ELT & data integration · Fivetran, Inc.

Fivetran

Managed ELT platform with 700+ prebuilt connectors that automatically syncs source data into a cloud warehouse or lake.

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Fivetran is a fully managed ELT service: connectors extract data from databases, SaaS apps and event sources, load it unmodified into a destination warehouse, and Fivetran handles schema drift, incremental updates and normalization automatically. Transformations happen after loading, typically via dbt Core or dbt Cloud integration rather than in-flight logic. It is delivered only as a hosted cloud service (no self-hosted option beyond an optional Hybrid Deployment agent for private connectivity), so there is nothing to operate beyond configuring connectors and destinations. Fivetran differs from Airbyte and Meltano by trading openness and customization for a polished, low-maintenance managed experience, and from Matillion by not exposing a visual transformation canvas. It is billed by consumption rather than by connector count or seats.

At a glance

Vendor Fivetran, Inc.
Pricing model Usage-based
Free tier Yes
Deployment Cloud
Open source No
Best for Data teams who want a fully managed, low-maintenance ELT pipeline into a cloud warehouse without operating infrastructure.

Pricing

Consumption-based pricing billed in Monthly Active Rows (MAR) for connectors/activations and Monthly Model Runs for transformations, with a free tier and three paid plans.

Plan Price Notes
Free $0/month Up to 500,000 MAR for connections, 3,500 MAR for activations, 5,000 monthly model runs for transformations
Standard Usage-based, $5/month minimum per connection (1–1M MAR) Unlimited users, 15-minute sync frequency, 700+ connectors, REST API access
Enterprise Usage-based, contact for rates 1-minute syncs, Audience Hub, custom roles, VPN tunnels on annual contracts
Business Critical Usage-based, contact for rates Customer-managed encryption keys, PCI DSS Level 1 certification, private networking

Prices read from the vendor's own page on September 21, 2026. Vendors change prices; check the source before you budget.

Features

  • 700+ prebuilt, managed connectors
  • Automated schema drift handling
  • Log-based change data capture for databases
  • dbt Core/dbt Cloud-based transformations
  • Column-level hashing and blocking for sensitive fields
  • Column- and table-level lineage
  • REST API for programmatic management
  • Annual contract discounts up to 22%

Integrations

Profile last reviewed September 21, 2026

Head to head

Alternatives

Airbyte Open-source data movement platform with 600+ connectors, run self-hosted for free or as managed Airbyte Cloud. Hevo Data No-code, fully managed ELT platform billed by monthly event volume, with 150+ connectors and near real-time sync. Matillion Cloud-native ELT platform with a low-code visual pipeline designer that pushes transformations down into the target warehouse. Meltano Open-source, code-first ELT framework built on the Singer specification, with an optional managed Meltano Cloud.

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Terms to know

ELT (extract, load, transform) A data integration pattern that loads raw data first and transforms it afterward using the warehouse's own compute. ETL (extract, transform, load) A data integration pattern that transforms data before loading it, unlike ELT which transforms after loading. Data pipeline The automated sequence of steps that moves data from source systems to a destination, transforming it along the way. Data warehouse A centralized, structured database optimized for fast historical reporting rather than day-to-day transactions. Change data capture (CDC) A technique for detecting and streaming only the rows that changed in a source system, instead of reloading everything.

Related guides

How to build a modern data stack Ingestion, warehouse, transformation, BI and activation — what a data stack needs at each company stage, and what to defer. How to choose an ELT tool ELT tools differ less on connector count than on who operates them, how pricing scales, and whether transformation happens in the tool or downstream. How to decide build vs buy for analytics A framework for the build-vs-buy decision in analytics infrastructure — total cost, maintenance burden and lock-in, layer by layer.