Airbyte is an open-source ELT platform with a rapidly growing connector library. It provides a self-hosted alternative to Fivetran, allowing data teams to run data pipelines on their own infrastructure at a fraction of the cost — particularly attractive for engineering teams comfortable with Kubernetes.
Product Overview
Airbyte's 400+ connector library covers most major SaaS tools, databases, and file sources. Its Connector Development Kit (CDK) makes it straightforward to build custom connectors when a native one doesn't exist. Airbyte Cloud offers a fully managed version for teams that want open-source flexibility without infrastructure management.
Key Features
- 400+ Connectors: Open-source connectors for SaaS apps, databases, and file systems — community-maintained and growing fast.
- Connector Development Kit: Build custom connectors with Python in hours — no platform expertise required.
- Self-hosted: Run on your own infrastructure (Docker or Kubernetes) for full data control and low cost.
- Airbyte Cloud: Fully managed hosted version with usage-based pricing.
- PyAirbyte: Python library for running Airbyte syncs directly in notebooks and data pipelines.
Best For
Engineering-led data teams that want the flexibility of open-source, the ability to build custom connectors, and a lower cost alternative to Fivetran.
Pricing
Self-hosted: free (open source). Cloud: consumption-based from $10/month. Enterprise: custom.
Key Integrations
Snowflake, BigQuery, Redshift, Databricks, PostgreSQL, dbt, GitHub
Pros
- Free open-source version
- Rapidly growing connector library
- Easy custom connector development
- Strong community
Cons
- Self-hosted requires infrastructure expertise
- Connector quality varies
- Enterprise support less mature than Fivetran
