comparisons
Affordable ELT Alternatives - Fivetran vs CloudQuery
When extracting, loading, and transforming (ELT) data, businesses seek cost-effective and flexible solutions. Fivetran and CloudQuery are two prominent players in this field, but they differ in pricing models, features, and capabilities. In this post, we’ll dive into how these two services compare, particularly focusing on cost savings with CloudQuery.
What is CloudQuery? #
CloudQuery is an ELT (Extract, Load, Transform) tool that enables high-performance data extraction and loading with a pluggable architecture, allowing for extensive customization and scalability. Built with Go, it offers low memory usage and high efficiency, supporting a rich type system for accurate data handling. CloudQuery can be self-hosted, ensuring data remains within your infrastructure and providing a cost-effective pricing model based on usage.
What is Fivetran? #
Fivetran is a managed ELT SaaS solution that automates data pipelines from various sources to centralized destinations. It offers a comprehensive range of connectors but comes with a higher and more complex pricing structure based on Monthly Active Rows (MAR).
Key Differences #
| Feature | CloudQuery | Fivetran |
|---|---|---|
| Bring Your Own Cloud (BYOC) | Allows users to run the service in their own cloud environment, providing greater control and security. | Does not offer BYOC, as it is a fully managed service. |
| Performance | Built with Go, leveraging go-routines for high performance and low memory usage. | High performance but as a managed service, users have less control over optimization. |
| Cross-Platform CLI | Driven by a single binary cross-platform CLI, making it easy to deploy and manage across different environments. | Provides a web-based interface with limited CLI support. |
| Open Source and Extendable | Open-source framework with a pluggable architecture. Users can create their own data source or destination plugins using the CloudQuery SDK to access data from in-house stores or other SaaS applications. | Closed-source managed ELT SaaS solution. |
| Type System | Supports a rich type system for connectors, enabling richer schemas and more accurate data. | Standard-type systems without the customization CloudQuery offers. |
| Connectors | Growing list of connectors, supported by the community and official team. | Extensive list of connectors. |
Pricing Comparison #
CloudQuery Pricing #
Plugins are split into two categories: API plugins and Database plugins. Each category has its own price per row and the price goes down the more you sync within a month. See the Pricing page for the actual prices. Some source plugins are free to use without charges. Similarly, your own plugins created with CloudQuery SDK are free to use.
| Rows per month | API Price per 1M rows | Database Price per 1M rows |
|---|---|---|
| 0 - 1M | Free | Free |
| 1M - 10M | $15 | $15 |
| 10M - 100M | $13 | $10 |
| 100M - 1000M | $8 | $7 |
Source: CloudQuery Pricing
Fivetran Pricing #
Fivetran calculates your price based on Monthly Active Rows (MAR) and is calculated as the number of distinct Primary Keys transported through the Fivetran Product by an Account in a given Billing Period. For example, a distinct Primary Key synced 30 times during a Billing Period will count as one MAR.
| MAR | Starter | Standard | Enterprise | Business Critical | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Incremental Spend per Million MAR *† | Base Spend per Month | Incremental Spend per Million MAR *† | Base Spend per Month | Incremental Spend per Million MAR *† | Base Spend per Month | Incremental Spend per Million MAR *† | Base Spend per Month | |
| 0 | $500.00 | $0.00 | $750.00 | $0.00 | $1,000.00 | $0.00 | $1,600.00 | $0.00 |
| 1 | $201.74 | $500.00 | $302.60 | $750.00 | $403.46 | $1,000.00 | $1,066.58 | $1,600.00 |
| 2 | $175.43 | $701.74 | $263.15 | $1,052.60 | $350.87 | $1,403.46 | $982.43 | $2,666.58 |
| 10 | $49.71 | $2,105.20 | $74.56 | $3,157.80 | $99.41 | $4,210.40 | $58.48 | $10,526.00 |
| 100 | $18.42 | $6,578.75 | $14.77 | $9,868.13 | $14.62 | $13,157.50 | $17.54 | $15,789.00 |
| 1000 | $3.27 | $23,157.20 | $3.27 | $23,157.20 | $2.92 | $26,315.00 | $3.51 | $31,578.00 |
| 10000 | $2.93 | $52,630.00 | $2.93 | $52,630.00 | $2.93 | $52,630.00 | $3.51 | $63,156.00 |
Source: Fivetran Pricing
Cost Analysis Example #
Scenario: A company is performing a database migration and they are migrating over 100 million unique rows per month to a new database (Accurate as of June 2024).
CloudQuery #
- Database Rows Cost: 100M rows (at $7 per 1M rows)
- First 1M rows: Free
- 99M rows: $7 * 99 = $693
- Total: $693/month
Fivetran (Standard Monthly pay as you go Plan) #
- Base Cost: $9,868.13/month
- Total: $9,868.13/month
Savings with CloudQuery #
- Fivetran: $9,868.13/month
- CloudQuery: $693/month
- Savings: $9,868.13 - $693 = $9175.13/month
CloudQuery provides significant cost savings of $9,175.13 per month compared to Fivetran for migrating 100 million unique rows.
Conclusion #
For businesses processing large volumes of data, CloudQuery offers significant cost savings compared to Fivetran. Beyond affordability, CloudQuery’s open-source flexibility, high performance, and self-hosted options make it a compelling alternative for ELT processing needs. If you’re looking for a cheaper, high-performance ELT solution, consider CloudQuery as your go-to option. Try CloudQuery for free today.
Sources #
- CloudQuery Vs Fivetran: https://docs.cloudquery.io/docs/cq-vs-others/fivetran-alternative-cloudquery
- CloudQuery Billing and Usage Docs: https://docs.cloudquery.io/docs/billing-and-usage/overview
- CloudQuery Pricing: https://www.cloudquery.io/pricing
FAQs #
Q: What are the main differences between CloudQuery and Fivetran for ELT processing? #
A: CloudQuery is an open-source, self-hosted ELT tool with a pluggable architecture and lower costs, while Fivetran is a managed ELT SaaS solution with a higher and more complex pricing structure.
Q: How does CloudQuery’s pricing model compare to Fivetran’s? #
A: CloudQuery offers a straightforward tiered pricing model based on rows processed per month, while Fivetran’s pricing is based on Monthly Active Rows (MAR) with a base cost and additional incremental costs.
Q: Can CloudQuery help save money on database migration costs? #
A: Yes, CloudQuery can significantly reduce database migration costs. For example, migrating 100 million rows per month with CloudQuery costs $693, compared to $9,868.13 with Fivetran.
Q: Is CloudQuery suitable for large-scale data processing? #
A: Absolutely, CloudQuery’s high-performance Go-based connectors and scalable pricing model make it ideal for large-scale data processing, ensuring efficient and cost-effective operations.
Q: What are the benefits of using CloudQuery over Fivetran? #
A: CloudQuery offers benefits like lower costs, open-source flexibility, self-hosting options, high performance, and a rich type system for accurate data handling.
Q: How does CloudQuery ensure data security during migration? #
A: CloudQuery can be self-hosted, ensuring that data does not leave your infrastructure, and providing enhanced security and control over your data during migration.
Written by Joe Karlsson
Joe Karlsson (He/They) is an Engineer turned Developer Advocate (and massive nerd). Joe empowers developers to think creatively when building applications, through demos, blogs, videos, or whatever else developers need.
