Comparing Dell Boomi with Polar Analytics and Weld
Carolina Russ6 min read
What is Dell Boomi
Dell Boomi AtomSphere is a cloud-native iPaaS that provides ETL, API management, B2B/EDI integration, and workflow automation via a visual “Atom” runtime architecture. It supports 200+ connectors (SaaS, on-prem, databases) and allows users to build, deploy, and manage integration processes (called Atoms) in a drag-and-drop interface. Boomi’s AtomSphere runs on a lightweight runtime engine that can be deployed in the cloud or on-premise for hybrid scenarios.
Pros
- 200+ connectors for SaaS, on-prem, and big data sources.
- Cloud-native or on-prem Atom runtime allows hybrid deployments.
- Visual process designer with drag-and-drop mapping, enriched by shape-specific logic (e.g., function, decision, loop).
- Built-in error handling, version control, and CI/CD integration.
Cons
- Costly licensing structure (per-connection, per-Atom), which can escalate for high throughput or many connectors.
- Complex transformations sometimes still require scripting (JavaScript/Groovy), reducing low-code benefits for advanced scenarios.
- Learning curve: mastering Atoms, Molecules, and hybrid architecture requires time, particularly for non-technical users.
Dell Boomi Documentation:
What I like about Dell Boomi
Boomi’s AtomSphere makes deploying integration processes easy—Atommachines can run anywhere (cloud or on-prem), and the visual interface is intuitive for building mappings.
What I dislike about Dell Boomi
Licensing can be expensive, especially for high-volume data. Complex integrations can require coding despite the low-code promise.
What is Polar Analytics
Polar Analytics is a marketing analytics platform designed specifically for direct-to-consumer (DTC) brands. It integrates data from various marketing, sales, and customer platforms, providing a unified dashboard that helps businesses track performance metrics, customer behavior, and ROI. Polar Analytics aims to simplify data analysis for brands, enabling them to make informed decisions to optimize their marketing strategies.
Pros
- Tailored for DTC brands
- Comprehensive marketing and sales insights
- Easy integration with popular eCommerce platforms
- User-friendly interface with powerful dashboards
- Helps optimize marketing ROI with data-driven insights
Cons
- Primarily focused on DTC, limiting broader use cases
- Can be expensive for small brands
- Advanced features may require some learning
A reviewer on G2:
What I like about Polar Analytics
Polar Analytics has revolutionized how we view our marketing data. The integration with our eCommerce and marketing platforms has given us deep insights that were previously hard to uncover. It's an essential tool for any DTC brand looking to scale effectively.
What I dislike about Polar Analytics
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
- Premium quality connectors and reliability
- User-friendly and easy to set up
- AI assistant
- Very competitive and easy-to-understand pricing model
- Reverse ETL option
- Lineage, orchestration, and workflow features
- Advanced transformation and SQL modeling capabilities
- Ability to handle large datasets and near real-time data sync
- Combines data from a wide range of sources for a single source of truth
Cons
- Requires some technical knowledge around data warehousing and SQL
- Limited features for advanced data teams
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
Dell Boomi
Boomi’s Integration Builder uses a web-based canvas to create process flows. Connectors and maps are configured via dialogs. Error-handling, version control, and deployment controls are integrated. Some users find building very complex workflows cumbersome despite the visual design.
Polar Analytics
Polar Analytics offers a user-friendly interface, particularly beneficial for DTC brands that require an intuitive platform to analyze marketing and sales data.
Pricing & Affordability
Dell Boomi
Boomi’s pricing is multi-faceted—permanent Atom licenses, per-connection pricing, and usage-based charges for transactions. SMBs may need to request custom quotes to stay within budget.
Polar Analytics
Pricing at $399 per month, Polar Analytics can be considered expensive, especially for small brands with limited budgets. However, it provides good value for those needing in-depth marketing analytics.
Feature Set
Dell Boomi
Features: ETL/ELT processes, API management, EDI/B2B integration, workflow automation, data quality, and master data management. It also offers training, community forums, and professional services.
Polar Analytics
The platform provides comprehensive marketing and sales insights with easy integration into popular eCommerce platforms. Its tailored focus on DTC brands ensures relevant and valuable features.
Flexibility & Customization
Dell Boomi
Custom scripting is supported via Groovy or JavaScript for complex transforms. Atoms can be deployed virtually anywhere for hybrid use cases. However, you rely on Boomi for core engine updates; it’s not open-source.
Polar Analytics
Polar Analytics is primarily focused on DTC brands, which may limit its flexibility for broader use cases. However, within its niche, it offers powerful tools to optimize marketing strategies effectively.
Summary of Dell Boomi vs Polar Analytics vs Weld
| Weld | Dell Boomi | Polar Analytics | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Connectors | 200+ | 200+ | 60+ |
| Price | $79 / No data volume limits | Subscription-based (per Atom/connection; starts ~$1000/month) | $399 / month |
| Free tier | No | No | No |
| Location | EU | Austin, TX, USA | FR |
| Extract data (ETL) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Sync data to HubSpot, Salesforce, Klaviyo, Excel etc. (reverse ETL) | Yes | Yes | No |
| Transformations | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| AI Assistant | Yes | No | No |
| On-Premise | No | Yes | No |
| Orchestration | Yes | Yes | No |
| Lineage | Yes | Yes | No |
| Version control | Yes | Yes | No |
| Load data to and from Excel | Yes | Yes | No |
| Load data to and from Google Sheets | Yes | No | No |
| Two-Way Sync | Yes | Yes | No |
| dbt Core Integration | Yes | No | No |
| dbt Cloud Integration | Yes | No | No |
| OpenAPI / Developer API | Yes | Yes | No |
| G2 Rating | 4.8 | 4.3 | 4.5 |
Conclusion
You’re comparing Dell Boomi, Polar Analytics, Weld. Each of these tools has its own strengths:
- Dell Boomi: features: etl/elt processes, api management, edi/b2b integration, workflow automation, data quality, and master data management. it also offers training, community forums, and professional services. . boomi’s pricing is multi-faceted—permanent atom licenses, per-connection pricing, and usage-based charges for transactions. smbs may need to request custom quotes to stay within budget. .
- Polar Analytics: the platform provides comprehensive marketing and sales insights with easy integration into popular ecommerce platforms. its tailored focus on dtc brands ensures relevant and valuable features.. pricing at $399 per month, polar analytics can be considered expensive, especially for small brands with limited budgets. however, it provides good value for those needing in-depth marketing analytics..
- 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 $99 for 2 million active rows, making it more affordable and predictable, especially for small to medium-sized enterprises..
