Best software · Developer & data
10 Best ETL Tools of 2026
This list is for data engineers who move data from SaaS apps and production databases into a cloud warehouse or lake. It covers managed ELT services (Fivetran, Hevo Data, Stitch, Rivery), open-source and code-first tools (Airbyte, dlt), a CDC-first platform (Estuary), warehouse transformation platforms (Matillion, Informatica) and a serverless cloud service (AWS Glue). We compared documented features and published prices for 10 tools. Scores weigh features at 40%, ease of use at 30% and value at 30%.
By the Mojolin research desk · Updated November 9, 2026 · 10 tools compared · Prices checked on vendor pages, latest November 9, 2026
Questions or corrections: editorial@mojolin.com
Mojolin is self-funded How we score
Fivetran is our top pick for most data teams: it lists 750+ fully managed connectors, handles schema drift on its own and has a Free plan up to 500,000 monthly active rows, though usage pricing needs careful estimates. Airbyte is the best value, with free self-hosted Core, 700+ connectors and Cloud plans from $20 a month. Estuary is the strongest choice for log-based CDC, with a free 10 GB tier and a published per-GB price. Hevo Data is the easiest no-code option, dlt is the best free library for Python-first engineers, and AWS Glue fits teams that run their transformations on AWS.
Top picks
Best overall
Fivetran
8.8 / 10
Data teams that want hands-off connectors from hundreds of sources and can budget for usage-based pricing.
Read the review →Runner-up
Airbyte
8.7 / 10
Data engineers who want open-source connectors they can self-host for free, with a managed cloud when they need it.
Read the review →Also great
Estuary
8.7 / 10
Teams that need real-time database replication and batch SaaS loads without running two tools.
Read the review →Comparison table
| # | Tool | Pricing | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fivetran | Data teams that want hands-off connectors from hundreds of sources and can budget for usage-based pricing. | Free plan with 500,000 monthly active rows; paid plans are usage-based, with a $5 base charge per standard connection per month plus usage | 8.8 |
| 2 | Airbyte | Data engineers who want open-source connectors they can self-host for free, with a managed cloud when they need it. | Airbyte Core is free to self-host; Cloud Standard from $20 per month with 5 credits; Plus from $189 per month; Pro and Enterprise Flex are custom | 8.7 |
| 3 | Estuary | Teams that need real-time database replication and batch SaaS loads without running two tools. | Free Developer plan up to 10 GB a month and 2 connectors; Cloud costs $0.50 per GB plus $100 per connector instance per month ($50 after the sixth) | 8.7 |
| 4 |  Hevo Data | Analytics teams without dedicated data engineers who want no-code pipelines and predictable plans. | Starter from $265 per month billed annually ($299 monthly); Professional from $750 per month billed annually; Enterprise has fixed pricing | 8.4 |
| 5 |  dlt | Python-first data engineers who want to write pipelines as code and run them anywhere. | dlt library is free under Apache 2.0; the managed dltHub platform costs $12,000 per month with 5,000 credits, 12-month minimum | 8.3 |
| 6 |  Matillion | Warehouse-centric teams that want visual pipeline design plus SQL and Python, with AI help on repetitive work. | See vendor pricing (USD check pending) | 8.1 |
| 7 |  Rivery | Small data teams that want ingestion, transformation and orchestration in one pay-as-you-go tool. | Base edition is pay as you go at $0.90 per BDU credit on monthly billing; Professional, Pro Plus and Enterprise add environments, users and security | 8.1 |
| 8 |  AWS Glue | Engineers already on AWS who want serverless Spark ETL and a central data catalog. | Pay as you go at $0.44 per DPU-hour for ETL jobs, billed by the second; Data Catalog has a free tier | 7.9 |
| 9 |  Stitch | Small teams that want a straightforward row-based plan for a handful of standard sources. | Standard from $100 per month for 5 million rows; Advanced $1,500 per month and Premium $3,000 per month, both billed annually | 7.9 |
| 10 |  Informatica Cloud Data Integration | Large enterprises that need every integration pattern, governance and data quality on one platform. | See vendor pricing (USD check pending) | 7.5 |
Scoring weights
Every tool gets three editorial scores out of 10, from vendor documentation, product pages and the published price. The overall score is the weighted average below, the same method on every list. Full method
The full ranking
Rank 1 · Best overall
Fivetran
Fully managed ELT service that replicates SaaS apps, databases, ERPs and files into a warehouse or lake.
