Ingest vs Portable
Portable proved the long-tail model: ask for a connector and a team builds it. Ingest is the agentic version. Agents build and heal connectors, you get accuracy-checked tables you can talk to, in open tables you own, priced per GB so you can start small.
Side by side
The short version: Portable builds the connector. Ingest builds the connector and the analytics layer on top, in tables you own.
| Ingest | Portable | |
|---|---|---|
| How connectors get built | AI agents build any connector from the API docs, with the Ingest team behind them. Live in days. | Portable's team researches and develops connectors on your behalf. |
| When an API changes | Agents watch every run and repair breakage. Not your job. | Portable's team troubleshoots and maintains its connectors. |
| Source coverage | Any source: catalog connectors plus agent-built connectors on request. | 1,500+ prebuilt connectors, plus custom development on request. |
| What you get | Accuracy-checked, curated tables you can talk to, refreshed on your schedule. | Data synced to your warehouse, ready for your own modeling and tools. |
| Pricing shape | Per GB ingested. Start small and scale with actual volume. | Flat monthly tiers per enabled data flow, with volume uncapped. |
| Where data lands | Open Iceberg tables in your warehouse or your own S3 bucket. Yours, queryable from any engine. | Supported warehouse destinations. |
Why teams pick Ingest
- Agents build any connector from the API docs, so requests scale without waiting on a human queue.
- You want finished, accuracy-checked tables you can talk to, not just synced rows.
- You want your data in open Iceberg tables you own, queryable from any engine.
- You want to start small: per-GB pricing follows your actual volume.
- Zero engineering on your side, from connector to curated table.
Where Portable fits
- You want a human team building and troubleshooting connectors on your behalf, with premium support.
- Flat per-flow pricing fits: a few high-volume flows where uncapped volume beats usage billing.
- You need frequent syncs across its large long-tail catalog.
Agents do the pipeline work
The goal is any source to any destination, with agents doing the work in between: building the connector, running it, and repairing it. None of it lands on your team.
Built by agents
Point Ingest at the API docs. Agents handle auth, pagination, rate limits, and schema. No SDK, no YAML, no connector code to own.
Live in days
New connectors go from request to production in days, not quarters. The catalog is a head start, never a limit.
Watched every run
Every run is scheduled, monitored, and retried, with volume stats you can see. Silent failures are the old world.
Healed when APIs change
APIs drift. When something breaks, agents repair the connector, with the Ingest team behind them. Breakage is our problem, not yours.
FAQ
How is Ingest different from Portable?
Both build long-tail connectors on request. The differences are who builds (AI agents with the Ingest team behind them), what you get (accuracy-checked curated tables, not just synced rows), where it lands (open Iceberg tables you own), and how you pay (per GB ingested rather than flat tiers per data flow).
Portable lists 1,500+ connectors. Does catalog size matter?
Less than it looks. Once connectors are built on request, the catalog is a head start rather than a boundary, for them and for us. The question becomes what happens after the sync: Ingest builds and accuracy-checks the tables you actually use.
When is flat per-flow pricing better?
If you run a few very high-volume flows around the clock, uncapped flat pricing can win. If you are connecting a growing list of modest sources, paying per GB usually costs less than paying per flow. Neither is universally cheaper; per GB is easier to start small on.
Where does my data live with Ingest?
In your data warehouse, or your own S3 bucket, as clean typed tables in the open Iceberg format. You keep ownership of the data, and curated tables stay refreshed.
See Ingest on your sources
Tell us the first connector you need. If it is not in the catalog, agents will build it.
Early AccessPortable is a trademark of its respective owner. Ingest is not affiliated with or endorsed by Portable. Comparisons reflect public documentation as of August 2026. If something here is out of date, tell us and we will fix it.