Free ETL and Data Integration Tools
Which ETL and data integration tools a startup can sync data from its apps and databases into a warehouse with for free today, how many rows or credits the free plan allows, whether a card is needed and what the first paid plan costs, read from each provider's own page.
Free allowances read on each provider's own pages, all checked on or after . ETL tools change their free plans from time to time: confirm the terms on the provider's page before you rely on it.
ETL tools a startup can use for free today include Fivetran (Free plan with no time limit), dlt (Open source, Apache 2.0, always free), Hevo (Free forever, limited connectors), Airbyte Core (Free to self-host (open source)), and Estuary (Free: 10 GB of data a month, 2 connectors). Each of the 12 free plans below links to the provider's page that states it, with its main limit, its row or credit caps, whether a card is needed and what the first paid plan costs.
Getting data from your app database, Stripe, your CRM and ad platforms into one warehouse is the first step to real metrics. ETL tools sync it on a schedule; several hosted ones have a free plan or trial, and open-source tools run free on your own infrastructure.
The headline rarely tells you how far it goes. Free plans cap monthly active rows, data volume or connectors and sync less often, and trials end in plans priced by usage. Each tool below shows what is free, its main limit, its row or credit caps, whether a card is needed and what the first paid plan costs, quoted from the provider's own page with the date we read it.
Which tools we picked and the order they appear in are our editorial choices; the terms are the providers'. Some of these providers pay us a referral commission when someone signs up through our link: those links are labeled, and they play no part in which tools are listed or where.
ETL services with a free plan or trial
Sync data from apps and databases into your warehouse on a hosted service.
- 1
Fivetran
Small teams with low data volumes and many connectors
Fivetran's Free plan gives Standard plan features, with 500,000 monthly active rows for connections, and says it is free forever. You can enroll without a credit card.
- Rows and credits
- 500,000 MAR a month for connections (source: fivetran.com)
- Payment card
- No credit card required (source: fivetran.com)
- First paid plan
- Standard: usage-based, $5 base charge (source: fivetran.com)
Start free at FivetranTerms read on fivetran.com on Fivetran: the free allowance and how to start Fivetran Startup Program: what startups get - 2
Hevo
Small pipelines into a warehouse, on a standing free plan
Hevo's Free plan is free forever for limited connectors and allows up to 1M events a month, with 1-hour scheduling and up to 5 users. The Starter plan starts at $265 a month.
- Rows and credits
- 1M events a month (source: hevodata.com)
- First paid plan
- Starter: from $265 a month (source: hevodata.com)
- 3
Estuary
Early-stage teams moving data in real time
Estuary is free for up to 10 GB of data a month and 2 connector instances, with no credit card required. The Cloud plan then charges $0.50/GB plus $100/mo per connector instance.
- Rows and credits
- 10 GB of data a month (source: estuary.dev)
- Payment card
- No credit card required (source: estuary.dev)
Start free at EstuaryTerms read on estuary.dev on Estuary: the free allowance and how to start Estuary for Startups: what startups get - 4
Hightouch
Small teams with a few reverse ETL syncs
Hightouch's free tier gives the Reverse ETL platform with up to 2 active syncs. Its paid plans are usage-based, and the pricing page gives no list price.
Start free at HightouchTerms read on hightouch.com on Hightouch: the free allowance and how to start - 5
Airbyte Cloud
A managed cloud trial with starter credits
Airbyte Cloud's 14-day trial includes 400 credits, about 100 GB of syncs, with no credit card. The Standard plan then starts at $20 a month.
- Rows and credits
- 400 credits, about 100 GB of syncs (source: airbyte.com)
- Payment card
- No credit card required (source: airbyte.com)
- First paid plan
- Standard: starts at $20 a month (source: airbyte.com)
Start free at AirbyteTerms read on airbyte.com on Airbyte Cloud: the free allowance and how to start Airbyte Startup Program (YC): what startups get - 6
Stitch
Teams that want to try the plan integrations first
Stitch's 14-day free trial needs no credit card and allows unlimited rows during the trial. After it, the Standard plan starts at $100.
- What's free
- 14-day free trial (source: stitchdata.com)
- Rows and credits
- Unlimited rows during the trial (source: stitchdata.com)
- Payment card
- No credit card required (source: stitchdata.com)
- 7
Portable
Teams trying a managed ELT tool before paying
Portable's 14-day free trial covers the Standard tier with unlimited data volumes and 6 enabled data flows. The Standard tier then costs $1,800 billed monthly.
- What's free
- 14-day free trial (source: portable.io)
- Rows and credits
- Unlimited data volumes (source: portable.io)
- First paid plan
- Standard: $1,800 billed monthly (source: portable.io)
- 8
Integrate.io
Teams that want the full platform for 14 days
Integrate.io's 14-day free trial gives full access with no credit card. The Core plan costs $1,999 a month whether you move 2 million or 200 million rows.
- Payment card
- No credit card required (source: integrate.io)
- First paid plan
- Core: $1,999 a month (source: integrate.io)
Start free at Integrate.ioTerms read on integrate.io on Integrate.io: the free allowance and how to start
Open-source data integration tools
Run pipelines on your own infrastructure, free.
- 1
dlt
Engineers who want to own their pipelines in Python
dlt is an Apache 2.0 licensed Python library, always free to use, for teams that want full infrastructure ownership. The managed dltHub plan is $12,000 a month.
- 2
Airbyte Core
Teams that will host their own data syncs
Airbyte Core is free to self-host. The managed Standard plan starts at $20 a month.
- 3
Meltano
Data engineers who want pipelines as code
Meltano is open source and free to use, with paid support options. Meltano Open is self-hosted, so you manage your own infrastructure, monitoring, and uptime.
- 4
Apache NiFi
Teams that want to run their own data flows
Apache NiFi is open source, released under the terms of the Apache License, Version 2.0 by The Apache Software Foundation.
Start free at Apache NiFiTerms read on nifi.apache.org on Apache NiFi: the free allowance and how to start
Data startup programs
Programs from data companies that give startups credits or discounts on paid plans.
Also useful for databases and data infrastructure
Referral links, picked for fit and ordered by fit (70%) and what a signup earns us (30%), at no cost to you. They never change this page's ranking.
Compare the top options
How this comparison is built
The list covers ETL and data integration tools a founder can use for free today without applying to a program. The order and the "best for" notes are our editorial reading of each tool's terms. Every term comes from the tool's own pricing or help page on the date shown, never from a third-party list; follow each link for the full conditions. A cap on monthly active rows or credits, connectors kept for paid plans, a trial instead of a free plan can matter more than the headline, so the comparison quotes them wherever the provider states them. Some of these tools pay StartupPerks a referral commission, and their links are labeled as referral links; that decides neither whether nor where a tool appears, and no tool pays for a placement on this page.
Read the full methodologyCommon questions
What is the best free ETL tool?
By the terms each provider states, Fivetran's free plan covers 500,000 monthly active rows with no time limit, Hevo is free forever for 1M events a month, Estuary gives 10 GB of data a month with 2 connectors, and Hightouch's free tier allows up to 2 active syncs for reverse ETL.
Is Fivetran free?
Yes, within limits. Fivetran's free plan has no time limit and covers 500,000 monthly active rows, with syncs as often as every 15 minutes.
Is Airbyte free?
Airbyte Core is free to self-host as open source, and Airbyte Cloud offers a 14-day trial with 400 credits; Cloud Standard starts at $20 a month.
Is there a free open-source ETL tool?
Yes. dlt (Apache 2.0), Airbyte Core, Meltano and Apache NiFi are open source and free to run on your own infrastructure.
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