Softwr

Software · head to head

Amplitude vs PlanetScale

Amplitude logo

Amplitude

Software

The digital analytics platform to understand your users

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
PlanetScale logo

PlanetScale

Software

The MySQL-compatible serverless database

From
$15/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Amplitude has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Amplitude metered on event volume, so instrumenting more of a product raises the bill even if the audience does not grow; PlanetScale eBS High Availability requires 3-node configuration with replication overhead
  • They diverge on capability: Amplitude covers Event tracking, PlanetScale covers Database Branching.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Amplitude and PlanetScale actually diverge.

Attributes where Amplitude and PlanetScale differ
AttributeAmplitudePlanetScale
Starting priceFree$15/month
Pricing modelUnknownsubscription
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWeb, Ios, Android, ApiCloud-hosted (AWS, GCP, Azure)
Founded20122018

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Amplitude

  • Event tracking
  • User segmentation
  • Funnel analysis
  • Retention analysis
  • Cohort analysis
  • A/B testing
  • Revenue analytics
  • Predictive analytics

Only in PlanetScale

  • Database Branching
  • Non-blocking Schema Changes
  • Insights
  • Horizontal Scaling
  • Connection Pooling
  • Query Caching
  • Automatic Backups
  • Global Replication

Both cover

  • SOC2
  • GDPR

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Amplitude

  • User behavior analysisnot PlanetScale
  • Feature adoption trackingnot PlanetScale
  • Conversion rate optimizationnot PlanetScale
  • Customer journey mappingnot PlanetScale
  • Retention improvementnot PlanetScale

PlanetScale

  • MySQL database hosting with automatic failover and replicationnot Amplitude
  • Vitess-based sharding for horizontal scaling across large datasetsnot Amplitude
  • Cloud provider flexibility across AWS, GCP, Azure with 60+ regionsnot Amplitude
  • Cost-effective database clusters using ARM64 architecture optionsnot Amplitude

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Amplitude

  • Metered on event volume, so instrumenting more of a product raises the bill even if the audience does not grow
  • The free plan covers 2M events a month
  • The Plus plan scales to 70M events, above which pricing is custom
  • Growth and Enterprise pricing is not published

PlanetScale

  • EBS High Availability requires 3-node configuration with replication overhead
  • EBS Non-HA single-node option lacks redundancy and automatic failover
  • Pricing varies by cloud provider and region, requiring queries for specific rates
  • ARM64 architecture only available on EBS tier, not Metal deployments

Pricing, plan by plan

Amplitude

Free
  • StarterFree
    • 2 million events per month
  • Plus$49/month
    • $0.049 per MTU
    • Up to 300k MTUs
    • Advanced analytics
  • GrowthFree
    • Causal insights
    • Feature experimentation
    • Real-time streaming
  • EnterpriseFree
    • Cross-product analysis
    • Advanced permissions
    • Dedicated account manager

PlanetScale

$15/month

No published plan breakdown. See the PlanetScale review.

Which should you pick?

Choose Amplitude if

  • You need event tracking.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android, Api.
  • You also want user segmentation.
Amplitude review

Choose PlanetScale if

  • You need database branching.
  • You work on Cloud-hosted (AWS, GCP, Azure).
  • You also want non-blocking schema changes.
PlanetScale review

Questions people ask

Is Amplitude or PlanetScale better?
Neither clearly leads. Amplitude starts at Free and PlanetScale at $15/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Amplitude or PlanetScale?
Amplitude has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Amplitude and $15/month for PlanetScale.
Does Amplitude or PlanetScale run on more platforms?
Amplitude runs on Web, Ios, Android, Api. PlanetScale runs on Cloud-hosted (AWS, GCP, Azure).
Can I use Amplitude for free?
Yes. Amplitude has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. PlanetScale starts at $15/month.
What is Amplitude best used for?
Amplitude is most often used for user behavior analysis, feature adoption tracking, conversion rate optimization, customer journey mapping. Of those, user behavior analysis and feature adoption tracking are not what PlanetScale is typically brought in for.
What can Amplitude do that PlanetScale cannot?
Amplitude covers Event tracking, User segmentation, Funnel analysis, Retention analysis. PlanetScale covers Database Branching, Non-blocking Schema Changes, Insights, Horizontal Scaling. Both handle SOC2, GDPR.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Amplitude: Does Amplitude have a free plan?

Yes, Amplitude offers a free Starter plan with 2 million events per month and access to the entire platform including analytics, session replay, and experimentation features.

Source
Amplitude: What is Amplitude's pricing based on?

Amplitude's pricing is based on the number of monthly tracked users (MTUs), data volume, and advanced features selected. The Plus plan starts at $49 per month with a rate of $0.049 per MTU.

Source
Amplitude: What analytics features does every Amplitude plan include?

Every plan includes access to the full platform: analytics, session replay, feature experimentation, web experimentation, guides and surveys, activation, and AI tools like AI Feedback and AI Assistant.

Source
ShareXLinkedInRedditWhatsAppEmail

Related pages

More on Amplitude

More on PlanetScale

Keep looking

Other head to heads