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Weld vs dlt (Data Load Tool) vs Rows

You’re comparing Weld vs dlt (Data Load Tool) vs Rows. Explore how they differ on connectors, pricing, and features. Ed Logo

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Weld vs dlt (Data Load Tool) vs Rows

FeatureWelddlt (Data Load Tool)Rows
Core Platform
Price
$79 / 5M Active Rows
Free (open-source)
Free; Pro from $39/user/month
Free tier
No
No
Yes
Location
DK, (EU)
DE
US
Connectors & Sync
Connectors
200+
60+
Extract data (ETL)
Yes
Yes
Yes
Sync to HubSpot, Salesforce, Klaviyo, Excel (reverse ETL)
Yes
Yes
No
Two-Way Sync
Yes
No
No
Transformations & AI
Transformations
Yes
Yes
Yes
AI Assistant
Yes
No
No
dbt Core Integration
Yes
Yes
No
dbt Cloud Integration
Yes
No
No
Governance & DevOps
Orchestration
Yes
No
Yes
Lineage
Yes
No
No
Version control
Yes
Yes
No
On-Premise
No
Yes
No
OpenAPI / Developer API
Yes
Yes
No
Integrations
Load to/from Excel
Yes
No
Yes
Load to/from Google Sheets
Yes
No
Yes
Ratings
G2 rating
4.8

Overview

Weld in Short

Weld is a unified ELT and data activation platform that combines ingestion, modeling, transformations, orchestration, lineage, and reverse ETL in a single SaaS interface. With premium in-house–built connectors, an intuitive UI, and near real-time syncs, Weld enables both technical and non-technical users to create and manage data workflows efficiently. Weld also includes an AI assistant to support SQL modeling, generate transformations, and streamline repetitive tasks. Teams can ingest data from a wide range of sources—including marketing platforms, CRMs, databases, Google Sheets, Excel, and APIs—into their cloud data warehouse and activate it back into business tools.

weld logo

Pros

  • Lineage, orchestration, and workflow features included by default

  • Handles large datasets and near real-time data sync

  • ELT and reverse ETL in one platform

  • User-friendly interface with minimal setup required

  • Flat, predictable monthly pricing model

  • 200+ in-house–built, high-quality connectors

  • AI assistant for modeling and transformations

Cons

  • Some SQL knowledge is useful for advanced modeling

  • Optimized for cloud-warehouse workflows (Snowflake, BigQuery, Redshift, etc.)

  • Feature set is streamlined for modern ELT/activation use cases

Reviews & Quotes

A reviewer on G2 said:

What I like about Weld

Weld’s graphical interface is intuitive and easy to work with, even for teams with limited SQL experience. Its flexibility across sources—from databases to Google Sheets and APIs—made onboarding smooth, and performance across larger workloads was consistently strong. Support was responsive and helpful throughout our setup and ongoing use.

Overview

dlt (Data Load Tool) in Short

dlt (data load tool) is an open-source Python library for building ELT pipelines using a code-first approach. Pipelines are defined in Python and can be scheduled through tools such as Airflow, Dagster, Prefect, or basic cron jobs. dlt includes pre-built connectors, automatic schema evolution, incremental loading, normalization, retry logic, and supports popular destinations such as BigQuery, Snowflake, Redshift, Databricks, and DuckDB. It is designed for engineering teams that want flexibility without the overhead of managing a full ETL platform.

dlt logo

Pros

  • Open-source and free to use

  • Flexible, Python-based pipeline development

  • Automatic schema inference and incremental loading

  • 60+ pre-built connectors with SDK for custom sources

  • Works with any orchestration tool (Airflow, Prefect, Dagster, cron)

Cons

  • No graphical UI; requires Python skills

  • No fully managed SaaS version

  • Limited transformation features without dbt or Python logic

  • Monitoring/observability must be set up separately

  • Smaller ecosystem compared to more mature platforms

Reviews & Quotes

A reviewer on Medium:

What I like about dlt (Data Load Tool)

dlt is lightweight, customizable, and removes a lot of the boilerplate around API ingestion. With just a few lines of Python, we were able to create robust pipelines that handle schema changes and incremental loads seamlessly.

What I dislike about dlt (Data Load Tool)

High volume, low latency, hard-to-build stuff is complicated.

