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.
Pentaho Data Integration
Pentaho Data Integration (PDI) is an ETL tool with different offerings. You can choose between open-source and Enterprise Edition. Hitachi Vantara launched this in 2004. Since then, this tool has been serving a growing number of customers worldwide, and the feedback is positive.
PDI enables you to extract, transform, and load (ETL) data from a variety of sources. With PDI, you can integrate data to create meaningful insights and reports. These reports can help in business decisions.
PDI’s user interface is intuitive and easy to navigate. However, it can get slow at times, and customization of the UI is limited, according to some reviews in Gartner Peer Insights. And only 68% Would Recommend according to the same reviews.
PDI is a product you need to install and configure. That means you take care of security and privacy concerns on your own. Yet, you can deploy PDI in the cloud and use whatever certifications the cloud provider has. PDI also uses security providers like LDAP, Secure Socket Layers, and more. So, PDI is not lax on security and privacy.
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 180 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. | ETL, streaming data | Data ingestion, ELT, ETL, reverse ETL, data sync, workflow automation. |
| Skill level | Low-code solution. | Low-code, no-code solution. | No-code wizard. Top-rated as one of the easiest ETL tools by G2. |
| Sources | 300+ | 40+ | 180+ |
| Destinations | Supported databases, data warehouses and data lakes. | Supported data sources. | Supported data sources, including databases, data warehouses, cloud apps and flat files. |
| Database replication | Full table; incremental via markers called cursors in succeeding syncs. | Full or incremental load. | Full table and incremental via change data capture. |
| Ability for customers to add new data sources | Yes, by request. | Through JDBC or ODBC. | Ye s, by request or using REST API connector. |
| G2 customer satisfaction | 4.2 out of 5 367 Reviews | 4.3 out of 5 15 reviews | 4.8 out of 5 217 Reviews |
| Peer Insights satisfaction | 4.3 231 Ratings | 4.1 137 Ratings | 4.8 103 Ratings |
| Developer tools | Fivetran REST API, dbt for transformations. | Pentaho Data Integration. Pentaho Metadata Editor. Pentaho Aggregation Designer. Pentaho Schema Workbench. | REST connector for data sources that have REST API. |
| Advanced ETL capabilities | None. Fivetran is ELT. | Supports Hadoop and Spark integrations for Big Data. | 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 | No provided security and privacy certifications. User and Role management within PDI. Supports security providers such as LDAP, MSAD, SSO, SSL, AES, JDBC. | HIPAA, GDPR, PCI DSS. ISO 27001 and SOC 2 (by Azure). |
| Purchase process | Requires conversations with sales. | Use the free trial and talk to sales. | Self-service or sales. |
| Vendor lock-in | Annual contracts. | Pentaho Community Edition is open-source. Talk to sales for more details. | Monthly or annual contracts. |
| Pricing | Volume-based pricing through Monthly Active Rows (MAR) with 14-day free trial. Has a free plan. | Community Edition is free and open source. Contact sales for Enterprise Edition. 30-day free trial of Enterprise Edition. | 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.
Pentaho Data Integration
Pentaho Data Integration offers a wide range of data connectors through JDBC. So, you can connect to databases, cloud platforms, and big data sources like Hadoop. Some of the most popular ones are MySQL, SQL Server, Google Analytics, and Salesforce.
PDI allows you to create your own custom data connector. Or use pre-built connectors created by the Pentaho community. In addition, PDI offers a marketplace where you can find third-party connectors. So, you can also try your luck here if you don’t want to roll up your sleeves to build a connector.
Skyvia
Skyvia offers more than 180 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.
Pentaho Data Integration
Pentaho Data Integration (PDI) allows you to transform data from one format to another. With PDI, customers can perform a variety of data transformations. Some of these are simple operations like filtering and sorting. There also are complex operations like pivoting, joining, and data validation.
PDI lets you drag and drop transformations into place. No need to write any code. But if you need custom transformations, you can code in languages like Java.
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.
Pentaho Data Integration
Pentaho Data Integration (PDI) offers various levels of support. You can access support through the Hitachi Vantara support portal. From there you’ll see the knowledgebase articles, product documentation, and community forums.
PDI customers have access to standard support. This includes email support and access to the support portal during business hours. Premium support is also available. It provides 24/7 phone support, priority handling, and faster response times. Service Level Agreements (SLAs) are available for premium support.
You can also access a range of professional services like consulting and training.
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.
Pentaho Data Integration
Pentaho Data Integration (PDI) offers a free Community Edition. It is also open source but comes with limited features. If you’re looking for more advanced features and support, try the Enterprise Edition. But, the website doesn’t mention the pricing for the Enterprise Edition.
But, PDI offers a 30-day trial for the Enterprise Edition. It allows you to try out the full range of features and see if this product is for you. If you decide to buy it, you’ll be able to access premium support services as well.
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.