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Best Free and Paid MySQL ETL Tools: NEW (2023 Update)

Ethan
CEO, Portable

Is MySQL Good for Big Data?

MySQL is one of the most popular open-source relational database management systems (RDBMS) designed for fast transactions, making MySQL unsuited as a tool for heavy data analysis.

Performing big data analysis and compute-intensive business intelligence workflows across large datasets is better suited for a cloud-based data warehouse like Snowflake, BigQuery or Redshift.

Is MySQL a Data Warehouse?

MySQL is not a data warehouse, but is rather more frequently used as one of many data sources to extract MySQL data out of, or to load data into.

Using MySQL data pipelines, data analysts can extract data MySQL data out of a database into a data warehouse for analysis.

Data analysts can subsequently load data transformed in data warehouse into a MySQL production schema, to be consumed by APIs or utilized in the user interfaces of apps. This is a popular use case for SaaS apps that feature reporting or analytics for their users.

Is MySQL an ETL tool?

MySQL is not an ETL tool and does not have built-in ETL connectors.

Thus, in order to extract MySQL data as XML or CSV files, or load data into a data warehouse for data analysis, you'll need an ETL tool.

What are the Advantages of MySQL ETL tools?

The advantages of MySQL ETL tools are outsourced complexity and accelerated time-to-value.

You can configure your own Python-based data integrations by following tutorials, but this can be overly complex and not very user-friendly, especially when dealing with multiple data flows and data pipelines.

A good MySQL ETL process is easy-to-automate and user-friendly.

Below are the top ETL tools with pricing so you can choose one that works best for your organization's use cases.

List of MySQL ETL Tools

  • Portable

  • Stitch

  • Fivetran

  • Blendo

  • Airbyte

  • Integrate.io

  • Pentaho

  • Hevo Data

  • Talend Open Studio

  • Amazon AWS Glue

  • Azure Data Factory

  • Google Dataflow

Top 5 MySQL ETL tools

1. Portable

Portable is the best MySQL ETL tool for teams with long-tail data sources. It has built-in connectors for 300+ hard-to-find data sources and adds more regularly.

The Portable team develops new data connectors upon request with turnarounds in as little as a few hours. And they maintain those connectors if APIs change or datasets are no longer supported.

Pricing

  • Portable offers a free plan for manual data workflows with no caps on volume, connectors, or destinations.

  • For automated data flows, Portable charges a flat fee of $200/month.

  • For enterprise requirements and SLAs, contact sales.

Key features

  • 300+ built-in connectors for data sources you won't find with most other ETL tools.

  • Development and maintenance of custom connectors at no cost.

  • Premium support is included on all plans.

Disadvantages

  • Portable focuses on long-tail data connectors and doesn't support major enterprise applications like Oracle or Salesforce.

  • No support for data lakes.

  • Only available to users in the U.S.

Who is Portable best suited for?

Portable is best for teams that can't find MySQL connectors for one or more data sources and want a solution that just works.

2. Stitch

Stitch supports data transformations with Python, Java, SQL, or its no-code GUI. Stitch also supports change data capture and data replication.

Pricing

  • Standard plan starting at $100/month for up to 5 million active rows per month, one destination, and 10 sources (limited to "Standard" sources)

  • Advanced plan at $1,250/month for up to 100 million rows and three destinations

  • Premium plan at $2,500/month for up to 1 billion rows and five destinations

  • 14-day free trial available

Key features

  • Support for over 130 data sources.

  • Built-in integrations with Talend suite of data tools.

  • Compatible with scripted and GUI-based data transformations.

  • Automations for monitoring and notifications.

Disadvantages

  • Complex data transformations are not as well supported as on some other platforms.

  • On-premise deployments not available.

  • Limits on the number of data sources and destinations.

Who is Stitch best suited for?

Stitch is best for teams using widely used data sources and looking for a tool with basic transformation support.

3. Fivetran

Fivetran is a popular ETL tool with 160+ supported data sources.

It can load data to MySQL and Postgresql databases hosted locally and on Amazon RDS, Amazon Aurora, Google Cloud, and Microsoft Azure. 

