Stitchdata: Overview, Use Cases, Alternatives (August 2024)

Introduction to Stitchdata

Overview of Stitchdata

Stitchdata has been around for years as a data integration tool designed to streamline the process of extracting, transforming, and loading (ETL) data into various destinations such as data warehouses and data lakes. As part of the broader ETL tool landscape, Stitchdata offers a mature platform that enables businesses to cost effectively integrate their data across multiple sources, preparing the data for analysis and reporting.

That being said, over the years, Stitchdata has been acquired by Talend, and Talend was then acquired by Qlik. As such, the product has been treated as more of a feature of a larger platform than a standalone ELT tool for analytics teams. Support has dwindled, and new feature development has slowed.

While, Stitchdata simplifies the data integration process by offering a user-friendly interface that supports a wide range of connectors there are newer tools like Portable that have quickly surpassed Stitchdata’s breadth of connectors and support.

Whether dealing with SaaS applications, databases, or other data sources, Stitchdata is one way to build and manage data pipelines that feed into your chosen data warehouse. The tool's no-code environment allows data teams to focus on data analysis rather than the complexities of coding, making it accessible even to those without deep technical expertise.

Key Features of Stitchdata

One of the features of Stitchdata is its ability to handle a variety of data pipelines with minimal setup time. The platform supports a number of common of connectors, which are essential for linking Stitchdata with various data sources. These connectors are the backbone of any ETL service, enabling the extraction of data from multiple origins and ensuring that it flows smoothly into the target destination.

Stitchdata is designed with a SaaS-first approach, which means that it can be easily deployed and managed in the cloud. This eliminates the need for on-premises infrastructure and reduces the burden on IT teams. Additionally, the no-code interface ensures that users can create and manage data pipelines without needing to write complex scripts, making the tool accessible to a broader range of users, including business analysts and data engineers.

That being said, Stitchdata also open-sourced the code behind many of their integrations. Creating the Singer.io project.

Core Components of Data Integration

Data Warehousing with Stitchdata

Data warehousing is a critical component of any data strategy, and Stitchdata helps in this area by providing seamless integration with leading cloud data warehouses. Whether you're using Snowflake, Amazon Redshift, or Google BigQuery, Stitchdata ensures that your data is replicated and transformed in a way that maximizes the utility of these platforms.

Stitchdata's ability to work with both structured and unstructured data makes it a helpful tool for organizations looking to leverage the power of modern data warehouses. By connecting to your data warehouse, Stitchdata enables near real-time data processing and analysis, allowing you to make data-driven decisions faster.

Data Sources and Ingestion

Whether you're pulling data from a traditional database like PostgreSQL, a cloud storage service like Amazon S3, or a web analytics tool like HubSpot, Stitchdata has solutions (however, in many situations, they are not as actively updated as newer offerings). The platform's open-source capabilities also allow for custom integrations, allowing users to do the development work if they need a custom connector.

Data ingestion is where Stitchdata focuses. The platform handles the ingestion of large volumes of data with ease, ensuring that your data is always up-to-date and ready for analysis. Whether you're working with structured data in JSON format or unstructured data from various sources, Stitchdata's ingestion engine is designed to handle it all efficiently.

Stitchdata also supports the Singer open-source standard for writing scripts that can extract data from any source and load it into any destination. This flexibility makes it a valuable tool for organizations with diverse data needs.

Data Replication and Schema Management

Data replication is at the heart of Stitchdata's functionality. The platform ensures that data is consistently and accurately replicated from the source to the destination, minimizing the risk of data loss or corruption. This is particularly important for businesses that rely on real-time data to drive their operations.

Schema management is another critical feature of Stitchdata. The platform automatically detects changes in the schema of your source data and adapts accordingly, ensuring that your data warehouse remains consistent and up-to-date. Whether you're working with SQL databases or other structured data formats, Stitchdata's schema management capabilities ensure that your data is always in the right shape for analysis.

Stitchdata's Use Cases and Alternatives

Common Use Cases

Stitchdata is widely used by data engineers and data teams to streamline the process of data integration and analysis. One of the most common use cases is in real-time data processing, where Stitchdata's ability to replicate and transform data on-the-fly is invaluable. This makes it an ideal tool for businesses that need to make quick, data-driven decisions based on the latest information.

