How we make this list: we compare pricing pages, product documentation and public user reviews. Ratings come from G2, Capterra or Trustpilot, with the date we checked them.
Key takeaways
- ELT tools load raw data into a warehouse first and transform it there, which suits modern cloud warehouses better than old transform first ETL for most analytics work.
- Pricing models differ sharply: Fivetran bills Monthly Active Rows, Airbyte bills volume or capacity, Stitch bills rows, and Hevo bills events, so model cost at your real volume.
- Free tiers are real but small, with Fivetran free to 500,000 MAR a month and Airbyte free for self hosting, while enterprise tools need custom quotes.
- Connector breadth matters most for niche sources, since every vendor covers Salesforce and Postgres but long tail sources separate leaders from the rest.
- Transformation still needs a tool: pair a loader such as Fivetran or Airbyte with dbt, which merged with Fivetran in June 2026, or use a platform with built in transformation.
Quick comparison
| Tool | Best for | Starting price | Free plan |
|---|
 Fivetran | Business critical pipelines | Free | Yes |
 Airbyte | Cost conscious or custom connectors | Free | Yes |
 Stitch | Simple SaaS to warehouse loads | $100 per month | No |
 Hevo Data | No code ELT with real time CDC | $239 per month | Yes |
 Skyvia | No code ELT and reverse ETL | Free | Yes |
 Estuary Flow | Real time streaming ELT | Free | Yes |
 Rivery | ELT plus orchestration in one platform | See website | No |
 Matillion | Warehouse native transformation | See website | No |
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#1Fivetran
Best for: Business critical pipelines4.3/5 on
G2 (841 reviews, checked Oct 2026)
Visit fivetran.com
Starting priceFree
Free planYes
Fivetran is the managed ELT standard for business critical pipelines, with more than 700 connectors, automated schema handling, and reliability that teams trust for finance and executive reporting. Pricing bills Monthly Active Rows, with a permanent free tier to 500,000 MAR a month and Standard rates near 2.50 dollars per 1 million MAR, though contracts carry a 12,000 dollar annual minimum. Since Fivetran merged with dbt Labs in June 2026, transformation through dbt sits under the same company, which simplifies the loader plus transformation stack.
The trade off is volume cost. MAR pricing grows with every active row each month, so wide tables and frequent syncs raise the bill faster than row count alone suggests. Fivetran fits teams that need managed reliability for business critical pipelines and can budget MAR based pricing.
What we like- 700 plus connectors
- Managed reliability
- Free to 500,000 MAR a month
- Dbt under same company
Watch out for- MAR pricing scales with volume
- 12,000 dollar annual minimum on contracts
- Transformations need dbt
#2Airbyte
Best for: Cost conscious or custom connectors4.4/5 on
G2 (78 reviews, checked Oct 2026)
Visit airbyte.com
Starting priceFree
Free planYes
Airbyte is the open source ELT leader, with more than 700 connectors, a no code Connector Builder with AI assist, and low code and Python CDKs for custom sources. Self hosting is free with unlimited use, while managed Cloud starts near 10 to 20 dollars a month depending on source, with volume based Standard and Plus plans and capacity based Data Workers on Pro and Enterprise. That combination suits engineering teams that want to own ingestion and build connectors for niche sources.
The limits are maintenance and price spread. Self hosted Airbyte needs 10 to 15 engineering hours a month for Kubernetes management and upgrades, and cloud pricing varies enough across sources to require a pricing page check. Airbyte fits engineering heavy teams that want maximum connector breadth at low cost and can run infrastructure.
What we like- Free self hosted with unlimited use
- 700 plus connectors
- No code Connector Builder with AI assist
Watch out for- Self hosting needs engineering time
- Cloud pricing varies by source
- Maintenance is on you when self hosted
Starting price$100 per month
Free planNo
Stitch, now part of Qlik, is the lightweight ELT loader for simple SaaS to warehouse replication, with more than 140 connectors and published pricing from 100 dollars a month for 5 million rows and 1 destination. Setup takes minutes for standard sources, and row based tiers make costs easy to forecast at low volume. Note the migration path: Qlik owns Stitch, so buyers should confirm the current product direction before committing long term.
