At a glance
- Choose the freshness the business needs before choosing streaming or scheduled syncs.
- Airbyte Core supports self-hosting; Estuary covers streaming and batch workloads.
- Rig provides configurable scheduled ingestion with compute-based costs and no row-based charge.
- Compare platform, infrastructure and implementation costs together.
Records, logic and owners
Source to target definitions
Counts, totals and access
Sign-off and rollback plan
Why you might choose Airbyte: self-hosting and connector control
Airbyte Core lets your team self-host the replication service and take control of its infrastructure. That matters when you want to develop connectors or keep the service under your own operational control. Airbyte also has managed cloud and hybrid options, with different commercial terms.
Self-hosting comes with operating work
Budget for infrastructure, upgrades, security and connector maintenance when you self-host. A connector being available does not establish that it supports every field or sync mode you need. Test the actual source and check which support and governance capabilities belong to the edition you would deploy.
Compare the work as well as the software
These are decision criteria, rather than a universal ranking. Product editions and commercial terms vary. Check the linked vendor documentation and obtain a quote before buying.
| Option | Approach | Cost model | Work your team owns | When to consider it | Trade-off |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fivetran | Managed data replication | Monthly active rows, with plan and connection terms. | Own the warehouse models and downstream tests. | Teams needing broad managed source coverage. | Estimate cost per connection using your actual usage. |
| Airbyte | Self-hosted Core, managed cloud or hybrid deployment | Self-hosted infrastructure; cloud credits or capacity by edition. | Self-hosting includes upgrades, security and connector operations. | Teams that want to self-host and develop connectors. | Self-hosting reduces vendor dependence but leaves operations with your team. |
| Estuary | CDC and streaming with batch delivery options | Data moved and active connector instances; enterprise terms vary. | Choose capture and delivery modes, and monitor volume and connector costs. | Operational workloads that need fresh changes, replay or multiple destinations. | Count source captures and destination deliveries in the estimate; batch may be sufficient. |
| Stitch | Managed extraction and loading | Row-based plans and plan-specific add-ons. | Maintain transformations and downstream reporting. | Teams with straightforward supported loading requirements. | Confirm source, destination and refresh coverage. |
| Hevo | Managed pipelines | Event quotas with plan-specific terms. | Manage destination models and monitor business totals. | Teams evaluating a managed pipeline service. | Test how source changes affect billed events. |
| Matillion | Data integration and transformation tooling | Credits with product-specific consumption rules. | Build and operate transformations and orchestration. | Teams with substantial transformation requirements. | Compare the full workload, including warehouse compute. |
| Rig Ingest with delivery | Configurable scheduled syncs with managed delivery | Compute-based ingestion, no row-based charge; platform and delivery fees separately. | Agree sources, tables, refresh schedules and reconciliation checks. | Routine warehouse ingestion where scheduled freshness meets the business need. | Confirm connector coverage and refresh requirements; use another tool for sub-minute CDC. |
Decide how fresh the data needs to be
A daily finance report needs its data ready before finance uses it. A customer-facing operational process may need changes within seconds. Set the requirement for each workload, then choose the ingestion method. When a scheduled sync meets that requirement, a streaming architecture may add cost and complexity without improving the result.
Rig: scheduled ingestion priced on compute, without row-based charges
Rig Ingest suits routine warehouse ingestion where you want configurable syncs and low operating costs. Ingestion is compute-based rather than billed per changed row. Use your own warehouse and pay its compute bill directly, or use Rig hosting with compute passed through at cost. Rig platform fees and any implementation work are separate, so compare the complete quote with your current bill.
Configure the sync and make reliability measurable
Agree the sources and tables to sync, the destination schemas and the refresh schedule. Review connector health and test schema changes, incremental updates and backfills against the source. Reconcile keys, deleted records and business totals before switching, then monitor freshness against the schedule your team actually needs.
When Rig is not the right ingestion choice
Choose a streaming or CDC product when the workflow genuinely needs sub-minute updates. Choose Airbyte Core when running and extending a self-hosted connector service is the goal. Rig has a smaller connector catalogue than some specialist ingestion vendors, so confirm source coverage and configuration requirements before agreeing a migration.
Test one representative connection before switching
Run the replacement alongside the existing pipeline. Compare the schema, identifiers, deleted records, refresh timing and business totals, then test a backfill and a source schema change. Use those results to agree the operating cost and cutover plan. The comparison should include engineering time as well as the software bill.
Common questions
When should we keep Airbyte?
Airbyte Core lets your team self-host the replication service and take control of its infrastructure. That matters when you want to develop connectors or keep the service under your own operational control. Airbyte also has managed cloud and hybrid options, with different commercial terms.
Does Rig charge per row?
Rig Ingest uses compute-based ingestion rather than a charge per changed row. Warehouse compute stays on your own bill or is passed through at cost with Rig hosting. Platform and delivery fees are separate.
Do we need streaming ingestion?
Only if the business needs data sooner than a scheduled sync can deliver it. Start with the decision or process and its freshness requirement, then test the pipeline against it.
Can we fully self-host Airbyte?
Airbyte Core is self-managed. Your team runs its infrastructure and takes responsibility for upgrades, security and connector operations. Check the edition’s features against your requirements.
Can Rig replace every connector?
No. Confirm source, destination, field and refresh coverage during the assessment. You can keep specialist connectors alongside Rig where they meet requirements that Rig does not cover.
How do you check that the data matches?
Compare record counts, identifiers, relationships and business totals for each wave. Record exceptions and require the business owner to accept the results before cutover.
Sources and product details
Vendor information checked on 11 November 2026. Confirm current editions, licence terms and prices with the vendor before buying.