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The amount of big data that enterprises churn out is simply staggering. All this information is worthless unless organizations unlock its true value for analytics. This is where ETL proves useful. 

Traditional ETL (extract, transform, and load) remains the most popular method for moving data from point A to point Z. It takes disparate data sets from multiple sources, transforming that data to the correct format and loading it into a final destination like a data warehouse. 

Now there's a new way to do things: Say hello to Reverse ETL. It reverses the traditional extract-transform-load process by moving data from a warehouse (or lake), transforming that data to the correct format, and then loading it to a third-party system such as a SaaS application or platform for operational analytics. It's like looking at ETL in a mirror.

Like 'regular' ETL, reverse ETL needs a reliable vendor with a stable product to make everything happen. So which of these should you choose? Here are six of the best reverse ETL tools based on features, integrations, ease of use, and pricing principles. 

#1. Integrate.io

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Integrate.io UI

Integrate.io's super-simplified point-and-click user interface makes data pipeline-building easy, whether you want to execute traditional ETL or reverse this process to make data more operational. This low-code/no-code reverse ETL tool comes with pre-built connectors that move data between warehouses and SaaS applications, making operational analytics a far more appealing concept. Want to move data from a warehouse to Netsuite? You got it. How about Salesforce to Salesforce? No problem. 

Parameter

Details

Cost

Credit based pricing - 14 day free trial

UI

Extremely easy to use UI that creates and manages pipelines easily without any coding required

Features
  • Transformations: 220+ No-Code & Low-Code data transformations at table and field level
  • Wide range of connectors: supports files, on-prem, SaaS, databases, data warehouses, and CRM sources
  • REST API connector for third-party data import
  • Easy-to-Build Workflows: Create dependencies between multiple data pipelines
  • Automated schema mapping
  • Data preparation at source and in-flight
  • Integrates with version control systems (e.g., Git)

Integration Capabilities

Connects to a wide range of source and destination connectors (databases, files, data warehouses, and on-prem)

Scalability

Multi-cloud, multi-region, auto-scaling clusters (infinitely scalable). Create one or more clusters and run required jobs concurrently on each cluster

Performance
  • Latency: 60-second CDC replication
  • Error handling: Yes
  • Parallel processing: Yes
  • Throughput: High

Support

24x7 support through email, chat, phone, Tailored onboarding and extensive documentation

Security and Compliance
  • ISO:27001 certified data centers, SOC 2, HIPAA,, GDPR, CCPA, and GDPR compliant
  • Encryption at rest and in transit
  • Field-level encryption
  • Hashing, and functions to mask/remove data
  • Supports Direct Connect, SSH Tunnel, and Reverse SSH tunnel
  • Customers can whitelist IPs for Direct and SSH Tunnel connections

Customization and Flexibility
  • REST API connector for third-party data sources with more provided upon request
  • Easy integration to third-party tools such as dbt or others via API
  • Define data ingestion and loading frequencies
  • Environments in the required region (for enterprise customers)

User Community and Resources

Documentation, Tutorials and 24X7 support from a sales engineer for any queries

Real-Time Capabilities

Near real-time CDC

Monitoring and Alerts

Monitor jobs on clusters via dashboard, specific cluster pages, API polling, or webhooks and alerts through emails

Vendor Reputation

G2 Rating: 4.3

Advantages
  • Allows complex transformations in in-flight without coding
  • Usage-based pricing (cluster uptime) for reverse ETL
  • Supports all file formats (csv, xml, json, etc.) from cloud or on-prem
  • Extremely easy UI saves time for building and managing pipelines
  • Not only a reverse ETL tool, but also supports ETL, ELT, CDC, and API generation

Disadvantages
  • Difficulty in understanding the ETL job error logs
  • Not suitable for those with coding experience who need customization options and a sophisticated interface

Read more: 7 Steps to Operationalize Your Data Warehouse 

#2. Hightouch

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Hightouch UI

With Hightouch, one of the popular reverse ETL tools, you can move data from your warehouse to a CRM, marketing tool, or other third-party SaaS application easily. It works like this: The platform integrates with a data build tool (dbt), pulls data from your git repo, and syncs after completing a dbt job. There are lots of integrations that make this process easier, though far fewer than Integrate.io. 

