Comparing Pentaho Data Integration with Weld
What is Pentaho Data Integration
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.
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.
What is Weld
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.
Pentaho Data Integration vs Weld: Ease of Use and User Interface
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.
Pentaho Data Integration vs Weld: Pricing Transparency and Affordability
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 €99 for 2 million active rows, making it more affordable and predictable, especially for small to medium-sized enterprises.
Pentaho Data Integration vs Weld: Comprehensive Feature Set
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.
Pentaho Data Integration vs Weld: Flexibility and Customization
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.
Summary of Pentaho Data Integration vs Weld
| Weld | Pentaho Data Integration | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectors | 200+ | 150+ |
| Price | €99 / unlimited usage | Community Edition: Free; Enterprise Edition: Custom pricing |
| Free tier | No | Yes |
| Location | EU | Santa Clara, CA, USA (Hitachi Vantara HQ) |
| Extract data (ETL) | Yes | Yes |
| Sync data to HubSpot, Salesforce, Klaviyo, Excel etc. (reverse ETL) | Yes | No |
| Transformations | Yes | Yes |
| AI Assistant | Yes | No |
| On-Premise | No | Yes |
| Orchestration | Yes | Yes |
| Lineage | Yes | Yes |
| Version control | Yes | Yes |
| Load data to and from Excel | Yes | Yes |
| Load data to and from Google Sheets | Yes | Yes |
| Two-Way Sync | Yes | No |
| dbt Core Integration | Yes | No |
| dbt Cloud Integration | Yes | No |
| OpenAPI / Developer API | Yes | No |
| G2 Rating | 4.8 | 4.1 |
Conclusion
When comparing Pentaho Data Integration and Weld, consider your primary requirements and budget:
- Pentaho Data Integration excels at 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. . If you need robust transformations and a wide connector catalogue with a strong focus on 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. , 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.
