About the Services
Matillion
Matillion is a unified data productivity platform for designing data pipelines. You can do ETL, ELT, Reverse ETL, or data replication with different Matillion services. Matillion has the Data Productivity Cloud, which includes the Data Loader, Designer, and Matillion ETL. It started in 2011 and has gained more than 1200 customers since then. Some of them are big-name companies like Cisco, Western Union, and more.
Matillion Data Loader extracts the data and loads it to a destination of choice, but no transformations are available. It works with a web-based wizard interface.
For a fully-featured ETL/ELT solution, you can use Matillion ETL or Matillion Data Productivity Cloud. Both of them use a drag-and-drop interface. The difference is in their setup and deployment. You deploy Matillion ETL in your chosen cloud provider and data platform. As for Matillion Data Productivity Cloud, Matillion itself hosts it, so you don't need a separate setup.
Matillion complies with industry-standard certifications for data privacy and security. You can check their Security Portal for details on certification on SOC 2, GDPR, and others.
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 | ETL, ELT, Reverse ETL, data replication | ETL, streaming data | Data ingestion, ELT, ETL, reverse ETL, data sync, workflow automation. |
| Skill level | No-code, low-code solution. | Low-code, no-code solution. | No-code wizard. Top-rated as one of the easiest ETL tools by G2. |
| Sources | 150+ | 40+ | 180+ |
| Destinations | Popular services, warehouses, and databases. | Supported data sources. | Supported data sources, including databases, data warehouses, cloud apps and flat files. |
| Database replication | Full and incremental loading. | Full or incremental load. | Full table and incremental via change data capture. |
| Ability for customers to add new data sources | Yes, using wizard-driven custom connector framework. | Through JDBC or ODBC. | Ye s, by request or using REST API connector. |
| G2 customer satisfaction | 4.3 out of 5 38 reviews | 4.3 out of 5 15 reviews | 4.8 out of 5 217 Reviews |
| Peer Insights satisfaction | 4.4 66 Ratings | 4.1 137 Ratings | 4.8 103 Ratings |
| Developer tools | Matillion ETL, Matillion Data Productivity Cloud Designer, Matillion ETL API | Pentaho Data Integration. Pentaho Metadata Editor. Pentaho Aggregation Designer. Pentaho Schema Workbench. | REST connector for data sources that have REST API. |
| Advanced ETL capabilities | Run Python scripts, dbt commands, and Databricks Notebook. | Supports Hadoop and Spark integrations for Big Data. | Visual ETL data pipeline designer with data orchestration capabilities. |
| Compliance and security certifications | SOC 2, HIPAA, GDPR, ISO 27001, CCPA, CSA Star | 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 a conversation with sales. | Use the free trial and talk to sales. | Self-service or sales. |
| Vendor lock-in | Annual subscription. | Pentaho Community Edition is open-source. Talk to sales for more details. | Monthly or annual contracts. |
| Pricing | Consumption-based pricing based on Matillion credits. With 30-day free trial + 500 Matillion credits. No 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
Matillion
You can use 150+ pre-built connectors from Matillion. These includes connections to social media, ERP, CRM, relational databases, and more that can be used for loading to data warehouse. Matillion can also reverse ETL using 7 Output Components that includes Salesforce, Azure SQL, and AWS RDS.
They also let you create your own connectors using the wizard-driven custom connector framework. However, the availability of your own connector depends on your skills to do this.
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
Matillion
Matillion has 40+ transformation components available for Matillion ETL and 30+ components available for Matillion Data Productivity Cloud Designer. Both products support running Python scripts and dbt commands for more complex transformations. It also has an Expression Editor for creating formulas or expressions in components.
You can place these components in the pipeline canvas using drag-and-drop. These components can do aggregating, pivoting, joining, and more. You can also use these components regardless of the target data warehouse. Scripting components are available for all pricing plans in Matillion ETL. But for Data Productivity Cloud it can be used only in the Enterprise plan.
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
Matillion
Matillion customers always have access to technical documentation, Support Portal, and learning resources. This is regardless of their availed pricing plan.
The next level of support is Mission Critical and Mission Critical Plus. Both offer faster response, expert staff, and more. These support options are available for Advanced and Enterprise pricing tiers. Whether this is another payment on top of the pricing tiers is not clear on the Pricing page. So, you need to contact Sales for clarification.
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
Matillion
You can try Matillion for 30 days free and then choose between 3 pricing tiers where features and support level up. Matillion uses consumption-based pricing and a credit is the unit of measurement. The computation of credit consumption differs in Matillion ETL and Data Productivity Cloud, so check out their Pricing page or ask a Sales representative for more details.
Paid plans start at $2/credit for the Basic tier. Then, the cost increases if you go for the Advanced and Enterprise tiers.
Buying a Matillion plan is a 1-year contract with a Service Level Agreement. So, make sure to use the trial period before deciding if this is good for you. Note also that setting up Matillion ETL introduces separate pricing plans - one for the cloud provider (Azure, AWS, GCP) and another for the data platform (Snowflake, Redshift, etc.). And this does not include the technical expertise needed for the setup.
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.