Software · head to head
Fivetran vs Census
The short version
- Each has a real cost: Fivetran billed on monthly active rows, so the bill tracks how much source data changes rather than how much is stored or queried; Census census was folded into Fivetran Activations, per the vendor: "Previously, this was called a sync in Census", and its own pricing page redirects to Fivetran pricing rather than showing Census plans
- They diverge on capability: Fivetran covers Automated data pipeline, Census covers Reverse ETL.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Fivetran and Census actually diverge.
Identical on both: starting price (Free), pricing model (usage-based), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).
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
- Automated data pipeline
- Change Data Capture
- Data transformation
- Real-time sync
- Data quality
- Scheduling
- Notifications
- 500+ connectors
Only in Census
- Reverse ETL
- Data syncing
- Transformation
- Real-time activation
- Error handling
- Analytics
- 150+ destinations
- Data warehouses
Both cover
- Monitoring
- SOC2
- GDPR
- Encryption
- Cloud deployment
- Web support
- Multiple language support
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Fivetran
- Managed data pipelines from SaaS sources into a warehousenot Census
- Keeping a warehouse in sync with production databases without writing connectorsnot Census
Census
- Syncing customer data from a warehouse into marketing and sales tools (reverse ETL)not Fivetran
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Fivetran
- Billed on monthly active rows, so the bill tracks how much source data changes rather than how much is stored or queried
- Each connection follows its own cost curve, so total spend is hard to predict before running a pipeline
- The free plan allows 500,000 monthly active rows, 3,500 activation rows and 5,000 model runs
- Transformations are metered separately, from $0.01 per model run above 5,000 down to $0.002 above 100,000
- A schema change upstream that touches many rows raises the bill without any change on the customer's side
Census
- Census was folded into Fivetran Activations, per the vendor: "Previously, this was called a sync in Census", and its own pricing page redirects to Fivetran pricing rather than showing Census plans
- Free Fivetran Activations tier caps at 3,500 monthly active rows
Pricing, plan by plan
Fivetran
Free- FreeFree
- Limited connectors
- Basic support
- Standard$300/month
- 500+ connectors
- Priority support
- Enterprise$1000/month
- Custom connectors
- Dedicated support
Census
Free- FreeFree
- Basic syncing
- Limited destinations
- Pro$250/month
- Advanced syncing
- Email support
- Enterprise$1500/month
- Unlimited syncing
- Dedicated support
Which should you pick?
Choose Fivetran if
- You need automated data pipeline.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, Cloud.
- You also want change data capture.
Choose Census if
- You need reverse etl.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, Api.
- You also want data syncing.
Questions people ask
- Is Fivetran or Census better?
- Neither clearly leads. Fivetran starts at Free and Census at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Fivetran or Census?
- Fivetran starts at Free and Census at Free.
- Does Fivetran or Census run on more platforms?
- Fivetran runs on Web, Cloud. Census runs on Web, Api.
- Can I use Fivetran for free?
- Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
- What is Fivetran best used for?
- Fivetran is most often used for managed data pipelines from saas sources into a warehouse, keeping a warehouse in sync with production databases without writing connectors. Of those, managed data pipelines from saas sources into a warehouse and keeping a warehouse in sync with production databases without writing connectors are not what Census is typically brought in for.
- What can Fivetran do that Census cannot?
- Fivetran covers Automated data pipeline, Change Data Capture, Data transformation, Real-time sync. Census covers Reverse ETL, Data syncing, Transformation, Real-time activation. Both handle Monitoring, SOC2, GDPR, Encryption.