Comparing Airbyte with Meltano and Weld

You’re comparing Airbyte vs Meltano vs Weld. Explore how they differ on connectors, pricing, and features.

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Weld vs Airbyte vs Meltano

	Weld	Airbyte	Meltano
Connectors	200+	350+	600+
Price	$99 / 5M Active Rows	$2.50/credit (one million rows = 6 credits; 1 GB = 4 credits)	free (self-hosted), custom (managed), paid support packages
Free tier
Location	EU	US	US
Extract data (ETL)
Sync to HubSpot, Salesforce, Klaviyo, Excel (reverse ETL)
Transformations
AI Assistant
On-Premise
Orchestration
Lineage
Version control
Load to/from Excel
Load to/from Google Sheets
Two-Way Sync
dbt Core Integration
dbt Cloud Integration
OpenAPI / Developer API
G2 rating	4.8	4.2	4.9

Overview

Airbyte in Short

An open-source data integration platform, Airbyte is a popular choice for those building a modern data stack. Airbyte boasts its collection of ELT connectors as well as the ability to build custom ones in the platform, a differentiator from other no-code ELT tools. Because building custom pipelines requires coding knowledge, this special feature will only benefit data specialists with solid coding abilities.

Airbyte is built to work well with DBT and SQL, so this is an important thing to note before deciding to use the tool.

Pros

Open-source platform
A really large number of connectors and destinations
Easy deployment
Managed cloud option
Engineering-focused with advanced options to build your own connectors and features
Has both ELT and Reverse ETL options
Large community

Cons

More suited for advanced teams
Require more maintenance
The quality of connectors can vary because of open-source
High dependence on community

Reviews & Quotes

In a review from Confessions of a Data Guy, he shares::

What I like about Airbyte

“If you don't have workloads that currently use DBT or fit well into that model, this probably isn’t the tool for you.”

Read full review

Overview

Meltano in Short

Meltano is an open-source data integration platform, similar to Airbyte, that enables businesses to build and manage their own data pipelines. It offers a wide range of connectors for databases, APIs, application logs, and other data sources. Meltano also supports robust data transformation and orchestration capabilities, making it easier to customize and automate workflows. It integrates seamlessly with popular cloud data warehouses, making it a flexible choice for modern data teams looking to manage their end-to-end data stack.

Pros

Open-source platform
A really large number of connectors through Singer
Offer an SDK to more easily build Singer taps and targets
Flexibility in Deployment

Cons

No fully managed options so you need to deploy yourself (in Beta though)
Requires high maintenance
Limited data transformation capabilities (only through deep integration with DBT)
Only has a limited number of connectors that are natively built outside of Singer

Reviews & Quotes

As a user on G2 puts it::

What I like about Meltano

“All the managerial tasks are handled under the hood, leaving you to focus on getting or consuming the data you need.”

What I dislike about Meltano

“With so many features baked into Meltano, navigating the documentation can be challenging. However, I've gotten around this by using Bing AI search, which brings me the answer immediately.”

Read full review

Overview

Weld in Short

Weld is a powerful ETL platform that seamlessly integrates ELT, data transformations, reverse ETL, and AI-assisted features into one user-friendly solution. With its intuitive interface, Weld makes it easy for anyone, regardless of technical expertise, to build and manage data workflows. Known for its premium quality connectors, all built in-house, Weld ensures the highest quality and reliability for its users. It is designed to handle large datasets with near real-time data synchronization, making it ideal for modern data teams that require robust and efficient data integration solutions. Weld also leverages AI to automate repetitive tasks, optimize workflows, and enhance data transformation capabilities, ensuring maximum efficiency and productivity. Users can combine data from a wide variety of sources, including marketing platforms, CRMs, e-commerce platforms like Shopify, APIs, databases, Excel, Google Sheets, and more, providing a single source of truth for all their data.

Pros

Lineage, orchestration, and workflow features
Ability to handle large datasets and near real-time data sync
ETL + reverse ETL in one
User-friendly and easy to set up
Flat monthly pricing model
200+ connectors (Shopify, HubSpot, etc.)
AI assistant

Cons

Requires some technical knowledge around data warehousing and SQL
Limited features for advanced data teams
Focused on cloud data warehouses

Reviews & Quotes

A reviewer on G2 said:

