Summary: Before migrating data to a new system, you need to consolidate it from multiple resources, perform assessments to discover vulnerabilities, and identify dependencies. Data migration software can help with all these tasks.
As businesses start to grow, managing and processing large data sets becomes difficult. In addition, servers and systems may become outdated over time and might not be able to handle business data efficiently while keeping it secure. In such situations, migrating data to a different server or system becomes essential.
To manage this process, most organizations use data migration tools to handle data transfer. These tools help consolidate data, identify dependencies, and load it into the defined destination.
However, data migration is a complex process and involves several elements. Keep reading to find out what data migration is and explore some of the most popular tools you can consider for this purpose.
What is Data Migration?
Data migration is the process of transferring data from one system to another system, application, or cloud infrastructure. The entire migration process is carried out in several stages, starting with planning and database assessment and ending with loading the data into the destination system.
Managing the complete data migration process can be quite challenging, as it requires significant time and effort. However, several data migration tools are available to simplify this task. These tools help analyze migration-related risks, plan effective strategies for successful migration, and support the process in many other ways.
Types of Data Migration Tools
There are 3 different types of data migration tools available for migrating your databases. These include…
- Storage Migration Tool: These data migration tools help in migrating data from the old storage system to the new one. It is used to move data to disks or tapes in the new system or to the cloud.
- Cloud Migration Tools: With these tools, the data is migrated from the on-premises resources to the cloud, or from the existing cloud infrastructure to the new one.
- Application Migration Tools: Application migration tools are used to migrate business applications to different data centers, cloud infrastructure, or to the on-premises resources.
- Database Migration Tools: Tools focused on homogeneous/heterogeneous database migrations with minimal downtime. For example, AWS DMS, Azure DMS etc.
Why Do Businesses Need Data Migration?
There are plenty of reasons why businesses migrate their data from one system to another. These include…
- Replacing the existing server or system with the new one
- Migrating data between different cloud servers
- When software updates are installed
- Decommissioning the current data centers
- Migrating on-premises infrastructure to the cloud
- During the application maintenance and upgrade
Side-by-Side Data Migration Tools Comparison in 2026
here are multiple types of tools available to migrate data across cloud resources, applications or on-premises resources. The best data migration tools come with features for creating data pipelines, transforming data pre-migration, ingesting data from multiple resources, and so on.
Here are some of the best software you can consider for migrating your data…
1. Informatica PowerCenter
Informatica PowerCenter is a data migrator used by organizations to move data from one system to another in a reliable and controlled way. It helps extract data from source systems, transform it into the required format, and load it into target systems such as data warehouses or new applications.
The software is commonly used for large‑scale data migrations during system upgrades, consolidations, and modernization projects.
Note: Informatica PowerCenter reached end of standard support in March 2026. Many organizations continue to use it for existing legacy migrations, while newer migration projects increasingly focus on cloud‑native tools.
Key Features of Informatica PowerCenter:
- Connects to databases, files, ERPs, mainframes, and legacy systems
- Extracts structured and semi‑structured data from heterogeneous sources
- Transforms data using mappings, rules, joins, aggregations, and lookups
- Cleanses and validates data during migration workflows
- Loads high‑volume data into target platforms and applications
- Supports full loads and incremental (delta) migrations
- Handles schema changes and data type conversions
- Orchestrates migrations using workflows, sessions, and schedules
- Scales performance with parallel processing and partitioning
Pro and cons of Informatica PowerCenter:
Pros
- Handles large, complex, enterprise‑scale migrations
- Provides precise control over transformation logic
- Supports reliability, auditability, and compliance
- Performs well for long‑running, mission‑critical migrations
Cons
- Requires specialized ETL skills and experience
- Needs significant setup and infrastructure management
- Feels heavy for small or one‑time migration projects
Informatica PowerCenter Pricing & Plans: Price on request
2. AWS Database Migration Service (AWS DMS)
AWS Database Migration Services is a data migration tool that helps users plan, analyze, convert, and migrate big databases to AWS efficiently and securely. It is used to migrate data between on‑premises systems, cloud platforms, and different database engines.
AWS DMS keeps the source database running during migration, which helps reduce downtime. It is commonly used for cloud migrations, database modernization, and system upgrades.