Data teams also rely on Stitchdata to simplify the process of connecting multiple data sources. Whether you're working with data from Salesforce, Google Analytics, or other platforms, Stitchdata provides the connectors and tools needed to bring all your data into one place for comprehensive analysis.

9 Alternatives to Stitchdata

While Stitchdata is a powerful tool, it is not the only option available for data integration.

Top 9 Stitchdata Alternatives:

1. Portable
2. Airbyte
3. Matillion
4. Hevo
5. Rivery
6. Meltano
7. CData
8. Segment
9. Precog

1. Portable

Portable is built on serving the kind of long-tail connectors Stitchdata doesn't support. It supports 1500+ connectors and creates custom integrations on request, all maintained to ensure ongoing data quality even for changing APIs.

For teams without the resources to create and maintain hard-to-find connectors, Portable creates an easy way to use the data you already have.

Portable pricing

• Manual: Free for unlimited data sources, destinations, and volumes with manual sync
• Scheduled data flow: $290/month for one scheduled data flow. $1490/month for up to 10 scheduled data flows
• Custom: For specific needs

What's included with Portable?

• 1500+ data source connectors
• Support for major cloud data warehouse providers
• Unlimited data sources, destinations, and volumes
• Free development and maintenance of new data integrations
• Hands-on support

Prebuilt connectors

Portable offers 1500+ prebuilt connectors for common applications that major competitors don't support.

Custom connectors

Looking for an open-source Stitchdata solution? It's more than likely you need a custom data integration to work with your specific platform.

Portable will build and maintain the data connector you need at no additional cost. Development is fast and new connectors are usually available in days or even hours.

From there, your data team can manage it with our no-code / low-code interface.

Maintenance and support

Portable offers hands-on customer support to resolve any issues quickly.

Pros

• Transparent, simple pricing with unlimited data
• Try all connectors for as long as you want with no charge
• 1500+ long-tail connectors that other ETL solutions don't support
• Custom connector creation and support at no additional cost

Cons

• Doesn't yet support the largest enterprise data sources (e.g., Salesforce, NetSuite)
• Doesn't focus on databases as sources
• Not available internationally

Who is Portable best suited for?

Companies that need bespoke API-connected data integrations for long-tail applications, but who don't have the capacity for building and maintaining their own connectors.

2. Airbyte

Airbyte is a relative newcomer to the data ingestion and ELT world, but it's been growing fast. Unlike Stitchdata, Airbyte is open source which offers some unique advantages (and a few disadvantages).

Airbyte pricing

• Open source: Completely free, as you manage the infrastructure yourself
• Cloud: $2.50/credit (one million rows = 6 credits; 1 GB = 4 credits)
• Cloud high volume: Custom pricing for those that need more than 5,000 credits

What's included with Airbyte?

• Open-source solution with direct access to code
• Change data capture support for databases
• Support for data warehouses and data lakes as destinations
• Credit-based pricing model or free option with self-hosting
• Warehouse-native data transformation

Prebuilt connectors

Airbyte currently has 170+ data connectors available for its open-source platform. Not all of these are available on the newer cloud offering, but all 170+ will probably be available in the near future.

Custom connectors

You can request custom connectors on the Airbyte website, but they'll prioritize those with the largest appeal. Because Airbyte is open source, you can code them yourself, but you'll need to learn the Airbyte protocols, set up the integration, and maintain it yourself.

Maintenance and support

Despite being new software, Airbyte has a robust community 12,000+ users strong. Paid plans also include in-app chat support with a one-hour response time.

Pros

• Open-source platform you can deploy on your own
• Engineer-focused platform with a CDK to speed up development
• Support for 20 destinations, more than many competitors including Fivetran

Cons

• You'll need to develop and maintain long-tail connectors yourself
• Credit-based pricing model can be hard to predict
• Cloud service missing several popular connectors and destinations (e.g., WordPress, Google Analytics 4, Apache Kafka)

Who is Airbyte best suited for?

Engineering teams who are willing and able to develop and maintain custom connectors using Airbyte's CDK.

3. Matillion

Matillion is an established data pipeline player that focuses on enterprises.

Whereas most ETL platforms are either SaaS (hosted in the cloud) or open-source (available to deploy on your own), Matillion offers an on-premises solution that is hosted locally but with closed-source software.

