Fivetran vs Skyvia : ETL Comparison Guide 2025

Does missing metadata break your transformation logic?

You’re not alone. Having a comprehensive understanding of the operating infrastructure of Fivetran and Skyvia can help you bridge this performance gap and streamline ETL jobs.

While Fivetran is known for its extensive connector library and hands-off automation, Skyvia stands out with its bi-directional data sync, built-in transformation, and data management capabilities.

Users consider both tools as a go-to choice, but for distinct data integration requirements and data types.

This blog focuses on comparing Fivetran vs Skyvia across essential features, use cases, and customer reviews to help you determine which tool best fits your operational needs.

What Is Fivetran?

Fivetran is a cloud-native ETL platform that utilizes metadata-aware synchronization to manage the running Connector SDK connections on your scheduled frequency and organize the necessary compute resources.

Fivetran captures data from the source folder and syncs it as a unique table in the destination. It then detects modifications to the existing file and updates the corresponding table. The tool offloads transformation logic to the destination layer, making it easily scalable for BI teams that require production-grade pipelines.

Fivetran’s uniqueness lies in optimizing a set of fixed IP addresses to pull data from multiple sources and load it into your preferred destination. This design simplifies firewall configurations and enhances security for enterprise environments. Additionally, it supports encrypted data transfers over TLS and employs automatic retries and backoff strategies.

Key features of Fivetran

• Capture deletes: Fivetran captures deleted records whenever possible, either through direct signals from the source or by inferring them through change tracking mechanisms. In soft delete mode, it flags deleted rows in the destination and promotes reliable delete tracking.
• REST API: Fivetran provides a powerful REST API for managing connectors, destinations, users, and sync schedules programmatically. It enables seamless automation, CI/CD integration, and scalable deployment management across data workflows.
• File replication: Fivetran supports replication of certain unstructured files primarily via cloud object storage connectors, but handling of unstructured data formats is limited compared to structured data pipelines. Users should evaluate suitability based on specific file types and formats.

Fivetran has provided us with a no code solution to extracting data into our databases and data warehouses, and has hugely simplified our data architecture and improved security. We have been able to easily integrate new systems using their out of the box connectors, allowing us to focus on the data transformation process instead of building out and monitoring the data pipelines, and it has become an integral part of our day to day operations.

Verified User in Higher Education

Use cases:

• Accounting dashboards: Finance teams use Fivetran to continuously sync transactional data from tools like QuickBooks, Xero, and NetSuite. Rapid sync empowers real-time dashboards for revenue, accounts receivable, and spend analysis, reducing manual reporting.
• Custom integration: Fivetran’s Connector SDK allows teams to create tailored connectors for pulling data from proprietary databases or niche APIs, centralizing all operational data for analytics. This removes data silos and unlocks insights from multiple sources.
• SaaS migration: When migrating to the cloud, organizations use Fivetran to automate the replication of on-premise databases and cloud application data into platforms like Snowflake, BigQuery, or Redshift.

Limitations:

• Fivetran pricing becomes unpredictable with large data volumes.
• Lacks native connectors for proprietary systems, limiting out-of-the-box integration.
• The delta load strategy may struggle with high-volume sources.
• Doesn’t have responsive customer support.

Note: Check out Fivetran alternatives to get an idea of the features and pricing that other tools offer.

What Is Skyvia?

Skyvia is a versatile no-code ETL/ELT platform designed to schedule integrations to run automatically and facilitate bi-directional data pipeline sync. It supports external cloud apps and CSV files on local computers or cloud storage for importing different structures.

Skyvia connects to multiple data sources via their APIs and databases, allowing it to read metadata and represent it as relational tables. This abstraction supports a wide range of data-related tasks, including integration, backup, querying, connection management, and automation. IT teams can easily navigate these workflows using the wizard-based tools.

Skyvia’s standout feature is its agentless CDC tools, which leverage change tracking and modified columns to detect data changes without requiring software installation on the source system. The CDC infrastructure supports incremental replication for platforms like SQL Server and MySQL, enabling efficient and low-maintenance data syncs.

Key features of Skyvia:

• Data flow: You can build multi-source integration pipelines involving more than two data systems. It supports multi-stage transformations that extract data from one source, enrich it with another, and load the result into a third destination.
• Skyvia Connect: The Connect feature exposes databases as OData or SQL endpoints through a unified web API. It connects to diverse data sources via custom interfaces and allows endpoint configuration through a no-code, GUI-based editor.
• Import: Enables one-way data loading from various sources, such as cloud apps, databases, or CSV files, into a target cloud app or database. Advanced transformations are applied through mapping, making it easy to integrate data sources with differing structures.