Overview

Rows in Short

[Rows.com](http://rows.com/) is a next-generation spreadsheet platform that integrates natively with hundreds of SaaS APIs, databases, and analytics tools. It enables automated ELT directly into spreadsheets, provides built-in reporting and dashboards, and supports scripting for more advanced workflows.

rows logo

Pros

  • Native connectors to 500+ SaaS APIs and data sources.

  • Automated ELT directly into the spreadsheet.

  • Built-in charting, dashboards, and collaboration features.

  • Supports JavaScript and Python formulas for flexible automation.

  • Free plan available with core spreadsheet and integration features.

Cons

  • Large or API-heavy sheets can lag with high-volume data.

  • Advanced connectors and automation features require paid plans.

  • Not built for warehouse-scale datasets; best suited for mid-size tables.

Reviews & Quotes

[Rows.com](http://rows.com/) review on G2:

What I like about Rows

Creating tables from Excel or Google Sheets imports is incredible. Creating charts and visuals in just a few clicks and navigating your workspace is PERFECT.

What I dislike about Rows

The basic dashboard is not very clear. Need to understand the features and divide screens to jump between spaces.

Feature-by-Feature Comparison

Feature
weld logo
dlt logo
rows logo

Ease of Use & Interface

Side-by-side

weld logo

Weld’s interface is built for clarity and speed, enabling users with varying levels of technical experience to manage data pipelines and models efficiently. Its built-in lineage and orchestration tools provide transparency across workflows.

dlt logo

dlt is code-first and does not offer a graphical UI. It is easy to work with for Python developers but inaccessible for non-technical users.

rows logo

[Rows.com](http://rows.com/) offers a modern spreadsheet UI with built-in API connectors. Non-technical users can rely on pre-built integrations, while technical users can create custom logic using JavaScript or Python formulas.

Pricing & Affordability

Side-by-side

weld logo

Weld offers a simple and predictable pricing model starting at $79 for 5 million active rows. This flat, usage-transparent structure makes budgeting straightforward for small and medium-sized teams.

dlt logo

dlt is fully open-source with no licensing costs. Users only pay for the infrastructure on which they run their pipelines, making it cost-effective for engineering teams.

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A generous free tier supports most basic import and spreadsheet needs. Pro plans start at $39/user/month for increased API quotas, automations, and advanced integrations. Enterprise plans are available on request.

Feature Set

Side-by-side

weld logo

Weld provides ELT ingestion, SQL-based transformations, reverse ETL activation, data lineage, orchestration, and workflow management in a single platform. Its AI assistant accelerates modeling and transformation tasks.

dlt logo

dlt includes pre-built connectors, automatic schema evolution, incremental loading, normalization, and built-in state management. It integrates with major destinations and supports Python-based transformations or dbt.

rows logo

[Rows.com](http://rows.com/) includes ELT connectors, spreadsheet-based transformations, automation and scheduling, built-in charting and dashboards, collaboration, API-triggered workflows, and integrations with Slack, email, and BI tools.

Flexibility & Customization

Side-by-side

weld logo

Users can model data using SQL enhanced by Weld’s AI assistant, automate workflows, and build custom connectors to any API. This provides strong flexibility for teams that want to tailor integrations and transformations within one platform.

dlt logo

Because pipelines are written fully in Python, dlt offers high flexibility and can integrate with any orchestration or monitoring stack. This flexibility requires engineering effort but enables highly customized workflows.

rows logo

Users can script custom workflows with JavaScript or Python, chain multiple API calls, and set up scheduled or event-based automations. Highly flexible for teams that prefer spreadsheet-centric data operations.

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CUSTOMER STORIES

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We’ve always been a KPI-driven company. But we wanted to scale that mindset across every team member, every team, every decision.
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How Danish Endurance boosted profitability by 77 % and transformed data management with Weld

Before Weld, our data infrastructure was limited and we relied heavily on Excel files and custom Python scripts.
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How Female Invest centralized data management and saved resources with Weld

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How Soundboks streamlined data integration with Weld, S3, and Databricks

By integrating Weld, Amazon S3, and Databricks, Soundboks built a modern data pipeline that automates data ingestion, improves reporting, and provides up-to-date visibility into sales performance
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How Roccamore unlocked better business insights with Weld

We didn’t have a good data setup, so we lacked the business insights we needed. Weld has allowed us to set up a structured data infrastructure and access insights quickly.
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