dbt vs Fivetran
dbt and Fivetran are both data integration & ETL tools. dbt is aimed at developers, while Fivetran is aimed at enterprise and small businesses. Both have a free plan.
| Pricing | Freemium · $100 | Freemium |
| Starting price | $100/mo | Not published |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | 14 days | 14 days |
| Built for | Developers | Enterprise, Small businesses |
| Platforms | web | web |
| Country | US · 2016 | US · 2012 |
| Rating | — | — |
Choose dbt if
Data teams with a warehouse who want tested, documented, version-controlled transformations.
- Industry standard with huge community
- Brings software engineering practices to analytics
- Free open-source core
Look elsewhere if: Organizations without a warehouse or with only spreadsheet-scale data.
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).
dbt vs Fivetran pricing
dbt
- Developer$01 seat, 3,000 models built/mo, 1 project
- Starter$100/user/mo5 seats, 15,000 models built/mo, 1 project
- EnterpriseCustomBilled annually; 100,000 models built/mo, 30 projects
- Enterprise+CustomUnlimited projects
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
dbt · Key features
- SQL models with ref() dependencies and DAG
- Tests, documentation and lineage graphs
- Incremental models, snapshots and seeds
- dbt Cloud IDE, scheduler and CI/CD
- Semantic Layer for consistent metrics
- dbt Mesh for cross-team projects
Cons
- Cloud pricing per developer seat adds up
- Jinja templating can get complex
- Long-running DAGs need orchestration tuning
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
dbt vs Fivetran: FAQ
Do dbt and Fivetran have a free plan?
Yes, both dbt and Fivetran have a free plan; paid plans add more usage and features.
Which is better for small businesses, dbt or Fivetran?
Fivetran lists small businesses as a core audience, while dbt is aimed more at developers.