Artie vs. Fivetran HVR
HVR is powerful enterprise replication software, built for teams that can run a Hub, Agents, and a repository database. Artie gives you managed real-time replication into your warehouse, without infrastructure to operate.
Fivetran HVR is a platform you run.
Artie manages the pipeline for you.
| Factor | Fivetran HVR | |
|---|---|---|
| Built for | Enterprise database and file replication | Real-time database replication into warehouses and lakehouses |
| Architecture | Hub Server, repository database, schedulers, router files, and optional Agents | Fully managed end-to-end CDC with no infrastructure to provision |
| Change capture | Continuous log-based CDC | Continuous CDC with sub-minute end-to-end replication |
| Pipeline ownership | Your team configures and operates Hubs, Agents, channels, capture, integrate, refresh, and compare jobs | Artie manages the supported CDC pipeline end to end, including capture, buffering, merge, monitoring, and alerting |
| Data correctness | Replication jobs and comparison workflows configured in HVR | Exactly-once delivery – no duplicates or data loss through failures and restarts |
| Schema evolution | Managed through replication configuration | New columns added automatically; column drops opt-in, after a 4-hour safety check |
| Backfill behavior | Refresh and re-sync workflows; MAR treatment depends on documented account and version conditions | Online backfills alongside CDC, readable from a replica to keep load off the primary |
| Pricing model | Monthly Active Rows (MAR) across source and target locations; one source to multiple targets counts MAR per destination | Free: $0/mo, up to 1M rows Growth: from $500/mo, based on monthly usage Enterprise: fixed platform fee, predictable pricing |
| Backfill cost | Re-sync pricing depends on HVR's documented conditions | Free |
| Cost predictability | Changes with active rows and destination fan-out | Predictable, contracted volume tier |
| Observability | HVR dashboard, event logs, and job monitoring | Pipeline health, throughput, latency, and error tracking in one dashboard; Datadog and Grafana integrations |
| Deployment options | HVR Hub and Agents deployed in your environment | Cloud on every plan; BYOC on Enterprise |
| Best fit | Complex enterprise replication, including operational and multi-directional use cases | Mission-critical database-to-warehouse and database-to-lake pipelines |
Where Artie wins
Managed CDC with none of the operations
HVR gives you a powerful replication system to configure and operate. Artie gives you the managed pipeline: connect your database, select your tables, choose your destination, and deploy. No Hubs, Agents, repository databases, or schedulers to maintain.
Exactly-once data you can trust
Every row lands exactly once, even through failures and restarts. Duplicates don't reach your warehouse, data doesn't go missing after a restart, and you're not writing glue code to keep your database and warehouse in sync.
Schema changes and backfills without the fire drill
Artie adds new columns automatically and holds column drops behind a 4-hour safety check. Backfill historical data alongside your live pipeline, reading from a replica to keep load off the primary.
Predictable cost, deploy where your data lives
HVR pricing is based on Monthly Active Rows across source and target locations, with usage counted again for each destination. Artie gives you predictable pricing and free backfills, and you can run on Artie Cloud, or deploy BYOC in your VPC on Enterprise.
Migrate from Fivetran HVR without disrupting your warehouse
What stays the same
- Your warehouse: Snowflake, BigQuery, Redshift, or Databricks; Enterprise adds Iceberg
- Your destination table names: set them to match the ones you use today
- Your dbt models, dashboards, and BI tools: repoint them to Artie tables one model at a time
- Your team's workflow: point, select tables, deploy
The cutover playbook
- Run Artie in parallel with HVR during a validation period. Artie writes to a separate set of warehouse tables while HVR continues serving production consumers.
- Compare row counts, latency, schema handling, deletes, and correctness side by side.
- Cut downstream views or dbt models over to read from Artie tables.
- Turn off the HVR channels you have replaced.
Frequently asked questions
Is Artie a direct replacement for Fivetran HVR?
For supported database-to-warehouse and database-to-lake pipelines, yes. Artie replaces the HVR operating model with a fully managed CDC product. HVR can remain the right tool for active/active, bidirectional, multi-directional, file-replication, and other operational-replication use cases outside Artie's supported scope.
HVR is already real-time. Why switch to Artie?
Real-time capture is only one part of the job. HVR is enterprise replication software with a Hub, repository database, schedulers, and optional Agents to operate. Artie manages the pipeline end to end, with built-in health, throughput, latency, and error tracking plus Datadog and Grafana integrations.
How does HVR pricing work?
HVR is priced on Monthly Active Rows: distinct primary keys replicated from a source to a target in a calendar month. If one source replicates to multiple destinations, MAR is counted for each destination. Artie gives you predictable pricing and free backfills, so cost is easier to plan as data volume and destination needs grow.
Is migration risky?
Artie writes to a separate set of tables in your warehouse, so Artie and HVR can run in parallel while you validate. Compare row counts, freshness, schema handling, and correctness side by side, then cut your downstream views or dbt models over when you are ready. The migration does not require a rip-and-replace event or destination migration.
Will switching tools break our dbt models, dashboards, or BI tools?
Not if you plan the cutover. Artie writes to a separate set of tables in your existing warehouse, and you can set destination table names to match. Point one model at Artie tables, validate it, then move the rest.
We're in a regulated industry. Does Artie support HIPAA or BYOC?
Yes. Artie is SOC 2 Type II on every plan. HIPAA is available on Growth with a signed BAA and included on Enterprise. BYOC deployments are available on Enterprise – same product, same UX, running in your network. Column-level PII controls are built in across all plans.