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Fivetran

Data Integration / ETL

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★★★★☆ 4.3 / 5 on G2 · 4.4 on Capterra (843 G2 reviews)
4.3 / 5
G2 rating, 843 reviews [source]
ELT
Automated [source]
Usage
Active rows [source]
500+
Connectors [source]

Quick facts

CategoryAutomated ELT / data pipelines
VendorFivetran
Starts atUsage based (monthly active rows)
Best forAutomated ELT pipelines
DeploymentCloud
Free planFree tier
Integrations500+ connectors
G2 rating4.3 / 5
Capterra rating4.4 / 5

What is Fivetran?

Fivetran is the leading automated ELT tool, with managed, pre built connectors that load data into your warehouse reliably and hands off, the all round standard for automated data pipelines in the modern stack. It provides hundreds of fully managed connectors that extract data from applications, databases and sources and load it into your cloud data warehouse automatically, handling schema changes, incremental updates (change data capture), reliability and maintenance for you, so data engineers do not build and maintain pipelines by hand. Pairing naturally with dbt for transformation, Fivetran is a cornerstone of the modern data stack, prized for reliable, low maintenance, automated data movement. For automated ELT pipelines, Fivetran is the benchmark.

Fivetran's distinction is fully managed, reliable, hands off ELT with pre built connectors. Its managed connectors load data automatically and handle schema changes, incremental syncs and maintenance, so teams get reliable pipelines without building or maintaining them, which open source or hand built approaches do not match for managed reliability and low effort. That managed reliability and automation set it apart, with usage based cost the main trade off.

Fivetran at a glanceFivetran is the leading automated ELT tool with managed, pre built connectors [Fivetran]. It holds a 4.3 out of 5 rating across 843 reviews on G2 and 4.4 on Capterra, the all round standard for automated data pipelines.

Who Fivetran is best for

Fivetran is best for mid market and enterprise data teams that want reliable, fully managed, hands off ELT pipelines loading data into their warehouse, with minimal maintenance, and who value reliability over cost. It suits automated ELT pipelines. It is a weaker fit for teams wanting open source control and lower cost, where Airbyte fits, transformation, where dbt fits, enterprise ETL with data quality and governance, where Informatica fits, or very small budgets, where open source fits.

Key features

The core strengths are hundreds of fully managed, pre built connectors, automated extraction and loading into cloud warehouses, change data capture and incremental syncs, automatic schema handling, reliability and maintenance done for you, and integration with the modern stack (pairs with dbt). Fivetran offers hands off, reliable ELT. Its managed connectors, reliability and automation are its defining advantages.

Fivetran pricing

Fivetran is usage based, priced primarily by monthly active rows (the rows changed or added), plus a free tier, so costs scale with data change volume and can be high at large volumes (a common concern). So budget depends on your data and pipelines. Confirm details on the Fivetran pricing page.

Integrations and ecosystem

Fivetran offers hundreds of connectors to applications, databases and sources, loads into major warehouses (Snowflake, BigQuery, Redshift, Databricks), and integrates with dbt for transformation. Its broad connector catalogue and warehouse and dbt integration, which make it the loading layer of the modern data stack, are a signature strength.

Fivetran and managed reliability

Fully managed, reliable, hands off ELT with pre built connectors is the signature strength: Fivetran's managed connectors load data automatically and handle schema changes, incremental syncs and maintenance, so teams get reliable pipelines without building or maintaining them, which open source or hand built approaches do not match. For automated ELT, this is the main reason to choose Fivetran.

Ease of use and support

Fivetran is well rated for ease, reliability, managed connectors and low maintenance, a modern stack standard, with good support, though reviewers consistently flag usage based pricing (by active rows) as expensive at volume. Its G2 reviews praise reliability and ease, with pricing the main consideration.

Is Fivetran worth it?

For mid market and enterprise data teams that want reliable, fully managed, hands off ELT pipelines with minimal maintenance, Fivetran is the benchmark choice. The main caution is usage based cost at volume, so open source and lower cost suit Airbyte, transformation dbt, enterprise ETL and governance Informatica, but for automated ELT pipelines Fivetran leads.

Pricing

Free

$0
limited rows
  • Managed connectors
  • Low volume
  • Getting started

Standard / Enterprise

Usage
by monthly active rows
  • Full connectors
  • Reliability
  • Teams

Business Critical

Usage
by rows
  • Advanced security
  • Compliance
  • Enterprise

Pros and cons

Pros

  • Fully managed, hands off ELT
  • Reliable pre built connectors
  • Change data capture and schema handling
  • Low maintenance
  • Modern stack standard (pairs with dbt)

Cons

  • Usage pricing (active rows) costly at volume
  • Less control than open source
  • Transformation needs dbt
  • Can be unpredictable as data grows

Fivetran alternatives

These data integration / etl tools come up most often against Fivetran.

Fivetran FAQ

What is Fivetran used for?
Fivetran is used for automated ELT data pipelines: its managed, pre built connectors extract data from applications, databases and sources and load it into your cloud data warehouse automatically, handling schema changes, incremental syncs and maintenance, so teams get reliable data without building pipelines.
How much does Fivetran cost?
Fivetran is usage based, priced primarily by monthly active rows (rows changed or added), with a free tier, so costs scale with data change volume and can be high at large volumes. See the Fivetran pricing page.
Fivetran vs Airbyte, which is better?
Fivetran is fully managed, reliable and hands off (usage priced), while Airbyte is open source, self hostable and extensible with lower cost. Fivetran suits teams wanting managed reliability; Airbyte suits teams wanting open control and affordability.
Does Fivetran do transformation?
Fivetran focuses on extracting and loading data (the EL in ELT) reliably, and integrates with dbt for transformation (the T), which runs in the warehouse. So a common pattern is Fivetran for loading plus dbt for transformation in the modern data stack.
Is Fivetran expensive?
Fivetran's usage based pricing (by monthly active rows) is reliable and low maintenance but can become expensive as data volumes grow, which is the most common reviewer concern, so teams should model their data change volumes and consider open source alternatives if cost sensitive.
How many connectors does Fivetran have?
Fivetran offers hundreds of fully managed, pre built connectors to applications, databases and data sources, loading into major cloud warehouses, which is a key reason it is the standard loading layer of the modern data stack.

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