You’re comparing Census vs MuleSoft (Anypoint Platform) vs Weld. Explore how they differ on connectors, pricing, and features. 
Loved by data teams from around the world
| Weld | Census | MuleSoft (Anypoint Platform) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Connectors | 200+ | 130+ | 150+ |
| Price | $99 / 5M Active Rows | Free tier; Pro ~$350/mo for 2 destinations | Enterprise vCore subscription—high-end (six-figure annual) |
| 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 | 4.5 | 4.4 |
Overview
Census is a leading Reverse ETL platform that syncs data from your data warehouse back into SaaS tools like Salesforce, HubSpot, and Marketo. It integrates deeply with dbt and modern warehouses, enabling no-code mapping, incremental upserts, and reliable syncs to operational systems in near real time.
Warehouse-centric: works directly on tables or dbt models
No-code field mapping with live previews
Broad destination support: Salesforce, HubSpot, Slack, Google Sheets, etc.
Incremental upserts ensure data consistency with no duplicates
Deep dbt integration and “analytics-as-code” workflows (YAML config)
Flexible scheduling and API triggers for near real-time use cases
Focuses only on reverse ETL—requires a separate ELT tool for ingestion
Pricing based on rows or syncs can be expensive at very large volumes
Complex transformations must be done upstream in the warehouse/dbt
Dependent on destination API rate limits, which can slow large syncs
SaaS-only (no on-prem deployment)
Census Overview (G2):
“Census is the fastest and most reliable reverse ETL platform with 99.5% uptime and premium support for all plans. It delivers transformed data at time-of-use—fueling rapid data activation in operational tools without relying on leaky pipelines.”
Overview
MuleSoft’s Anypoint Platform is an enterprise-grade iPaaS that supports batch ETL, real-time APIs, ESB, and more. With 150+ pre-built connectors (Anypoint Connectors) and the powerful DataWeave transformation language, MuleSoft can handle complex integrations between on-prem and cloud systems. It excels at high-throughput, mission-critical use cases and offers hybrid deployment (cloud or on-prem runtime).
Extensive connectivity: 150+ enterprise-grade connectors (SaaS, databases, protocols, mainframes)
Hybrid deployment: fully on-prem, private cloud, or CloudHub managed runtime
Powerful DataWeave language for complex transformations
API-led architecture supporting real-time APIs and batch ETL/ELT in the same platform
Enterprise-grade reliability: high throughput, clustering, transactions, and monitoring
Rich tooling: Anypoint Studio (IDE), API Manager, Exchange for reusable assets
High complexity and steep learning curve—requires experienced integration developers
Expensive licensing (vCore-based), typically suited for large enterprises
Not focused on out-of-the-box simplicity—each pipeline is effectively a development project
Maintenance overhead when self-hosted; even CloudHub needs ongoing ops for flow logic
UI/IDE can feel dated and resource-intensive compared to modern low-code ETL tools
Tech Lead at a Financial Services Firm (G2 Review summary):
“MuleSoft’s Anypoint Platform offers 100+ pre-built connectors and a powerful integration engine. It’s an enterprise integration solution that supports batch ETL as well as real-time API integrations, making it possible to connect virtually any system.”
Overview
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.
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
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:
“Weld is still limited to a certain number of integrations - although the team is super interested to hear if you need custom integrations.”
Side-by-side
Census provides an intuitive UI for mapping warehouse fields to destination fields, with live previews—non-technical business users quickly adopt it for operational data syncs.
MuleSoft is a developer-centric platform with Anypoint Studio as an Eclipse-based IDE. It is powerful but not plug-and-play; teams need formal training and strong integration expertise to use it effectively.
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.
Side-by-side
Census provides an intuitive UI for mapping warehouse fields to destination fields, with live previews—non-technical business users quickly adopt it for operational data syncs.
MuleSoft is a developer-centric platform with Anypoint Studio as an Eclipse-based IDE. It is powerful but not plug-and-play; teams need formal training and strong integration expertise to use it effectively.
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.
Side-by-side
While there’s a free tier to get started, professional plans based on usage can add up for large enterprises. Still, ROI often justifies the investment by automating data activation in CRM/marketing tools.
MuleSoft is among the most expensive integration platforms. Pricing is based on the number of vCores and features, making it a significant investment reserved for large enterprises with complex integration needs.
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.
Side-by-side
While there’s a free tier to get started, professional plans based on usage can add up for large enterprises. Still, ROI often justifies the investment by automating data activation in CRM/marketing tools.
MuleSoft is among the most expensive integration platforms. Pricing is based on the number of vCores and features, making it a significant investment reserved for large enterprises with complex integration needs.
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.
Side-by-side
Census focuses on reverse ETL: no-code mapping, incremental upserts keyed on primary keys, scheduling, and deep dbt integration. It provides monitoring dashboards, alerting, and a CLI/API for GitOps workflows.
Extensive feature set: batch and streaming ETL, real-time API creation, ESB, DataWeave transformations, API management, message queuing, hybrid deployment, high availability, and robust monitoring. Essentially, MuleSoft can serve as ETL, ESB, and API gateway in one.
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.
Side-by-side
Census focuses on reverse ETL: no-code mapping, incremental upserts keyed on primary keys, scheduling, and deep dbt integration. It provides monitoring dashboards, alerting, and a CLI/API for GitOps workflows.
Extensive feature set: batch and streaming ETL, real-time API creation, ESB, DataWeave transformations, API management, message queuing, hybrid deployment, high availability, and robust monitoring. Essentially, MuleSoft can serve as ETL, ESB, and API gateway in one.
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.
Side-by-side
Mapping logic is as flexible as your SQL—any complex query can feed Census. Users can customize scheduling (cron or event triggers) and configure failure handling. It adapts well but relies on warehouse transformations for complex logic.
MuleSoft is highly flexible: you can extend connectors, write custom DataWeave scripts, embed custom Java code, and orchestrate complex multi-system transactions. The platform can be tailored to virtually any integration requirement but demands developer resources.
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.
Side-by-side
Mapping logic is as flexible as your SQL—any complex query can feed Census. Users can customize scheduling (cron or event triggers) and configure failure handling. It adapts well but relies on warehouse transformations for complex logic.
MuleSoft is highly flexible: you can extend connectors, write custom DataWeave scripts, embed custom Java code, and orchestrate complex multi-system transactions. The platform can be tailored to virtually any integration requirement but demands developer resources.
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.
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