What I like about Weld

“First and foremost, Weld is incredibly user-friendly. The graphical interface is intuitive, which makes it easy to build data workflows quickly and efficiently. Even with little experience in SQL and pipeline management, we found that Weld was straightforward and easy to use. What really impressed me, however, was Weld's flexibility. It was able to handle data from a wide variety of sources, including SQL databases, Google Sheets, and even APIs. The solution also allowed us to customize my data transformations in a way that best suited my needs. Whether I needed to clean data, join tables, or aggregate data, Weld had the necessary tools to accomplish the task. Weld's performance was also exceptional. I was able to run large-scale ETL jobs quickly and efficiently, with minimal downtime via a Snowflake instance and visualization via own-hosted Metabase. The solution's scalability meant that I could process more data without any issues. Another standout feature of Weld was its support. I never felt lost or unsure about how to use a particular feature, as the support team was always quick to respond to any questions or concerns that I had. Overall, I highly recommend Weld as an ETL solution. Its user-friendliness, flexibility, performance, and support make it an excellent choice for anyone looking to streamline their data integration processes. I will definitely be using Weld for all my ETL needs going forward.”

What I dislike about Weld

“Weld is still limited to a certain number of integrations - although the team is super interested to hear if you need custom integrations.”

Read full review

Feature-by-Feature Comparison

Airbyte

Meltano

Weld

Feature

Airbyte

Meltano

Weld

Ease of Use & Interface

Side-by-side

Airbyte

Airbyte is an open-source platform that is easier for teams with strong coding skills but may be challenging for those without technical expertise, especially when building custom connectors.

Meltano

Meltano is simple and easy to use for those with technical expertise, particularly due to its portability and command-line usability, but may be challenging for less technical users.

Weld

Weld is highly praised for its user-friendly interface and intuitive design, which allows even users with minimal SQL experience to manage data workflows efficiently. This makes it an excellent choice for smaller data teams or businesses without extensive technical resources.

Ease of Use & Interface

Side-by-side

Airbyte is an open-source platform that is easier for teams with strong coding skills but may be challenging for those without technical expertise, especially when building custom connectors.

Meltano is simple and easy to use for those with technical expertise, particularly due to its portability and command-line usability, but may be challenging for less technical users.

Pricing & Affordability

Side-by-side

Airbyte

Airbyte offers a flexible pricing model based on credits, but costs can add up depending on data volume, making it more suitable for teams that can optimize their usage.

Meltano

Meltano is open-source and free to use, making it highly affordable, but requires significant investment in deployment and maintenance, especially without a fully managed option.

Weld

Weld offers a straightforward and competitive pricing model, starting at $79 for 5 million active rows, making it more affordable and predictable, especially for small to medium-sized enterprises.

Pricing & Affordability

Side-by-side

Airbyte offers a flexible pricing model based on credits, but costs can add up depending on data volume, making it more suitable for teams that can optimize their usage.

Meltano is open-source and free to use, making it highly affordable, but requires significant investment in deployment and maintenance, especially without a fully managed option.

Weld offers a straightforward and competitive pricing model, starting at $79 for 5 million active rows, making it more affordable and predictable, especially for small to medium-sized enterprises.

Feature Set

Side-by-side

Airbyte

The platform supports a large number of connectors and destinations and is designed to work well with DBT and SQL, providing robust options for teams building a modern data stack.

Meltano

The platform offers extensive integration options, including support for data transformation and orchestration, but relies heavily on the Singer framework, which can limit capabilities.

Weld

Weld integrates ELT, data transformations, and reverse ETL all within one platform. It also provides advanced features such as data lineage, orchestration, workflow management, and an AI assistant, which helps in automating repetitive tasks and optimizing workflows.

Feature Set

Side-by-side

The platform supports a large number of connectors and destinations and is designed to work well with DBT and SQL, providing robust options for teams building a modern data stack.

The platform offers extensive integration options, including support for data transformation and orchestration, but relies heavily on the Singer framework, which can limit capabilities.

Flexibility & Customization

Side-by-side

Airbyte

Airbyte's open-source nature and customization options make it highly flexible for teams with the capability to maintain and build on the platform, but this flexibility comes with a higher maintenance burden.

Meltano

Meltano is highly flexible for advanced users who can manage their own deployments and build on the platform, but it requires substantial maintenance and lacks a fully managed option.

Weld

Weld offers advanced SQL modeling and transformations directly within its platform with the help of AI, providing users with unparalleled control and flexibility over their data. Leveraging its powerful AI capabilities, Weld automates repetitive tasks and optimizes data workflows, allowing teams to focus on getting value and insights. Additionally, Weld's custom connector framework enables users to build connectors to any API, making it easy to integrate new data sources and tailor data pipelines to meet specific business needs. This flexibility is particularly beneficial for teams looking to customize their data integration processes extensively and maximize the utility of their data without needing external tools.

Flexibility & Customization

Side-by-side

Meltano is highly flexible for advanced users who can manage their own deployments and build on the platform, but it requires substantial maintenance and lacks a fully managed option.