fivetran.com8.8
out of 10
Best for: Data teams that want hands-off connectors from hundreds of sources and can budget for usage-based pricing.
Fivetran is the most complete managed option for teams that want data from SaaS apps and databases to land in Snowflake, BigQuery, Databricks or a lake without writing extraction code. The company lists 750+ fully managed connectors, schema drift handling, automated retries and idempotent delivery, plus a Connector SDK for niche sources. Transformations run through dbt Core, with 5,000 model runs a month free on every plan.
Pricing is by monthly active rows (MAR). The Free plan gives Standard features up to 500,000 MAR for connections. Paid usage follows a separate cost curve per connection, and standard connections between 1 MAR and 1M MAR carry a $5 base charge. Fivetran's own example puts four common marketing connectors at about $511 a month on Standard for a company with up to 200 employees. Enterprise adds 1-minute syncs, enterprise database connectors and hybrid deployment, and Business Critical adds customer-managed keys and PCI DSS Level 1. The tradeoff is cost predictability, which takes work with the pricing estimator.
Standout feature
750+ fully managed connectors with schema drift handling, the widest managed catalog in this list.
Use cases
Analytics engineers
Replicate Salesforce, HubSpot and Postgres into Snowflake
Outcome: Fresh source tables every 15 minutes without custom code
Small data teams
Start on the Free plan with a few low-volume sources
Outcome: A working warehouse feed at no cost under 500,000 MAR
Regulated enterprises
Run pipelines with hybrid deployment and private networking
Outcome: Data stays in their own environment while Fivetran manages pipelines
Key features
- 750+ fully managed connectors for SaaS apps, databases, ERPs and files
- 15-minute syncs on Standard and 1-minute syncs on Enterprise
- Built-in schema drift handling with automated retries
- dbt Core integration with 5,000 free model runs a month
- Hybrid deployment option on Enterprise
Pros
- Free plan includes Standard features up to 500,000 MAR
- Connector SDK for sources that are not in the catalog
- Annual contracts save up to 22%
Cons
- Each connection has its own usage-based cost curve, so bills are harder to predict
- 1-minute syncs and hybrid deployment need Enterprise
- Customer-managed keys need the Business Critical plan
Rank 2 · Runner-up
Airbyte
Open-source data movement platform with 700+ connectors, offered as self-hosted Core, Cloud or Hybrid.
airbyte.com8.7
out of 10
Best for: Data engineers who want open-source connectors they can self-host for free, with a managed cloud when they need it.
Airbyte gives data engineers the most flexible path from a free self-hosted pipeline to a managed service. Airbyte Core, the open-source engine and connectors, is free to run under the Elastic License 2.0, and pipelines can move to Airbyte Cloud or Hybrid later without being rebuilt. The catalog lists 700+ connectors, and the Connector Builder covers APIs that are missing. Hybrid keeps the control plane with Airbyte while syncs run in your cloud account, VPC or data center.
Cloud pricing is credit-based. Standard starts at $20 a month with 5 credits, about 1 GB of syncs, and syncs as often as every hour. Plus starts at $189 a month and adds SSO, 15-minute syncs and a 24-hour support SLA. Pro and Enterprise Flex use capacity pricing built on Data Workers, so cost tracks compute rather than row counts. The trial includes 400 credits, roughly 100 GB of syncs, with no card. Expect more tuning work than with fully managed rivals if you self-host.
