About the Services
Informatica
Informatica is an iPaaS platform offering solutions for the enterprise sector. It’s capable of ETL, ELT, and cloud management. It started in 1993. And now, they have 5000+ customers, including Dolby, Twitch, and more.
Informatica offers integration products for both cloud and on-premise cases. The most popular products are PowerCenter and Intelligent Data Management Cloud platform. You can start for free, but you need a work email. So, Gmail, Outlook, and the like won’t pass the registration.
They have a low-code, no-code GUI tool for both cloud and on-premises. They also have an AI recommendation engine called Claire AI. But the ease of use is a mixed bag from users in review sites. Some say it’s easy to use. But others feel it’s too complex and hard to navigate.
Like other data integration tools, Informatica ensures your data is private. They have SOC 2, HIPAA, GDPR, and other certifications.
Azure Data Factory
Azure Data Factory (ADF) is a cloud-based data integration tool from Microsoft. It launched in 2015. And now, it’s popular among enterprises and individuals alike.
ADF offers a wide range of data integration scenarios. This includes ETL, ELT, reverse ETL, data ingestion, replication, and more. You can use over 90 built-in connectors. This covers on-premises and cloud-based data. You can use Azure Data Factory to move data from sources such as SQL Server, Oracle, Salesforce, and SAP. And into destinations such as Azure SQL Database, Azure Blob Storage, and Amazon S3.
Microsoft takes customer data privacy and security very seriously. Microsoft designed Azure Data Factory with several security features. This includes Azure Active Directory integration, role-based access control, data encryption, and more. Moreover, the tool complies with security and privacy standards. This includes GDPR, SOC 1/2, ISO 27001, and HIPAA. This means that you can trust Azure Data Factory to handle your data in a secure and compliant manner.
You can also use ADF by importing SQL Server Integration Services (SSIS) packages.
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, ETL. | ETL, ELT, Reverse ETL, streaming. | Data ingestion, ELT, ETL, reverse ETL, data sync, workflow automation. |
| Skill level | Varies from low-code to high-code, depending on the product. | Low-code, no-code solutions. Coding in various languages for complex scenarios. | No-code and easy to use wizard. |
| Sources | 90+ | 90+ | 160+ |
| Destinations | Cloud, on-premises, mobile, and social data sources. | Supported data sources. | Supported data sources, including databases, data warehouses, cloud apps and flat files. |
| Database replication | Full table; incremental via change data capture. | Full and incremental load. | Full table and incremental via change data capture. |
| Ability for customers to add new data sources | Yes, by Connector Toolkit Developer. | Provides SDK for creating custom connectors. | Yes, by request or using REST API connector. |
| G2 customer satisfaction | 4.2 out of 5 264 reviews | 4.6 out of 5 57 reviews | 4.7 out of 5 167 Reviews |
| Peer Insights satisfaction | 4.2 308 Ratings | 4.5 173 Ratings | 4.8 87 Ratings |
| Developer tools | Informatica Developer Tool, REST API, Connector Toolkit. | Azure Portal, CLI, and PowerShell. Azure Functions for transformations. Use external services like HDInsight. Visual Studio. | REST connector for data sources that have REST API. |
| Advanced ETL capabilities | Visual ETL designer, Claire AI. | Importing SSIS packages. Calling External processes from the pipeline. Use Hadoop Streaming. | Visual ETL data pipeline designer with data orchestration capabilities. |
| Compliance and security certifications | SOC 1, SOC 2, SOC 3, HIPAA / HITECH, GDPR, Privacy Shield. | SOC 1/2/3, ISO 27001 / 27017 / 27018, HIPAA, GDPR, CCPA, FedRAMP, Dod SRG, ITAR | HIPAA, GDPR, PCI DSS. ISO 27001 and SOC 2 (by Azure). |
| Purchase process | Requires conversation with sales. | Self-service through Azure Portal or contacting Microsoft sales. | Self-service or sales. |
| Vendor lock-in | Annual contracts. | Pay-as-you-go or consumption basis. No minimum commitment or contract term. | Monthly or annual contracts. |
| Pricing | Consumption-based pricing. | Always Free for 5 low frequency jobs. Included in Azure Free Trial with $200 credit for 30 days. | Volume-based and feature-based pricing. Freemium model allows to start with a free plan. |
Connectors
Informatica
Informatica’s platform boasts 50K+ high-performance, metadata-aware connections based on its website. But this is not the actual number of connectors. The list of Informatica connectors shows less than 100. It supports SaaS apps, relational databases, data warehouses, and more. It also supports ODBC, JDBC, OData, and REST API. And with these, the number of connectors can increase but will not reach 50K.
