Streamkap vs Fivetran

Real-Time Streaming vs
Batch ETL

Fivetran pioneered managed data pipelines, but batch processing can't keep up with real-time demands. See why teams switch to Streamkap for sub-second CDC and predictable pricing.

Why Teams Switch

From Batch to Real-Time

Sub-Second Latency vs 5-15 Minute Batches

Fivetran's fastest sync is 1 minute on Business Critical plans, with most customers on 5-15 minute intervals. Streamkap delivers true real-time CDC with sub-second latency on all plans.

Predictable Pricing vs MAR Surprises

Fivetran's Monthly Active Row (MAR) pricing can spike unexpectedly with schema changes or nested data. Streamkap offers transparent, predictable pricing based on actual usage.

Apache Flink Transforms Built-In

Transform data in-flight with TypeScript or SQL using Apache Flink. Filter, enrich, join streams, and fan-out to multiple destinations. Fivetran offers limited transformation capabilities.

Direct Kafka Access

Access your managed Kafka cluster directly for custom consumers, real-time applications, and microservices. Fivetran doesn't expose the underlying streaming infrastructure.

Feature Comparison

Streamkap vs Fivetran

Feature Streamkap Fivetran
Data Latency Sub-second (<1s) 5-15 minutes (batch)
Architecture True streaming CDC Micro-batch processing
Pricing Model Predictable, usage-based MAR-based (can spike)
Real-time on all plans Yes Enterprise only
Stream Processing Apache Flink built-in Limited transforms
Kafka Access Direct Kafka access Not available
Schema Evolution Automatic handling Supported
Setup Time Minutes Minutes

The Latency Gap

Minutes vs Milliseconds

Fivetran's default sync runs every 6 hours, with faster options at 5-minute or 1-minute intervals on higher tiers. But even at 1 minute, you're still batching data.

Streamkap uses true Change Data Capture with sub-second latency. Every insert, update, and delete is captured and delivered in real-time - enabling use cases like fraud detection, real-time personalization, and operational analytics that batch simply can't support.

  • Real-time dashboards and analytics
  • Instant fraud detection
  • Live inventory and pricing updates
  • Real-time AI/ML feature stores
<1s
Streamkap
5-15m
Fivetran Standard
Up to 900x faster data delivery

Fivetran MAR Pricing Pitfalls

  • Nested JSON can multiply row counts 10x+
  • Any field change counts as active row
  • Costs spike during high-change periods
  • Difficult to forecast monthly spend

Predictable Costs

No MAR Surprises

Streamkap's pricing is based on actual data throughput, not arbitrary row counts that can explode with schema complexity. Know your costs upfront and scale predictably.

View Pricing

Ready to Go Real-Time?

Start streaming data in minutes with sub-second latency. No credit card required.