• Visual and Code-Based Job Authoring: Supports Python and Scala for custom ETL logic.

Customer Review

“AWS Glue integrates very well with AWS services which are now widely being used by almost every company. Since it’s an AWS-native tool, it easily integrates with others like S3 and Redshift.” — Sonali A., Senior Data Engineer, Enterprise

Read the full review on G2

Pros

Pricing

Pay-as-you-go, based on Data Processing Units (DPUs) per hour, data catalog storage, and crawlers. Varies by region and job type.

6. Matillion

G2 Rating: 4.4(77)
Capterra Rating: 4.3(111)

Matillion is a cloud-native ELT platform designed to transform data within cloud data warehouses for speed and ease of use. It’s best for enterprises leveraging cloud data warehouses like Snowflake, Redshift, BigQuery, or Databricks, and needing powerful visual transformation capabilities.

It helps data teams load and transform data efficiently using a drag-and-drop interface, accelerating the development of data pipelines. It also supports SQL and Python for custom logic.

Choose Matillion for its intuitive visual pipeline designer and strong focus on in-warehouse transformations, making it highly performant for cloud-based analytics.

Key Features

• Visual ELT Designer: Intuitive drag-and-drop interface for building pipelines.
• Cloud Data Warehouse Optimization: Deep integrations with Snowflake, Redshift, BigQuery, etc.
• Push-Down ELT: Leverages the power of the target data warehouse for transformations.
• Automation and Scheduling: Built-in features for workflow automation.
• Job Designer & SQL Generation: Matillion offers a drag-and-drop interface for building transformation jobs. Users connect components representing various data operations, and Matillion automatically generates the underlying SQL optimized for the target cloud data warehouse.
• SQL and Python Scripting for Extensibility: For custom logic or operations not covered by standard components, Matillion allows users to embed custom SQL scripts directly into workflows via its “SQL Script” component.
• Version Control and Collaboration: Integrates with Git for version control of transformation jobs, enabling team collaboration, change tracking, and rollback

Customer Review

“What I like best about Matillion is its seamless integration with major cloud platforms like AWS, GCP, and Azure. This is a very user-friendly platform for ETL. Its visual interface makes complex workflows look easier. It offers great scalability, making it suitable for big and small scale users. It helps to reduce the complexity of the ETL process with its no-code working ability.” — Nikhil L., Data Engineer, Enterprise

Pros

• Optimized for fast data loading and complex transformations within cloud data warehouses.
• Intuitive visual designer allows for low-code/no-code pipeline development.
• Strong integrations with major cloud data platforms.

Cons

• Pricing based on credits can become expensive and less transparent at scale.
• Some advanced transformations may still require SQL or Python knowledge.
• Can be less flexible for data sources outside its core integrations.

Why Choose Matillion over Fivetran?

Matillion offers a more visually driven and powerful approach to data transformation directly within cloud data warehouses compared to Fivetran’s post-load transformation model (often relying on dbt). This can be advantageous for teams wanting more control and performance for complex transformations.

You can also check out our in-depth review of Fivetran vs Matillion for a more detailed comparison.

Pricing

• Credits-based pricing.
• Basic: Starting at $2.00/credit.
• Advanced: $2.50/credit.
• Enterprise: $2.70/credit.
• (Credits are consumed based on virtual core (vCore) usage per hour).

7. Airflow

G2 Rating: 4.3(86)
Capterra Rating: 4.6(10)

Apache Airflow is an open-source platform to programmatically author, schedule, and monitor workflows. It’s best for organizations with strong engineering teams that need a highly customizable and powerful tool for orchestrating complex data pipelines and ETL/ELT processes.

Airflow helps users define workflows as Directed Acyclic Graphs (DAGs) using Python, offering immense flexibility. It’s not an ETL tool itself but an orchestrator that can manage ETL tasks.

Choose Airflow for its unparalleled flexibility in defining intricate workflows, its extensive community support, and its ability to integrate with virtually any system through custom operators.

Key Features

• Programmatic Workflow Authoring: Define complex pipelines using Python.
• Extensible Framework: Large number of community-developed operators and plugins.
• Scalable and Distributed: Can handle a large number of concurrent tasks.
• Rich UI for Monitoring: Visualize DAGs, monitor progress, and manage tasks.

