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Software · head to head

Azure Monitor vs PlanetScale

Azure Monitor logo

Azure Monitor

Software

Azure's Monitoring and Diagnostics Service

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
PlanetScale logo

PlanetScale

Software

The MySQL-compatible serverless database

From
$15/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Azure Monitor has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Azure Monitor billed per GB ingested across three separate log plans, Auxiliary, Basic and Analytics, so the plan chosen changes the rate as much as the volume does; PlanetScale eBS High Availability requires 3-node configuration with replication overhead
  • They diverge on capability: Azure Monitor covers Log collection, PlanetScale covers Database Branching.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Azure Monitor and PlanetScale actually diverge.

Attributes where Azure Monitor and PlanetScale differ
AttributeAzure MonitorPlanetScale
Starting priceFree$15/month
Pricing modelusage-basedsubscription
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWeb, ApiCloud-hosted (AWS, GCP, Azure)
Founded20102018

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 Azure Monitor

  • Log collection
  • Metrics collection
  • Alerts and notifications
  • Custom dashboards
  • API
  • Webhooks
  • REST
  • Api support

Only in PlanetScale

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

Both cover

  • Web support

What people use each for

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

Azure Monitor

  • Collecting logs and metrics from Azure resourcesnot PlanetScale
  • Alerting on metric thresholds and log queriesnot PlanetScale
  • Application performance monitoring through Application Insightsnot PlanetScale
  • Long-term log retention for compliancenot PlanetScale
  • Querying operational data with KQLnot PlanetScale

PlanetScale

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

Where each one falls short

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

Azure Monitor

  • Billed per GB ingested across three separate log plans, Auxiliary, Basic and Analytics, so the plan chosen changes the rate as much as the volume does
  • Only the first 5 GB a month of Analytics logs is free per billing account
  • Retention beyond the base period is charged per GB per month, up to 2 years interactive and 12 years long term
  • Log queries and search jobs are billed per GB scanned, so investigating an incident costs money
  • Alert rules are billed per time series for metrics and by execution frequency for logs
  • The pricing page shows placeholders rather than rates until a region and currency are chosen

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

Azure Monitor

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Log collection
    • Metrics collection
    • Alerts and notifications

PlanetScale

$15/month

No published plan breakdown. See the PlanetScale review.

Which should you pick?

Choose Azure Monitor if

  • You need log collection.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Api.
  • You also want metrics collection.
Azure Monitor 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 Azure Monitor or PlanetScale better?
Neither clearly leads. Azure Monitor 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, Azure Monitor or PlanetScale?
Azure Monitor has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Azure Monitor and $15/month for PlanetScale.
Does Azure Monitor or PlanetScale run on more platforms?
Azure Monitor runs on Web, Api. PlanetScale runs on Cloud-hosted (AWS, GCP, Azure).
Can I use Azure Monitor for free?
Yes. Azure Monitor has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. PlanetScale starts at $15/month.
What is Azure Monitor best used for?
Azure Monitor is most often used for collecting logs and metrics from azure resources, alerting on metric thresholds and log queries, application performance monitoring through application insights, long-term log retention for compliance. Of those, collecting logs and metrics from azure resources and alerting on metric thresholds and log queries are not what PlanetScale is typically brought in for.
What can Azure Monitor do that PlanetScale cannot?
Azure Monitor covers Log collection, Metrics collection, Alerts and notifications, Custom dashboards. PlanetScale covers Database Branching, Non-blocking Schema Changes, Insights, Horizontal Scaling. Both handle Web support.
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