

Pentaho Data Integration and Analytics and Zapier both compete in the domain of integration solutions. Pentaho offers a more comprehensive suite of data integration features, making it a robust choice for those needing deep functionality, while Zapier is favored for its user-friendly automation capabilities.
Features: Pentaho offers comprehensive data transformation capabilities, nimble integration with big data technologies, and a robust ETL platform. It provides an intuitive graphical user interface (GUI) for ease of use. Pentaho’s connectors allow integration with various data formats including JSON, Hadoop, and CSV files. Zapier allows easy automation of workflows with third-party integrations and custom webhooks to bridge different applications. Its intuitive drag-and-drop interface facilitates easy setup of automation without technical expertise. Zapier connects a wide range of applications, providing extensive automation possibilities.
Room for Improvement: Pentaho could refine its user experience by fixing bugs and enhancing its scheduling tools, alongside expanding connector support to modern databases and cloud solutions. It also faces challenges with performance on large datasets. Zapier would benefit from enhancing its logic flow capabilities and expanding its Zap library to support more local applications. Some users have noted the need for better system-to-user task automation and improved error message clarity.
Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Pentaho offers deployment flexibility with on-premises, public, and hybrid cloud configurations. It relies substantially on community support, with mixed reviews about technical support effectiveness. Zapier’s cloud-based nature focuses on public cloud deployment, allowing easy scalability. Zapier is recognized for strong technical support but has faced criticism over response times for complex integrations.
Pricing and ROI: Pentaho’s Community Edition is free and open-source, with the Enterprise Edition offering subscription-based pricing. Despite its cost advantages for complex tasks, some users are dissatisfied with recent pricing increases. Zapier uses a freemium model, appealing to startups with tiered pricing based on usage. Though costs can rise with usage, Zapier’s value in automation and time savings provides strong ROI, despite higher per-task fees.
I have seen a return on investment; my team was able to stay extremely small even though we had a lot of data integrations with many companies.
I can testify to the return on investment with metrics regarding time saved; we have increased our efficiency by about 20 to 30 percent due to the swift migration processes facilitated by the tool.
In a scenario where employing three resources for three months might cost approximately $18,000 to $20,000, Zapier provides substantial cost savings.
24/7 assistance is available for the Enterprise Edition.
take the time to understand our business requirements, offering appropriate recommendations.
Communication with the vendor is challenging
Their technical support is good; they respond promptly and are very helpful.
This can help if you need assistance, as you can communicate with the community and support system, and most issues are already resolved by AI.
The experience was positive with prompt responses from their team.
It can be scaled well until you reach a point where you need to perform a lot of operations, and the issue arises when it runs out of memory to handle some data.
Pentaho Data Integration handles larger datasets better.
Pentaho Data Integration and Analytics' scalability is commendable, as it allows us to scale up according to our needs.
Zapier is suitable for small or simpler automation but not for complex ones.
Scaling it gets quite expensive, and while I cannot evaluate it purely from a technology perspective, compared to Workato, I would give Zapier a seven for scalability.
Performance issues arise due to reliance on a flowchart-based mechanism instead of scripts, which can lead to longer execution times.
I find that version 3.1 is the most stable version I have ever used.
It's pretty stable, however, it struggles when dealing with smaller amounts of data.
In my current company, we had significant challenges with Zapier regarding maintenance, as Zaps were often broken, not necessarily due to Zapier, but due to changes in the input variables.
We should also explore more effective partitioning for parallel processing and fine-tuning database connections to reduce load times and improve ETL speed.
Pentaho Data Integration and Analytics can be improved by working with different environments, specifically the possibility to change the variables, meaning I write my variables only once and can change them for different environments such as production or development.
I also lack the option to use programming languages beyond Python and SQL, and a provision to incorporate Scala code in the scripting component would be beneficial.
The error message options in the dashboard should be improved. It should be user-friendly so that beginners or non-technical users can figure out the problems and solutions on their own.
You can build similar or dependent automations in one Zap, which helps with understanding the process without switching between different records.
Having flexibility in creating more complex automation would eliminate the need to transform data within the source or destination.
I use the community version of Pentaho Data Integration and Analytics, and I do not need additional costs.
The setup cost was minimal, and the pricing experience was pretty good.
The pricing is in accordance with market standards and even lower in some cases.
The pricing of Zapier is slightly higher compared to other market automation tools such as Pabbly, Make.com, and N8N, which have good features but are priced lower than Zapier.
Pentaho Data Integration and Analytics has positively impacted my organization because it meant we didn't have to write a lot of custom API back-end processing logic; it did the majority of that heavy lifting for us.
It automates the data workflow, including extraction, cleansing, and loading into warehouses for BI reporting purposes, while also removing duplicates, validating data, and standardizing formats, enabling real-time decision-making.
Pentaho Data Integration and Analytics has positively impacted my organization because it is easier to use, and my knowledge about this work facilitates the translation from the source to my final system.
They have approximately 7,000 connections.
The automation capabilities are impressive.
Creating integration points through webhooks is particularly useful for anyone working on integration projects.
| Product | Market Share (%) |
|---|---|
| Pentaho Data Integration and Analytics | 1.5% |
| Zapier | 0.7% |
| Other | 97.8% |

| Company Size | Count |
|---|---|
| Small Business | 18 |
| Midsize Enterprise | 18 |
| Large Enterprise | 29 |
| Company Size | Count |
|---|---|
| Small Business | 30 |
| Midsize Enterprise | 10 |
| Large Enterprise | 7 |
Pentaho Data Integration stands as a versatile platform designed to cater to the data integration and analytics needs of organizations, regardless of their size. This powerful solution is the go-to choice for businesses seeking to seamlessly integrate data from diverse sources, including databases, files, and applications. Pentaho Data Integration facilitates the essential tasks of cleaning and transforming data, ensuring it's primed for meaningful analysis. With a wide array of tools for data mining, machine learning, and statistical analysis, Pentaho Data Integration empowers organizations to glean valuable insights from their data. What sets Pentaho Data Integration apart is its maturity and a vibrant community of users and developers, making it a reliable and cost-effective option. Pentaho Data Integration offers a range of features, including a comprehensive ETL toolkit, data cleaning and transformation capabilities, robust data analysis tools, and seamless deployment options for data integration and analytics solutions, making it a go-to solution for organizations seeking to harness the power of their data.
Zapier connects thousands of apps, enabling seamless automation without coding. It supports webhooks, multi-step tasks, and a wide array of integrations. Despite needing enhancements in Google Sheets capabilities, API limits, and UI, it remains a tool for boosting productivity across many sectors.
By linking tools such as Google Sheets, HubSpot, Slack, and Salesforce, Zapier allows users to automate workflows without coding expertise. Its integrations serve logistics operations, CRM, and social media management. Users can process tracking exceptions and streamline operations with third-party software like QuickBooks, Zoho, and Power BI. Although users suggest features like better Google Sheets handling and improved collaboration tools, Zapier continues to provide expansive automation, enhancing efficiency and facilitating new opportunities through integrations.
What Features Stand Out in Zapier?In logistics, Zapier enhances operations by automating exception tracking and third-party software integration. Its use in CRM and social media streamlines lead creation and workflow automation. Users from diverse industries leverage its extensive connectivity to support intelligence management, generate analytical insights, and execute cross-functional tasks efficiently.
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