kitio.aiAirbyte vs DolphinDB
A side-by-side look at pricing plans, free tiers, features, pros and cons, updated for 2026. Airbyte starts at $20/mo and DolphinDB starts at See pricing page. Check both pricing pages for current plans.
At a glance
Best for
Category
Pricing model
Starting price
Free plan
Made by
Based in
Rating
Key features
- 700+ source connectors
- Connector Builder
- MCP context layer
- PyAirbyte
- Hybrid deployment
- Managed cloud syncs
- Distributed time-series database
- Stream and batch processing
- Text-to-SQL queries
- RAG knowledge search
- Native MCP support
- In-database ML inference
| Feature | Airbyte | DolphinDB |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Open-source data pipelines and context layer for AI agents | Time-series database with built-in RAG, text-to-SQL and MCP support |
| Category | Data & analytics | Data & analytics |
| Pricing model | Freemium | Freemium |
| Starting price | $20/mo | See pricing page |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Made by | Airbyte | DolphinDB |
| Based in | United States | China |
| Rating | No ratings yet | No ratings yet |
| Key features |
|
|
Pricing compared
Airbyte starts at $20/mo and DolphinDB starts at See pricing page. Check both pricing pages for current plans.
Free plan
Cheapest paid plan
Top plan
Free trial
2 plans
Open Source
Free
- Self-hosted
- All open-source connectors
Standard
$20/mo
- 5 credits, about 1 GB of syncs
- Managed cloud hosting
- Hourly syncs
- 14-day trial
Prices in USD, checked Nov 5, 2026 or later. Plans change often, so confirm on each tool's site before you buy.
Pros and cons
Airbyte
- Very large connector catalog
- Self-hostable open-source core
- Pay only for data synced in the cloud
- Cloud costs grow with data volume
- Hourly syncs at most on Standard
- Self-hosting needs engineering time
DolphinDB
- Fast queries on very large datasets
- Built-in finance analysis toolkit
- LLMs can query data through MCP
- Proprietary scripting language to learn
- Pricing not shown on the homepage
- Mostly geared toward finance use cases
Which one should you choose?
Choose Airbyte if you want:
- Very large connector catalog
- Self-hostable open-source core
- Pay only for data synced in the cloud
Watch out: cloud costs grow with data volume.
Choose DolphinDB if you want:
- Fast queries on very large datasets
- Built-in finance analysis toolkit
- LLMs can query data through MCP
Watch out: proprietary scripting language to learn.
Airbyte vs DolphinDB FAQ
What is the difference between Airbyte and DolphinDB?
Airbyte: Open-source data pipelines and context layer for AI agents. DolphinDB: Time-series database with built-in RAG, text-to-SQL and MCP support. Both are data & analytics tools.
Is Airbyte or DolphinDB cheaper?
Airbyte starts at $20/mo and DolphinDB starts at See pricing page. Check both pricing pages for current plans.
Do Airbyte and DolphinDB have free plans?
Airbyte: Yes. DolphinDB: Yes.
Who makes Airbyte?
Airbyte is made by Airbyte, based in United States.
Who makes DolphinDB?
DolphinDB is made by DolphinDB, based in China.
Which should I choose, Airbyte or DolphinDB?
Choose Airbyte if you value very large connector catalog and self-hostable open-source core. Choose DolphinDB if you value fast queries on very large datasets and built-in finance analysis toolkit.