Fivetran

Why Data Teams Choose Fivetran

Data ingestion should be invisible. Fivetran connects your sources to your warehouse and keeps them in sync automatically.

My Experience

I’ve set up Fivetran for numerous data warehouses. The initial setup is fast, and then it just works. When a source changes their API, Fivetran handles it. That reliability has value.

What Makes Fivetran Valuable

1. 300+ Connectors - Salesforce, HubSpot, Google Analytics, Stripe—whatever your data source, Fivetran probably has a connector. Pre-built and maintained by Fivetran.

2. Automated Schema Handling - Source schemas change. Fivetran detects changes and propagates them to your warehouse. New columns appear automatically.

3. Incremental Sync - Efficient syncing that only moves changed data. Minimal load on sources, fast updates in your warehouse. Real-time for supported sources.

4. Reliability - When a sync fails, Fivetran alerts you and retries. The monitoring and alerting are built in. You focus on analysis, not pipeline babysitting.

Where Fivetran Falls Short

MAR-based pricing can get expensive with large tables. Some connectors are better than others. Limited transformation capabilities—use dbt for that.

Who Should Use Fivetran

• Data teams centralizing data
• Companies with many data sources
• Organizations valuing reliability
• Teams without data engineering capacity

Fivetran vs Airbyte

Factor	Fivetran	Airbyte
Pricing	MAR-based	Open source + Cloud
Connectors	300+	300+
Reliability	Excellent	Good
Self-Hosted	No	Yes
Best For	Enterprise	Flexibility

The Bottom Line

Fivetran is the premium choice for data ingestion. The reliability and maintenance savings justify the cost for teams valuing their time. Budget-conscious teams should evaluate Airbyte.