Best Census Alternatives in 2026
Census pioneered reverse ETL, syncing data from your warehouse back to business tools. But competition has caught up, and some teams want different pricing models, deeper CDP features, or simpler setups.
At a Glance
| Tool | Price | Best For | Key Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hightouch | Free tier available, paid from $350/mo | Teams wanting CDP capabilities on top of reverse ETL | Composable CDP with audience management, identity resolution, and journey orchestration |
| Polytomic | Custom pricing | Simpler reverse ETL needs with clean UX | Newer entrant focused on simplicity and fast implementation |
| RudderStack | Open-source available, cloud from $500/mo | Engineering teams wanting event streaming plus reverse ETL | Customer data pipeline combining event streaming, warehousing, and reverse ETL |
| Airbyte | Open-source, cloud from $25/mo | Teams already using Airbyte for ingestion who want one platform | Primarily ELT, but expanding into reverse ETL capabilities |
| Fivetran | Usage-based (MAR pricing) | Teams wanting forward and reverse ETL from one vendor | Market-leading ELT platform expanding into reverse ETL |
1. Hightouch
Coverage & Capabilities
Full reverse ETL plus composable CDP features. Audience builder with no-code segmentation. Identity resolution across data sources. More feature-rich than Census, especially for marketing use cases.
The most direct Census competitor, and arguably more feature-rich. Hightouch has pushed beyond reverse ETL into composable CDP territory, which gives marketing teams more to work with out of the box.
2. Polytomic
Coverage & Capabilities
Reverse ETL with a focus on ease of use. Cleaner, more intuitive interface than Census for basic syncing workflows. Smaller connector library but covers the most popular destinations. Growing fast but less mature than Census or Hightouch.
Worth evaluating if your reverse ETL needs are straightforward. Polytomic won't match Census on connector breadth or Hightouch on CDP features, but it's simpler to set up and use.
3. RudderStack
Coverage & Capabilities
Open-source core with event streaming, warehouse-first architecture, and reverse ETL. SDKs for web, mobile, and server-side event tracking. More of a full customer data platform than a reverse ETL tool.
Best for engineering-heavy teams that want event collection and reverse ETL in one platform. It's more complex to set up than Census, but you get a broader data pipeline.
4. Airbyte
Coverage & Capabilities
300+ connectors focused on data ingestion. Reverse ETL support is newer and less mature than Census. The advantage is consolidation: if you're already on Airbyte for ingestion, adding reverse ETL keeps everything in one platform.
Only consider this if you're already using Airbyte for data ingestion and want to avoid adding another tool. For dedicated reverse ETL, Census and Hightouch are more capable.
5. Fivetran
Coverage & Capabilities
500+ connectors for data ingestion, with growing reverse ETL capabilities. The reverse ETL feature set isn't as deep as Census, but having ingestion and activation in one platform simplifies vendor management.
If you're on Fivetran for ingestion and your reverse ETL needs are basic, their built-in reverse ETL may be enough. For advanced use cases, you'll still want Census or Hightouch.
How We Chose These Alternatives
We evaluated these alternatives based on reverse ETL capabilities, pricing, warehouse support, and connector breadth.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best free Census alternative?
Hightouch offers a free tier with limited syncs. RudderStack's open-source version is free to self-host. Airbyte's open-source version is also free but its reverse ETL capabilities are less mature.
Census vs Hightouch — which is better?
Census is more focused on core reverse ETL. Clean, reliable, and straightforward. Hightouch has pushed into composable CDP territory with audience management and identity resolution. Pick Census for simplicity, Hightouch for broader data activation features.
Do I need a dedicated reverse ETL tool?
If you're syncing warehouse data to more than two destinations or need scheduling and monitoring, yes. For a single sync, a custom script might work. But as sync complexity grows, the error handling, monitoring, and schema management in tools like Census pay for themselves quickly.