Fivetran
Usage BasedAutomated data integration platform for modern data teams.
Published 29 May 2026 · Last updated 27 September 2026
Scores
Popularity2/5
Respected in data engineering but expensive; niche compared to open-source alternatives.
Learning Curve2/5
Managed UI; data connectors configure in minutes with minimal technical knowledge.
Flexibility3/5
Wide connector catalog but fixed architecture; custom connectors require the Fivetran SDK.
Performance4/5
Managed sync pipelines with efficient incremental loading; fast for typical data volumes.
Portability2/5
Managed SaaS pipelines are Fivetran-specific; no self-hosting; migration requires rebuilding connectors.
About Fivetran
Fivetran is a managed ELT platform that moves data from SaaS applications, databases, files, and event streams into a warehouse or data lake. Its 700+ fully managed connectors handle authentication, API changes, schema drift, and incremental syncs, so a pipeline is configured once in the web UI and then maintained by Fivetran rather than by the data team.
Data lands in the destination raw and is modelled there, usually with dbt; Fivetran and dbt Labs completed a merger in 2026, and Fivetran's transformation scheduling runs dbt projects right after each sync. Database connectors support change data capture, Fivetran Activations sends modelled data back out to 200+ business tools (reverse ETL), and the Connector SDK covers sources without a pre-built connector.
Pricing is usage-based, metered in monthly active rows (MAR) per connection, with a free plan up to 500,000 MAR and Standard, Enterprise, and Business Critical plans that add faster syncs (down to one minute), enterprise database connectors, customer-managed encryption keys, and private networking. There is no self-hosted open-source edition, which is the main difference from Airbyte; Hybrid Deployment instead keeps data processing inside the customer's own network while Fivetran runs the control plane.
Key Features
- 700+ pre-built, fully managed connectors
- Automated schema drift handling
- Near real-time data synchronization
- Historical data backfilling
- Change data capture for major databases
- Centralized monitoring and alerting
- Transformation scheduling for dbt projects after each sync
- Activations (reverse ETL) to 200+ business tools
Pros
- Set up once and connectors keep running with minimal maintenance
- Schema changes are handled automatically, so pipelines rarely break
- Fast time to value with 700+ pre-built connectors
- Reliable, with uptime SLAs on paid plans
- Hybrid Deployment keeps data inside your own network
- Transformations run dbt projects right after each sync
Cons
- Can be expensive for high-volume data or many connectors
- Limited customization of connector behavior
- MAR-based pricing per connection is hard to forecast
- Some connectors have data limitations or high costs
- No self-hosted open-source edition, unlike Airbyte
Fivetran Pricing
Usage Based- · 500,000 monthly active rows (MAR)
- · 5,000 transformation model runs a month
- · Standard plan features within the free limits
- · Usage-based pricing by monthly active rows per connection
- · Unlimited users
- · 15-minute syncs
- · 700+ connectors and 200+ activation destinations
- · 1-minute syncs
- · Enterprise database connectors
- · Custom roles
- · Activations Audience Hub
- · Customer-managed encryption keys
- · PCI DSS Level 1 certification
- · Private networking options
- · Contact sales for pricing
Tech Stacks with Fivetran
GCP ELT Pipeline
ProjectA fully managed, serverless ELT pipeline on Google Cloud: Fivetran handles ingestion with zero-maintenance connectors; BigQuery stores and queries petabytes without cluster management; dbt transforms data into analytics-ready models; Dagster orchestrates the pipeline as typed, lineage-tracked assets (Apache Airflow and Prefect are also available); Metabase provides self-service BI on top.
AWS Data Dashboard
ProjectA minimal AWS analytics stack: store and query data in Amazon Redshift, then build dashboards and embed analytics with Amazon QuickSight, with no third-party tools required.
Tools Related to Fivetran
Integrates with Fivetran(5)
Snowflake is Fivetran's most popular destination — native connector with automatic schema management.
Fivetran syncs raw data into BigQuery as a destination before transformation.
Fivetran supports PostgreSQL both as a source, with change data capture, and as a destination that raw data from other sources is synced into.
Fivetran supports Amazon Redshift as a destination, loading raw source data and keeping it in sync incrementally for modelling with dbt.
Fivetran Transformations runs dbt models automatically after each sync completes.
Alternatives to Fivetran(1)
Airbyte is Fivetran's primary open-source alternative — same managed-connector EL model, lower per-row cost at scale, but requires self-hosting and infrastructure ownership.
Vendor
Fivetran
Website →Tags
Details
- Maintained
- Yes
- Tool type
- Ingestion
- Hosting
- Cloud managed
- Open source
- No