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Airbyte vs Stitch
This comparison flipped in 2026. Airbyte retired the $/GB meter for credits, and on Airbyte's own published conversion Stitch now lands cheaper at every volume on the table below. Airbyte still wins on connector freshness, custom-connector authoring, and the self-host escape hatch, which is the real argument for it. Airbyte Core is the cheapest path at any volume if the team can carry the 0.5 FTE.
Pick Airbyte when
- › The self-host escape hatch matters, now or later.
- › Team is comfortable with consumption-style billing.
- › Connector freshness and catalogue breadth are decisive.
- › Custom connector authoring or Iceberg writes are in scope.
Pick Stitch when
- › Workload is small-to-mid and steady.
- › Annual-billed predictability is a procurement requirement.
- › Source list is mainstream and Stitch covers it cleanly.
- › Team prefers click-through configuration over code-first.
Price comparison across workload sizes
| Workload | Airbyte | Stitch |
|---|---|---|
| 5M rows, daily, 3 connectors | $150/mo (Standard, ~31 credits) | $100/mo |
| 50M rows, hourly, 8 connectors | $1,500/mo (Standard, ~301 credits) | $1,250/mo |
| 200M rows, hourly, 15 connectors | $4,999/mo (Plus 2,000-credit pack) | $1,200 + FTE (Core) | $3,500/mo |
Estimates from each vendor's published pricing page. Tune to your shape with the /tco-calculator.
Decision aid
- Low volume default: Stitch
- Mid-to-high volume on headline price: Stitch, which the 2026 credit card reversed
- Maximum cost reduction: Self-hosted Airbyte Core
- Connector freshness: Airbyte (Stitch lags here)
Related
Written by Oliver Wakefield-Smith, Founder of Digital Signet. Independent reference, no vendor sponsorship.
Sources logged at /sources. Pricing-change history at /changelog. Last reviewed 2026-06-21.