Softwr

Automation Integration · head to head

Census vs Improvado

Census logo

Census

Automation Integration

The reverse ETL infrastructure for data activation

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Improvado logo

Improvado

Marketing

Data integration platform for marketing teams

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Census census domain permanently redirects to Fivetran (301 redirect); Improvado free tier limited to 50 MCP actions per week
  • They diverge on capability: Census covers Reverse ETL, Improvado covers 500+ data source connectors.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Census and Improvado actually diverge.

Attributes where Census and Improvado differ
AttributeCensusImprovado
Pricing modelusage-basedfreemium
PlatformsWeb, ApiWeb, Api, Data-warehouse
CategoryAutomation IntegrationMarketing
Founded20202015

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated).

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 Census

  • Reverse ETL
  • Data syncing
  • Transformation
  • Real-time activation
  • Error handling
  • Monitoring
  • Analytics
  • 150+ destinations

Only in Improvado

  • 500+ data source connectors
  • Data transformation
  • Real-time syncing
  • Data warehouse integration
  • ETL capabilities
  • Data quality monitoring
  • Historical data
  • Custom connectors

Both cover

  • SOC2

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Census

  • Syncing customer data from a warehouse into marketing and sales tools (reverse ETL)not Improvado

Improvado

  • Marketing data integrationnot Census
  • Multi-workspace data orchestrationnot Census
  • Incrementality testing and attributionnot Census
  • Multi-touch attribution modelingnot Census

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Census

  • Census domain permanently redirects to Fivetran (301 redirect)
  • Exact per-tier pricing not listed; customers directed to contact sales or request quotes
  • Annual contracts offer up to 22% savings but discount terms not detailed
  • Usage rates vary by connection type; pricing examples show variance ($17–$202 for different sources)

Improvado

  • Free tier limited to 50 MCP actions per week
  • Advanced and Enterprise tiers require custom pricing quotes
  • No publicly listed Advanced or Enterprise rates

Pricing, plan by plan

Census

Free
  • FreeFree
    • 500,000 monthly active rows (MAR) for connections
    • 3,500 MAR for activations
    • 5,000 monthly model runs (MMR) for transformations
  • Standard$null/month
    • Usage-based pricing for connections, transformations, activations
  • Enterprise$null/month
    • Greater flexibility and control
    • Custom pricing

Improvado

Free
  • Free LimitedFree
    • 50 MCP actions per week
    • 1 workspace
    • Live API requests to all sources
  • MCP Only$100/month
    • 2M rows per year
    • Daily data sync
    • 300 MCP actions per week
  • Advanced$null/custom
    • 600M rows per year
    • Up to 4x daily syncs
    • 200 actions per day
  • Enterprise$null/custom
    • 1B rows per year
    • 600 actions per day
    • Unlimited workspaces

Which should you pick?

Choose Census if

  • You need reverse etl.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Api.
  • You also want data syncing.
Census review

Choose Improvado if

  • You need 500+ data source connectors.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Api, Data-warehouse.
  • You also want data transformation.
Improvado review

Questions people ask

Is Census or Improvado better?
Neither clearly leads. Census starts at Free and Improvado at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Census or Improvado?
Census starts at Free and Improvado at Free.
Does Census or Improvado run on more platforms?
Census runs on Web, Api. Improvado runs on Web, Api, Data-warehouse.
Can I use Census for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Census best used for?
Census is most often used for syncing customer data from a warehouse into marketing and sales tools (reverse etl). Of those, syncing customer data from a warehouse into marketing and sales tools (reverse etl) is not what Improvado is typically brought in for.
What can Census do that Improvado cannot?
Census covers Reverse ETL, Data syncing, Transformation, Real-time activation. Improvado covers 500+ data source connectors, Data transformation, Real-time syncing, Data warehouse integration. Both handle SOC2.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Census: What happened to Census.com?

Census (formerly getcensus.com) has been acquired by Fivetran. The domain permanently redirects (301) to fivetran.com. Census functionality is now part of Fivetran's data platform.

Source
Improvado: What is Improvado's free tier?

Improvado Free Limited tier costs $0/month and includes 50 MCP actions per week, 1 workspace, live API requests to all sources, AI Agent, and MCP. No credit card required to start.

Source
Census: How much does Fivetran (formerly Census) cost?

Fivetran uses usage-based pricing. Free tier includes 500,000 monthly active rows (MAR) for connections, 3,500 MAR for activations, and 5,000 monthly model runs for transformations. Paid pricing depends on usage; example: Facebook Ads with 34,479 MAR costs $17.23/month; Snowflake-to-Salesforce with 12,007 MAR costs $202.01/month.

Source
Improvado: What are Improvado's paid plans?

Paid tiers include MCP Only ($100/month with 2M rows/year and 300 weekly actions), Advanced (custom pricing with 600M rows/year and 50 workspaces), and Enterprise (custom pricing with 1B rows/year, unlimited workspaces, and SSO).

Source
Census: Do Fivetran/Census offer discounts for annual commitments?

Yes, annual contracts offer up to 22% savings versus monthly pricing. Additional discounts are available for nonprofits, startups, and specific use cases.

Source
Improvado: Does Improvado offer data sync frequency limits?

MCP Only tier offers daily data sync, Advanced tier allows up to 4x daily syncs, and Enterprise tier includes no stated sync frequency limits. Free tier enables live API requests without scheduled syncing.

Source
Improvado: What compliance and security features does Improvado include?

Improvado holds SOC 2 Type II, HIPAA, GDPR, and CCPA compliance. Enterprise tier specifically includes SSO with Azure and Okta support for identity management.

Source
Share

Related pages

More on Census

More on Improvado

Keep looking

Other head to heads