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Databases · head to head

Fivetran HVR vs RisingWave

Fivetran HVR logo

Fivetran HVR

Databases

Log-based change data capture for database replication and synchronization

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
RisingWave logo

RisingWave

Databases

Streaming database that maintains incremental materialised views in SQL instead of Flink jobs

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only RisingWave has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Fivetran HVR pricing not published separately; part of Fivetran's usage model; RisingWave anything that does not fit SQL, such as custom windowing, complex event processing or heavy stateful logic, still needs Flink, so RisingWave often adds a system rather than removing one.
  • They diverge on capability: Fivetran HVR covers Log-based change capture, RisingWave covers SQL materialised views.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Fivetran HVR and RisingWave actually diverge.

Attributes where Fivetran HVR and RisingWave differ
AttributeFivetran HVRRisingWave
Starting priceOn requestFree
Pricing modelUsage-based, integrated with Fivetran billingPer RisingWave Unit hour
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsData Warehouse, Data Lake, Operational DatabasesLinux, Docker, Kubernetes, Cloud
Founded2012Unknown

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Databases).

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 Fivetran HVR

  • Log-based change capture
  • Real-time replication
  • Schema evolution handling
  • Multi-table consistency
  • Zero-impact monitoring
  • Fivetran integration

Only in RisingWave

  • SQL materialised views
  • Postgres wire compatibility
  • Object storage state
  • Source connectors
  • Sink connectors
  • Iceberg tables
  • Watermarks and windowing
  • User defined functions

What people use each for

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

Fivetran HVR

  • Real-time database replication to data warehousesnot RisingWave
  • Maintaining operational copies for analyticsnot RisingWave
  • Disaster recovery and business continuitynot RisingWave
  • Feeding AI systems with fresh governed datanot RisingWave

RisingWave

  • A team with Kafka topics that needs continuously fresh aggregates for a dashboard without standing up a Flink clusternot Fivetran HVR
  • A fraud or risk team maintaining rolling counters and joins across event streams expressed as SQL viewsnot Fivetran HVR
  • A company doing Postgres CDC into a real-time denormalised view for search or servingnot Fivetran HVR
  • An analytics group that wants streaming results landed directly into Apache Iceberg without a separate writer jobnot Fivetran HVR

Where each one falls short

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

Fivetran HVR

  • Pricing not published separately; part of Fivetran's usage model
  • Requires Fivetran relationship for implementation
  • Limited standalone documentation and community resources
  • May be overkill for simple batch replication needs
  • Competitive offerings provide more transparent per-connector pricing

RisingWave

  • Anything that does not fit SQL, such as custom windowing, complex event processing or heavy stateful logic, still needs Flink, so RisingWave often adds a system rather than removing one.
  • The Apache 2.0 community edition excludes premium features behind a licence key, and which capabilities sit on which side of that line moves between releases, so a self-hosted plan can be invalidated by an upgrade.
  • Long-running materialised views accumulate state in object storage, and cost and recovery time grow with retention in ways that are hard to forecast before you are in production.
  • The Postgres compatibility is protocol level; it is not a transactional Postgres and using it as a general purpose database, with point updates or high write concurrency, goes badly.
  • It is a comparatively young venture-funded project competing with Flink, Materialize and warehouse-native streaming, and the ecosystem of connectors, operators and third-party expertise is much thinner.

Pricing, plan by plan

Fivetran HVR

On request

No published plan breakdown. See the Fivetran HVR review.

RisingWave

Free
  • Community EditionFree
    • Apache 2.0 licence, self-hosted
    • Core streaming engine and connectors
    • Premium features excluded and require a licence key
  • Cloud Basic$0.227/hour
    • Billed per RisingWave Unit hour
    • Hosted on AWS, GCP or Azure
    • Capped at 64 cores
  • Cloud Pro$undefined/year
    • No core limit
    • Bring your own cloud option
    • Premium features included
  • Self-managed Enterprise$undefined/year
    • On premises or Kubernetes
    • Premium features unlocked by licence
    • Annual contract with SLA

Which should you pick?

Choose Fivetran HVR if

  • You need log-based change capture.
  • You work on Data Warehouse, Data Lake, Operational Databases.
  • You also want real-time replication.
Fivetran HVR review

Choose RisingWave if

  • You need sql materialised views.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Linux, Docker, Kubernetes, Cloud.
  • You also want postgres wire compatibility.
RisingWave review

Questions people ask

Is Fivetran HVR or RisingWave better?
Neither clearly leads. Fivetran HVR starts at On request and RisingWave at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Fivetran HVR or RisingWave?
RisingWave has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for Fivetran HVR and Free for RisingWave.
Does Fivetran HVR or RisingWave run on more platforms?
Fivetran HVR runs on Data Warehouse, Data Lake, Operational Databases. RisingWave runs on Linux, Docker, Kubernetes, Cloud.
Can I use RisingWave for free?
Yes. RisingWave has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Fivetran HVR starts at On request.
What is Fivetran HVR best used for?
Fivetran HVR is most often used for real-time database replication to data warehouses, maintaining operational copies for analytics, disaster recovery and business continuity, feeding ai systems with fresh governed data. Of those, real-time database replication to data warehouses and maintaining operational copies for analytics are not what RisingWave is typically brought in for.
What can Fivetran HVR do that RisingWave cannot?
Fivetran HVR covers Log-based change capture, Real-time replication, Schema evolution handling, Multi-table consistency. RisingWave covers SQL materialised views, Postgres wire compatibility, Object storage state, Source connectors.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Fivetran HVR: What databases does Fivetran HVR support?

HVR supports major databases including Oracle, SQL Server, PostgreSQL, MySQL, and others that emit transaction logs.

Source
RisingWave: Is RisingWave open source?

The community edition is Apache 2.0 and self-hostable, but a set of premium features requires a paid licence key.

Fivetran HVR: Is HVR part of standard Fivetran pricing?

Yes, HVR is integrated into Fivetran's usage-based pricing model with standard per-row-synced and transformation costs.

Source
RisingWave: What does the cloud cost?

It starts at 0.227 US dollars per RisingWave Unit hour on the Basic tier, which is capped at 64 cores.

RisingWave: Does it replace Flink?

For SQL-expressible transformations, often yes. For custom stateful processing and complex event handling, no.

RisingWave: Can I query it like Postgres?

Yes over the Postgres wire protocol, but it is an analytical streaming engine, not a transactional database.

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