Matillion pricing

• Free: Up to one million rows/month
• Basic: $2.00/credit
• Advanced: $2.50/credit
• Enterprise: $2.70/credit

What's included with Matillion?

• 110+ data source connectors
• on-premises deployments available
• Cloud data transformation presented with graphic user interface (GUI)
• Consumption-based pricing model
• Integrates with Matillion Data Loader and Matillion ETL

Prebuilt connectors

Matillion has 110+ connectors. Its ETL solution may contain data connectors that aren't part of the Data Loader product.

Custom connectors

Matillion doesn't support long-tail data sources. Customers can use the GUI to create basic API integrations, though the customer is responsible for maintenance.

Maintenance and support

Matillion offers a support portal for clients. One advantage Matillion's built-in data transformation is that support is integrated into one platform instead of spread across a larger tech stack.

Pros

• Strong data transformation capabilities built-in
• On-premises option available
• Since Matillion offers loading and transformation, it can be easier to implement data governance

Cons

• Matillion's GUI-based transformations can have a learning curve
• Fewer data connections than other competitors, including Fivetran
• Fewer partnerships with transformation tools, with the focus on Matillion's tools

Who is Matillion best suited for?

Large enterprises looking for an all-in-one tool that will handle transformations, especially companies looking for an on-premises solution.

4. Hevo

Hevo is a no-code bidirectional data pipeline tool that offers ETL, ELT, and Reverse ETL. It includes built-in transformation features and integrates with all major destinations.

Hevo pricing

• Free: Up to one million events (limited to 50+ data sources)
• Starter: Starting at $239/month
• Business: Custom quote

Hevo also offers Hevo Activate for reverse ETL:

• Free: For up to 4 data warehouses and up to 3 SaaS targets
• Starter: $199/month (4 data warehouses and up to 5 SaaS targets)
• Business: Contact sales
• Flexible subscription plans without lock-in

What's included with Hevo?

• 150+ data connectors (50+ available on free plan)
• Real-time data migration
• Support for data transformations using Python
• 24/7 live support

Prebuilt connectors

Hevo Data offers 150+ data connectors, but only 50+ are available on the free plan.

Custom connectors

Hevo doesn't have custom connector functionality. You'll need to use its REST API or webhooks sources to connect with less-common data sources or use a different data integration tool.

Maintenance and support

Hevo offers 24/7 email support that's generally well-reviewed by customers. On larger price plans, premium support is included.

Pros

• Support for ETL, ELT, and Reverse ETL workloads
• Complete automation with no code needed
• Affordable pricing compared to other platforms, including Fivetran

Cons

• Not as comprehensive support for long-tail connectors
• Requires manual mapping for some migrations between tools
• Less granular control over ingestion and loading frequencies

Who is Hevo best suited for?

Small businesses that use the most popular data sources and want an affordable, low-code ETL or ELT tool.

5. Rivery

Rivery is a cloud-based SaaS ELT tool that uses so-called "rivers" as ELT scripts. It offers no-code and code solutions using a GUI and native Python.

Rivery pricing

• Starter: $0.75 per credit
• Professional: $1.20 per credit
• Enterprise: Custom pricing
• One credit = one API pipeline execution, 100 MB of data replication, or one logic and transformation execution
• 14-day free trial available

What's included with Rivery?

• 200+ built-in data source connectors
• 15+ data destinations
• 24/7 customer support
• Fully managed ELT
• Logic, transformations, and Reverse ETL capabilities
• Data starter kits to set up integrations quickly

Prebuilt connectors

Rivery offers 200+ prebuilt connectors out of the box. All connectors are available on all plans.

Custom connectors

Rivery's Custom API feature lets you import from any data source. Rivery can also build custom data connectors upon request.

Maintenance and support

Rivery offers 24/7 global support and dedicated customer success services depending on the plan you choose. Rivery has been recognized for its support, with a 9.8/10 rating on G2 (the industry average is 8.5).

Pros

• Detailed API support for developers
• Fast development that can get a data pipeline up and running in hours
• Recognized for outstanding customer support by G2

Cons

• Error alerts and messaging can be confusing, making it hard to spot the issue
• Pricing is complex and can be hard to calculate and predict
• Drag-and-drop user interface can be difficult to use for complex scripts

Who is Rivery best suited for?

