About the Services
Hevo
Hevo is a no-code, low-code data movement platform that handles ETL, ELT, and Reverse ETL. It launched in 2017 and today, more than 2500 organizations trust Hevo. This includes Abbot, Hugo, and more.
The Hevo Pipeline UI uses a simple fill-in-the-blanks form. And from here you can specify the sources, transformations, and destinations. Meanwhile, you still have the option to reverse ETL using Hevo Activate. It supports 150+ connectors but the number of destinations is 15+ only. Reviewers from sites like G2 wish there were more destinations.
You can start with Hevo for free. But it limits the connectors you can use to 50+.
Hevo complies with data privacy and security standards. They have certifications for SOC2, GDPR, HIPAA, and CCPA. But only the Business pricing tier ensures HIPAA compliance.
SSIS
SQL Server Integration Services (SSIS) is a data integration tool from Microsoft. You have SSIS when you buy Microsoft SQL Server. Launched in 2005, SSIS works with a variety of sources and delivers it to the desired destination. It’s a mature product that is flexible, scalable, and reliable. It is ideal for small-scale data migrations to large-scale enterprise data warehouses.
You can design SSIS packages using Visual Studio with drag-and-drop functionality and then perform a variety of data integration scenarios. And this includes ETL, ELT, reverse ETL, data ingestion, replication, and more. SSIS provides a range of data connectors for SQL Server, Oracle, Excel, and other data sources. It can also work with structured, semi-structured, and unstructured data. There are also third-party providers of free and commercial SSIS components. This adds more connectors and transformations to SSIS.
SSIS comes together with SQL Server installer. And it needs installation and configuration by a skilled IT professional. Data resides on customers’ on-premise or cloud servers. So, they are in control of its security. But you can also deploy it in the cloud. So, the security and privacy certifications of that cloud provider are in effect.
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, ETL, Reverse ETL. | ETL, ELT, and Reverse ETL. | Data ingestion, ELT, ETL, reverse ETL, data sync, workflow automation. |
| Skill level | No-code, low-code solution. | Low-code, no-code solution. Or, coding in .Net languages like C#. | No-code wizard. Top-rated as one of the easiest ETL tools by G2. |
| Sources | 150+ | ODBC, ADO, .Net, OLEDB compatible data sources. | 180+ |
| Destinations | 15+ | Supported data sources. | Supported data sources, including databases, data warehouses, cloud apps and flat files. |
| Database replication | Full and incremental loading. | Full and incremental load. | Full table and incremental via change data capture. |
| Ability for customers to add new data sources | Yes, using REST API or by request. | Yes, by coding custom data source components. | Yes, by request or using REST API connector. |
| G2 customer satisfaction | 4.3 out of 5 193 reviews | 4.6 out of 5 11 reviews | 4.8 out of 5 217 Reviews |
| Peer Insights satisfaction | 4.0 2 Ratings | 4.4 291 Ratings | 4.8 103 Ratings |
| Developer tools | Hevo Event Stream, Hevo Activate, external APIs. | Visual Studio, SQL Server Management Studio. | REST connector for data sources that have REST API. |
| Advanced ETL capabilities | Dbt integration. | Running external processes. Running within Azure Data Factory. | Visual ETL data pipeline designer with data orchestration capabilities. |
| Compliance and security certifications | SOC 2, HIPAA, GDPR, CCPA. | In the cloud: ISO/IEC 27001:2013, SOC 1/2, HIPAA, GDPR. On premise: IT departments are in control of security. | HIPAA, GDPR, PCI DSS. ISO 27001 and SOC 2 (by Azure). |
| Purchase process | Self-service or sales. | Bundled when you buy Microsoft SQL Server. | Self-service or sales. |
| Vendor lock-in | Annual or monthly billing. | Based on SQL Server subscription. | Monthly or annual contracts. |
| Pricing | Usage-based pricing based on Hevo events. Full-feature 14-day free trial. With free plan. | Pricing is based on SQL Server Edition licenses. Developer Edition is free. | Volume-based and feature-based pricing. Freemium model allows to start with a free plan. |
Connectors
Hevo
Hevo supports 150+ connectors that include databases, flat files, CRM, finance, and more. But it only supports 15+ destinations that include databases and data warehouses. There are also connectors classified as free and not. There are only 50+ connectors available for the free pricing tier.
