What is Fivetran and is it the right data integration tool for your organisation?

Fivetran is a leading automated data integration platform that helps organisations centralise data from multiple sources into cloud data warehouses with minimal engineering effort.

Known for its prebuilt connectors, automated schema management and continuous data syncing, Fivetran simplifies the extract, load and transform (ELT) process.

Designed for modern data teams, Fivetran is often used to feed business intelligence, machine learning and AI applications by keeping cloud-based analytics environments up to date with reliable, governed data.

This page outlines what Fivetran offers, where it fits best, and how to assess whether it aligns with your organisation’s data and automation strategy.

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Key features of Fivetran

  • Prebuilt connectors for hundreds of SaaS, database and file sources
  • Automated schema detection, transformation and management
  • Real-time or scheduled data syncing to cloud data platforms
  • Centralised pipeline monitoring and alerting
  • Support for popular destinations like Snowflake, BigQuery, Redshift and Databricks
  • Zero-maintenance data pipelines with change data capture (CDC)
  • Role-based access and SOC 2 Type II compliance for enterprise security
  • Integration with dbt for transformation-as-code workflows

Who Fivetran is best suited for

Fivetran is typically a strong fit for:

  • Mid to large-sized businesses looking to automate data integration
  • Analytics and data teams seeking reliable ELT without manual maintenance
  • Organisations consolidating data for AI, ML or BI use cases
  • Teams migrating from legacy ETL tools or custom-built data pipelines
  • Businesses scaling their cloud data stack and needing governed, fast pipelines

Strengths and challenges of Fivetran

Where Fivetran delivers value:

  • Truly automated pipelines reduce engineering overhead
  • Wide coverage of data sources and destinations
  • Real-time syncing supports up-to-date reporting and AI models
  • Scalable architecture built for modern cloud data platforms
  • Low setup time compared to traditional ETL tools

Where it may fall short:

  • Focuses only on ELT — may require other tools for data transformation or orchestration
  • Cost can grow with data volume or sync frequency
  • Less flexible for highly custom or edge-case integrations
  • Some complex transformations may need to be handled outside the platform

Alternatives to Fivetran

Depending on your data maturity, volume and use case, alternatives to consider include:

  • Matillion – for low-code ETL with built-in transformation
  • Stitch – a lightweight ELT tool focused on simplicity and speed
  • Talend – for complex data governance and integration scenarios
  • Azure Data Factory – for Microsoft-first integration and orchestration
  • Informatica – for large enterprises with complex data governance needs

Explore these in our Data, AI and Automation Software Guide.

Planning your Fivetran journey

Considering Fivetran as part of your cloud data stack? SMC can help you assess its fit and guide you from evaluation through to rollout.

Expert insights from SMC

At Solution Minds Consulting, we work with clients to modernise their data architecture and streamline the tools that power AI, automation and decision-making. Platforms like Fivetran can provide immediate value—but only when they’re deployed as part of a clear data strategy.

We help define that strategy, assess integration gaps and ensure the tools you adopt support scale, automation and governance. Whether you’re feeding dashboards, training models or enabling self-service reporting, we’ll help you get the right foundation in place.

Explore how we support Data Management and Digital Strategy and Roadmaps.