Rivery is best for teams with limited technical expertise that want to get up and running quickly.

6. Meltano

Meltano is an open-source data operations platform for engineers. It spun out of GitLab in 2021, making Meltano one of the newest orchestration tools in space.

Meltano pricing

Currently, Meltano only offers a free open-source platform. However, a SaaS solution called Managed Meltano is currently planned and will be open to the public in 2023.

What's included with Meltano?

• 300+ connectors
• Integration with Singer data format for source integrations
• Open-source data management platform
• Version control through Git built-in
• Detailed public-facing product roadmap

Prebuilt connectors

Meltano includes 300+ connectors out of the box, including AWS S3.

Custom connectors

Meltano has a comprehensive SDK that integrates with Singer for custom integrations. You can code your own Singer tap to connect to any long-tail source, though your team will be on the hook for development and maintenance.

Maintenance and support

Meltano has a small but fast-growing community. When the cloud-based SaaS product launches, Meltano may also offer paid customer support.

Pros

• Open-source platform that's free if you host it yourself
• Built-in best practices like Git version control, end-to-end CI testing, and separate staging and dev environments
• Extensive existing connector library through Singer

Cons

• Meltano doesn't offer no-code or low-code solutions
• Currently, Meltano doesn't offer a fully managed option; you'll need to host the software yourself
• Far less popular than the other open-source Fivetran competitor, Airbyte, with a smaller community and less support

Who is Meltano best suited for?

Data engineering teams with technical expertise who are looking for a code-first solution.

7. CData

CData is a universal connectivity provider for data-driven businesses. It features a suite of applications including ELT/ETL tools, data visualization, data dashboards, cloud connectivity, and more.

CData pricing

• Starter: $149/month (one data source)
• Standard: $499/month (five data sources)
• Professional: $999/month (up to 10 data sources)
• Enterprise: Not disclosed, contact sales (up to 10+ data sources)
• Additional solutions available at different prices

What's included with CData?

• 250+ connectors
• Suite of tools including Sync, Arc, and more
• Optimized speed across drivers
• Well-reviewed customer support team
• Support for ETL, ELT, and Reverse ETL
• Cloud-based or on-premises solutions available

Prebuilt connectors

CData includes 250+ prebuilt real-time data sources. CData refers to these connectors as "drivers."

Custom connectors

CData has a Universal API Driver that you can use to connect to additional data sources.

Maintenance and support

CData generally gets good reviews for its customer support. The company offers email support for all plans. Enterprise plans with more than five users have Premium Support, which offers phone support, priority resolution, and 24-hour response time.

Pros

• Affordable cloud plans with straightforward, easy-to-understand pricing
• Large number of connectors for the most popular data sources, including Oracle
• Suite of tools for the complete data pipeline

Cons

• Since each tool is sold separately, pricing can become expensive if you need several solutions
• Some users say documentation is complex and can be hard to understand
• Not much of an active community for support
• Limited support for custom fields in data apps

Who is CData best suited for?

Companies newer to data pipeline tools looking for an ETL solution focused on SQL servers.

8. Segment

Segment is a data platform focused on customer data, acquired by Twilio in 2020. It includes unique functionality for managing customer data, like merging personas and segmentation based on stages in the customer journey.

Segment pricing

• Free: Up to 1,000 monthly visitors and 2 data sources
• Team: Starts at $120/month for 10,000 monthly visitors
• Business: Custom pricing with negotiable data volume and features

What's included with Segment?

• 300+ connectors
• Data governance and debugging
• Support for embedding pixels and creating user profiles and segments
• Exports user data to marketing providers and CRMs

Prebuilt connectors

Segment includes 300+ connectors built-in. They're available on all plans, including the free plan.

Custom connectors

Segment has a Functions tool that allows users to develop their own custom connections.

Maintenance and support

Segment offers four separate levels of support: Standard (included on every plan), Advanced, Premium, and Premium Plus. Teams need to have a plan of at least $60,000 to purchase a support plan.

