diff --git a/lib/pgsync/client.rb b/lib/pgsync/client.rb
index 56997f9c..dca6019d 100644
--- a/lib/pgsync/client.rb
+++ b/lib/pgsync/client.rb
@@ -62,6 +62,7 @@ def slop_options
       o.boolean "--defer-constraints-v2", "defer constraints", default: false
       o.boolean "--disable-integrity", "disable foreign key triggers", default: false
       o.integer "-j", "--jobs", "number of tables to sync at a time"
+      o.integer "--throttle-bytes-per-second", "limit the sync to roughly this many bytes per second"
 
       # replaced by v2
       o.boolean "--defer-constraints", "defer constraints", default: false, help: false
diff --git a/lib/pgsync/task.rb b/lib/pgsync/task.rb
index 4776d48c..bcd5157e 100644
--- a/lib/pgsync/task.rb
+++ b/lib/pgsync/task.rb
@@ -213,11 +213,17 @@ def copy(source_command, dest_table:, dest_fields:)
 
       source.log_sql(source_command)
       destination.log_sql(destination_command)
+      bytes_count = 0
+      start_time = Process.clock_gettime(Process::CLOCK_MONOTONIC)
 
       destination.conn.copy_data(destination_command) do
         source.conn.copy_data(source_command) do
           while (row = source.conn.get_copy_data)
+            while opts[:throttle_bytes_per_second] && (bytes_count / (Process.clock_gettime(Process::CLOCK_MONOTONIC) - start_time)) > opts[:throttle_bytes_per_second]
+              sleep(0.01)
+            end
             destination.conn.put_copy_data(row)
+            bytes_count += row.bytesize
           end
         end
       end