Comparing Etlworks Integrator with Pentaho Data Integration and Weld

You’re comparing Etlworks Integrator vs Pentaho Data Integration vs Weld. Explore how they differ on connectors, pricing, and features.

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Weld vs Etlworks Integrator vs Pentaho Data Integration

	Weld	Etlworks Integrator	Pentaho Data Integration
Connectors	200+	300+	150+
Price	$99 / 5M Active Rows	Credit-based (e.g., $0.10/credit; volume discounts available)	Community Edition: Free; Enterprise Edition: Custom pricing
Free tier
Location	EU	Pittsburgh, PA, USA	Santa Clara, CA, USA (Hitachi Vantara HQ)
Extract data (ETL)
Sync to HubSpot, Salesforce, Klaviyo, Excel (reverse ETL)
Transformations
AI Assistant
On-Premise
Orchestration
Lineage
Version control
Load to/from Excel		Yes (via file connectors)	Yes (Excel/CSV input/output)
Load to/from Google Sheets		Yes (Google Sheets)	Yes (via Google Sheets plugin)
Two-Way Sync
dbt Core Integration
dbt Cloud Integration
OpenAPI / Developer API
G2 rating	4.8	4.5	4.1

Overview

Etlworks Integrator in Short

Etlworks Integrator is a cloud-based ETL platform that provides over 300 connectors (databases, SaaS, files, big data) and a visual interface to build complex data flows. It can run both batch and streaming pipelines, support transformations via SQL or JavaScript, and integrate with Kafka, Snowflake, Redshift, Google BigQuery, and more. It also offers features for data replication, CDC, and workflow orchestration.

Pros

300+ connectors for databases, cloud storage, SaaS apps, and streaming platforms.
Supports both batch and streaming (CDC) with configurable schedules and triggers.
Transformations via SQL, JavaScript, or built-in functions; data validation and error-handling features.
Cloud-based with on-prem runtime options for connecting to internal resources securely.

Cons

UI complexity: designing flows with many steps can be difficult to navigate.
Subscription is credit-based (e.g., $0.10/credit), making cost estimation tricky for variable workloads.
Less brand recognition and community support compared to leading ETL tools.

Reviews & Quotes

Etlworks Integrator Features:

What I like about Etlworks Integrator

“Etlworks Integrator’s breadth of connectors and flexible transformation engine (SQL/JavaScript) let us integrate data from dozens of sources quickly.”

What I dislike about Etlworks Integrator

“The UI can be overwhelming for beginners, and pricing (credit-based) can be hard to predict for varying workloads.”

Read full review

Overview

Pentaho Data Integration in Short

Pentaho Data Integration (PDI), also known as Kettle, is an open-source ETL tool from Hitachi Vantara. It provides a graphical Spoon interface for building ETL transformations and jobs, supporting over 150 data sources (relational, NoSQL, cloud, files). PDI includes built-in steps for data cleansing, join, lookup, and can execute transformations in a clustered environment. It also integrates with Pentaho’s BI platform for analytics.

Pros

Open-source (Community Edition) with no licensing costs; Enterprise Edition provides additional features and support.
150+ connectors (databases, cloud storage, big data, files, NoSQL) and flexible step-based transformations.
Graphical Spoon interface for visual ETL job design; transformations can be previewed and tested in real-time.
Support for clustered execution (Carte server) for parallel processing and higher throughput.

Cons

Community Edition lacks advanced features (lineage, data quality, enterprise monitoring), requiring Enterprise Edition for production readiness.
Performance can suffer with very large data volumes if not properly tuned (Java memory, clustering).
User interface and user experience are dated compared to newer cloud-native ETL tools.

Reviews & Quotes

Pentaho Data Integration Overview:

What I like about Pentaho Data Integration

“PDI’s free community edition and Spoon GUI allow rapid ETL prototyping; its step library is extensive, and clustering support is solid for scale.”

What I dislike about Pentaho Data Integration

“Limited data quality features and slower development speed compared to modern cloud ETL. Community support can be slow for fixes.”

Read full review

Overview

Weld in Short

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

Reviews & Quotes

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.”

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Feature-by-Feature Comparison

Etlworks Integrator

Pentaho Data Integration

Weld

Feature

Etlworks Integrator

Pentaho Data Integration

Weld

Ease of Use & Interface

Side-by-side

Etlworks Integrator

Etlworks Integrator’s Flow Designer uses a canvas with source, transformation, and destination steps. While powerful and flexible, the interface has a steep learning curve; nested steps and branching can become difficult to visualize.

Pentaho Data Integration

Pentaho’s Spoon GUI uses a canvas paradigm: drag "steps" onto a transformation, connect them, and configure. While powerful, it can feel clunky, especially for very complex flows with many steps.

Weld

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.

Ease of Use & Interface

Side-by-side

Pentaho’s Spoon GUI uses a canvas paradigm: drag "steps" onto a transformation, connect them, and configure. While powerful, it can feel clunky, especially for very complex flows with many steps.

Pricing & Affordability

Side-by-side

Etlworks Integrator

Charges are based on credits consumed by data volume and transformations. Free trial provides limited credits. For predictable workloads, budget forecasting requires careful usage analysis.

Pentaho Data Integration

The free Community Edition is attractive for experimentation. Enterprise Edition pricing is usage-based and includes support, lineag, and more; typically suited for mid-sized to large organizations.

Weld

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.

Pricing & Affordability

Side-by-side

Charges are based on credits consumed by data volume and transformations. Free trial provides limited credits. For predictable workloads, budget forecasting requires careful usage analysis.

The free Community Edition is attractive for experimentation. Enterprise Edition pricing is usage-based and includes support, lineag, and more; typically suited for mid-sized to large organizations.

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.

Feature Set

Side-by-side

Etlworks Integrator

Features include: 300+ connectors, CDC replication, batch/streaming pipelines, SQL/JavaScript transformations, error handling, scheduling, and secure on-prem gateways. Also supports webhooks and REST API triggers.

Pentaho Data Integration

PDI features: GUI-based transformation designer, job orchestration, data cleansing, lookups, joins, scripting (JavaScript, PDI’s built-in “User Defined Java Expression”), logging, clustering, and integration with Pentaho BI for reporting. Lineage and monitoring in Enterprise.

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.

Feature Set

Side-by-side

Flexibility & Customization

Side-by-side

Etlworks Integrator

Supports embedding custom JavaScript or calling external services within pipelines. Can deploy integration nodes on-premise to access internal networks. Pipelines can be exported/imported for version control.

Pentaho Data Integration

Users can embed Java, JavaScript, or invoke external scripts. PDI’s open architecture allows custom plugins for new steps/connectors. The code is open-source, so full extensibility is available, though it requires Java development.

Weld

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.