Skyvia is excellent for cloud data integration! It makes managing data super easy with its simple and intuitive interface. No coding skills needed to automate backups, integrate cloud apps, or migrate data. The platform supports a ton of data sources. Plus, their competitive pricing model gives you great value without breaking the bank. Customer support is quick and helpful, making the whole experience smooth. Performance is solid and combining it with pricing makes it very attractive. Skyvia is definitely worth checking out. Highly recommend it.

Eugene S.

Software Engineer

Use cases:

• Self-service analytics: Business users query data across multiple cloud sources using SQL. Results can be exported or fed into BI tools like Looker Studio, Excel, or Google Sheets for real-time reporting.
• API publishing: With just a few clicks, users can publish APIs to provide secure, direct access to cloud or on-premises data. This facilitates data sharing across applications without exposing the underlying databases or writing custom backend code.
• Event-driven integrations: Through trigger-based automation, Skyvia can capture events, such as record creation or updates, and push changes downstream instantly, without relying on continuous polling.

Limitations:

• Limited connection support for external databases with IP-based access.
• Lacks an in-app notification facility for prompt error reporting.
• Not ideal for highly sophisticated integration needs.
• Available connectors serve limited use case scenarios.

Note: Check out our list of Skyvia alternatives to evaluate more optimal options.

Fivetran vs Skyvia vs Hevo: Detailed Comparison Table

Below is a table that comprehensively compares Hevo vs Fivetran vs Skyvia to help you analyze the top-notch ETL tools available in the market:

			Try Hevo for Free
Type	Fully-managed ELT platform	iPaaS ETL/ELT platform	No-code, fully managed ETL service
Interface	Web-based interface	Wizard-based UI	User-friendly, intuitive UI
Connectors	700+ connectors (450+ sources)	200+ pre-built connectors (DBs, DWHs)	150+ battle-tested connectors (SaaS, cloud storage, SQL)
API integration	REST APIs, Webhooks, SDK	API publishing	REST API and Webhook ingestion
Transformation language	SQL via dbt	GUI mapping	GUI, Python scripts, SQL
Real-time sync
API for DevOps
Webhook support
Incremental load
Free plan
Pricing model	MAR (monthly active rows) based	Tiered plans	Volume-based, tiered pricing
Best for	Set-and-forget ETL workflow	No-code data tasksCSV to HubSpot	Real-time sync, quick onboarding

Fivetran vs Skyvia: In-depth Feature & Use Case Comparison

Despite being leading data pipeline tools, Fivetran and Skyvia demonstrate different performance levels across specific use cases and features. Here, we have curated a detailed explanation of their efficiency under major operational scenarios:

1. Object storage integration

Fivetran supports unstructured file replication through integrated object storage, allowing users to sync files of various formats like logs, PDFs, or XMLs to cloud data warehouses as part of the pipeline. It’s useful in scenarios where structured and unstructured data need to be unified for analysis, such as ML pipelines or fraud detection workflows.

On the other hand, Skyvia does not natively support object storage or unstructured data ingestion. Its focus remains on structured, tabular data from applications and databases. Users looking to ingest files must first load them into staging databases or applications. The tool is better suited for straightforward data syncs involving well-defined schemas and smaller data volumes.

You can choose Fivetran when you need to ingest and unify structured and unstructured data. Choose Skyvia when your use case involves only structured, tabular data.

2. Multimodal integration support

Fivetran does not natively support API endpoint generation or direct data backup operations. Instead, it integrates seamlessly with external orchestration tools and storage systems to support extended workflows, prioritizing data integrity, schema drift resilience, and high-throughput pipeline execution over multifunctionality.

Skyvia supports multiple integration modes: ETL, ELT, API publishing, backup, and data querying from a single platform. You can extract Salesforce data into a database, back it up daily, and expose a subset through a secure API without switching tools, which makes it versatile for smaller teams managing multiple data needs.

While Fivetran prioritizes dedicated, scalable ETL for analytics pipelines, Skyvia provides a flexible all-in-one platform for varied data tasks.

