Census

Description

Census is a comprehensive universal data platform that has been acquired by Fivetran, designed to unify, de-duplicate, enhance, and activate data anywhere it’s needed instantly. The platform serves as a bridge between data warehouses and operational systems, enabling businesses to turn their trusted data into action across every tool in their tech stack. Census specializes in reverse ETL capabilities, allowing organizations to sync data from warehouses to CRMs, marketing automation platforms, ERPs, and ad platforms in real-time.

The platform operates through a three-step process: first, it unifies and defines data by accessing, cleaning, and managing information from over 30 sources including CRMs, warehouses, and spreadsheets. Advanced Entity Resolution intelligently merges duplicates to ensure data accuracy and delivers comprehensive Master Data Management capabilities. Second, Census enriches and enhances data using AI through advanced AI columns that enable audience segmentation, intent scoring, data enrichment, and churn prevention using OpenAI, Anthropic, Gemini, or any LLM model of choice.

Finally, Census activates and observes data by easily segmenting trusted, enhanced data with its Audience Hub, then syncing it via Reverse ETL to any destination in real-time. The platform writes every action back to the source of truth, ensuring AI-driven segmentation always leverages the freshest data, all with full observability and governance. Census has earned recognition as the G2 Leader in Reverse ETL for 9 quarters in a row and has received multiple industry awards including Braze’s Technology Partner of the Year 2023 and Snowflake’s Partner of the Year 2024.

The platform offers over 200 integrations with more added daily, providing enterprise-grade security and governance features. Census eliminates ticket backlogs by enabling collaboration between data and GTM teams with fully featured governance, allowing organizations to act on real-time data without sacrificing trust. The platform is designed to be secure by default, with data staying in the customer’s warehouse and comprehensive compliance features.

Pros

• Free forever plan available with core features
• G2 Leader in Reverse ETL for 9 consecutive quarters
• AI-powered data enhancement and segmentation
• Over 200 integrations with daily additions
• Advanced Entity Resolution for data deduplication
• Real-time data activation and sync capabilities
• Comprehensive governance and observability features
• Data stays secure in customer’s warehouse

Cons

• Limited features in free tier (only 1 billable destination)
• May require technical expertise for advanced features
• Record limits on free and professional plans (8M/month)
• Primarily focused on reverse ETL, may need additional tools