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Comparing Azure Data Factory with Hevo and Weld

Carolina Russ
Carolina Russ6 min read
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What is Azure Data Factory

Azure Data Factory (ADF) is Microsoft’s cloud-based data integration service for creating ETL/ELT pipelines. ADF supports a drag-and-drop pipeline designer, over 90 built-in connectors for Azure, on-premises, and SaaS data sources, and can execute transformations via Azure Databricks, U-SQL, or stored procedures. It also includes features for data orchestration, monitoring, and hybrid data integration scenarios.

Pros

  • 90+ built-in connectors (Azure SQL, Cosmos DB, SAP, Oracle, Salesforce, etc.) and support for custom REST endpoints.
  • Visual pipeline orchestration with debug, parameterization, and Git integration for CI/CD.
  • Hybrid data integration via Self-hosted Integration Runtime for on-premises sources.
  • Integration with Azure Synapse, Databricks, and Azure Functions for flexible transformation and compute.

Cons

  • Complex pricing: charges per pipeline activity, per DIU for data flows, and for data movement across regions.
  • UI can be slow when working with large pipelines; error messages are often generic, requiring deeper investigation.
  • Steeper learning curve for advanced features (e.g., mapping data flows with Spark under the hood).

Gartner Peer Review:

What I like about Azure Data Factory

Its flexibiliity in connecting diverse data sources and integration with the Azure ecosystem are standout advantages.

What I dislike about Azure Data Factory

Some features are too rigid. Lack of detailed error messages can plague a workstream during setup.
Read full review

What is Hevo

Hevo is a cloud-based platform for data integration and pipeline automation. It enables organizations to seamlessly gather data from a wide range of sources, such as SaaS applications, databases, cloud storage, and streaming platforms, and transfer it into data warehouses or other destinations. From there, the data can be prepared for use in analytics, business intelligence, or even operational workflows through reverse data flows. Hevo's core mission is to streamline and automate the entire process, eliminating the need for companies to build and maintain complex custom infrastructure. That said, experienced data specialists may wish for some more technical depth in the platform, giving them room to do more complex work.

Pros

  • Supports both ELT, ELT, and reverse ELT
  • Plenty of fully maintained connectors
  • Great for non-technical users
  • Simple UI that's easy to work with
  • Affordable pricing

Cons

  • Limited features for more advanced use cases
  • Limited custom scheduling features
  • Only 50 connectors are available on the Free plan
  • Lack of flexibility when wanting to edit pipelines
  • Error messages and status codes could be better

As one reviewer on G2 puts it: :

What I like about Hevo

Hevo is really good for normal pipelines, but it has some limitations for more complex use cases.

What I dislike about Hevo

Read full review

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.
Read full review

Feature-by-Feature Comparison

Ease of Use & Interface

Azure Data Factory

ADF’s UI provides a canvas for building pipelines and data flows. Basic data movement is intuitive, but advanced mapping data flows (visual Spark transformations) require understanding Spark concepts. Integration with Git makes collaboration easier.

Hevo

Hevo is designed with non-technical users in mind, offering a simple UI and code-free capabilities, making it easy for beginners to use.

Pricing & Affordability

Azure Data Factory

ADF charges per pipeline activity (at least $0.25/activity), per DIU-hour for data flows, plus data movement costs (e.g., $0.25/GB). Estimating costs can be tricky due to these components, but pay-as-you-go avoids upfront fees.

Hevo

Hevo offers affordable pricing and a free plan with limited connectors, making it accessible for startups and small businesses. However, the costs can rise with data volume and feature needs.

Feature Set

Azure Data Factory

Features include: pipeline orchestration, mapping data flows (visual Spark jobs), hybrid integration via self-hosted runtime, triggers (schedule, event, tumbling window), monitoring & alerting, and integration with Azure Monitor. Also supports SSIS lift-and-shift for on-prem ETL workloads.

Hevo

Hevo supports ETL, ELT, and reverse-ETL, making it versatile for different data needs. It also has plenty of fully maintained connectors, although it may lack some advanced features required by seasoned data professionals.

Flexibility & Customization

Azure Data Factory

ADF allows custom .NET activities, Azure Functions, and Databricks notebooks within pipelines. It supports parameterized templates, branching, and custom Azure ML scoring steps. However, customization often requires familiarity with other Azure services.

Hevo

While Hevo is great for non-technical users, it lacks flexibility and customization options for more complex data tasks, making it less suitable for advanced data teams.

Summary of Azure Data Factory vs Hevo vs Weld

WeldAzure Data FactoryHevo
Connectors200+90+150+
Price$79 / 5M Active RowsPay per activity run + data movement; starts ~$0.25 per DIU-hour for data flows$299 / 5M rows
Free tierNoYesYes
LocationEUAzure Global (multi-region)INDIA
Extract data (ETL)YesYesYes
Sync data to HubSpot, Salesforce, Klaviyo, Excel etc. (reverse ETL)YesNoYes
TransformationsYesYesYes
AI AssistantYesNoNo
On-PremiseNoNoNo
OrchestrationYesYesNo
LineageYesYesNo
Version controlYesYesNo
Load data to and from ExcelYesYesNo
Load data to and from Google SheetsYesNoNo
Two-Way SyncYesNoNo
dbt Core IntegrationYesNoYes
dbt Cloud IntegrationYesNoNo
OpenAPI / Developer APIYesNoYes
G2 Rating4.84.44.3

Conclusion

You’re comparing Azure Data Factory, Hevo, Weld. Each of these tools has its own strengths:

  • Azure Data Factoryfeatures include: pipeline orchestration, mapping data flows (visual spark jobs), hybrid integration via self-hosted runtime, triggers (schedule, event, tumbling window), monitoring & alerting, and integration with azure monitor. also supports ssis lift-and-shift for on-prem etl workloads. adf charges per pipeline activity (at least $0.25/activity), per diu-hour for data flows, plus data movement costs (e.g., $0.25/gb). estimating costs can be tricky due to these components, but pay-as-you-go avoids upfront fees. .
  • Hevohevo supports etl, elt, and reverse-etl, making it versatile for different data needs. it also has plenty of fully maintained connectors, although it may lack some advanced features required by seasoned data professionals.hevo offers affordable pricing and a free plan with limited connectors, making it accessible for startups and small businesses. however, the costs can rise with data volume and feature needs..
  • Weldweld 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..
Review the detailed sections above—connectors, pricing, feature set, and integrations—and choose the one that best matches your technical expertise, budget, and use cases.

Want to try a better alternative? Try Weld for free today.