Census vs Prefect Pricing (2026)
How do these two stack up on price? Here's what each one costs, what you get, and where the value sits.
Free
- 500,000 monthly active rows (MAR) for connections
- 3,500 monthly active rows (MAR) for activations
- 5,000 monthly model runs (MMR) for transformations
Standard
Popular- Unlimited users
- 15-minute syncs
- 700+ fully managed connectors
- 200+ fully managed activation destinations
- Integration for dbt Core
- Role-based access control
- Access to Fivetran REST API
- Access to SSH tunnels for encryption
Enterprise
- 1-minute syncs
- Fivetran Activations' Audience Hub
- Enterprise database connectors
- Custom roles
- VPN tunnels (annual contract only)
- SCIM/user provisioning
- Pick any cloud provider (GCP, AWS, Azure)
- Hybrid deployment option
Business Critical
- Customer-managed keys for encryption
- PCI DSS Level 1 certification
- Private networking options
Hobby
- Workflow scheduling
- 2 users
- Up to 5 deployments
- 500 min of Prefect Serverless
- Workflow observability
- Logging & alerting
- 7 days run retention
Starter
- 3 users
- Up to 20 deployments
- 75 hours of Prefect Serverless
- Bring your own compute
- Webhooks
- 1,250 API requests/min
Team
Popular- 4-8 users
- Up to 100 deployments
- 225 hours of Prefect Serverless
- Service accounts
- 24 hour audit log
Enterprise
- SSO (SAML/OIDC)
- RBAC + ACLs
- Multiple workspaces
- Directory Sync (SCIM)
- IP allowlisting & PrivateLink
- Unlimited deployments
Census vs Prefect FAQ
- Which one is cheaper?
- One or both use custom pricing, so it depends on your specific needs.
- Can I use either one for free?
- Both offer free plans, so you can try each without paying. Start with whichever fits your workflow better and upgrade when you hit the limits.
- How do they charge?
- Different approach here. Census uses usage-based pricing, while Prefect goes with hybrid. That changes the math depending on your team size and usage.
- Which one is a better deal?
- Depends on what you need. Prefect: At $100/mo entry for paid plans, Prefect sits mid-pack — pricier than bare-bones workflow tools but well below heavyweight enterprise data orchestration platforms that gate everything behind custom quotes. They're clearly courting data teams who've outgrown open-source Prefect Core but aren't ready for a six-figure Airflow-alternative contract.
Still deciding? See the best Census alternatives or the best Prefect alternatives, ranked with verified pricing.
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