Airbyte
by Airbyte Inc.
Open-source data integration platform for ELT pipelines with 400+ connectors Airbyte is an open-source ELT (extract, load, transform) platform that provides over 400 pre-built connectors for moving data between sources and destinations. Founded in 2020 in San Francisco, Airbyte positions itself as an open-source alternative to commercial data integration platforms like Fivetran and Stitch.
Key Facts
| Attribute | Value | As of | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Founded | 2020 | Mar 2026 | Airbyte |
| Connectors | 400+ pre-built connectors | Mar 2026 | Airbyte |
| GitHub Stars | 40,000+ stars | Mar 2026 | GitHub |
| Cloud Pricing | Credits-based, from $0 with free credits | Mar 2026 | Airbyte |
| License | Elastic License 2.0 + MIT for connectors | Mar 2026 | GitHub |
| Funding | $181M total raised | Mar 2026 | Crunchbase |
| Community | 20,000+ Slack members | Mar 2026 | Airbyte |
| Deployment Options | Docker, Kubernetes, or Airbyte Cloud | Mar 2026 | Airbyte |
About Airbyte
Airbyte is an open-source ELT (extract, load, transform) platform that provides over 400 pre-built connectors for moving data between sources and destinations. Founded in 2020 in San Francisco, Airbyte positions itself as an open-source alternative to commercial data integration platforms like Fivetran and Stitch. The platform focuses on the extract-and-load step of ELT, moving data from APIs, databases, SaaS applications, and files into data warehouses and lakes.
As of 2026, Airbyte has accumulated over 40,000 GitHub stars and a community of more than 20,000 Slack members. The platform can be self-hosted using Docker or Kubernetes for full control over data and infrastructure, or used as Airbyte Cloud, the managed service that handles infrastructure, scaling, and maintenance. Airbyte connectors use a protocol called the Airbyte CDK (Connector Development Kit), which allows developers to build custom connectors in Python or Java.
Airbyte Cloud uses a credits-based pricing model with included free credits for new accounts. Self-hosted Airbyte is free and open-source under the Elastic License 2.0 (with MIT-licensed connectors). The platform competes with Fivetran on connector breadth, with self-hosting as its primary differentiator for teams that need data residency control or want to avoid per-row pricing.
Integrations (6)
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Questions About Airbyte
How much does Airbyte cost in 2026?
Airbyte Open Source is free (self-hosted on Docker/K8s, ~$400/mo infrastructure). Airbyte Cloud uses credits-based pricing starting with free credits. Enterprise: custom. Self-hosted is 30-80% cheaper than Fivetran for equivalent data volumes, but requires DevOps capacity.
Is dbt worth it in 2026?
dbt scores 8.0/10 in 2026. The open-source SQL/Python transformation framework is used by 40,000+ companies with a 150K+ member community. Free core (Apache 2.0), Cloud from $100/seat/mo. Best for analytics teams working with cloud data warehouses. Not a full pipeline tool — requires separate EL and orchestration.
Is Airbyte worth it in 2026?
Airbyte scores 7.5/10 in 2026. The open-source ELT platform offers 400+ connectors and free self-hosting via Docker/Kubernetes. 40K+ GitHub stars. Connector reliability varies (beta connectors need monitoring). Best for data teams with DevOps capacity wanting a Fivetran alternative.
How much does dbt cost in 2026?
dbt Core is free and open-source (Apache 2.0). dbt Cloud: Developer free (1 seat), Team $100/seat/month (scheduling, CI/CD, API), Enterprise custom (SSO, audit logs). A 5-person team on Cloud Team: $500/month. Self-hosted Core with Airflow: approximately $250/month.