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Comparing Segment with Weld

Carolina Russ
Carolina Russ5 min read
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VS
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What is Segment

Acquired by Twilio in 2020, Segment is a Customer Data Platform (CDP) that offers real-time data connectivity and efficient data. Segment's core focus is gathering customer data through event tracking. It has unique features that allow you to segment your customers, and create personas and audiences for better targeting.

Pros

  • Real-time data integration capabilities
  • Pre-built and maintained connectors for popular data sources
  • Has advanced features for managing customer data
  • Easy to setup and use

Cons

  • Quickly becomes very expensive
  • Is purpose made for customer data and event tracking and thus lacks features outside of those areas
  • Not suitable for only use for ELT
  • Can have problems ingesting and working with historical data
  • Heavily skewed toward sales and marketing platforms
  • Custom integration or customization is really hard to do

As pointed out in this Capterra review::

What I like about Segment

Segment is a great tool, if you can afford it then you should start using it right now.

What I dislike about Segment

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

Segment vs Weld: Ease of Use and User Interface

Segment

Segment is easy to set up and use, offering real-time data integration and advanced features for managing customer data, making it a great choice for businesses focusing on customer data platforms.

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.

Segment vs Weld: Pricing Transparency and Affordability

Segment

Segment can quickly become very expensive, especially for smaller businesses, due to its pricing model based on the number of visitors and advanced features.

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.

Segment vs Weld: Comprehensive Feature Set

Segment

The platform provides robust real-time data integration capabilities and is heavily skewed towards sales and marketing platforms, making it ideal for businesses with a strong focus on customer data.

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.

Segment vs Weld: Flexibility and Customization

Segment

Segment offers limited flexibility for use outside of customer data and event tracking, with customization options that can be challenging for more complex requirements.

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 Segment vs Weld

WeldSegment
Connectors200++300+
Price$99 / Unlimited usage$120/month 10,000 visitors
Free tierNoYes
LocationEUUS
Extract data (ETL)YesYes
Sync data to HubSpot, Salesforce, Klaviyo, Excel etc. (reverse ETL)YesYes
TransformationsYesNo
AI AssistantYesNo
On-PremiseNoNo
OrchestrationYesNo
LineageYesNo
Version controlYesNo
Load data to and from ExcelYesNo
Load data to and from Google SheetsYesNo
Two-Way SyncYesNo
dbt Core IntegrationYesYes
dbt Cloud IntegrationYesNo
OpenAPI / Developer APIYesYes
G2 Rating4.84.6

Conclusion

When comparing Segment and Weld, consider your primary requirements and budget:

  • Segment excels at the platform provides robust real-time data integration capabilities and is heavily skewed towards sales and marketing platforms, making it ideal for businesses with a strong focus on customer data.. If you need robust transformations and a wide connector catalogue with a strong focus on segment offers limited flexibility for use outside of customer data and event tracking, with customization options that can be challenging for more complex requirements., 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.