A Quick Look

Capabilities

Ascend

dbt

Ingestion

Form based connectors, plus custom API ingestion

Pre-built form-based connectors

Transformation

SQL & Python transformations built-in, plus AI-assisted development

No native transformation—requires dbt or separate tools

Orchestration

Event-driven, metadata-powered automation across full pipeline

Limited to connector sync scheduling—no broader orchestration

Observability

Real-time insights, lineage, and built-in error detection

Connector health monitoring only—blind spots beyond ingestion

Workflow Coverage

Full-code, low-code, and Git native workflows from source to delivery

Ingestion only—you build the rest

AI & Automation

Context-aware AI agents automate code generation, troubleshooting, documentation

Manual connector configuration, no AI assistance

Pricing

Consumption-based pricing on compute you control

MAR-based pricing that scales with data volume (can escalate quickly)

Configurability

Built for flexibility across data and use cases

No code, not dynamic or event-driven

Where Fivetran Shines

Fivetran has built a strong reputation in the data integration space, and for good reason:

With 500+ pre-built connectors, Fivetran makes it easy to pull data from virtually any SaaS application, database, or data source. Their connectors are battle-tested and maintained, so you're not building custom integrations.

For teams that just need reliable data replication, Fivetran delivers. Once configured, connectors run on their schedule with minimal intervention—letting you focus on what happens after the data lands.

Fivetran plays well with modern data stack tools like dbt, Snowflake, and Databricks, fitting naturally into existing workflows for teams that want to build and maintain their own data platform.

Where Fivetran Falls Short

Fivetran excels at moving data, but building complete data products requires more than ingestion. Here's where teams hit walls:

No transformation layer

Fivetran stops at the warehouse. You'll need dbt, SQL scripts, or another transformation tool to turn raw tables into analytics-ready datasets. That's another tool to learn, deploy, and maintain.

No built-in orchestration or automation

Fivetran syncs data on schedules you set, but it doesn't orchestrate dependencies, handle complex workflows, or trigger downstream processes. Want pipelines? You're writing Airflow DAGs.

Costs scale with volume, not value

Fivetran's MAR (Monthly Active Rows) pricing means your bill grows with every row that changes—even if you're just replicating the same data. As your data scales, so does your Fivetran spend, often unpredictably.

Black box processing

Fivetran's connectors are opaque. When something breaks or behaves unexpectedly, you're limited to what Fivetran's logs reveal—no way to inspect or customize the underlying logic.

Limited visibility beyond ingestion

Fivetran monitors connector health, but once data lands in your warehouse, you're on your own. Want to trace lineage through transformations? Debug downstream failures? Monitor pipeline performance? Look elsewhere.

Included in Every Plan

Every Ascend plan includes full access to the platform — no feature gating, no user limits. Build, automate, and scale with confidence using the entire suite of AI-powered tools.

Data Ingestion

Say goodbye to fragile handoffs and brittle ingest jobs.

Whether you’re moving data from lakes, warehouses, databases, APIs, or legacy systems, Ascend makes it easy. Flexible connectors and dynamic schema handling ensure your pipelines stay reliable as systems evolve.

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Transformation

Transform Data with Speed at Scale

Ascend automates orchestration using rich metadata and event-driven triggers—so pipelines run only when needed, and custom logic is easy to build in.

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Orchestration

Orchestration That Writes Itself

Monitor pipeline performance, trace lineage end-to-end, and debug faster with real-time, metadata-powered insights.

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Observability

See Everything. Fix Anything.

Run faster, spend less—Ascend uses metadata and fingerprinting to cut unnecessary compute without sacrificing performance.

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DataOps

Built-In DataOps for Modern Teams

From Git-backed workflows to access controls and secure deployment environments, Ascend simplifies operational excellence with native support for modern DevOps practices.

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Say Goodbye to Fragile Handoffs and Brittle Ingest Jobs

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Transform Data
with Speed at Scale

From SQL to Python, declarative to imperative, Ascend supports multiple authoring modes — all integrated with version control and modular pipeline design. Build fast, iterate safely.

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Orchestration
that Writes Itself

Ascend’s DataAware engine lets you design intelligent workflows using the metadata you already have — turning your designs into powerful automation. Ascend's Smart Tables process data up to 100x faster.

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See Everything.
Fix Anything.

From real-time monitoring to full lineage and change tracking, Ascend gives you deep visibility into your data flows — so you can spot issues fast and optimize with confidence.

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Built-In DataOps
for Modern Teams

From Git-backed workflows to access controls and secure deployment environments, Ascend simplifies operational excellence with native support for modern DataOps best practices.

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Intelligence at the Core

Ascend's Intelligence Core combines metadata, automation, and AI in a layered architecture that empowers teams to build pipelines 7x faster and cut processing costs by 83%.

Unified Metadata Collection

Ascend tracks data, code, and user actions in a unified metadata layer — powering automation, observability, and auditability through the entire data lifecycle.

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DataAware™ Automation Engine

Ascend’s automation engine uses rich metadata to orchestrate pipelines — managing dependencies, triggering tasks, and supporting custom event-driven workflows.

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Integrated AI Agents

Let AI do the tedious parts of data engineering — Ascend’s context-aware agents suggest code, explain logic, generate docs, and even automate steps on your behalf.

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