Automation & Integration · head to head
Airbyte vs Trigger.dev
T
Trigger.dev
Automation & Integration
Build and deploy fully managed AI agents and workflows
- From
- On request
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Only Airbyte has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- Each has a real cost: Airbyte the self-managed open source Core edition has no SSO or RBAC, no multiple workspaces, no row filtering or encryption, and no monitoring integrations; Trigger.dev compute is billed per second by machine size, from $0.0000169 per second on the smallest Micro instance up to $0.00068 per second on Large 2x, plus $0.000025 per run invocation, as of August 2026.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Airbyte and Trigger.dev actually diverge.
| Attribute | Airbyte | Trigger.dev |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | Free | On request |
| Pricing model | open-source | usage-based |
| Free tier | Yes | No |
| Platforms | Web, Self-hosted | Web |
| Founded | 2020 | Unknown |
Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Automation & Integration).
What each one covers
Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.
Only in Airbyte
- Data replication
- Schema detection
- ELT pipelines
- Real-time sync
- Data transformation
- Monitoring
- Custom connectors
- 300+ connectors
Only in Trigger.dev
Nothing recorded that Airbyte does not also cover.
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Airbyte
- Replicating data from SaaS applications into a warehousenot Trigger.dev
- Self-hosting an open source ELT pipelinenot Trigger.dev
- Managed data replication without running infrastructurenot Trigger.dev
- Building connectors for sources without an off-the-shelf integrationnot Trigger.dev
Trigger.dev
No use cases recorded yet. See the Trigger.dev review.
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Airbyte
- The self-managed open source Core edition has no SSO or RBAC, no multiple workspaces, no row filtering or encryption, and no monitoring integrations
- Sync frequency on Core is limited compared with the managed tiers, which offer 15 minute syncs
- Support on the free tier is community and AI only; premium support requires Pro or Enterprise
- The free Agents plan stops at 1,000 agent operations a month and pauses capacity until the next month once hit
- Agent overages are billed per operation at $0.004 to $0.005 once past the plan allowance
Trigger.dev
- Compute is billed per second by machine size, from $0.0000169 per second on the smallest Micro instance up to $0.00068 per second on Large 2x, plus $0.000025 per run invocation, as of August 2026.
Pricing, plan by plan
Airbyte
Free- Open SourceFree
- Self-hosted
- Community support
- Full features
- Cloud$50/month
- Cloud hosted
- Email support
- Enterprise$500/month
- Dedicated support
- Advanced features
Trigger.dev
On requestNo published plan breakdown. See the Trigger.dev review.
Which should you pick?
Choose Airbyte if
- You need data replication.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, Self-hosted.
- You also want schema detection.
Choose Trigger.dev if
Nothing in the data separates Trigger.dev from Airbyte on the points above - pick on price and on how each one feels to use.
Questions people ask
- Is Airbyte or Trigger.dev better?
- Neither clearly leads. Airbyte starts at Free and Trigger.dev at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Airbyte or Trigger.dev?
- Airbyte has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Airbyte and On request for Trigger.dev.
- Does Airbyte or Trigger.dev run on more platforms?
- Airbyte runs on Web, Self-hosted. Trigger.dev runs on Web.
- Can I use Airbyte for free?
- Yes. Airbyte has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Trigger.dev starts at On request.
- What is Airbyte best used for?
- Airbyte is most often used for replicating data from saas applications into a warehouse, self-hosting an open source elt pipeline, managed data replication without running infrastructure, building connectors for sources without an off-the-shelf integration. Of those, replicating data from saas applications into a warehouse and self-hosting an open source elt pipeline are not what Trigger.dev is typically brought in for.
- What can Airbyte do that Trigger.dev cannot?
- Airbyte covers Data replication, Schema detection, ELT pipelines, Real-time sync.