Airbyte Free Plan 2026: What's Included & What's Not
Honest breakdown of the free tier limits and features
Airbyte pricing varies by team size and features, ranging from $0 to $5K per per month in 2026. Your actual cost depends on the tier you choose, contract length, and negotiated discounts.
Use the interactive pricing calculator to estimate your exact cost based on team size and requirements.
- Free tier: No free tier available
- Billing: Monthly and annual (save 15-20%)
- Hidden costs: Add ~35% for implementation, support, and training
Airbyte offers a freemium model with limited features; upgrade to unlock more.
What's Included in the Free Plan
- Completely free forever
- 600+ connectors
- Self-hosted on your infrastructure
- Full control over data and infrastructure
- No vendor lock-in
- Community support via Slack
- Unlimited data movement
- Custom connector builder
- Open-source transparency
What's NOT Included (Paid Only)
- $10/month includes 4 credits
- Additional credits at $2.50 each
- API sources: $15 per million rows (6 credits)
- Database/warehouse sources: $10 per GB (4 credits)
- Custom sources: $15 per million rows (6 credits)
- 14-day trial with 400 free credits
- Managed infrastructure
- Email support
- Basic monitoring and alerting
Free Plan Limits
| Limit | Free Plan | Paid Plans |
|---|---|---|
| data | Unlimited | Unlimited/Higher |
| connectors | 600+ connectors | Unlimited/Higher |
| users | Unlimited | Unlimited/Higher |
You'll Need to Upgrade When...
- You exceed the user limit
- You need features like $10/month includes 4 credits or Additional credits at $2.50 each
- You require premium support or SLA guarantees
- You need to remove branding or watermarks
- You need advanced integrations or API access
Hidden Restrictions on Free Plan
- Airbyte branding may appear on your content or communications
- Support is limited to community forums or email with longer response times
- Export options may be restricted or include watermarks
- API access is typically limited or not available
- Advanced reporting and analytics require paid plans
Free vs Paid: Which Do You Need?
Free Plan is Enough If...
- You're an individual or very small team
- You need only basic features
- You don't mind usage limits
- Branding on output is acceptable
- Community support is sufficient
You Need Paid If...
- Your team is growing beyond limits
- You need advanced features
- Professional branding is required
- You need priority support
- Integrations/API access is critical
Free vs Cloud Standard Plan Comparison
| Open Source (Self-Hosted) $0 | Cloud Standard $10/starting at $10/month | |
|---|---|---|
| Features | 9 included | 9+ included |
| Support | Community/Email | Priority Support |
| Branding | Airbyte branding | Your branding |
| Best For | Engineering teams with infrastructure expertise seeking maximum control and zero per-usage costs | Small to mid-size teams seeking managed data integration at predictable, low costs without infrastructure management |
Frequently Asked Questions
01 Is Airbyte free?
Yes, Airbyte offers a freemium plan with 9 core features included. However, there are limits on data, connectors that may require upgrading.
02 What's included in Airbyte's free plan?
Airbyte's free plan includes: Completely free forever, 600+ connectors, Self-hosted on your infrastructure, Full control over data and infrastructure, No vendor lock-in, and 4 more features. Key limits include data: Unlimited, connectors: 600+ connectors, users: Unlimited.
03 What's NOT included in Airbyte's free plan?
The free plan excludes: $10/month includes 4 credits, Additional credits at $2.50 each, API sources: $15 per million rows (6 credits), Database/warehouse sources: $10 per GB (4 credits), Custom sources: $15 per million rows (6 credits). You'll also have Airbyte branding and limited support options.
04 When should I upgrade from Airbyte's free plan?
Consider upgrading when: you hit user or storage limits, need features like $10/month includes 4 credits or Additional credits at $2.50 each, require premium support, or want to remove branding. The cheapest paid plan starts at $10/starting at $10/month.
05 Is Airbyte's free plan really free forever?
Yes, Airbyte's free plan is available indefinitely with no time limit. However, feature and usage limits may restrict what you can do without upgrading to a paid plan.
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