Automation & Integration · head to head
Fivetran vs Trigger.dev
Fivetran
Automation & Integration
The most trusted data movement platform
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
Trigger.dev
Automation & Integration
Build and deploy fully managed AI agents and workflows
- From
- On request
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Only Fivetran has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- 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; 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 Fivetran and Trigger.dev actually diverge.
| Attribute | Fivetran | Trigger.dev |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | Free | On request |
| Free tier | Yes | No |
| Platforms | Web, Cloud | Web |
| Founded | 2012 | Unknown |
Identical on both: pricing model (usage-based), 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 Fivetran
- Automated data pipeline
- Change Data Capture
- Data transformation
- Real-time sync
- Monitoring
- Data quality
- Scheduling
- Notifications
Only in Trigger.dev
Nothing recorded that Fivetran does not also cover.
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 Trigger.dev
- Keeping a warehouse in sync with production databases without writing connectorsnot 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.
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
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
Fivetran
Free- FreeFree
- Limited connectors
- Basic support
- Standard$300/month
- 500+ connectors
- Priority support
- Enterprise$1000/month
- Custom connectors
- Dedicated support
Trigger.dev
On requestNo published plan breakdown. See the Trigger.dev review.
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 Trigger.dev if
Nothing in the data separates Trigger.dev from Fivetran on the points above - pick on price and on how each one feels to use.
Questions people ask
- Is Fivetran or Trigger.dev better?
- Neither clearly leads. Fivetran 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, Fivetran or Trigger.dev?
- Fivetran has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Fivetran and On request for Trigger.dev.
- Does Fivetran or Trigger.dev run on more platforms?
- Fivetran runs on Web, Cloud. Trigger.dev runs on Web.
- Can I use Fivetran for free?
- Yes. Fivetran has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Trigger.dev starts at On request.
- 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 Trigger.dev is typically brought in for.
- What can Fivetran do that Trigger.dev cannot?
- Fivetran covers Automated data pipeline, Change Data Capture, Data transformation, Real-time sync.