You can request new connectors or use the Connector Toolkit for developers.
Azure Data Factory
Azure Data Factory has 90+ built-in connectors for integrating data from various sources. Microsoft regularly adds new connectors and update existing ones. The connectors can integrate databases, cloud platforms, big data, and SaaS applications. Popular connectors include Azure Blob Storage, Amazon S3, and Salesforce.
It also supports generic REST, OData, HTTP, and ODBC connectors. You can create custom connectors using .NET, Java, or Python. ADF provides a software development kit (SDK) for this purpose. And when you’re done with your new connector, you can share and reuse it to others in your organization. Or with other users outside your company.
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
Informatica
Informatica offers various data transformation capabilities like aggregation, masking, filtering, parsing, and more. The service processes data transformations in real-time or batch. It also uses AI to map columns to increase productivity.
Informatica offers simple transformations only in their free Cloud Data Integration. Grab a paid plan to enjoy advanced transformations. And get the highest-paid plan to have more data-quality services.
Azure Data Factory
Azure Data Factory provides flexible and powerful options for data transformation. ADF supports various transformations, including filtering, aggregating, joining, sorting, and more.
You can use the graphical user interface to add transformations or code to create advanced data transformations. ADF allows coding in several programming languages, including SQL, .NET, Python, and others.
It also supports external activities for executing your transformations on compute services. This includes HDInsight Hadoop, Spark, Data Lake Analytics, and Machine Learning. This gives you the flexibility to use different approaches in data transformation.
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
Informatica
Informatica support depends on your pricing plan.
For the free Data Loader, you only have the community to support you. But the free Cloud Data Integration lets you enjoy the community and live chat.
For the paid tiers, you have Cloud Data Integration – PayGo. It lets you enjoy the community, live chat, and basic support. Meanwhile, the Intelligent Data Management Cloud offers community and premium support.
Informatica also offers comprehensive documentation, a portal with learning courses, and certification training.
Azure Data Factory
Azure Data Factory offers several levels of customer support. It includes free and paid options. The free support includes online documentation, community support, and email support.
Paid support options include Standard, Professional Direct, and Premier. Each has various levels of 24/7 support and faster response times. The Standard and Professional Direct support levels also come with an SLA. It guarantees a certain level of uptime and issue resolution time. Customers can reach the support team through various channels. This includes email, phone, and online chat. For premium support, customers can avail themselves of dedicated support teams and other benefits.
Azure SLA guarantees 99.9% uptime for paid Azure services.
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
Informatica
Informatica uses consumption-based pricing. It measures consumption in what they call Informatica Processing Unit (IPU). You need to subscribe to enough IPUs in advance for your data integration needs.
Informatica also offers a free tier for their Cloud Data Integration. But with it, you only get simple transformations and live chat support. Also unavailable are SOC 2 Compliance, API Management, data privacy, and more.
The paid tiers offer better support and the features missing in the free tier. For more information, visit Informatica’s website.
Note that one of the dislikes about Informatica is its price. Reviews in G2 report it’s very pricey.
Azure Data Factory
Azure Data Factory provides a flexible pay-as-you-go pricing model. It charges based on pipeline orchestration, data movement, and data volume. Pricing can vary depending on region and usage patterns.
New customers get $200 free credit for 30 days to use any Azure service, including Data Factory. Pay-as-you-go is your next option once the trial ends or the free credits becomes zero. But ADF is always free for 5 low-frequency activities.
Some services may need resources not covered in Always Free services like storage. So, it’s crucial to check pricing and usage limits.
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.