Standout feature
The same open-source connectors run free on your own servers or managed in Airbyte Cloud.
Use cases
Startup data engineers
Self-host Airbyte Core on Kubernetes to load Postgres and Stripe into BigQuery
Outcome: A working ELT stack with no license fee
Platform teams
Run syncs in their own VPC with Airbyte Hybrid
Outcome: Records never leave their environment while Airbyte runs the control plane
Analytics teams
Build a connector for an internal API with the Connector Builder
Outcome: Custom data lands next to standard sources
Key features
- 700+ connectors for databases, SaaS apps and files
- Connector Builder for custom API sources
- Hybrid deployment where syncs run in your own VPC or data center
- MCP server for managing pipelines from an AI agent
- Terraform and API control of connections
Pros
- Airbyte Core is free to self-host under the Elastic License 2.0
- Low entry price on Cloud Standard
- Capacity pricing on Pro avoids bills that spike with volume
Cons
- Standard syncs run at most every hour
- SSO and 15-minute syncs start on the $189 Plus plan
- Self-hosting Core means running and upgrading it yourself
Rank 3 · Also great
Estuary
Managed platform that combines log-based CDC, SaaS ingestion and batch loads in one pipeline.
estuary.dev8.7
out of 10
Best for: Teams that need real-time database replication and batch SaaS loads without running two tools.
Estuary is built for teams that want change data capture and ordinary SaaS loads in the same product. It backfills a source's full history, then captures every insert, update and delete as it happens, stores the data in your own cloud bucket with schemas enforced, and delivers it to each destination on its own schedule. Estuary lists 200+ connectors, including CDC sources such as Postgres, SQL Server, MongoDB and Oracle and warehouses such as Snowflake, BigQuery, Databricks and Iceberg.
Pricing is one of the clearest in this category. The Developer plan is free for up to 10 GB a month and 2 connector instances. Cloud costs $0.50 per GB plus $100 per connector instance per month, dropping to $50 after the sixth, and Estuary's example of 100 GB from Postgres to Snowflake comes to $300 a month. Enterprise adds private and BYOC deployment, SSO and a HIPAA BAA. The fixed connector fee makes it less attractive for many small sources.
Standout feature
Reads each source once and delivers to every destination at its own latency, from real time to hourly.
Use cases
Data engineers
Stream Postgres changes into Snowflake with CDC
Outcome: Warehouse tables that stay current within seconds
Product teams
Feed the same source data to a warehouse and an operational database
Outcome: One read of the source serves both destinations
Security-focused companies
Run Estuary inside their own cloud with BYOC
Outcome: Pipeline data never leaves their network
Key features
- Log-based CDC from Postgres, MySQL, SQL Server, MongoDB and Oracle
- 200+ connectors for databases, SaaS apps, streams and files
- Exactly-once delivery and automatic schema evolution
- Transformations in flight
- Private and bring-your-own-cloud deployment on Enterprise
Pros
- Free Developer tier with the full platform up to 10 GB a month
- Simple published formula for Cloud pricing
- Each destination syncs on its own schedule, from real time to hourly
Cons
- Connector instance fees add up with many sources and destinations
- Smaller connector catalog than Fivetran or Airbyte
- SSO and the SOC 2 report are on the Enterprise plan
Rank 4
Hevo Data
No-code data pipeline platform for ingestion, loading and dbt-based modeling into a warehouse.
hevodata.com8.4
out of 10
Best for: Analytics teams without dedicated data engineers who want no-code pipelines and predictable plans.
Hevo Data is aimed at teams that want warehouse pipelines without writing code. You configure a source and a destination in a few screens, and Hevo handles schema drift, retries failed records and sends alerts when something changes upstream. It lists 190+ pre-built connectors across databases, SaaS apps and file storage, offers CDC replication for high-volume databases, and adds dbt-based modeling inside the same platform.