Pricing

  • Standard select: Est. $60/month (limited to 1 user and 500k monthly active rows)

  • Starter: Est. $120/month (limited to 10 users)

  • Standard: Est. $180/month

  • Enterprise: Est. $240/month

  • Business critical: Contact sales

  • 14-day free trial available

Key features

  • Native warehouse transformations that work well even with complex data.

  • Support for change data capture for data replication jobs.

  • Real-time or near real-time data synchronization.

Disadvantages

  • Higher-priced tool than many competitors.

  • Consumption-based pricing models can be hard to predict month-to-month.

  • Only supports ELT workloads, not ETL.

Who is Fivetran best suited for?

Fivetran is best for large businesses looking for a solution that supports the most popular enterprise platforms.

4. Blendo

Blendo is a data integration tool with several automations to speed up the creation of ETL pipelines. It has scripts and predefined data models.

Pricing

  • Free plan limited to three sources

  • Pro plan starts at $750/month and includes transformations

  • Enterprise plans available with custom pricing

Key features

  • Supports 45+ data sources.

  • No-code platform that's ideal for nontechnical teams.

  • Built-in monitoring and alert features.

Disadvantages

  • Not as many data connectors as other MySQL ETL tools.

  • Limited data transformation functionality.

  • Teams can't create new data connectors on their own.

Who is Blendo best suited for?

Data teams with a small number of sources and no transformation needs looking for an easy-to-use platform.

5. Airbyte

Airbyte is an ETL platform that supports MySQL as both a data source and a destination.

You can deploy Airbyte's open-source version yourself or use its paid cloud plan.

Pricing

  • Open source: Free to use since you host the software yourself

  • Cloud: $2.50/credit (one million rows = 6 credits; 1 GB = 4 credits)

  • Cloud high volume: Custom pricing (for 5,000+ credits)

Key features

  • Support for 170+ data connectors (not all connectors available on cloud plan).

  • Large open-source community.

  • Warehouse-native data transformations.

Disadvantages

  • Consumption-based pricing model, which can be hard to predict from one month to the next.

  • Cloud plan is missing some data integrations.

Who is Airbyte best suited for?

Airbyte is best for teams with the technical ability to develop and maintain any additional connectors using the Airbyte CDK.

Runner-up MySQL ETL tools

Nearly every ETL tool will let you export data out of MySQL databases, but not all will help you import it. Here are a few of our runner-up choices for loading data into MySQL.

Pentaho

Pentaho is a platform owned by Hitachi Vantara that lets you import data into MySQL. It also includes business intelligence features to find insights using the same platform.

Integrate.io

Integrate is a no-code platform that supports 200+ data sources. It has pre-built templates to speed up creating new data flows.

Hevo Data

Hevo is a no-code ETL tool that supports 150+ data sources and ETL, ELT, and Reverse ETL workflows. It supports real-time data loading, replications, and transformations.

Talend Open Studio

Talend Open Studio is a free to download tool compatible with MySQL and other RDBMS like Microsoft SQL Server. It is free under the open source Apache license.

Amazon AWS Glue

AWS Glue is a serverless integration service that allows for ETL workflows between Amazon services like S3 and RedShift.

Azure Data Factory

Azure Data Factory is a managed, serverless data integration service best for transitioning from on-premise SQL Server and SSIS workflows to the cloud. Azure Data Factory has connectors to Google BigQuery and Amazon RedShift.

Google Dataflow

Google Dataflow allows for serverless streaming and batch data processing. Dataflow comes with $300 in free credits.

MySQL ETL: The Bottom Line

MySQL is an open-source RDBMS. It is a great solution for fast and reliable data management.

When used in conjunction with a cloud-based data warehouse, data analysts can unlock powerful big data capabilities including business intelligence and reporting.

You'll get the most use from MySQL with a powerful ETL tool.

Most tools focus on major enterprise applications and won't pull in the critical data from your long-tail data sources. Portable does just that and handles the development and maintenance of new connectors, too.

Looking for the best MySQL ETL tool? Get started with Portable.