Fivetran vs Workato (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Fivetran grades higher than Workato: 2.4 against 2.0 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Fivetran grades higher on the free plan. They get the same grade on value for money, features, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Fivetran
Managed data movement with a free plan and usage-based pricing
Which one is for you
Pick Fivetran if
- Fits if you want connectors that load apps into a warehouse without custom code
- Works for small volumes that stay under 500,000 monthly active rows
Look elsewhere if
- Pricey if your volume grows, because cost follows monthly active rows
- Skip it if you need 1-minute syncs without Enterprise
- Not for you if you need a fixed bill, as there's no list price per plan
- Watch out: VPN tunnels are for annual contracts only
Pick Workato if
- Fits if you're a larger company wiring together many business apps
- Makes sense if you want separate development, test and production environments for automations
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want a price on the page: every edition is quoted through sales
- Tight if you're on the entry edition, with 1 concurrency in Standard
- Watch out: RPA, Private Link and advanced security are sold separately
- Not for you if you want a simple tool for one person, as it's built for company-wide programmes
- Watch out: the free sign-up button comes with no stated length or limits, so check before relying on it
How we grade them
| 2.4GPAFivetranFair | 2.0GPAWorkatoFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CUsage-based on monthly active rows, with no per-plan price. The page's own example is one Marketo connection at about $424.54 a month. | CNo prices are published: every edition is quoted through sales. With nothing on record it sits at C, and the page says plan structures can differ by contract terms. |
| Free plan and trial | BFree plan: 500,000 monthly active rows for connections. A 14-day trial also covers each new connection. | DThe pricing page has a Start for free sign-up button, but it doesn't say how long it lasts, what it covers or whether a card is needed. No free plan is listed. |
| Features | CConnectors, transformations and activations. 1-minute syncs, custom roles and SCIM need Enterprise, and encryption keys need Business Critical. | CIntegration, process automation, MCP servers, data pipelines and an agent studio on the top edition. But concurrency, on-premise agents and log retention are capped per edition: 1 concurrency in Standard, 15 in Enterprise MCP. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. You connect sources and a destination, which means accounts and permissions to sort out. | CNo store rating on record. Recipes, environments and edition limits need set-up and admin time. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb console with connectors for Salesforce, HubSpot, Google Ads, Snowflake and dbt Core. No desktop or phone apps. | BWeb, with an API platform, on-premise agents (3, 10 or 30 by edition) and MCP servers. |
| Best for | copying data from apps into a warehouse | enterprise-wide integration and automation |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Fivetran and Workato. How we grade
Where they differ
- Workato also covers AI agents.
At a glance
| Fivetran | Workato | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Paid |
| Starts at | Not published | Not published |
| Free plan | Free plan with Standard features up to 500,000 monthly active rows for connections, 3,500 for activations and 5,000 model runs. | None |
| Free trial | 14-day free trial on each new connection, transformation or activation | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Made by | Fivetran | Workato |
| Price read from | fivetran.com | Not confirmed |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Fivetran
- Prices are not listed per plan; cost depends on monthly active rows, and the page gives only median examples.
- The page's own example shows a Marketo connection at 847,574 MAR costing a median $424.54 a month, so volume matters.
- 1-minute syncs, custom roles and SCIM need Enterprise; encryption keys and PCI DSS Level 1 need Business Critical.
- VPN tunnels are available on annual contracts only.
Workato
- No prices are published: every edition is quoted through sales, so no starting price is shown here.
- The page says plan structures can differ by contract terms and by when a customer joined.
- Concurrency, on-premise agents and log retention are capped per edition (for example 1 concurrency in Standard, 15 in Enterprise MCP).
- Optional add-ons such as RPA, Private Link and advanced security are sold separately.
Key features
Fivetran
- Managed connectors
- More than 700 fully managed connectors copy data from applications and databases into a destination, with syncs as often as every 15 minutes.
- Transformations
- Transformations are billed per model run, with 5,000 runs free each month, and integrate with dbt Core.
- Activations
- Over 200 activation destinations push warehouse data back to business tools; an Audience Hub is part of the Enterprise plan.
- Usage-based billing
- Connections are billed by monthly active rows (MAR), with each new connection getting a 14-day free trial.
- Security options
- SSH tunnels on Standard, VPN tunnels and SCIM on Enterprise, and customer-managed keys and private networking on Business Critical.
- Regional processing
- Connectors can run in the US, Canada, EU, UK, Australia, India and Singapore, according to the vendor's data-processing notes.
Workato
- Application integration
- The Standard edition covers application integration and process automation, with recipe lifecycle management and separate development, test and production environments.
- MCP servers and gateway
- Business MCP adds pre-built MCP servers, an AI/MCP gateway and an Enterprise Skill builder on top of Standard.
- Data and API tools
- Business MCP also lists data integration (ETL, ELT, reverse ETL) and an API platform; Enterprise MCP adds data pipelines and event streams.
- Agent Studio
- Workato ONE, the top edition, adds Agent Studio, a knowledge base and an employee assistant with enterprise search.
- On-premise connectivity
- Higher editions include on-premise agents (OPAs): 3 in Business MCP, 10 in Enterprise MCP and 30 in Workato ONE.
- Security controls
- SAML SSO, MFA and role-based access control come with Standard; Enterprise MCP adds data masking, activity audit and hourly key rotation.
Plans
Fivetran
Free$0
Standard features free up to 500,000 MAR for connections, 3,500 MAR for activations and 5,000 monthly model runs.
StandardCustom
Usage-based: unlimited users, 15-minute syncs, 700+ connectors, 200+ activation destinations, RBAC and a REST API.
EnterpriseCustom
Usage-based. Adds 1-minute syncs, enterprise database connectors, custom roles, SCIM and a hybrid deployment option.
Business CriticalCustom
Usage-based. Adds customer-managed encryption keys, PCI DSS Level 1 certification and private networking options.
Workato
Pricing could not be confirmed. See workato.com.
Ways to pay less
Fivetran
- Annual discount
Up to 22% off with an annual contract
One annual contract covers connections, transformations and activations, with automatic discounts of up to 22% over monthly usage pricing.
- Nonprofit
Discounts for eligible non-profit companies
The pricing page lists discounts for eligible non-profits, Powered by Fivetran customers and sharded databases, with verification through sales.
Workato
No public discounts listed.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Fivetran or Workato?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Fivetran publishes no starting price, and Workato has no price we could confirm.
Which has a free plan, Fivetran or Workato?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Fivetran has a free plan. Workato does not.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.