About the Services
Fivetran
Fivetran is an automated data movement platform that supports data ingestion and ELT. The company originated in 2013 and now has more than 2500 customers worldwide. Customers who trust Fivetran include Lufthansa, Morgan Stanley, and more.
Fivetran works by loading data from your sources to your desired destination. It supports hundreds of connectors to known data warehouses, databases, and more. You can set your sources and destinations using a simple web interface. Transformation is optional, but if you need it, you can use their pre-built and QuickStart data models. You can also use dbt for complex transformations. With this, you need to know SQL coding.
You can start with Fivetran for free. And it can stay that way as long as you only process 500,000 monthly active rows. You can also set up Fivetran in your cloud provider of choice or in on-premise servers. However, this is available only in the Business Critical pricing plan.
Security is also a prime concern, so Fivetran has privacy and security certifications like SOC 2 Type 2, GDPR, and more. The Business Critical pricing plan has the highest security features, and the Starter plan has the least.
Mulesoft
MuleSoft’s Anypoint Platform connects data and apps for cloud and on-premises environments. Mulesoft started in 2006, and Salesforce acquired it in 2018. The platform offers various services and components, such as Composer, Studio, and others. Mulesoft has hundreds of connectors and templates used by over 1600 organizations globally.
Mulesoft offers products for different data integration scenarios. For example, you can use Composer for a no-code data integration workflow. But for complex data pipelines, they recommend Anypoint Studio. You can use this desktop app to design Mule applications, including integrations. So, you have to download this software. Then, install it on your computer before you can make data pipelines. Since everything you need is in Studio, the app has a "fat" design. So, some users report slow performance of the app.
Building integrations in Anypoint Studio uses an easy-to-use interface. You can work on components by dragging them to the canvas and changing their properties. Or you can also work on the XML view if you’re an advanced user.
Mulesoft assures customers of data security and privacy. It has certifications like SOC 1 and 2, GDPR, and others.
Skyvia
Skyvia is a no-code cloud data integration platform for many data integration scenarios. It’s an all-rounder tool for ETL, ELT, Reverse ETL, data migration, one-way and bi-directional data sync, workflow automation, and more. Devart launched this fantastic product in 2014 for cloud data integration and backup.
Skyvia offers more than 160 ready-made data connectors. These are available for thousands of free users, including 2000+ paid customers. Big names like Hyundai and General Electric trust Skyvia to process their data. Its easy-to-use, drag-and-drop interface suits both IT professionals and business users. And don’t take our word for it. Listen to G2 reviewers about how easy it is to start and work with it. Data integration experts who used other tools can adapt with little to no help from support.
Skyvia has flexible pricing plans perfect for small startups and large enterprises. So, it makes it applicable to businesses of all sizes. Also, Skyvia’s freemium model allows users to start using it now and then decide if they need to upgrade later.
The safety of your data is also our prime concern. So, we hosted it in Microsoft Azure cloud, providing the best data security and privacy. It complies with a wide set of security standards, including SOC 2, ISO 27001, and many others.
 |  |  | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Focus | Data ingestion, ELT. | API Management and Integration platform. | Data ingestion, ELT, ETL, reverse ETL, data sync, workflow automation. |
| Skill level | Low-code solution. | No-code, low-code solutions. Scripting for data transformation. | No-code and easy to use wizard. |
| Sources | 300+ | 400+ | 160+ |
| Destinations | Supported databases, data warehouses and data lakes. | Popular services, warehouses and databases. | Supported data sources, including databases, data warehouses, cloud apps and flat files. |
| Database replication | Full table; incremental via markers called cursors in succeeding syncs. | Incremental replication that depends upon manually written SELECT statements. | Full table and incremental via change data capture. |
| Ability for customers to add new data sources | Yes, by request. | Yes, for developers. | Yes, by request or using REST API connector. |
| G2 customer satisfaction | 4.2 out of 5 350 Reviews | 4.4 out of 5 569 reviews | 4.7 out of 5 167 Reviews |
| Peer Insights satisfaction | 4.3 231 Ratings | 4.3 195 Ratings | 4.8 87 Ratings |
| Developer tools | Fivetran REST API, dbt for transformations. | AnyPoint Studio, REST API, CloudHub API. | REST connector for data sources that have REST API. |
| Advanced ETL capabilities | None. Fivetran is ELT. | DataWeave | Visual ETL data pipeline designer with data orchestration capabilities. |
| Compliance and security certifications | HIPAA, GDPR, SOC 2 Type II, Privacy Shield, ISO 27001, PCI DSS Level 1 | SOC 1, SOC 2, PCI DSS, HIPAA, GDPR. | HIPAA, GDPR, PCI DSS. ISO 27001 and SOC 2 (by Azure). |
| Purchase process | Requires conversations with sales. | Requires a conversation with sales. | Self-service or sales. |
| Vendor lock-in | Annual contracts. | Annual contracts. | Monthly or annual contracts. |
| Pricing | Volume-based pricing through Monthly Active Rows (MAR) with 14-day free trial. Has a free plan. | Volume-based and feature-based pricing. With 30-day free trial. | Volume-based and feature-based pricing. Freemium model allows to start with a free plan. |
Connectors
Fivetran
Fivetran supports 300+ fully-managed data sources. And these sources include databases, SaaS apps, flat files, and more. Fivetran also supports 10+ destinations including databases, data warehouses, data lakes and High-Volume Agent (HVA) connectors like Oracle and DB2. But HVA connectors are for Enterprise and higher plans. So, you can’t use Oracle and other sources classified as HVA on the Free and lower-priced plans.
