Changes / ETL / ELT & ingestion / Fivetran
Billing model changemedium impact
Fivetran now bills history-mode repeated updates as paid MAR
Repeated updates tracked in history mode now count toward paid MAR; soft delete and live modes are alternatives.
Who’s affected
Fivetran customers with history mode enabled on any connection: pay-as-you-go accounts (in effect since January 1, 2026) and annual contracts signed after March 1, 2025 (once they renew).
Not affected: Customers that don't use history mode, and older annual contracts still under pre-March 2025 rules until they move to new terms.
What it costs
Repeated updates to the same row tracked in history mode now count toward paid MAR, so billable volume grows with how often your source rows change. The record gives no price, so the effect depends on update frequency per table.
When to act
The change is already live for PAYG and hits annual contracts at renewal, so review usage and open renewal talks roughly 60-90 days before your renewal date.
Blast radius: Monthly Fivetran invoice and MAR forecasts; any downstream models relying on history-mode tables (dbt models, SCD reports) if you switch modes or tools.
What should you do? decision tree
- you are on pay-as-you-go and have history mode enabledPull MAR by connection and table from your usage data now, and find the tables with the most repeated updates.
- you are on an annual contract signed after March 1, 2025Find your renewal date and model the history-mode MAR increase before negotiating, since the new rules apply only at renewal.
- you signed your annual contract before March 1, 2025Expect the new treatment when you move to new terms; check what your contract says and plan ahead of that renewal.
- some history-mode tables don't need full change trackingSwitch them to soft delete or live mode, which Fivetran lists as alternatives, to cut billable MAR.
- the MAR increase still doesn't fit your budgetCompare other ingestion tools for the high-churn tables, or negotiate MAR commitments at renewal.
Options
- OptimizeTurn off history mode on tables that don't need it and use soft delete or live mode instead.
- NegotiateAt renewal, ask for a MAR commitment or discount that reflects history-mode updates; list prices are rarely what you pay.
- Re-architectBuild slowly changing dimension history downstream (e.g. dbt snapshots) on a plain sync, rather than in Fivetran history mode.
- MigrateMove high-churn history-mode tables to another ingestion tool with different pricing.
Alternatives editorial picks, not sponsored
The facts straight from the source
Facts above are extracted from the source and checked word-for-word before publishing. The guidance sections are AI-assisted analysis based only on those facts: a starting point, not legal or procurement advice. Spotted an error? Tell us.
Related changes
- FivetranFivetran moves MAR volume tiering from account to connection level
MAR volume tiering is applied per connection instead of per account from March 1, 2025, raising costs for accounts with many equal-sized connections.
Price ↑ - FivetranFivetran signs agreement to acquire Census (reverse ETL)
Fivetran announced a signed agreement to acquire Census, funded by cash and equity; terms were not disclosed and closing is pending.
M&A - FivetranFivetran acquires Tobiko Data (SQLMesh, SQLGlot)
Fivetran announced it has acquired Tobiko Data, the open source company behind SQLMesh and SQLGlot, adding transformation capabilities to its platform.
M&A - FivetranFivetran adds a $5 minimum per connection (1 to 1M MAR)
A $5 minimum base charge applies to standard connections generating between 1 and 1 million MAR per month, starting January 1, 2026 for PAYG.
Price ↑ - FivetranFivetran deletes now count toward paid MAR
Inserts, updates and deletes all count toward paid MAR; previously deletes did not contribute to paid MAR.
Billing - FivetranCensus becomes Fivetran Activations, billed on MAR
Activations is billed on inserted, updated and deleted data measured in MAR, with cost per MAR decreasing on each activation's consumption curve.
Packaging