The trade off is scale and freshness. Stitch replication is batch based rather than real time, and only 8 destination connectors limit warehouse choice at scale. Stitch fits teams that need simple SaaS to warehouse loads at low volume with no transformation requirements.
What we like- Simplest setup for SaaS to warehouse loads
- 140 plus connectors
- Published row pricing
Watch out for- 14 day trial only
- Batch only replication
- 8 destination connectors limit scale
#4Hevo Data
Best for: No code ELT with real time CDC4.4/5 on
G2 (295 reviews, checked Oct 2026)
Visit hevodata.com
Starting price$239 per month
Free planYes
Hevo Data is a no code ELT platform with real time change data capture, so source changes stream to the warehouse quickly without engineering work. A permanent free tier covers 1 million events a month, and Starter pricing runs 239 dollars a month billed annually for 5 million events. That combination suits lean mid market teams that want fast pipes without building connectors or managing infrastructure.
The limits are price and event math. Event pricing counts inserts, updates, and deletes, so high churn tables consume events faster than row counts suggest, and the connector list is smaller than Fivetran or Airbyte. Hevo fits mid market teams that value no code speed and real time CDC over the widest connector library.
What we like- No code setup
- Real time change data capture
- 1 million events a month free
Watch out for- 239 dollars a month entry on annual billing
- Event pricing counts inserts, updates, and deletes
- Smaller connector list than leaders
#5Skyvia
Best for: No code ELT and reverse ETL4.8/5 on
G2 (324 reviews, checked Oct 2026)
Visit skyvia.com
Starting priceFree
Free planYes
Skyvia offers no code ETL and ELT with sync and reverse ETL in one platform, plus a permanent free plan with limited volume and unlimited users on paid plans. Paid integration plans start at 79 dollars a month, with volume based tiers for records and loads. For teams that need to move data both into the warehouse and back into operational tools, Skyvia covers both directions without separate products.
The trade off is volume caps and depth. Tier limits on records and loads bind high volume teams, and connector depth sits below Fivetran and Airbyte. Skyvia fits no code teams that need ELT, sync, and reverse ETL together at a modest price.
What we like- Permanent free plan
- No code pipelines
- Sync and reverse ETL included
- Unlimited users
Watch out for- Volume based tiers cap records and loads
- Smaller connector depth than leaders
- Less real time focus
Starting priceFree
Free planYes
Estuary Flow is a real time streaming ELT platform with sub second latency, suited to teams that need warehouse data fresh within seconds rather than hourly batches. A permanent free tier covers 10 GB a month plus 2 connectors, and Cloud pricing runs 50 cents per GB plus 100 dollars per connector per month. That per GB model makes costs transparent for streaming workloads where row counts mislead.
The limits are connector fees and library size. Per connector monthly fees add up across many sources, and the connector library is smaller than Fivetran or Airbyte. Estuary fits teams with real time streaming needs that justify per GB and per connector pricing.
What we like- Sub second real time streaming
- Permanent free tier with 10 GB and 2 connectors
- Clear per GB pricing
Watch out for- Per connector fees add up
- Smaller connector library than leaders
- Streaming focus may exceed simple needs
#7Rivery
Best for: ELT plus orchestration in one platform4.7/5 on
G2 (120 reviews, checked Oct 2026)
Visit rivery.io
Starting priceSee website
Free planNo
Rivery combines ELT and orchestration in one platform, so teams can ingest, transform, and schedule pipelines without a separate orchestrator. A 14 day trial includes 1,000 free credits, and Base pricing runs 90 cents per BDU credit, where credits reflect data volume. That combination suits teams that want pipeline logic and loading in one place rather than assembling Airflow plus a loader.