Customers can request and pay extra if there are no connectors for the desired data source. Fivetran also provides data replication from various APIs and supports event-tracking libraries. Its Function connector helps with creating a custom connector as an extension. Fivetran also has a Lite connector that helps to develop API-based connectors.
Mulesoft
Mulesoft has a marketplace called Exchange, where you can find components like connectors. As of this writing, there are 400+ connectors from Mulesoft and the community. These connectors allow you to connect with endpoints, SaaS apps, databases, and more.
You can ask Mulesoft for new connectors or do it yourself using the Mule SDK. And you can share your new connectors with the community. It will add to the community-built connectors that are available to Mulesoft.
Skyvia
Skyvia offers more than 160 connectors, and more to come very soon. It supports connectors for CRMs, accounting, email marketing, e-commerce, human resources, marketing automation, payment processing, product management, all major databases and DWH, flat files, and more. It’s also not a problem whether your data is on-premise or in the cloud.
You can access your on-premise data with peace of mind using the Skyvia Agent. It allows you to connect to databases like SQL Server, MySQL, and more using an encrypted connection. You need to download the Skyvia Agent and install it. Then, download a secured key file and place it in the same folder as the Agent. The Agent is like an unbreakable metal door, and you use the key file to open that door to your on-premise data. You can also set it up so that Skyvia can access only the resources you specify and nothing else.
Customers can also leave a request for a new data connector. And Skyvia will prioritize building it without additional payment.
Transformation
Fivetran
Fivetran uses dbt Core transformations. They have pre-built and QuickStart data models that are dbt Core compatible. But not all sources and destinations support these pre-built models. So if you need these models for your unsupported destination, you need to contact Support to request them.
Otherwise, you will need SQL and dbt skills to make your own transformations. So, for example, your source is Monday.com and your destination is Azure Synapse. No pre-built data models exist for these at the moment. The only option is to create a new dbt Core transformation project.
In the end, you need to learn SQL and dbt for better transformation options.
Mulesoft
Mulesoft chose developer flexibility while developing the Anypoint DataWeave functional programming language. It allows developers to do data conversion, cleansing, and other transformations, but they have to learn a new language to do this. Data transformation for users who can't code will be a huge challenge.
Data mapping is visual in Anypoint Studio. But getting the destination column value needs coding. You can also use templates and components available in the Anypoint Exchange.
Skyvia
Skyvia is a full-featured ETL service that allows powerful data transformations. It is a no-code solution allowing data splitting, conversion, lookups, and many more.
You can use the Skyvia Data Flow and Control Flow for advanced data pipelines. Transformations for these advanced pipelines are flexible. It supports extending your data with new columns, conditional flows, and summarized values. And all these you can do with parameters, variables, and more for flexibility without code.
Moreover, Skyvia has an Expression Builder to build formulas with many functions. With this, you can convert or extract parts of the data or form new values to suit your needs. And if you love coding in SQL, Skyvia can further extend your transformation needs. It supports multiple joins, groupings, CASE expressions, and more in SELECT queries. And you can also use DML commands like INSERT, UPDATE, and DELETE.
Support
Fivetran
Fivetran support depends on your pricing plan. All plans have access to the support portal and technical documentation. You can also use 24/7 email support and the Fivetran community. The Enterprise and higher plans have a Service Level Agreement. This includes a 1-hour response support.
The quality of support is a mixed bag according to review sites like G2 and Gartner Peer Insights. Most are favorable but the others are not.
Mulesoft
Mulesoft’s learning resources include demos, videos, product documentation, training courses, and more. They also offer online, email, or phone support. The number of support hours and response times depends on your pricing plan. They also defined the severity and support levels.
For Cloud Offering SLA users, Mulesoft offers service credits in case uptime is lower than 99.99%.
For more details, visit their Product Support and Maintenance Terms page.
Skyvia
Skyvia offers free email, chat (on the website or in-app), and forum support for all customers. It also provides extensive documentation with lots of tutorials and user guides.
For paid customers, there's also a phone support option and additional support options for Enterprise customers.
Pricing
Fivetran
There are 5 levels of pricing in Fivetran. These are Free, Starter, Standard, Enterprise, and Business Critical. And with these tiers, the security, data governance, and support differ.
The Free plan is where you want to start using a low-volume ELT pipeline, and this limits your monthly active rows to 500,000 only. It also allows you up to a 15-minute sync frequency.
You can enjoy more security and features from the paid plans starting from Standard. The Starter plan is an odd plan. It has fewer features compared to the Free plan except for the higher monthly active rows.
Pricing in Fivetran earns the most dislikes from review sites like G2. It’s pricey for the customers who used them and it’s not practical for small companies.
Mulesoft
MuleSoft offers a 30-day free trial. Pricing plans differ depending on the volume, features, and support levels included. Customers can get API Management and API Integration as independent solutions. Or combine the two to get the entire stack. It’s also possible to add more APIs and integrations to scale the capacity and features as needed.
Users from review sites view Mulesoft as very pricey. So, use the free trial to see if you need the entire toolset. If not, check out other alternatives.
Skyvia
Skyvia Data Integration is a freemium tool with an option to request a 14-day trial. So, price is not a barrier to entry.
And when you’re ready, paid plans start from $19 per month. Pricing tiers depend on a few factors. It includes the number of loaded records, scheduling frequency, and advanced ETL features. There are no sale commitments. And customers can upgrade or downgrade at any time. Check out a detailed comparison here.
If you doubt the price is worth it, check out review sites like G2. Aside from ease of use, reasonable pricing is one of the things Skyvia customers like. So, you can be sure the features you get are worth every penny.