Comparing Alooma with Dataddo and Weld
Carolina Russ6 min read
What is Alooma
Alooma (acquired by Google Cloud in 2019) was a streaming ETL platform that enabled real-time ingestion of data from various sources into BigQuery. It provided a visual pipeline editor to map, transform, and route data with minimal code, automatically handling schema changes and ensuring exactly-once delivery. While Alooma as a standalone product is retired, many of its features have been integrated into Google Cloud’s Dataflow and Pub/Sub pipelines.
Pros
- Real-time streaming ETL with automatic schema drift handling.
- Minimal coding: visual pipeline UI with built-in connectors to databases, Kafka, APIs, and SaaS apps.
- Exactly-once delivery guarantees to BigQuery, eliminating duplicate data.
Cons
- Standalone Alooma product is discontinued—functionality now lives in GCP services (e.g., Dataflow, Data Fusion).
- Migrating legacy Alooma pipelines to GCP-native services requires rework, as UI and features differ from original Alooma.
Google Cloud’s Dataflow (Alooma integration):
What I like about Alooma
Alooma’s ease of connecting live streaming data sources directly into BigQuery with automated schema management was revolutionary for our real-time analytics.
What I dislike about Alooma
Since Google integrated Alooma into its native services, the standalone product no longer exists, so new users must migrate to Dataflow or Data Fusion.
What is Dataddo
Dataddo is a fully managed, no-code data integration platform designed for business users, marketers, and analysts who need quick access to data without engineering support. It supports over 300 prebuilt connectors to cloud apps, databases, and BI tools, and offers flexible data flows for ETL, ELT, reverse ETL, and dashboard integrations. If a specific connector isn’t available, Dataddo will build it on request. The platform emphasizes ease of use, with automated handling of API changes, built-in pipeline monitoring, and a “SmartCache” feature that temporarily stores historical data, allowing teams to run reports without immediately setting up a data warehouse. With support for secure data practices (SOC 2, ISO 27001, GDPR compliance) and simple, transparent pricing plans, including a free tier, Dataddo is ideal for organizations looking to centralize data quickly and with minimal overhead.
Pros
- No-code interface makes setup simple for non-technical users.
- Integrates with 300+ platforms, including many marketing and CRM tools.
- Onboarding and connector requests are generally well-handled.
- Offers competitive pricing, especially for small teams.
Cons
- Some users report delays for complex issues.
- New or niche sources may not be instantly available.
- Cancelling or modifying plans can be frustrating.
G2 Review:
What I like about Dataddo
It is so user friendly and doesnt have any learning curve. Any user can really understand and create their own custom flows without any external support
What I dislike about Dataddo
If a flow is created, Dataddo needs to introduce how to add more features in the flow (maybe edit columns or add/remove them instead of creating and replacing with a net new flow).
What is Weld
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
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.
Feature-by-Feature Comparison
Ease of Use & Interface
Alooma
Alooma’s web-based pipeline builder allowed users to drag-and-drop connectors for streaming or batch data, apply transformations, and route data to BigQuery with just a few clicks. The interface auto-generated SQL when possible.
Dataddo
Dataddo offers a clean, intuitive no-code interface that allows users to set up data flows quickly. The drag-and-drop flow builder and prebuilt connectors minimize the learning curve, making it accessible for non-technical users.
Pricing & Affordability
Alooma
No longer available as a separate product. Users adopt equivalent GCP services (Dataflow, Data Fusion) which have pay-as-you-go pricing under the GCP pricing model.
Dataddo
Pricing is straightforward and competitive, with plans starting at $99/month for three data flows. The free tier allows users to test the platform with limited functionality before committing to a paid plan.
Feature Set
Alooma
Alooma supported real-time ingestion from Kafka, databases (MySQL, PostgreSQL), logs, REST APIs, and SaaS apps, with built-in transformations (masking, enrichment). It automatically handled schema changes, and could write to BigQuery partitions.
Dataddo
Dataddo supports over 300 connectors, ETL/ELT workflows, reverse ETL capabilities, data transformations, and built-in monitoring.
Flexibility & Customization
Alooma
Users could write custom JavaScript transforms or Python UDFs for complex logic. The platform managed infrastructure, but custom connectors required Eloqua code or support.
Dataddo
While Dataddo is primarily designed for ease of use, it still offers flexibility through its wide range of connectors and the ability to create custom data flows. However, it may not provide the same level of customization as more technical platforms.
Summary of Alooma vs Dataddo vs Weld
| Weld | Alooma | Dataddo | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Connectors | 200+ | 100+ | 398+ |
| Price | $79 / 5M Active Rows | N/A (product retired; GCP service pricing applies) | $99.00 / mo for 3 data flows to sync data between any source and destination |
| Free tier | No | No | Yes |
| Location | EU | Sunnyvale, CA, USA (pre-acquisition) | US/EU |
| Extract data (ETL) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Sync data to HubSpot, Salesforce, Klaviyo, Excel etc. (reverse ETL) | Yes | No | Yes |
| Transformations | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| AI Assistant | Yes | No | No |
| On-Premise | No | No | No |
| Orchestration | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Lineage | Yes | No | Yes |
| Version control | Yes | No | No |
| Load data to and from Excel | Yes | No | No |
| Load data to and from Google Sheets | Yes | No | Yes |
| Two-Way Sync | Yes | No | Yes |
| dbt Core Integration | Yes | No | No |
| dbt Cloud Integration | Yes | No | No |
| OpenAPI / Developer API | Yes | No | No |
| G2 Rating | 4.8 | 4.7 |
Conclusion
You’re comparing Alooma, Dataddo, Weld. Each of these tools has its own strengths:
- Alooma: alooma supported real-time ingestion from kafka, databases (mysql, postgresql), logs, rest apis, and saas apps, with built-in transformations (masking, enrichment). it automatically handled schema changes, and could write to bigquery partitions. . no longer available as a separate product. users adopt equivalent gcp services (dataflow, data fusion) which have pay-as-you-go pricing under the gcp pricing model. .
- Dataddo: dataddo supports over 300 connectors, etl/elt workflows, reverse etl capabilities, data transformations, and built-in monitoring. . pricing is straightforward and competitive, with plans starting at $99/month for three data flows. the free tier allows users to test the platform with limited functionality before committing to a paid plan..
- 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.. 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..