Customer Review

“The best thing about Apache Airflow is that it provides integration with various services like BigQuery, AWS, GCP, etc. Plus, it is available as a service in all cloud providers, which provides a seamless experience. The user experience is perfect.” — Ashutosh R., Data Engineer III, Enterprise

Read the full review on G2

Pros

• Extremely flexible and customizable, ideal for complex, multi-step workflows.
• Free and open-source with a large, active support community.
• Integrates with a vast array of data systems and tools.

Cons

• Steep learning curve; requires strong Python and DevOps knowledge.
• Not a plug-and-play tool; self-hosting incurs infrastructure and maintenance costs.
• Primarily an orchestrator; data movement and transformation logic often handled by other tools it triggers.

Why Choose Airflow over Fivetran?

Airflow is a better choice when complex workflow orchestration, rather than just data ingestion, is the primary need. If your team requires programmatic control over intricate dependencies, retry logic, and custom task execution that Fivetran’s simpler model doesn’t offer, Airflow provides the necessary power and flexibility.

For a more detailed comparison, check out Fivetran vs Airflow.

Pricing

Free and open-source. Costs are associated with self-hosting infrastructure or managed Airflow services (e.g., AWS MWAA, Google Cloud Composer).

8. Stitch

G2 Rating: 4.4(68)
Capterra Rating: 4.3(4)

Stitch (acquired by Talend) is a cloud-first ETL service focused on simplicity and ease of use for developers and data teams. It’s best for startups and smaller teams needing a straightforward way to replicate data from common SaaS applications and databases into a data warehouse. Stitch helps by providing a simple interface to quickly set up data pipelines for popular sources, emphasizing ease of onboarding and minimal maintenance for basic ELT tasks.

Along with its simplicity, one of the compelling features of Stitch is its strong data compliance. Stitch’s data source integrations use the minimum permissions that allow read access to necessary data, and can be configured by users to replicate only a subset of available data.

Stitch is favored by engineering teams needing more control, flexibility, and open-source options. Choose Stitch for its transparent pricing, quick setup for familiar data sources, and its focus on core data replication, making it an accessible Fivetran alternative for less complex needs.

Key Features

• Lightweight ETL: Focuses on extract-and-load; no built-in transformations, but you can customize via Singer taps if desired.
• Open-Source Friendly: Integration with Singer and other open tools allows advanced users to extend functionality.
• Scheduled Syncing: Set frequencies (hourly, daily) and let Stitch keep your data up-to-date without manual interventions.
• Developer-Focused: Provides robust APIs and extensibility through Singer taps.
• SOC 2 Certified: Ensures data security and compliance.
• Comprehensive documentation: The Stitch team provides very detailed documentation of their product, and they release every change log on time.

Customer Review

“The Stitch team brings a rare combination of technical expertise and strategic marketing knowledge. Their ability to translate business goals into actionable Braze campaigns—while ensuring smooth execution—has been invaluable. They’re proactive, responsive, and always willing to go the extra mile to make sure our campaigns perform at their best.” — Troy V., Sr Manager, CRM Data & Solutions, Enterprise

Read the full review on G2

Pros

• Simple interface and very quick onboarding process.
• Transparent and relatively affordable pricing for lower data volumes.
• Good for common SaaS sources and databases.

Cons

• Limited number of connectors compared to Fivetran or Hevo.
• Customer support has received mixed reviews, especially for complex issues.
• Less suitable for high data volumes or complex transformation needs.

Why Choose Stitch over Fivetran?

Stitch can be a more cost-effective and simpler alternative to Fivetran for startups or teams with basic data replication needs from standard sources. If Fivetran’s MAR pricing is prohibitive and advanced features are not required, Stitch offers a more straightforward, budget-friendly option.

Check out this blog on Fivetran vs Stitch for a more detailed comparison.

Pricing

• Standard: Starts at $100/month (for up to 5M rows/month).
• Advanced: Starts at $1,250/month (for up to 100M rows/month).
• Premium: Starts at $2,500/month (for up to 1B rows/month).