Once everything is up and running, you can automate data pipeline-building, which removes the need for code. However, Hightouch requires some knowledge of SQL at the beginning of a new reverse ETL project, making it more difficult to use than Integrate.io. Also, the platform has only been around for a couple of years — reverse ETL is a relatively new concept, of course — and has yet to prove its potential. 

Parameter

Details

Features
  • Provides role-Based Access Control (RBAC) for controlling the access of users.
  • Has a change management system to avoid accidentally pushing updates to production.
  • Offers a process to build models in syncs in test environments before deploying to production.
  • Provides audit logs that contain the historical record of user actions for workspace admins to easily review changes and troubleshoot problems.
  • Offers a sequential way to carry out related syncs in an order.
  • Allows to automatically write sync metadata back to your data warehouse with information of records for analysis.

Integration Capabilities
  • Sources supported are data warehouses, databases, CSV files, SFTP, or BI tools.
  • Allows integration with popular tools like dbt Cloud, Fivetran, Airflow.

Scalability
  • Hightouch supports multiple data sources and over 200 destinations, indicating a scalable solution for different data needs.
  • Difference-based CDC can handle large volumes of data efficiently, especially with the option to compute CDC in your warehouse for faster syncs at higher volumes.

Performance
  • Hightouch uses a diffing method to reduce unnecessary updates, optimizing performance.
  • Configurable syncs with scheduling and triggering options allow for performance optimization.
  • Latency is in a few minutes.

Support

Publicly accessible customer support metrics having 99% CSAT Score.

Security and Compliances

Data is stored on Hightouch-managed infrastructure by default, but with options for user-managed storage, providing flexibility.

Customization and Flexibility
  • Users can define models through SQL queries, visual table selectors, or existing dbt models or Looker Looks.
  • Users can customize syncs for different object types and configure them to fit their specific needs.
  • Allows custom HTTP Request destinations, enhancing integration flexibility.

User Community and Resources

A private Slack community open to customers.

Real-Time Capabilities

Syncs can be scheduled to run on a recurring basis or triggered automatically, supporting near real-time data updates.

Monitoring and Alerts
  • Sync statuses like Querying indicate real-time monitoring capabilities.
  • Built-in alerting with messaging tools like Slack, SMS, email, or PagerDuty to help you monitor changes in real-time.

Vendor Reputation

G2 rating - 4.6

Advantages

Offers various methods for defining models and configuring syncs.

Disadvantages
  • Requires experience working with SQL when you begin a new reverse ETL project.
  • Changes in model or sync configuration can have significant impacts and may require careful handling to avoid data inconsistencies.
  • Hightouch does not maintain historical records of previous diff files.
  • Free tier is only limited to one destination.

Read more: ETL & Data Warehousing Explained: ETL Tool Basics

#3. Census

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Census UI

Like Hightouch, Census is one of the reverse ETL tools from a new startup that focuses exclusively on reverse ETL. It handles reverse ETL in much the same way, but there are fewer integrations than Hightouch, which might be a deal-breaker for some potential users.

Census also has a different pricing model than Hightouch, charging users for the number of data synchronization workflows. (Hightouch charges for the number of data records synced every month.) Deciding between these platforms could depend on which pricing method works out better for you. The following table will help you for census vs hightouch comparison.