Pros

• Easy-to-use and intuitive UI
• Affordable pricing and a free plan that works with small businesses
• Designed to work with customer data warehouses and offers unique features that set it apart from competitors, including Fivetran

Cons

• Monthly tracked user pricing can become expensive for use cases with lots of visitors
• Not all data integrations leverage APIs, meaning not all data is imported
• Focused on marketing and sales data, with limited integrations outside of that scope

Who is Segment best suited for?

Sophisticated marketing and data teams that focus exclusively on customer data.

9. Precog

Precog is a no-code universal data connector platform for cloud ETL. It uses an AI engine built on multidimensional relational algebra to obtain and apply schema data automatically, making it fast and easy to create new data workflows.

Precog pricing

Not disclosed. Must request a trial or demo to see pricing (pricing based on data source)

What's included with Precog?

• 10,000+ data sources built-in
• Support for 100+ destinations
• SaaS and on-premises solutions available
• No-code solution that doesn't require technical expertise

Prebuilt connectors

Precog offers over 10,000 data sources---thousands more than Fivetran.

Custom connectors

Using Precog's AI, you can create new data connectors in minutes or hours without using code. Precog creates new data sources upon request within 48 hours.

Maintenance and support

Precog offers customer support, with specific details based on your needs.

Pros

• More out-of-the-box data sources than any other platform
• Straightforward, no-surprises pricing
• AI engine that can understand new data sources and schema without code
• SaaS and on-premises options available

Cons

• Fairly new platform with limited community
• No-code basis can be limiting for teams with technical expertise
• Connector-based pricing can be expensive for teams with a large number of sources

Who is Precog best suited for?

Teams looking for a no-code option for importing data from hard-to-find data sources.

Security, Compliance, and Reliability

Compliance and Standards

In today's regulatory environment, compliance with standards such as HIPAA, SOC 2, and GDPR is non-negotiable. As part of Qlik, Stitchdata takes security and compliance seriously, ensuring that all data processed through its platform meets these stringent requirements. This is particularly important for organizations in highly regulated industries, such as healthcare and finance, where data breaches can have severe consequences.

Stitchdata also supports service level agreements (SLAs) that guarantee the reliability and availability of the platform. These SLAs are backed by a robust infrastructure that ensures data is always available when you need it. By adhering to industry standards, Stitchdata provides peace of mind to organizations that rely on it for their data integration needs.

Reliability and Automation

Reliability is a key consideration when choosing a data integration platform, and Stitchdata has unfortunately not been offering the hands-on support most data teams need in 2024. Through multiple acquisitions, the team has lost much of it’s support team, and it’s common for users to be pushed to the open-source community to try and troubleshoot issues.

Automation is one area where Stitchdata excels. The platform offers a range of automation features that allow you to streamline your data workflows and reduce the need for manual intervention. Whether you're scheduling data pipelines or automating the transformation of incoming data, Stitchdata provides the tools you need to keep your data integration processes running smoothly.

Stitchdata also offers robust workflow management capabilities, allowing you to monitor and manage your data pipelines from a single interface. This ensures that any issues are quickly identified and resolved, minimizing the risk of data loss or corruption.

Pricing, Setup, and Support

Understanding Stitchdata's Pricing

Stitchdata offers a transparent pricing model that is based on the volume of data processed and the number of data sources connected. This makes it easy for organizations to predict their costs and scale their usage as needed. The platform also offers a free tier for small projects, making it accessible to startups and small businesses.

For larger organizations, Stitchdata offers enterprise pricing plans that include additional features and support. These plans are designed to meet the needs of organizations with more complex data integration requirements, providing the flexibility and scalability needed to handle large volumes of data.

Setup and Support

Setting up Stitchdata is straightforward, thanks to its intuitive interface and extensive documentation. The platform is designed to be user-friendly, with a setup process that can be completed in just a few steps. Once set up, Stitchdata provides a range of support options to help users get the most out of the platform.

Stitchdata's support team is available to assist with any issues that may arise, ensuring that your data integration processes run smoothly. The platform also offers a range of resources, including tutorials, webinars, and a knowledge base, to help users learn how to use the platform effectively.

Evaluating Alternatives

When evaluating alternatives to Stitchdata, it's important to consider the specific needs of your organization. While Stitchdata is a powerful and versatile tool, other platforms may offer features that are better suited to your particular use case.

Want to move off of Stitchdata today? Give Portable a try today!