Choosing an ETL Tool in 2026

The founder of Dark Seahorses, a data engineering agency for small businesses, analyzes the 2026 ETL landscape. They argue that AI-assisted programming and the proliferation of APIs are driving demand for more customized ETL solutions, moving away from centralized connector platforms. Their strategy combines open-source tools with serverless architectures (e.g., AWS Lambda) to deliver scalable, cost-effective custom ETL pipelines.