Criteria

Details

Cost

Charges users for the number of data synchronization workflows

Features

Allows auto-create and sync advertising audiences with just one click; You can run test syncs without changing data in destination, to preview how data in destination will change; Allows integration with dbt, looker, and sigma; Provides templates for data transformation; Retry Handling allows sophisticated retry mechanisms to ensure high success rates for syncs

Integration capabilities

Only new or changed records are synced through CDC, optimizing performance

Scalability

Utilizes a customizable sync engine that scales by caching sync states within your data warehouse

Performance

Multiple sync behaviors (upsert, update only, etc.) tailored to specific needs

Support

Support team includes data heads and you get data expertise on-demand in a shared Slack channel

Security and Compliances

Provides options for both read-only and write access, for data security and governance; Data Enrichment feature handles third-party data securely, integrating it within your warehouse

Customization and Flexibility

Custom configurations for specific destinations enhance flexibility; Creation of reusable datasets and segments for different business needs; Provides extensive customization for field mappings and data transformation using templates

User Community and Resources

Slack community of 3000+ data practitioners

Real-Time Capabilities

Live Syncs enables real-time data activation with sub-second latency for supported sources and destinations; Supports various automatic triggering methods (dbt Cloud, Fivetran, API) for near real-time data updates

Monitoring and Alerts

Detailed logs and API call tracking for monitoring sync health; Sync Alerts and Datadog Integration provides real-time alerts and integration with internal monitoring systems

Vendor Reputation

G2 rating- 4.5

Advantages

Integration of third-party data with first-party data in the warehouse through data enrichment is easy; Supports modern data warehouses and over 200 destination services, including custom objects; It’s also a data activation tool

Disadvantages

You can sync files only up to 100GB in S3. Also you need more permissions for files greater than 5GB; Enrichments is currently supported only on Snowflake, Redshift, BigQuery, and Postgres; Free tier is limited to only 10 destination fields and hourly syncs

#4. Grouparoo 

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Grouparoo UI

Grouparoo reverse etl is the only open-source platform on this list, which brings both pros and cons. It won't cost you anything to use, of course, but, like all open-source tools, there's no guarantee that its vendors will continue to update the tool being one of the best reverse ETL tools, resulting in potential security vulnerabilities in the future. Airbyte acquired Gruoparoo in 2022.

Criteria

Details

Cost

Based on the records synced between source and destination.

UI

No-code and low-code options available

Features
  • Offers GIT-based workflow
  • Allows local testing and deployment
  • Provides an option to model data without SQL

Integration capabilities
  • Supports various sources and destinations like Salesforce, Zendesk, Marketo, Mailchimp, HubSpot, Iterable, BigQuery, Snowflake, and Redshift.
  • Performance optimizations include rate-limiting and retry mechanisms.
  • Supports API integrations and various file formats

Scalability

Built for scaling across many servers

Performance

Operates for minimal latency, supports parallel processing, and high throughput

Support

Ticket-based and business hours support for paid plans

Security and compliances

GDPR and CCPA compliant.

Customization and flexibility

Users can develop their own plugins for the use cases.

User community and resources
  • Active community on GitHub and forums.
  • Community in Slack, Github discussions form

Real-Time capabilities

Supports real-time and near-real-time data syncing

Monitoring and alerts
  • Charts for data observability and other tools for monitoring
  • Testable configurations for verifying data integrity

Vendor reputation

G2 rating- NA

Advantages
  • Availability of both open-source and commercial plugins allows flexibility based on the user's needs and budget.
  • It uses prevailing data definitions from the data warehouse

Disadvantages
  • Initial setup and integration requires installing the plugins through the command line or web interface which makes the process lengthier compared to other tools.
  • Supports only five data warehouses as source (Snowflake, Postgres, MySQL, Redshift, and BigQuery) to a number of destinations such as Marketo, Facebook, and MailChimp.
  • Complexity in setup for non-technical users.
  • Performance may vary based on self-hosted infrastructure

Read more: ETL vs ELT: 5 Critical Differences

#5. Polytomic

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Polytomic UI

Polytomic is one of the no-code reverse ETL tools, making it an awesome choice for those who want to explore operational analytics but lack data engineering experience. There's also a great one-click feature that lets users invite other people into the reverse ETL product to manage reverse ETL tasks, making this tool a good choice for team projects. 

