The best ETL tools help you extract, transform, and load data from multiple data sources to the data destination of your choice. But not all ETL tool providers are created equal. Some are built for high-performance big data analytics, while others offer more intuitive and cost-effective workflows for the non-technical user.

Data integration can be a daunting task, and data engineers usually prefer open-source ETL solutions because of their transparency (you can always inspect the code), flexibility (tinker with the tool), and price performance (no vendor licenses, no maintenance fees). But there are many “gotchas!” with open-source tools you need to consider before picking the best tool for the job.

In the competitive market of ETL solutions, platforms like Hevo, Airbyte, and Integrate.io are amongst the top contenders. While they all are ETL/ELT/Reverse ETL platforms, each has its unique set of features to offer. The best ETL tool for your business is the one that best fits in your modern data stack and is aligned with your unique requirements. So how do you decide which tool meets your business needs?

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.