Hevo offers two pricing models: usage-based plans priced by events, and a fixed price per pipeline for unlimited volume. Starter costs $299 a month on monthly billing or $265 a month on annual billing, with 1-hour scheduling, up to 10 users, dbt integration and 24x7 chat support. Professional starts at $750 a month billed annually, and Enterprise uses fixed pricing with SSO, multiple workspaces and VPC peering. There is a 14-day trial but no free plan, and hourly syncs on Starter may be too slow for operational use.
Standout feature
Lets teams choose between usage-based plans and a fixed price per pipeline for unlimited volume.
Use cases
Analytics teams at mid-size companies
Load Shopify, Google Ads and MySQL into BigQuery
Outcome: Analysis-ready tables without an engineer writing pipelines
Growing SaaS companies
Replicate a production database with CDC
Outcome: Near real-time warehouse data without load on production
Teams replacing another vendor
Move existing pipelines onto a fixed-price plan
Outcome: A predictable monthly bill as volume grows
Key features
- 190+ pre-built connectors, with new ones built on request
- Database replication with CDC
- Automatic schema drift handling and failed record recovery
- dbt integration on every paid plan
- Pipeline management through APIs and CI/CD
Pros
- No-code setup for sources and destinations
- Choice of usage-based or fixed-price plans
- 24x7 email and live chat support on Starter
Cons
- No permanent free plan
- Starter syncs at most every hour
- Smaller connector catalog than the largest rivals
Rank 5
dlt
Open-source Python library for loading data from APIs, databases and files into well-structured datasets.
dlthub.com8.3
out of 10
Best for: Python-first data engineers who want to write pipelines as code and run them anywhere.
dlt takes the opposite approach to the managed services in this list: it is an open-source Python library you install with pip and call from your own code. A pipeline can pull from a REST API by declaring the base URL, auth and paginator, or from SQL databases such as PostgreSQL, MySQL and Oracle, and dlt infers schemas, normalizes nested data and loads it into destinations such as DuckDB or a cloud warehouse. Incremental loading, schema evolution and data contracts are built in, and the docs are written to work with coding agents.
The library is free under Apache 2.0 and runs wherever Python runs, from Airflow to serverless functions. The managed dltHub platform adds a managed runtime, observability, data quality checks and collaboration for $12,000 a month with 5,000 credits, on a 12-month minimum, with a 14-day trial. For most teams the library alone is the draw. You need Python skills and your own scheduler.
Standout feature
A free Python library that turns any REST API or SQL database into a loaded, typed dataset.
Use cases
Python data engineers
Write a pipeline for an internal REST API with incremental loading
Outcome: A versioned, testable loader with no license cost
Teams on Airflow
Replace hand-written extract scripts with dlt sources
Outcome: Schema changes handled automatically
Analysts prototyping
Load API data into DuckDB in a notebook
Outcome: Queryable tables in minutes
Key features
- REST API source that handles pagination and authentication from a config
- SQL source for PostgreSQL, MySQL, Oracle and other databases
- Automatic schema inference, normalization and nested data handling
- Incremental loading, schema evolution and data contracts
- Runs anywhere Python runs, including Airflow and serverless functions
Pros
- Free and open source under Apache 2.0
- Pipelines are plain Python code you can version and test
- Designed to work with coding agents
Cons
- Requires Python skills and your own orchestration
- Managed dltHub platform is priced for larger teams
- Fewer verified connectors than managed catalogs
Rank 6
Matillion
Cloud data integration and transformation platform with low-code pipelines and AI agents for Snowflake, Databricks, BigQuery and Redshift.
matillion.com8.1
out of 10
Best for: Warehouse-centric teams that want visual pipeline design plus SQL and Python, with AI help on repetitive work.
Matillion focuses on building and transforming data inside the cloud warehouse. Its platform, now called Maia Foundation (formerly Data Productivity Cloud), offers a low-code canvas alongside SQL and Python, 150+ connectors, orchestration and governance across Snowflake, Databricks, BigQuery and Redshift. Maia, Matillion's set of AI agents, can build, manage and orchestrate pipelines, with a mission control view to review each plan before it runs.
