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Comparing Informatica Cloud with Weld

Carolina Russ
Carolina Russ5 min read
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What is Informatica Cloud

Informatica Intelligent Cloud Services (IICS) is a cloud-native iPaaS that provides ETL/ELT, application integration, API management, and data quality in a single SaaS platform. It offers hundreds of pre-built connectors for SaaS apps, cloud databases, and on-premises systems via Secure Agents. Key features include drag-and-drop flow designer, real-time integrations, and monitoring dashboards.

Pros

  • Hundreds of SaaS, cloud DB, and on-prem connectors via a lightweight Secure Agent.
  • Unified services: ETL/ELT, data quality, API integration, and B2B/EDI flows.
  • Low-code, drag-and-drop interface for rapid flow development; pre-built templates accelerate common integrations.
  • Hybrid integration capability: connect cloud and on-prem data sources securely via Secure Agents.

Cons

  • Pricing can be difficult to estimate—charges apply per environment, per connector, data volume, and usage of additional services.
  • Performance throttling on large bulk loads; premium packaging is needed for high-throughput scenarios.
  • Learning curve for advanced features: API Designer, Data Quality transformations, and complex flow orchestration.

Informatica Cloud Pricing:

What I like about Informatica Cloud

IICS provides an all-in-one cloud integration suite: ETL, API management, and data quality, all managed by Informatica. Connector coverage is unmatched.

What I dislike about Informatica Cloud

Complex pricing (per user, per connector, data volume) and occasional performance issues for large data volumes.
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

  • 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.
Read full review

Informatica Cloud vs Weld: Ease of Use and User Interface

Informatica Cloud

The IICS web UI provides a unified workspace where users build mappings and tasks using drag-and-drop. Pre-built templates simplify common use cases, but advanced features (e.g., data quality) require additional learning.

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.

Informatica Cloud vs Weld: Pricing Transparency and Affordability

Informatica Cloud

Informatica Cloud’s pricing includes a base license fee plus charges per connector, environment, and data usage. Small teams may find entry costs high, but larger enterprises benefit from consolidated integration and data services.

Weld

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.

Informatica Cloud vs Weld: Comprehensive Feature Set

Informatica Cloud

Key features: ETL/ELT mappings, real-time integrations, API & application integration, data quality, data masking, and B2B/EDI flows. It also includes monitoring dashboards, alerts, and SLA management.

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.

Informatica Cloud vs Weld: Flexibility and Customization

Informatica Cloud

Users can create custom connectors via REST/SOAP or use the Generic Connector. Secure Agents allow on-premise integration. Mapping Designer supports custom transformations via Java or Groovy.

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.

Summary of Informatica Cloud vs Weld

WeldInformatica Cloud
Connectors200++200+
Price€99 / Unlimited usageSubscription-based (custom quotes); typically starts ~$20k/year for base ETL usage
Free tierNoNo
LocationEURedwood City, CA, USA
Extract data (ETL)YesYes
Sync data to HubSpot, Salesforce, Klaviyo, Excel etc. (reverse ETL)YesNo
TransformationsYesYes
AI AssistantYesNo
On-PremiseNoNo
OrchestrationYesYes
LineageYesYes
Version controlYesYes
Load data to and from ExcelYesYes
Load data to and from Google SheetsYesYes
Two-Way SyncYesNo
dbt Core IntegrationYesNo
dbt Cloud IntegrationYesNo
OpenAPI / Developer APIYesYes
G2 Rating4.84.4

Conclusion

When comparing Informatica Cloud and Weld, consider your primary requirements and budget:

  • Informatica Cloud excels at key features: etl/elt mappings, real-time integrations, api & application integration, data quality, data masking, and b2b/edi flows. it also includes monitoring dashboards, alerts, and sla management. . If you need robust transformations and a wide connector catalogue with a strong focus on users can create custom connectors via rest/soap or use the generic connector. secure agents allow on-premise integration. mapping designer supports custom transformations via java or groovy. , this may be your best choice.
  • Weld offers competitive pricing and 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.. If you prioritize ease of setup, real-time syncing, or specific integrations, this tool could be a better fit.
Ultimately, review the detailed sections above—connectors, pricing, and features—and select the tool that aligns most closely with your data stack, technical resources, and long-term goals.

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