Hevo Activate supports Redshift, BigQuery, PostgreSQL, and Snowflake data warehouses. And from these, you can reverse ETL to 9 destinations. This includes Salesforce, Mailchimp, and more.
You can add more sources not listed in Hevo if those sources use REST API. Otherwise, you need to reach out to Hevo support to request your unlisted source.
SSIS
SQL Server Integration Services (SSIS) comes with various data connectors. These data sources are compatible with ADO, .Net, ODBC, and OLEDB providers. Some of the popular ones include connectors for SQL Server, Oracle, and Excel.
You can also create your own custom connectors to connect to unknown data sources. You can do this by creating a custom data source component. This allows customers to extend its functionality. And connect to any data source they need.
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
Hevo
Hevo Pipelines supports 2 ways to create transformations. First is the Python-based transformations. So, you need Python coding skills to do this. Another option is the drag-and-drop transformations. Both ways of transformation support aggregating, cleansing, filtering, and more. These are user-driven transformations.
Automatic transformations occur in Hevo before it reaches the destination. This includes table and column name sanitizing, date conversion, and more. Note that Hevo always converts dates and times to UTC format. So, if you use a different time zone, you might get surprised with this conversion.
Hevo also supports post-loading transformations. This happens when you already loaded your data in the destination. When you need post-loading transformations, Hevo requires you to use SQL models.
For more advanced transformations, Hevo also supports dbt transformations.
SSIS
SSIS can handle data transformations in ETL, ELT, and reverse ETL scenarios. You can do transformation tasks like data cleansing, conversion, merging, and more. There are 30+ built-in transformations available in SSIS. And if you need something outside of that, code using C# or VB.Net to make your custom transformation.
Additionally, AI in Visual Studio can help you code faster. This is possible by using extensions like GitHub Copilot.
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
Hevo
Support in Hevo depends on your chosen pricing tier. For the Free plan, there’s 24×7 email support. And then, you can add 24/7 live chat support if you avail yourself of the Starter plan. Premium support and a dedicated account team are available for the Business plan.
For all plans, technical documentation, video tutorials, and other resources are always available.
SSIS
SSIS customers can receive support from Microsoft through a variety of channels. This includes online documentation, community forums, and direct support from Microsoft.
Different levels include free online resources, paid support plans, and premium support plans.
Customers can access support through the Microsoft Support Center. From here they can create a support ticket or chat with a support representative.
Microsoft also offers a Service Level Agreement (SLA) for its premium support plans. It guarantees a response time and resolution time for support requests. To use this option, contact a Microsoft sales representative or visit the Microsoft Support website.
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, Skyvia offers a prioritized support including additional support options for Enterprise customers.
Pricing
Hevo
Hevo is usage-based. They measure usage based on events. Events are records that have you added or updated.
The Free plan lets you use up to 1 million events, 50 free connectors, and 5 users. It won’t let you try a non-free connector like HubSpot. However, if you avail of the 14-day trial of a paid plan, all connectors are available to you.
Then, there’s the Starter plan that you can customize based on the number of events. It starts with 5 million events. You can see an updated price on the pricing page when you increase the number of events. This also adds unlimited users, more connectors, and better support.
Finally, the Business plan is a customized plan based on your unique needs. It also increases security, support, and pipeline processing speed.
Hevo pricing reviews are a mixed bag. Some think it’s pricey and not good for small organizations. But others think it provides the right features for the price.
SSIS
SSIS is part of the SQL Server suite of products. And the pricing model is per-core. You can choose to buy a SQL Server license with SSIS included, or they can buy an SSIS license separately. Prices vary depending on the SQL Server edition and the number of cores required.
Microsoft also offers cloud-based options for SSIS through its Azure services. Customers can choose to run SSIS packages on virtual machines. Or use Azure Data Factory, a cloud-based ETL service that includes SSIS functionality. Azure Data Factory pricing model is another thing to consider. But you will only pay based on usage.
Developers can use SSIS for free if they have a SQL Server Developer Edition. This version includes all features of SQL Server Enterprise. But the license is for development and testing only.
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.