Airbyte review (2026): is the free plan enough?
Data integration with a free self-hosted core and a managed cloud
Black Friday: is there a Airbyte sale?
Airbyte report card
Fair · out of 4.0 · graded Nov 13, 2026
Best for moving data into a warehouse, self-hosted or cloud
Airbyte moves data between sources and destinations, with a free self-hosted Core and a paid cloud. Standard syncs at most hourly, 15-minute syncs and SSO need Plus at $189 a month, and Core is on the Elastic License 2.0 with community support only.
Who Airbyte is for
- Fits if you can host Core and want no per-row fees
- Works for small teams that start on a $20 cloud plan
Who Airbyte is not for
- Skip it if you can't run and maintain a self-hosted install
- Tight if you need syncs faster than hourly on Standard
- Pricey if you want 15-minute syncs or SSO, which need Plus at $189
- Watch out: Core is under the Elastic License 2.0, with community support only
Why Airbyte gets a 2.2
Five grades, each with its reason. The GPA is their average: an A is 4 points, an F is none.
- CValue for moneyCore is free but you host it. Cloud Standard is $20 a month with 5 credits included, then Plus is $189.
- BFree plan and trialCore is free to self-host, and the cloud has a 14-day trial with 400 credits and no card.
- CFeaturesConnectors and syncs. Standard is hourly at most; 15-minute syncs and SSO need Plus, and enterprise connectors are an add-on.
- DEase of useNo store rating on record. Running Core means installing and maintaining it yourself.
- BPlatforms and integrationsWeb console with connections to Airflow, Dagster, Prefect and Terraform. No desktop or phone apps.
What these grades rest on. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Airbyte's own pages on 13 November 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews. How we review and grade.
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<a href="https://toolgpa.com/tools/airbyte#review"><img src="https://toolgpa.com/badge/airbyte.svg" alt="Airbyte: 2.2 GPA on ToolGPA" width="196" height="56"></a>Where Airbyte stands among automation tools
Airbyte's GPA of 2.2 is higher than 54 of the 134 other automation tools we grade, and level with 35.
It stands best on free plan and trial (B, above 100 of 134) and worst on ease of use (D, above 0).
Its paid plans start at $20 a month, against a middle price of $22.17 for the category: 30 of the 65 others that charge start lower.
On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.0 out of 4. 27 tools score higher and cost less.
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 135 automation tools we grade, cut by the letter each got. Airbyte’s own letter is outlined.
- CValue for moneyAbove 22 of 134, level with 82
- BFree plan and trialAbove 100 of 134, level with 23
- CFeaturesAbove 2 of 134, level with 83
- DEase of useAbove 0 of 134, level with 26
- BPlatforms and integrationsAbove 39 of 134, level with 95
Price against what you get
Each dot is one of 80 automation tools. Further left costs less, and higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. Point at a dot to see which tool it is.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Keep Airbyte, or make your own?
Keep it
To replace Airbyte you would be making connections to other products, each kept working as those products change. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.
It costs $240 a year. Airbyte is open source, so there is a third way: take its code and run it yourself.
What you could not
- Connections to other products, each kept working as those products change.
What this rests on. Airbyte’s listing: what it does, where it runs, what it plugs into and what it costs. It is a judgement about the kind of software this is. We have not built a replacement for it, and making your own means looking after it too. How we decide, and every tool’s verdict.
What is Airbyte?
Airbyte moves data from applications, databases and files into warehouses and other destinations using 700+ connectors. Airbyte Core is free to self-host, and the paid plans add hosting, upgrades and support in the cloud. Standard and Plus are billed by volume in credits; Pro and Enterprise Flex are priced on compute capacity.
Worth knowing
- Standard syncs at most hourly; 15-minute syncs and SSO need Plus at $189 a month or more.
- Enterprise connectors are an add-on on Standard and Plus, and AWS PrivateLink is an add-on on those plans.
- Core is licensed under the Elastic License 2.0 and you maintain it yourself, with community support only.
- Pro and Enterprise Flex prices are not published and need a quote.
Key features
- 700+ connectors
- Connectors cover sources and destinations, with CDC, schema propagation and column selection, and a Connector Builder for custom ones.
- Self-hosted or managed
- Airbyte Core runs on your own infrastructure for free; the cloud plans include hosting, upgrades and support.
- Credit-based usage pricing
- Standard and Plus bill by volume: 400 credits in the trial is about 100 GB of syncs, and 5 credits is about 1 GB.
- Capacity pricing
- Pro and Enterprise Flex price on Data Workers, dedicated compute units, so cost stays flat when data volume spikes.
- Orchestrator and developer access
- An Airbyte API, Terraform provider, PyAirbyte and integrations with Airflow, Dagster and Prefect are listed on the plan comparison.
Airbyte pricing
As of Nov 13, 2026, Airbyte has a free plan, and paid plans start at $20 per month (Standard, 5 credits included).
- Starts at
- $20 per month (Standard, 5 credits included)
- Free plan
- Airbyte Core is free to self-host under the Elastic License 2.0; you run and maintain it yourself.
- Free trial
- 14-day Cloud trial with 400 credits, no credit card required
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Core | $0 | Self-hosted edition you run and maintain yourself, under the Elastic License 2.0. |
| Standard | $20per month, 5 credits included | Managed cloud with syncs as often as hourly; 5 credits is about 1 GB of syncs. Pay for the data you sync. |
| Plus | $189per month for 40 credits | Adds SSO, 15-minute syncs, a 24-hour support SLA and 2 workspaces; packages run to 2,000 credits at $4,999 a month. |
| Pro | Custom | Flat annual capacity pricing on Data Workers, 5-minute syncs, RBAC, premium support and a dedicated Solutions Architect. |
| Enterprise Flex | Custom | Everything in Pro with hybrid deployment in your own VPC, on-prem or multi-region. |
Read from airbyte.com on Nov 13, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with Airbyte before you buy.
Works with
- Airflow
- Dagster
- Prefect
- Terraform
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Common questions
Does Airbyte have an Android app?
No Android app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 13, 2026. Airbyte is listed for Web.
Does Airbyte have an iPhone app?
No iPhone app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 13, 2026. Airbyte is listed for Web.
Is Airbyte open source?
Yes. Airbyte is open source, according to its own site. It can also be run on a server of your own.
Does Airbyte have an API?
Yes. Airbyte offers a public API, according to its own site.
Sources for this page
The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Nov 13, 2026.