Pricing is consumption-based credits across three editions. Developer is for one developer user and light workloads; Teams adds 5 developer users, an audit log, standard support and an SLA; Scale adds custom SSO, hybrid cloud deployment, data lineage, streaming CDC, 180+ days of log retention and bring-your-own Git. Matillion does not publish credit prices on its pricing page, so we could not verify a USD starting price. You can contract directly or pay through AWS, Azure or Snowflake. It suits teams that do heavy in-warehouse transformation more than those that only need replication.
Standout feature
Combines a low-code canvas, SQL and Python with AI agents that propose plans for review before they run.
Use cases
Snowflake data teams
Design ingestion and transformation jobs on a visual canvas
Outcome: Pipelines that analysts and engineers can both read
Enterprises migrating legacy ETL
Convert old pipelines with Maia's migration agent
Outcome: Shorter migration programs
Lean data teams
Hand repetitive pipeline tasks to Maia agents
Outcome: More time for modeling and stakeholder work
Key features
- Low-code canvas plus SQL and Python
- 150+ connectors with orchestration and governance
- Maia AI agents that build and manage pipelines
- Built-in Git repository, with bring-your-own Git on Scale
- Streaming change data capture and data lineage on Scale
Pros
- Visual design and code in one pipeline tool
- Works with Snowflake, Databricks, BigQuery and Redshift
- Can be bought through AWS, Azure or Snowflake marketplaces
Cons
- Prices are not published on the pricing page
- Teams and Scale editions include only 5 developer users
- CDC and lineage need the Scale edition
Rank 7
Rivery
SaaS ELT platform for ingestion, SQL and Python transformation, orchestration and reverse ETL, now part of Boomi.
rivery.io8.1
out of 10
Best for: Small data teams that want ingestion, transformation and orchestration in one pay-as-you-go tool.
Rivery covers more of the pipeline than pure replication tools. It extracts data from apps and databases through managed API and CDC replication, transforms it with SQL or Python, orchestrates dependencies with conditional logic, loops and sub-rivers, and pushes results back out with reverse ETL. Version control and one-click deployments between environments are built in, and starter kits provide pre-built workflows. Rivery lists 200+ data sources, with Oracle CDC reserved for Enterprise.
Pricing is credit-based. The Base edition costs $0.90 per Boomi Data Unit credit on monthly billing, with one environment, two users, unlimited connections and syncs as often as every 60 minutes. Professional adds two environments, unlimited users, Python, CI/CD and 15-minute syncs; Pro Plus adds SSO, SCIM and PrivateLink; Enterprise allows 5-minute syncs and VPN tunnels. The trial runs 14 days or 1,000 credits. Estimating credit use takes some testing before you commit.
Standout feature
Ingestion, SQL and Python transformation, orchestration and reverse ETL in one credit-priced platform.
Use cases
Marketing data teams
Pull ad platform data, model it in SQL and refresh dashboards
Outcome: One workflow from source to BI
Revenue operations
Push warehouse scores back into the CRM with reverse ETL
Outcome: Sales sees enriched records
Agencies
Use multiple environments for separate client brands
Outcome: Isolated pipelines in one account
Key features
- 200+ data sources with managed API and CDC replication
- SQL and Python transformations
- Orchestration with branching, loops and sub-rivers
- Reverse ETL to CRMs, Slack and other services
- Built-in version control and environment deployments
Pros
- Ingestion, transformation and orchestration in one product
- Unlimited connections on every edition
- Pre-built kits for common workflows
Cons
- Base syncs at most every 60 minutes
- Base allows only one environment and two users
- Credit consumption is harder to estimate than flat plans
Rank 8
AWS Glue
Serverless AWS data integration service for discovering, preparing and transforming data with Spark and Python.
aws.amazon.com7.9
out of 10
Best for: Engineers already on AWS who want serverless Spark ETL and a central data catalog.
