At a glance
| Source connectors | Databases, APIs and files; catalogue claims 700+ connectors in total, plus Connector Builder |
| Destination connectors | Warehouses, lakes, databases and vector stores, including Snowflake, BigQuery, Databricks, S3 and ClickHouse |
| Batch or streaming | Scheduled batch syncs: hourly on Standard, every 15 minutes on Plus, every 5 minutes on Pro |
| Change data capture | Yes, log-based for PostgreSQL, MySQL, SQL Server, MongoDB, Oracle, SAP HANA and Db2 |
| Transformations | Loads data for transformation in the destination; dbt Cloud integration on Airbyte Cloud |
| Orchestration | Built-in scheduling; documented Airflow, Dagster, Kestra and Orchestra integrations |
| Deployment | Self-managed Core, Airbyte Cloud, or Enterprise Flex in your own VPC or on premises |
| Licensing | ELv2 for Core and connectors; Cloud and Enterprise need a commercial licence |
Airbyte suits teams that want Fivetran-style connectors but with the option to run the platform themselves, or to build custom connectors with its Connector Builder. Self-hosting is free but means operating a Kubernetes-based platform; the cloud plans remove that work, with published prices on the volume-based tiers and quotes on the capacity tiers.
Overview
Airbyte extracts data from databases, APIs and files and loads it into warehouses, lakes, databases and vector stores. Its connector catalogue headline claims 700+ connectors, while the catalogue filter showed 653 entries when checked, so count the connectors you need rather than relying on the total. New sources can be built with the no-code Connector Builder or SDKs, and connectors follow the MIT-licensed Airbyte Protocol.
Airbyte Core is the free self-managed edition. Airbyte's quickstart deploys it with the abctl command-line tool, which uses Docker to create a local Kubernetes cluster; Airbyte recommends at least 4 CPUs and 8 GB of memory. Airbyte Cloud (Standard, Plus and Pro) is fully managed, and Enterprise Flex deploys in your own VPC, on premises or across regions, with what Airbyte calls hybrid deployment so that data stays inside your own boundary.
Key features
- Large catalogue of source and destination connectors, plus a no-code Connector Builder
- Log-based change data capture for PostgreSQL, MySQL, SQL Server, MongoDB, Oracle, SAP HANA and IBM Db2
- Incremental syncs with built-in handling of schema changes
- Free self-managed Core edition deployed with abctl on Docker and Kubernetes, or with a Helm chart
- Enterprise Flex hybrid deployment that keeps data inside your own boundary
- Orchestration integrations documented for Apache Airflow, Dagster, Kestra and Orchestra, plus a public API
Pros and cons
Pros
- Free to self-host, with no per-row licence fee on Core
- Wide connector catalogue and a no-code builder for missing sources
- Published prices on the Standard and Plus cloud plans
- Capacity pricing on Pro and Enterprise Flex that does not follow volume spikes
- Hybrid option that keeps data inside your own network
Cons
- ELv2 is source-available, not OSI open source, and forbids offering Airbyte to others as a managed service
- On Core you run, scale and upgrade a Kubernetes-based platform yourself
- Capacity plans are quote-only, with no published Data Worker price
- Changes made with TRUNCATE or ALTER are not captured by CDC, and most CDC sources need primary keys
Pricing
Airbyte Core is free to self-host. Airbyte Cloud Standard starts at USD 20 a month with 5 credits (which Airbyte describes as about 1 GB of syncs), billed by volume. Plus is sold as monthly credit packages from USD 189 for 40 credits to USD 4,999 for 2,000 credits. Pro and Enterprise Flex are priced by capacity in Data Workers (compute units that each run about three syncs at once) and are quote-only; Airbyte does not publish a price per Data Worker. Standard and Plus have a 14-day trial with no credit card.
Pricing checked on the vendor's official page on 7 November 2026. Prices change; confirm before buying.
Who it is best for
Engineering teams that want a connector platform they can self-host or extend with custom connectors, or a managed cloud service with published entry prices.
Who should look elsewhere
- Teams that need an OSI-approved open source licence: see Airbyte vs Meltano.
- Teams that want low-code transformation in the same tool, where an ELT suite may fit better: see Airbyte vs Matillion.
Verdict
Airbyte is the main choice when you want broad connector coverage without being tied to a managed service: Core is free to run yourself, and the cloud and Enterprise Flex plans cover teams that would rather not. Weigh the ELv2 licence terms and the effort of operating Kubernetes against the savings, and price the capacity plans with real workloads.
Frequently asked questions
Is Airbyte open source?
Airbyte describes its public repositories as open sourced under the Elastic License 2.0, with the Airbyte Protocol under MIT. ELv2 is a source-available licence, not an OSI-approved open source licence: you can run and modify Airbyte, but not offer it to others as a managed service.
How much does Airbyte Cloud cost?
Standard starts at USD 20 a month with 5 credits, and Plus credit packages run from USD 189 to USD 4,999 a month. Pro and Enterprise Flex are priced by capacity in Data Workers and require a quote. Airbyte Core, the self-managed edition, is free.
Does Airbyte support change data capture?
Yes. Airbyte documents log-based CDC for PostgreSQL, MySQL, SQL Server, MongoDB, Oracle, SAP HANA and IBM Db2. The first sync is a snapshot, and later syncs read the transaction log from the last position.
Sources
- Airbyte pricing
- Airbyte connector catalogue
- Airbyte licences
- Airbyte Core quickstart (abctl)
- Airbyte change data capture
- Using the Airflow Airbyte provider
Checked November 2026.
How we research reviews and what star ratings mean: our editorial method.