Census vs Fivetran
Census and Fivetran are both data integration & ETL tools. Census is aimed at enterprise, while Fivetran is aimed at enterprise and small businesses. Both have a free plan.
| Pricing | Freemium | Freemium |
| Starting price | Not published | Not published |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | 14 days | 14 days |
| Built for | Enterprise | Enterprise, Small businesses |
| Platforms | web | web |
| Country | US · 2018 | US · 2012 |
| Rating | — | — |
Choose Census if
Data teams activating warehouse data.
- Warehouse-native activation
- Strong reliability
- dbt-friendly
Look elsewhere if: Teams without a warehouse.
Choose Fivetran if
Data teams who value reliability over cost control.
- Set and forget reliability
- Broad, well-maintained connectors
- Excellent for lean data teams
Look elsewhere if: Budget-conscious teams with engineering capacity (Airbyte).
Census vs Fivetran pricing
Census
- Free$03,500 MAR for activations, 500,000 MAR for connections
- StandardUsage-basedPriced on monthly active rows; unlimited users
- EnterpriseUsage-based1-minute syncs, Audience Hub
- Business CriticalUsage-basedCustomer-managed keys, PCI DSS, private networking
Fivetran
- Free$0500,000 MAR, 5,000 model runs/mo
- StandardUsage-basedPer-MAR spend rate; $5 base charge per connection
- EnterpriseUsage-basedHigher spend rate, enterprise features
- Business CriticalUsage-basedHighest security tier
Census · Key features
- Reverse ETL
- Audience Hub
- Entity resolution
- Observability
- 200+ destinations
- dbt integration
Cons
- Pricing grows
- Requires warehouse
- Overlap with Hightouch
Fivetran · Key features
- 700+ managed connectors
- Automatic schema migration and incremental sync
- Database replication with CDC
- dbt transformations and orchestration
- Data lake destinations and governance
- Private networking and compliance options
Cons
- MAR pricing can spike
- Less control than open-source tools
- Costs grow with data volume
Census vs Fivetran: FAQ
Do Census and Fivetran have a free plan?
Yes, both Census and Fivetran have a free plan; paid plans add more usage and features.
Which is better for small businesses, Census or Fivetran?
Fivetran lists small businesses as a core audience, while Census is aimed more at enterprise.