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Automation Integration · head to head

Census vs Kogito

Census logo

Census

Automation Integration

The reverse ETL infrastructure for data activation

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Kogito logo

Kogito

Automation Integration

Cloud-native business automation for Quarkus, now an Apache KIE component

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Census census domain permanently redirects to Fivetran (301 redirect); Kogito kogito is a developer framework, not a product, so there is no equivalent of Camunda Operate for business users and any process monitoring interface has to be built or bought separately.
  • They diverge on capability: Census covers Reverse ETL, Kogito covers Build-time code generation.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Census and Kogito actually diverge.

Attributes where Census and Kogito differ
AttributeCensusKogito
Pricing modelusage-basedOpen source, no licence fee
PlatformsWeb, ApiLinux, Docker, Kubernetes
Founded2020Unknown

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), 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 Census

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

Only in Kogito

  • Build-time code generation
  • Quarkus and Spring Boot support
  • DMN decision services
  • Drools rules engine
  • Serverless workflow
  • Kubernetes operator

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 Kogito

Kogito

  • A Quarkus microservice that must expose a DMN decision model as a REST endpoint with millisecond start-upnot Census
  • Serverless deployment of business rules where a traditional BPM server would be far too heavynot Census
  • A Red Hat shop that wants the upstream of Red Hat process automation with the option of a supported build laternot Census
  • Replacing hand-coded conditional logic with DMN tables that business analysts can review and amendnot 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)

Kogito

  • Kogito is a developer framework, not a product, so there is no equivalent of Camunda Operate for business users and any process monitoring interface has to be built or bought separately.
  • Long-running stateful processes need external persistence and messaging that you configure and operate yourself, which removes much of the convenience a BPM server normally provides.
  • It sits inside the Apache KIE incubator, and incubating status means graduation is not guaranteed and the project name and artefact coordinates have already changed once.
  • Red Hat is by far the dominant contributor despite ASF stewardship, so the roadmap follows Red Hat product priorities rather than community demand.
  • Documentation is spread across legacy JBoss sites, the old Kogito site and the new Apache KIE site, and search results routinely land on outdated versions, which costs real time during adoption.

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

Kogito

Free
  • KogitoFree
    • Apache 2.0 licence
    • Apache KIE incubating project
    • No usage limits

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 Kogito if

  • You need build-time code generation.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Linux, Docker, Kubernetes.
  • You also want quarkus and spring boot support.
Kogito review

Questions people ask

Is Census or Kogito better?
Neither clearly leads. Census starts at Free and Kogito at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Census or Kogito?
Census starts at Free and Kogito at Free.
Does Census or Kogito run on more platforms?
Census runs on Web, Api. Kogito runs on Linux, Docker, Kubernetes.
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 Kogito is typically brought in for.
What can Census do that Kogito cannot?
Census covers Reverse ETL, Data syncing, Transformation, Real-time activation. Kogito covers Build-time code generation, Quarkus and Spring Boot support, DMN decision services, Drools rules engine.

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
Kogito: Is Kogito still maintained?

Yes. It is an Apache KIE incubating project with active commits, with Red Hat as the dominant contributor.

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
Kogito: How does it differ from jBPM?

Kogito compiles process and rule definitions into application code at build time; jBPM was a runtime engine that loads definitions.

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
Kogito: Does it need Quarkus?

It is designed for Quarkus and supports Spring Boot; both are Java frameworks rather than a standalone server.

Kogito: Is there commercial support?

Not from Apache. Red Hat sells supported builds of this lineage as part of its subscriptions.

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