Criteria

Details

Cost

Based on the records synced between source and destination.

UI

No-code and low-code options available

Features
  • Offers GIT-based workflow
  • Allows local testing and deployment
  • Provides an option to model data without SQL

Integration capabilities
  • Supports various sources and destinations like Salesforce, Zendesk, Marketo, Mailchimp, HubSpot, Iterable, BigQuery, Snowflake, and Redshift.
  • Performance optimizations include rate-limiting and retry mechanisms.
  • Supports API integrations and various file formats

Scalability

Fully customizable data sync time including real-time.

Performance

Performance may vary based on self-hosted infrastructure

Support

Ticket-based and business hours support for paid plans

Security and compliances

GDPR and CCPA compliant.

Customization and flexibility

Users can develop their own plugins for the use cases.

User community and resources
  • Active community on GitHub and forums.
  • Community in Slack, Github discussions form

Real-Time capabilities

Supports real-time and near-real-time data syncing

Monitoring and alerts
  • Charts for data observability and other tools for monitoring
  • Testable configurations for verifying data integrity

Vendor reputation

G2 rating- 4.7

Advantages
  • Availability of both open-source and commercial plugins allows flexibility based on the user's needs and budget.
  • It uses prevailing data definitions from the data warehouse

Disadvantages
  • Initial setup and integration requires installing the plugins through the command line or web interface which makes the process lengthier compared to other tools.
  • Supports only five data warehouses as source (Snowflake, Postgres, MySQL, Redshift, and BigQuery) to a number of destinations such as Marketo, Facebook, and MailChimp.
  • Complexity in setup for non-technical users.
  • Performance may vary based on self-hosted infrastructure

#6. Seekwell

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Seekwell UI

Seekwell comes with an incredible range of automation and scheduling features for reverse ETL. However, like Grouparoo, there are only a handful of data warehouses to choose from for operational workflows (MySQL, Postgres, Redshift, Snowflake, and MS SQL Server.) 

Unlike Polytomic, this reverse ETL tool publishes prices on its website and, with packages starting from $50 a month, this tool is pretty affordable for newbies who want to explore reverse ETL.

Criteria

Details

Cost

Custom pricing based on the number of users and data usage

Features
  • Allows to schedule your queries to run hourly, daily, weekly or every 5 minutes.
  • SQL-based data querying
  • Integration with various data sources and visualization tools.

Integration capabilities
  • Supports databases, cloud services, and visualization tools like Google Sheets and Slack.
  • API support for custom integrations

Scalability

Not highly scalable.

Performance

Efficient querying with low latency and error handling mechanisms in place

Support

Email and chat support

Security and compliances

Compliant with GDPR and CCPA

Customization and flexibility

SQL-based queries allow extensive customization

User community and resources

Documentation is available

Real-time capabilities

Supports near-real-time data updates

Monitoring and alerts

Alerts through Email and Slack

Vendor reputation

G2 rating- 4.7

Advantages

  • Easy to use for SQL-savvy users. 

  • Easy to rapidly move data to Google Sheets

Disadvantages

  • Limited number of sources and destinations supported

  • Limited real-time capabilities compared to other tools

How Integrate.io Helps

Reverse ETL lets you move data from a warehouse or lake to a third-party SaaS application or platform. All the tools on this list execute that process pretty seamlessly. However, standard ETL is still a critical component of data management. Integrate.io is the only reverse ETL tool above that facilitates reverse ELT and regular ETL, providing you with far more choices for data-driven projects through features. With its simple interface, flexible pricing, REST API, Salesforce-to-Salesforce capabilities, and wealth of pre-built connectors, Integrate.io is the smarter choice for enterprises that don't want to limit themselves to just one data engineering method. 

Looking for a low-code/no-code reverse ETL solution? Integrate.io has you covered. Learn more by scheduling a personalized demo now.