Census (now Fivetran Activations) pricing guide details
Pricing Overview
Census, now part of the Fivetran platform as Fivetran Activations, uses a usage-based pricing model with a generous free tier. The platform consolidates data movement, activation, and transformation under a single plan, so teams pay based on actual consumption rather than fixed seat counts. Pricing scales across three usage dimensions: monthly active rows (MAR) for connections, MAR for activations, and monthly model runs (MMR) for transformations. The free tier includes 500,000 MAR for connections, 3,500 MAR for activations, and 5,000 monthly model runs, making it accessible for small teams exploring reverse ETL workflows. For teams that exceed free-tier limits, use Fivetran's current pricing estimator with your own connectors and monthly active rows; its output varies with the selected workload.
Plan Comparison
Census operates on a tiered structure with increasing capabilities at each level. Every tier includes unlimited users and access to the full connector library.
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| Feature | Free | Standard | Enterprise | Business Critical |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly Active Rows (Connections) | 500,000 | Usage-based | Usage-based | Usage-based |
| Monthly Active Rows (Activations) | 3,500 | Usage-based | Usage-based | Usage-based |
| Monthly Model Runs | 5,000 | Usage-based | Usage-based | Usage-based |
| Sync Frequency | 15-minute | 15-minute | 1-minute | 1-minute |
| Managed Connectors | 700+ | 700+ | 700+ (incl. enterprise DB) | 700+ (incl. enterprise DB) |
| Activation Destinations | 200+ | 200+ | 200+ | 200+ |
| Users | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| dbt Core Integration | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| REST API Access | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| SSH Tunnels | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Audience Hub | No | No | Yes | Yes |
| Custom Roles | No | No | Yes | Yes |
| VPN Tunnels | No | No | Yes (annual) | Yes (annual) |
| SCIM/User Provisioning | No | No | Yes | Yes |
| Multi-Cloud (GCP, AWS, Azure) | No | No | Yes | Yes |
| Customer-Managed Encryption Keys | No | No | No | Yes |
| PCI DSS Level 1 | No | No | No | Yes |
| Private Networking | No | No | No | Yes |
The Standard tier adds SSH tunnel encryption and maintains the same 15-minute sync frequency. Enterprise unlocks 1-minute syncs, the Audience Hub for self-service audience creation, enterprise database connectors, and advanced deployment options including hybrid deployments. Business Critical adds the highest security controls: customer-managed encryption keys, PCI DSS Level 1 certification, and private networking.
Hidden Costs and Considerations
Usage-based pricing means costs fluctuate with data volume. Teams running high-frequency syncs across many destinations can see monthly costs rise quickly. Use Census's current pricing estimator for your connector count and row volume; a saved example cannot establish a general monthly price. Annual contracts unlock features like VPN tunnels at the Enterprise tier. Teams should also budget for data warehouse compute costs, since reverse ETL adds query load to Snowflake, BigQuery, or Redshift.
Cost Estimates by Team Size
Based on the Census pricing estimator and published usage tiers, here is what teams can expect at different scales:
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| Team Size | Typical Usage | Estimated Monthly Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Solo / Startup | Under 500K MAR, 5K model runs | $0 (Free tier) |
| Small Team (5-15) | 500K-2M MAR, 10K model runs | Estimate with your actual usage and Census's current calculator |
| Mid-Market (15-50) | 2M-10M MAR, 50K model runs | Estimate with your actual usage and Census's current calculator |
| Enterprise (50+) | 10M+ MAR, 100K+ model runs | Custom pricing (contact sales) |
These estimates reflect the usage-based model where costs scale with monthly active rows and model runs. Enterprise and Business Critical tiers require contacting the sales team for volume pricing and annual commitments.
How Census Pricing Compares
Census positions itself in the data pipeline and reverse ETL category alongside tools like Stitch, Hevo Data, and Airbyte. Here is how their pricing stacks up:
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| Tool | Pricing Model | Starting Price | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Census (Fivetran Activations) | Usage-based / Freemium | $0 (Free tier) | Teams needing reverse ETL with 700+ connectors and warehouse-first data activation |
| Stitch | Free trial; paid Standard plan | Starts at $100/mo (Standard) | Row-based ingestion pricing; check the selected row allowance |
| Hevo Data | Freemium | Starter from $299/month billed monthly or $265/month billed annually; 5M events/month | Limited connectors, up to 1M events/month; managed ingestion, rather than reverse ETL |
| Airbyte | Freemium | $10/mo (Cloud Standard) | Engineering teams comfortable with open-source self-hosting or low-cost cloud |
Separate Census's reverse ETL requirements from source-to-warehouse ingestion. Hevo counts each destination insert, update or delete as an event and charges extra On-Demand fees above the plan quota. Match the required destinations, sync frequency and governance controls before comparing paid plans; entry prices and different usage units do not establish a cheapest equivalent deployment.