9. IBM DataStage

G2 Rating: 4.0(69)
Capterra Rating: 4.5(2)

IBM DataStage is an enterprise-grade ETL tool designed for complex data integration, transformation, and governance across various environments. It’s best for large organizations with significant investments in IBM technologies or those requiring robust, scalable ETL for on-premises, hybrid, or cloud data.

One of the significant features of DataStage is its Parallel Engine and automated load balancing. DataStage helps manage large-scale data processing with parallel processing capabilities and advanced data quality features. It’s part of the IBM Cloud Pak for Data.

If you’re an enterprise looking for a solution with a powerful parallel engine, extensive connectivity options (including mainframes), and robust data governance features for handling demanding enterprise workloads, IBM DataStage is a strong choice.

Key Features

• IBM DataStage Flow Designer: Increase developer productivity with machine learning-assisted design in a user-friendly interface, helping cut development costs.
• Automated failure detection: DataStage claims to reduce infrastructure management effort by 65%-85 %.
• Broad Connectivity: Supports a wide range of sources, including legacy systems.
• Data Governance Integration: Connects with IBM Watson Knowledge Catalog for metadata and lineage.
• Hybrid Deployment: Runs on-premises or in cloud environments.

Customer Review

“We use InfoSphere DataStage for ETL in our organisation, and as DataStage can easily handle large data (TBs), we can transform our data easily. It’s easier to design our jobs in DataStage and to run them.” — Kapil K., Graduate Data Engineer, Mid-Market

Read the full review on G2

Pros

• Effectively handles complex transformations and very large data volumes.
• In-flight data quality maintenance.
• Automated delivery pipelines for production.
• Enterprise-level performance due to its parallel processing architecture.

Cons

• Steep learning curve and a less intuitive user interface for beginners.
• It can be expensive, particularly for smaller businesses.
• Primarily an ETL tool; ELT patterns are less native.

Why Choose IBM DataStage over Fivetran?

BM DataStage is a superior alternative for large enterprises needing powerful, scalable ETL with robust transformation capabilities, especially when dealing with legacy systems or requiring deep data governance integrated with other IBM tools. Fivetran is simpler but less powerful for complex, high-volume transformations.

Pricing

Offers various editions (Lite, Standard, Enterprise Bundles) with pricing based on Capacity Unit-Hours or instance costs. Often involves custom quotes.

• Lite: Free plan (limited capacity).
• Standard: Starts around $1.828/Capacity Unit-Hour.
• Enterprise Bundles: Start from $8260/Instance.

10. Meltano

G2 Rating: 4.9(7)
Capterra Rating: NA

Meltano is an open-source DataOps platform built around Singer taps and targets, offering a code-first, declarative approach to data integration. It’s best for developer-driven organizations that want full control over their data pipelines and prefer managing configurations in Git (DataOps).

Meltano helps teams build, run, and orchestrate ELT pipelines using existing Singer connectors or by developing custom ones. It emphasizes version control, CI/CD, and a CLI-centric workflow.

Choose Meltano for its open-source flexibility, adherence to DataOps principles, and ability to leverage the extensive Singer connector ecosystem, giving developers fine-grained control.

Key Features

• Code-First & Declarative: Define pipelines in YAML, manage in Git.
• Singer Ecosystem: Utilizes Singer taps (extractors) and targets (loaders).
• DataOps Focused: Integrates well with CI/CD and DevOps workflows.
• CLI and UI Options: Manage pipelines via command line or a basic UI.

Customer Review

“I’ve been moving over 1TB/day with Meltano for over a year now at a negligible cost; the next best alternative would’ve cost over a million or at least one FTE data engineer. It saves us at least $1M/year and makes my job easy.” — Quinn B., Machine Learning Engineer, Mid-Market

Read the full review on G2

Pros

• Free and open-source, offering significant cost savings.
• Full pipeline control and customization through code.
• Strong integration with DevOps practices (Git, CI/CD).

Cons

• Steeper learning curve, primarily aimed at developers comfortable with CLI and code.
• Being a younger tool, documentation and some features may still be evolving.
• Reliance on community-maintained Singer taps can mean variable connector quality.

Why Choose Meltano over Fivetran?