3. Support for Nested data

Fivetran supports normalization of nested JSON structures during ingestion from sources like APIs, MongoDB, or Firebase. It flattens hierarchical data into relational tables and preserves relationships through foreign keys, making it easier to query within relational engines.

Skyvia works best with flat, relational data. While it can ingest data from some hierarchical sources, it doesn’t automatically normalize nested structures into multiple tables. Users dealing with deeply nested JSON or hierarchical API responses may need to preprocess data externally before ingestion into Skyvia.

Choose Fivetran when your source data includes nested structures or semi-structured formats. Go for Skyvia when you’re working with flat relational sources only.

4. Webhook & event-driven syncing

Fivetran provides webhook support in certain connectors, allowing near-real-time data syncing when triggered by upstream events (e.g., a new lead in Salesforce or a transaction in Stripe). This reduces latency without relying on polling schedules, enabling real-time dashboards to alert pipelines.

Skyvia uses scheduled polling at defined intervals (e.g., every 15 minutes or hourly), which may introduce data lag in scenarios that need instant updates, like customer behavior tracking and operational monitoring. The time-based approach limits its suitability for real-time analytics or event-driven workflows.

Consider Fivetran when you need event-driven data updates with low latency, and choose Skyvia when scheduled syncing is sufficient and timing is less critical.

When to Choose Fivetran?

Fivetran is purpose-built for enterprise-grade ETL solutions and optimized to empower data-driven decision-making. Here’s when to choose Fivetran:

1. For semi-structured API data

Fivetran flattens nested JSON and maps hierarchical data into normalized relational tables. Whether it’s ingesting marketing data from HubSpot or e-commerce activity from Shopify, it can handle highly nested payloads without needing staging layers or custom scripts.

2. For migrating legacy systems

Fivetran is ideal for organizations migrating from on-premise Oracle to Snowflake and consolidating fragmented analytics into BigQuery. With prebuilt connectors, governance controls, and automated handling, the tool simplifies large-scale, phased migrations.

3. For historical re-syncs

If you ever need to reprocess historical data, e.g., after changing your data model, Fivetran allows full historical re-syncs with just a few clicks. You don’t have to rebuild complex scripts or pipelines from scratch.

When to Choose Skyvia?

Skyvia excels in cloud-based data integration and backup across flat relational sources using wizard-driven mapping and scheduling. Here’s when to choose Skyvia:

1. For cloud-to-cloud integrations

Skyvia shines in cloud-to-cloud scenarios like syncing data between HubSpot, Salesforce, and Google Sheets. It supports a wide range of SaaS platforms with prebuilt connectors, making it useful for moving data between CRM, marketing, and customer support systems.

2. For one-way imports

Skyvia’s Import feature allows one-way data movement from sources like CSV files, databases, or cloud apps into target systems. With built-in transformation mapping, users can clean or adjust data while being moved without writing scripts.

3. For time-based polling

Skyvia relies on scheduled polling to check for updates. While this limits real-time capability, it offers consistent scheduling, which is ideal for dashboards that update at regular intervals.

Why Does Hevo Stand Out?

When comparing Hevo vs Fivetran vs Skyvia, Hevo stands out with its real-time streaming architecture and near-instant data movement using CDC. Its automatic schema mapping ability and drag-and-drop transformations make it suitable for both technical and non-technical users.

The platform is designed in robust compliance with essential AWS regulations related to metering of usage. These regulations enable robust REST API and Webhook support that opens up powerful orchestration and custom integration capabilities.

Additionally, Hevo’s rapid setup, auto-scaling infrastructure, and SOC 2-compliant security framework make it a strong fit for fast-growing, data-driven teams.

In conclusion, Hevo is a well-equipped, real-time data pipeline platform that balances speed, flexibility, and ease of use. Its advanced features facilitate enterprise-grade scalability without heavy engineering overhead.

Sign up for Hevo’s 14-day free trial and witness flawless data integration with detailed operational visibility.

FAQs on Skyvia vs Fivetran

Satyam Agrawal CX Engineer

Satyam boasts over two years of adept troubleshooting and deliverable-oriented experience. His client-focused approach has enabled seamless data pipeline management for numerous SMEs and Enterprises. Proficient in Hevo’s ETL architecture and skilled in DBMS sources, he ensures smooth data movement for clients. Satyam leverages automated tools to extract and load data from various databases to warehouses, implementing SQL principles and API calls for day-to-day troubleshooting.