AWS Glue is a serverless data integration service rather than a connector catalog. Engineers write Spark or Python jobs, or design them in Glue Studio, and AWS runs them without clusters to manage. The Glue Data Catalog stores table definitions, schemas and job metadata for your AWS data, crawlers infer schemas from data stores automatically, Glue Data Quality computes statistics and recommends rules, and DataBrew gives analysts a point-and-click interface for cleaning data.
Pricing is pay as you go. An ETL job costs $0.44 per DPU-hour, billed per second; AWS's own example of a 15-minute Spark job on 6 DPUs costs $0.66. Spark jobs need at least 2 DPUs, default to 10 and carry a 1-minute minimum, and Python Shell jobs can use 0.0625 DPU. The Data Catalog has a free tier. Glue is cheap and powerful for teams on AWS, but pulling data from SaaS apps takes more engineering than with Fivetran or Airbyte.
Standout feature
Serverless Spark ETL at $0.44 per DPU-hour, billed by the second.
Use cases
AWS data engineers
Transform raw S3 files into partitioned tables with Spark
Outcome: Query-ready data for Athena and Redshift
Data platform teams
Catalog datasets across S3 and databases with crawlers
Outcome: One metadata store for analytics services
Analysts
Clean and normalize data in DataBrew
Outcome: Prepared datasets without writing code
Key features
- Serverless Apache Spark, Spark Streaming and Python Shell jobs
- Glue Data Catalog as a persistent metadata store
- Crawlers for automatic schema discovery
- Glue Studio job notebooks and interactive sessions
- Glue Data Quality and the no-code DataBrew interface
Pros
- Pay only while jobs run, billed per second
- No servers or clusters to manage
- Tight fit with S3, Redshift and other AWS services
Cons
- Needs Spark or Python skills for most jobs
- Few ready-made SaaS connectors compared with managed ELT tools
- Spark jobs need at least 2 DPUs and have a 1-minute minimum
Rank 9
Stitch
Simple cloud ELT service from Qlik that replicates sources into a warehouse, priced by rows per month.
stitchdata.com7.9
out of 10
Best for: Small teams that want a straightforward row-based plan for a handful of standard sources.
Stitch, now a Qlik product, is the plain option in this list: connect a source, pick a warehouse, and pay by rows replicated each month. It lists 130+ data sources and supports warehouses, data lakes and lakehouses as destinations. Standard covers 5 to 300 million rows a month with 1 destination, 10 standard sources, 5 users, 7-day historical sync and 7-day extraction log retention, and it carries SOC 2 Type II and ISO 27001 compliance.
Standard starts at $100 a month. Advanced costs $1,500 a month billed annually and adds 100 million rows, 3 destinations, unlimited enterprise sources and users, post-load webhooks and Connect API access. Premium at $3,000 a month raises the volume to 1 billion rows and 5 destinations. The 14-day trial allows unlimited rows, which is useful for a first historical load. Stitch is easy to run, but its catalog and limits on Standard make it better for simple setups than for growing data teams.
Standout feature
Simple row-based pricing that starts at $100 a month, with unlimited rows during the trial.
Use cases
Solo analysts
Replicate a CRM and a billing system into Redshift
Outcome: A basic warehouse on a $100 monthly plan
Small startups
Run a full historical load during the trial
Outcome: Complete history captured before paying
Qlik customers
Feed a warehouse that Qlik dashboards read
Outcome: Ingestion and analytics from one vendor
Key features
- 130+ data sources
- Row-based plans from 5 to 300 million rows a month on Standard
- Post-load webhooks and advanced scheduling on Advanced
- Connect API access
- Site-to-site VPN, AWS PrivateLink and reverse SSH tunnel options
Pros
- Clear row-based pricing with no hidden fees
- Unlimited rows during the 14-day trial
- SOC 2 Type II and ISO 27001 compliance
Cons
- Standard allows 1 destination, 10 standard sources and 5 users
- Big jump from Standard to the $1,500 Advanced plan
- Smallest connector catalog of the managed tools here
Rank 10
Informatica Cloud Data Integration
Enterprise ETL and ELT service in Informatica's Intelligent Data Management Cloud, priced in processing units.
informatica.com7.5
out of 10
Best for: Large enterprises that need every integration pattern, governance and data quality on one platform.