Meltano is a better Fivetran alternative for engineering teams prioritizing a DataOps approach, complete pipeline control via code, and leveraging the open-source Singer ecosystem. It offers a level of customization and integration into developer workflows that Fivetran’s managed service doesn’t.

Pricing

Free and open-source for self-deployment. Custom support packages are available.

11. Skyvia

G2 Rating: 4.8(242)

Skyvia is a cloud-based data platform offering no-code data integration, backup, management, and access solutions. It’s best for small to medium-sized businesses (SMBs) and users with limited technical expertise who need an intuitive, wizard-driven tool for common data tasks.

Skyvia helps connect various cloud applications and databases, automate data replication and synchronization, and perform ETL/ELT operations through a visual interface.

Choose Skyvia for its ease of use, affordable pricing (including a free tier), and broad range of functionalities beyond just integration, making it a versatile tool for SMBs.

Key Features

• No-Code Wizard Interface: Simplifies pipeline creation for non-technical users.
• Versatile Data Operations: Supports integration, backup, and data management.
• Bi-Directional Sync: Can synchronize data between different applications.
• Pre-Load Transformations: Allows data cleaning and transformation before loading.

Customer Review

“The platform is intuitive and easy to set up, and it performs reliably for scheduled data jobs and bulk operations. The support team is responsive and genuinely helpful, making issue resolution quick and painless.” — Juan V., System Administrator, Small Business

Read the full review on G2

Pros

• Very easy to use, even for users with limited technical skills.
• Affordable pricing plans, including a functional free tier.
• Offers data transformation capabilities before loading, unlike Fivetran’s ELT model.

Cons

• Limited scalability for very large enterprise data volumes.
• Fewer connectors compared to more established enterprise tools.
• Customization options may be restricted for highly complex scenarios.

Pricing

Offers multiple tiers:

• Free: Limited features and data volumes.
• Basic: $15/month (billed annually).
• Standard: $79/month (billed annually).
• Professional: $399/month (billed annually).
• Enterprise: Custom pricing.

Factors to Consider in Choosing a Fivetran Alternative

When exploring alternatives to Fivetran, it’s essential to evaluate key factors to ensure the new solution aligns with your business needs. Here are some critical aspects to consider:

Security & Compliance

Check for compliance with industry standards like GDPR, HIPAA, and SOC 2, especially if handling sensitive data. Ensure robust data encryption both in transit and at rest.

Pricing Structure

Compare cost models, significantly if your data volume is growing. Look for transparent pricing that scales efficiently.

Connector Availability

Compare cost models (e.g., event-based, row-based, compute-based, flat fee). Look for transparent pricing that scales efficiently with your data volume and usage patterns to avoid unexpected costs.

Data Transformation Capabilities

Ensure the alternative supports all your critical data sources and destinations. Assess the ease of requesting new connectors or building custom ones if needed.

Ease of Use & Maintenance

Consider the user-friendliness of the platform, the technical expertise required for setup and ongoing management, and the quality of documentation.

Scalability & Performance

 Ensure that the selected tool can efficiently handle your current and future data workloads, including data volume, velocity, and complexity, without performance degradation.

Support & Community

Evaluate the responsiveness and quality of customer support (e.g., chat, email, phone, SLAs). For open-source tools, consider the strength and activity of the community.

Real-Time Processing

If you need real-time or near-real-time data updates (e.g., for operational analytics or streaming data), verify whether the tool supports these capabilities effectively.

Conclusion

Choosing the right ETL/ELT tool can be challenging, but we hope this comparison has made it easier for you. Each tool has its strengths and weaknesses, so consider your specific needs, such as data volume, technical expertise, transformation requirements, and budget, when deciding.
For example, if you’re looking for a user-friendly, flexible, and robust data integration platform with transparent pricing and strong support, Hevo Data stands out as an excellent choice. Many users find it to be a compelling Fivetran alternative due to its balance of power and simplicity.
We encourage you to sign up for free trials of your top contenders to experience their capabilities firsthand. 

For Hevo Data, you can Sign up for a 14-day free trial and experience Hevo’s feature-rich suit to see why it could be a better choice than Fivetran for your needs.

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