In this unprecedented year, data analysts, engineers, and developers showed incredible adaptability and resilience. Companies that deployed robust cloud and data infrastructure (with data-driven technologies like AI and ML) didn't just survive—they thrived.
To successfully implement this kind of infrastructure, you need to start with a robust ETL tool. Etleap, which was recently in the news for partnering with Snowflake, is great for collecting large volumes of data from disparate sources for reporting, modeling, and decision-making.
But Etleap is just one of many ETL options. Given the complexities inherent with technical spaces like data warehousing and ETL, identifying the right tool is challenging (to say the least). The good news is, we've done the legwork for you. Here are the top 5 ETL tools to take a look at if you're considering Etleap:
1. Panoply
Panoply is a data warehouse and ETL tool with many pre-built connectors that help sync, store, and make data accessible to a host of analytics tools. Panoply boasts a powerful built-in data warehouse explicitly developed for data analysts.
No matter where your data is generated (whether it be Facebook, Shopify, or MongoDB), you can easily automate critical aspects of your data stack, including data collection, transformation, and management without a team of data engineers at your disposal. You can quickly set up Panoply in minutes, with minimal effort.
Panoply pricing: see all pricing options; a free trial is available.
2. Stitch
Stitch (now a Talend company) is a cloud-first ETL tool. It enables the seamless extraction of vast quantities of siloed data generated by multiple applications and rapidly integrates them into a variety of data warehouses. Once it's up and running, you don't have to pay much attention to what's happening beneath the hood.
You can define data integrations in just a few clicks, and Stitch adds new pre-built integrations often. It also enables the seamless replication of relational databases, converting data types and schemas, and allows incremental replications.
Although developers aren't needed, some integrations have to be re-synced, and you have to contend with learning about the UI on the front end. While Stitch once offered a popular free tier, they recently phased out that option.
Stitch pricing: plans start at $100/month (and offer a 14-day free trial).
3. Fivetran
Like its competitor Stitch, Fivetran is a cloud-based ETL tool that provides an extensive library featuring over 150 pre-built integrations. These connect multiple databases and data generated by more than 100 SaaS applications to a central repository or BI tool.
The best part about Fivetran is that it offers fully automated and managed pipelines with zero maintenance. You can also push the data to a Fivetran BigQuery environment. If you don't have a data warehouse ready to go, Fivetran will do it for an additional fee.
However, they don't allow any connection to services that aren't already pre-built, and a full schema refresh can take as much as two days. It’s also vital to do your homework before committing, as Fivetran can be pricey.
Fivetran pricing: plans are consumption-based and available upon request.
4. Xplenty
If you're in the advertising, hospitality, or retail industry, the cloud-based ETL solution Xplenty could be a great fit for you. Its transformation tools make it easy to normalize and transform sensitive data using a user-friendly visual pipeline builder or SQL.
Xplenty enables immediate connectivity to big data stores to manage process pipeline design, data preparation, planning dataflows, metadata management, scheduling tasks, and more. You can also integrate data from a variety of applications like Aftership, Amazon Aurora, and BigQuery.
When evaluating Xplenty, it's worth noting that they charge based on the number of connectors you use, with the source and destination each counting as part of your plan. Likewise, as Xplenty is fairly new to the market, due diligence is definitely recommended.
Xplenty pricing: plans follow a flat-rate connector-based model and offer a free pilot program.
5. Airbyte
Airbyte is an open-source data integration platform with GitHub forks and GitHub stars. It uses pre-built or custom connectors to automate and control data pipelines. You can also use your own connectors to build pipelines in a language you love.
As you'll be self-hosting with Airbyte, you don't have to worry about compliance issues that come with third-party service providers. Airbyte makes team collaboration easy with debug pipelines and granular access logs. You can also automate replications with updates, sync your data from APIs, applications, and databases to your warehouses, and engage in real-time monitoring.
The downside of this open source tool is that while it has a strong community and a variety of ready-made ETL pipelines to choose from, you’re ultimately on the hook for both setup and maintenance...something that smaller data shops may not feel comfortable taking on.
Airbyte pricing: free and open-source (but you have to manage everything yourself).
Comparing ETL Tools
The right ETL tool for your business is directly related to your unique needs. While cost is an important factor to consider, it’s important to weigh monthly fees against your available resources and technical know-how.
For example, open source tools have a great price tag, but don't come with resources and support. You have to consider the additional time and resources required to get the job done (and of course, with the current tech talent shortage, data engineers don't come cheap).
At Panoply, we strive to cover all bases by providing robust ETL pipelines and data warehousing with unparalleled support. While Panoply handles disparate modern workloads efficiently, it’s also simple enough that an analyst can successfully set up and manage Panoply without intervention from an engineer.