The trade off is credit modeling and trial length. BDU credits need volume modeling to forecast, and the 14 day trial is short for a full evaluation. Rivery fits data teams that want ELT and orchestration together and can model credit consumption.
What we like- ELT plus orchestration together
- 14 day trial with 1,000 free credits
- Flexible data volume pricing
Watch out for- Credit pricing needs modeling
- Smaller brand than leaders
- Trial is short
#8Matillion
Best for: Warehouse native transformation4.4/5 on
G2 (83 reviews, checked Oct 2026)
Visit matillion.com
Starting priceSee website
Free planNo
Matillion is a cloud warehouse native ELT platform with visual pipeline design and transformation that runs inside the warehouse, which suits analytics engineering teams on modern warehouses. Its Maia AI features assist pipeline building, and credit based pricing reflects task hour consumption. A free trial is available, but paid plans require a custom quote, so buyers should engage sales early.
The limits are price opacity and separate compute. Custom quotes make budgeting hard before a sales conversation, and warehouse compute bills separately from Matillion credits. Matillion fits analytics engineering teams that want warehouse native transformation and can support enterprise pricing.
What we like- Warehouse native transformation
- Visual pipeline design
- Strong for analytics engineering teams
Watch out for- Custom quote required
- Credit based task hour pricing
- Warehouse compute billed separately
How we chose
We compared published pricing pages and third party ETL tool comparisons from October 2026, recording pricing models at the entry tier rather than headline claims. We favored tools with permanent free tiers, broad connector libraries, and clear volume math, and we flagged where prices conflict across sources. We weighed transformation options, since a loader without transformation needs a second tool, and we noted ownership changes such as Fivetran plus dbt and Qlik plus Stitch that affect product direction.
Start by listing your sources and destinations, since connector gaps kill otherwise good tools, and test your hardest source during trial. Next, model cost at real volume under each pricing model: MAR for Fivetran, rows for Stitch, events for Hevo, and GB plus connectors for Estuary, since the cheapest headline rate rarely wins at your volume. Then check transformation: if you need dbt, confirm whether the loader bundles it or needs a separate setup. Finally, run a proof of concept on production like data for two weeks, measuring sync freshness, schema change handling, and failure alerts. A tool that passes those tests will move data reliably at a forecastable cost.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between ELT and ETL?
ELT loads raw data into a warehouse first and transforms it there, while ETL transforms data before loading, and ELT suits modern cloud warehouses where compute is cheap and scalable.
Which ELT tool is cheapest to start with?
Airbyte self hosted is free with unlimited use, Fivetran is free to 500,000 MAR a month, and Hevo, Skyvia, and Estuary offer permanent free tiers, though paid plans start at 79 to 239 dollars a month for most managed tools.
Do I still need dbt if I buy an ELT tool?
In most cases, yes, since loaders move data while dbt handles transformation, testing, and documentation, and Fivetran merged with dbt Labs in June 2026, which simplifies buying both together.
How do ELT tools charge?
Fivetran bills Monthly Active Rows, Airbyte bills volume or capacity, Stitch bills rows, Hevo bills events, and Estuary bills GB plus connectors, so model cost at your real volume before choosing.
Can ELT tools stream data in real time?
Some can, including Hevo with real time CDC and Estuary with sub second streaming, while Stitch and many batch loaders sync on schedules, so check latency needs before buying.
What happens when a source schema changes?
Good ELT tools handle schema changes automatically by adding columns or alerting on breaking changes, while weaker tools fail pipelines, so test schema changes during trial.
Sources we checked (0)
Is your product missing or out of date?
We review this list regularly. Vendors can request a listing, send updated pricing or ask about featured placement.
Shihab Mia · Founder, Rankite
Shihab has 5+ years in B2B and SaaS SEO. He writes Rankite's software buying guides from pricing pages, documentation and public user reviews. More about Shihab.