Informatica Cloud Data Integration, part of the Intelligent Data Management Cloud and now owned by Salesforce, is the enterprise heavyweight here. One platform handles ETL, high-performance ELT and unstructured data, with serverless processing and AI-driven workload optimization to control cost. Replication and change data capture run through Cloud Mass Ingestion, and the same platform includes data quality, application integration, catalog and governance services. Informatica says it can connect to hundreds of systems.
Pricing uses Informatica Processing Units. Customers buy IPUs and can spend them on any eligible cloud service listed in Informatica's schedule, which suits large organizations that want one contract across integration and data management. Informatica does not publish a USD price list, so we could not verify a starting price. A free 30-day cloud trial is available. For a team that only needs SaaS and database replication into a warehouse, Informatica is usually more platform than required, but it fits companies with strict governance needs.
Standout feature
One IPU contract covers data integration, data quality, governance and other IDMC services.
Use cases
Enterprise data platform teams
Consolidate legacy ETL and new cloud pipelines on one platform
Outcome: One vendor for integration and governance
Regulated industries
Combine pipelines with data quality and cataloging
Outcome: Traceable, governed warehouse data
Large IT organizations
Spend a shared IPU pool across several data services
Outcome: Flexible use of one budget
Key features
- ETL and high-performance ELT in one service
- Serverless processing with AI-driven workload optimization
- CDC and replication through Cloud Mass Ingestion
- Hundreds of connectors across cloud and on-premises systems
- IPUs that also cover data quality, application integration and other IDMC services
Pros
- Covers integration, data quality, governance and MDM in one platform
- One IPU pool can be spent across many services
- Free 30-day cloud trial
Cons
- No published USD price list
- More complex to learn than self-serve ELT tools
- Pricing and contracts are built for enterprises
Frequently asked questions
+What is the best ETL tool in 2026?
Fivetran is our top pick for teams that want managed pipelines from SaaS apps and databases into a warehouse, with 750+ connectors and a Free plan up to 500,000 monthly active rows. Airbyte is the best alternative, with 700+ connectors, free self-hosted Core and Cloud plans from $20 a month.
+What is the best free ETL tool?
dlt is a free open-source Python library under Apache 2.0, and Airbyte Core is free to self-host. Among managed services, Fivetran Free covers 500,000 monthly active rows and Estuary's Developer plan covers 10 GB a month with 2 connectors.
+What is the difference between ETL and ELT?
ETL transforms data before loading it into the warehouse, while ELT loads raw data first and transforms it inside the warehouse, often with dbt. Most tools in this list, including Fivetran, Airbyte, Hevo and Rivery, follow the ELT pattern, while Matillion, Informatica and AWS Glue also handle heavier transformation jobs.
+Which ETL tool is best for real-time database replication?
Estuary is built around log-based CDC from databases such as Postgres, MySQL, SQL Server, MongoDB and Oracle, with exactly-once delivery. Hevo, Rivery and Informatica also offer CDC replication, and Fivetran Enterprise supports 1-minute syncs.
+How much do ETL tools cost?
Entry prices range from free to custom contracts. Airbyte Cloud Standard starts at $20 a month, Stitch Standard at $100 a month, Hevo Starter at $265 a month billed annually, Estuary Cloud at $0.50 per GB plus $100 per connector instance, and AWS Glue at $0.44 per DPU-hour. Matillion and Informatica quote prices through sales.
About this list
Updated November 9, 2026 by the Mojolin research desk. Mojolin is self-funded
Questions or corrections: editorial@mojolin.com
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