Key Features of AWS Database Migration Service (AWS DMS):
- Migrates databases to AWS quickly and securely
- Supports homogeneous and heterogeneous migrations
- Moves data between on‑premises, Amazon RDS, Aurora, and other cloud databases
- Handles full load migrations and ongoing change data capture (CDC)
- Keeps source and target databases in sync during migration
- Supports relational and NoSQL databases
- Runs migrations with minimal source‑database downtime
- Monitors migration tasks with logging, metrics, and error reporting
- Encrypts data in transit and at rest using AWS security services
- Integrates with AWS Schema Conversion Tool (SCT) for complex migrations
AWS Database Migration Service
Starting Price
Price on Request
Pro and cons of AWS Database Migration Service:
Pros
- Reduces downtime during live database migrations
- Eliminates infrastructure management with managed execution
- Scales automatically for large data volumes
- Fits well into AWS‑centric architectures
Cons
- Focuses on data movement, not complex data transformation
- Requires SCT for schema and code conversion
- Depends on AWS services for full functionality
- Feels limited for non‑AWS target environments
AWS Database Migration Service Pricing & Plans (AWS DMS): Price on request
3. Azure Migrate
Azure Migrate is a database migration software and assessment tool from Microsoft that helps organizations move their applications, servers, and data to Microsoft Azure. It provides a central place to discover existing systems, assess readiness for the cloud, and plan migrations.
The software is commonly used to support cloud adoption projects by guiding organizations through the process of moving workloads from on‑premises environments to Azure.
Key Features of Azure Migrate:
- Discovers on‑premises servers, VMs, databases, and applications
- Assesses readiness, sizing, and cost for migration to Azure
- Maps application dependencies to reduce migration risk
- Supports agentless and agent‑based discovery
- Migrates servers to Azure using Azure Migrate Server Migration
- Migrates databases using Azure Database Migration tools
- Provides modernization paths for apps, containers, and data
- Tracks migration progress from assessment to cutover
- Integrates with Azure Site Recovery for replication and failover
- Secures migration with Azure identity, access, and encryption controls
Azure Migrate
Starting Price
Price on Request
Pro and cons of Azure Migrate:
Pros
- Centralizes discovery, assessment, and migration in one hub
- Reduces guesswork with Azure‑specific sizing and cost estimates
- Minimizes migration risk through dependency analysis
- Fits well for organizations standardizing on Azure
Cons
- Targets Azure only, not multi‑cloud destinations
- Depends on additional Azure tools for databases and apps
- Requires planning for non‑VM workloads and refactoring efforts
Azure Migrate Pricing & Plans: Price on request
4. Fivetran
Fivetran’s automated data movement platform is best suited for analytics-focused data replication and modernization. It is used to automate the key ELT tasks with automated schema migration, data ingestion with connectors, and data pipeline creation with pre-built data models.
This data migration software can provide an additional layer of security by encrypting data in transit and at rest.
Key Features of Fivetran:
- Connects to hundreds of SaaS apps, databases, files, and cloud sources
- Extracts data from source systems automatically
- Loads data into cloud data warehouses and data lakes
- Uses ELT approach, pushing transformations to the destination system
- Keeps data continuously synced using incremental loading
- Handles schema changes automatically without manual intervention
- Monitors pipelines with built‑in logging and alerts
- Supports high‑volume data replication with scalability
- Integrates with Snowflake, BigQuery, Redshift, Azure Synapse, and more
- Secures data with encryption, compliance certifications, and access controls
Fivetran
Starting Price
Price on Request
Pro and cons of Fivetran:
Pros
- Minimizes pipeline maintenance through full automation
- Accelerates analytics‑focused data migrations
- Scales easily for growing data volumes
- Reduces engineering effort compared to custom
Cons
- Limits complex transformation logic inside the platform
- Depends on destination systems for data modeling
- Costs increase as data volume and connectors grow
Fivetran Pricing & Plans: Price on request
5. Matillion
Matillion helps businesses with loading, transforming, synching, and orchestrating their data into the cloud infrastructure. With this data migration tool, users can integrate data from various resources, upload it in bulk, and enrich it for different applications. Matillion can also be used to synchronize data into the operational system through reverse ELT procedure.
