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Software · head to head

Cloudinary vs PlanetScale

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Cloudinary

Software

Image and video API for developers

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
PlanetScale logo

PlanetScale

Software

The MySQL-compatible serverless database

From
$15/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Cloudinary has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Cloudinary paid plans jump from a free tier straight to $224 per month, with usage priced on transformations, storage, and bandwidth credits that consume quickly at scale; PlanetScale eBS High Availability requires 3-node configuration with replication overhead

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Cloudinary and PlanetScale actually diverge.

Attributes where Cloudinary and PlanetScale differ
AttributeCloudinaryPlanetScale
Starting priceFree$15/month
Pricing modelfreemiumsubscription
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWebCloud-hosted (AWS, GCP, Azure)
FoundedUnknown2018

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 Cloudinary

Nothing recorded that PlanetScale does not also cover.

Only in PlanetScale

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

What people use each for

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

Cloudinary

No use cases recorded yet. See the Cloudinary review.

PlanetScale

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

Where each one falls short

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

Cloudinary

  • Paid plans jump from a free tier straight to $224 per month, with usage priced on transformations, storage, and bandwidth credits that consume quickly at scale

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

Cloudinary

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Cloudinary review.

PlanetScale

$15/month

No published plan breakdown. See the PlanetScale review.

Which should you pick?

Choose Cloudinary if

  • You want to start without paying.
Cloudinary 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 Cloudinary or PlanetScale better?
Neither clearly leads. Cloudinary 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, Cloudinary or PlanetScale?
Cloudinary has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Cloudinary and $15/month for PlanetScale.
Does Cloudinary or PlanetScale run on more platforms?
Cloudinary runs on Web. PlanetScale runs on Cloud-hosted (AWS, GCP, Azure).
Can I use Cloudinary for free?
Yes. Cloudinary has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. PlanetScale starts at $15/month.
What can Cloudinary do that PlanetScale cannot?
PlanetScale covers Database Branching, Non-blocking Schema Changes, Insights, Horizontal Scaling.
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