Key Features of Matillion:
- Extracts data from SaaS applications, databases, and files
- Loads data directly into cloud data warehouses
- Uses ELT architecture, pushing transformations to the target system
- Designs pipelines visually with reusable components
- Transforms data using SQL, orchestration logic, and built‑in functions
- Handles incremental loads and change‑based data replication
- Manages orchestration, scheduling, and dependency control
- Supports schema evolution and metadata management
- Integrates tightly with Snowflake, Redshift, BigQuery, and Azure Synapse
- Runs on cloud infrastructure with scalable performance
Matillion
Starting Price
$ 1000.00
Pro and cons of Matillion:
Pros
- Balances automation with transformation flexibility
- Reduces engineering effort through visual pipeline design
- Fits analytics‑driven cloud data warehouse projects well
- Allows complex transformations compared to fully‑managed ELT tools
Cons
- Requires cloud infrastructure provisioning
- Needs SQL knowledge for advanced transformations
- Involves licensing costs in addition to cloud usage
Matillion Pricing & Plans: Price on request
6. SnapLogic
SnapLogic is an Integration Platform as a Service (iPaaS) designed to club data from on-premises resources, SaaS applications, and cloud infrastructure. It can help businesses with the procedure of data integration, automation, and orchestration within the organization.
Further, it helps in creating automated workflows for data integration, ingesting databases from different endpoints, and creating end-to-end database pipelines.
Key Features of SnapLogic:
- Connects cloud apps, on‑prem systems, databases, and APIs
- Automates data ingestion, integration, and movement across environments
- Uses prebuilt connectors (“Snaps”) to speed up integration development
- Supports batch, streaming, and real‑time data pipelines
- Transforms data using visual pipelines and expression logic
- Handles schema changes and data format variations
- Runs integrations at scale with elastic cloud execution
- Monitors pipelines with logging, alerts, and error handling
- Secures data using role‑based access, encryption, and governance controls
Snaplogic
Starting Price
Price on Request
Pro and cons of SnapLogic:
Pros
- Reduces development time with low‑code, visual pipelines
- Scales well for high‑volume enterprise integrations
- Supports hybrid integration use cases (cloud + on‑prem)
- Fits both application integration and analytics ingestion needs
Cons
- Requires platform learning for advanced pipeline logic
- Costs increase with higher data volume and usage
- May feel heavyweight for simple point‑to‑point integrations
SnapLogic Pricing & Plans: Price on request
7. Hevo Data
Hevo Data enables users to easily extract databases from multiple sources into a warehouse, performing data analytics, and using intelligence to take data driven decisions. This end-to-end data pipeline platform can be used for managing data schema, formatting or standardizing data, and automating key ETL (Extract, Transform, Load) processes.
The platform is mainly intended for managed ELT pipelines and analytics data replication rather than complete application or transactional database migrations.
Key Features of Hevo Data:
- Connects to SaaS applications, databases, SDKs, and streaming sources
- Extracts data automatically with minimal configuration
- Loads data into cloud data warehouses and data lakes
- Uses ELT architecture, pushing transformations to the destination
- Keeps data in sync using near real‑time replication
- Handles schema changes automatically without pipeline breaks
- Transforms data using no‑code and low‑code transformation layers
- Monitors pipelines with alerts, logs, and retry mechanisms
- Supports high availability with fault‑tolerant data movement
- Secures data using encryption, RBAC, and compliance controls
Hevo Data
Starting Price
$ 299.00
Pro and cons of Hevo Data:
Pros
- Reduces engineering effort with fully managed pipelines
- Simplifies setup compared to traditional ETL tools
- Scales well for analytics‑driven data migration use cases
- Fits teams needing fast warehouse ingestion without heavy ops work
Cons
- Limits very complex transformation logic compared to ETL‑heavy platforms
- Costs increase as data volume and connectors grow
- Focuses mainly on analytics destinations rather than operational systems
Hevo Data Pricing & Plans:
| Plan | Price |
|---|---|
| Free | USD 0 |
| Starter | Starts at USD 239/month |
| Professional | Starts at USD 679/month |
| Business Critical | Price on request |
Conclusion
Extracting databases from multiple systems and loading them into a different system or cloud environment is a difficult task. At the same time, converting databases to suit the new environment needs time and resources. However, with data migration tools, you can effectively plan the entire migration procedure and complete the process faster.
So, don’t wait any longer. Give us, at Techjockey, a call today and get yourself a good data migrator right away!
Yashika Aneja is a Senior Content Writer at Techjockey, with over 5 years of experience in content creation and management. From writing about normal everyday affairs to profound fact-based stories on wide-ranging themes, including environment, technology, education, politics, social media, travel, lifestyle so on and so forth, she... Read more















