Developer Tools · head to head
Earthly vs Postgres
Postgres
Technology
The world's most advanced open source database
- From
- Free
- Free plan
- Yes
The short version
- Each has a real cost: Earthly pricing model not published; requires sales contact; Postgres each major version is supported for only 5 years after its initial release, after which it is end-of-life
- They diverge on capability: Earthly covers Policy as code, Postgres covers ACID compliance.
- Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Earthly and Postgres actually diverge.
Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated).
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 Earthly
- Policy as code
- Multi-stage enforcement
- AI agent governance
- Repository-wide policies
- Incident response automation
- Compliance management
- Earthfiles build tool
- Satellites
Only in Postgres
- ACID compliance
- Complex queries
- Foreign keys
- Triggers
- Views
- Stored procedures
- JSON/JSONB support
- Full-text search
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Earthly
- Enforcing engineering standards across AI and human developersnot Postgres
- Automating incident response procedures across all repositoriesnot Postgres
- Embedding compliance requirements into development workflowsnot Postgres
- Standardizing build processes with Earthfilesnot Postgres
Postgres
- Running a general purpose relational database for applicationsnot Earthly
- Self-hosting an open source SQL database with no licence feenot Earthly
- Workloads needing extensions, JSON and full text search in one enginenot Earthly
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Earthly
- Pricing model not published; requires sales contact
- Earthly Lunar is a recent launch (2025) with limited track record
- Primarily GitHub-focused; limited integration with other platforms
- No public documentation on pricing or feature tiers
Postgres
- Each major version is supported for only 5 years after its initial release, after which it is end-of-life
- Major version upgrades break on-disk compatibility and require a full dump and reload or the pg_upgrade tool
- New major versions ship about once a year, so staying supported means a disruptive upgrade cycle
- Minor releases contain only frequently-encountered bug fixes, low-risk fixes, security issues and data corruption fixes, so feature gaps are not addressed within a major version
- There is no vendor SLA; commercial support must be bought separately from third party professional services listed by the project
Pricing, plan by plan
Earthly
FreeNo published plan breakdown. See the Earthly review.
Postgres
Free- Community EditionFree
- Full database features
- No limitations
- Community support
Which should you pick?
Choose Earthly if
- You need policy as code.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, CLI.
- You also want multi-stage enforcement.
Choose Postgres if
- You need acid compliance.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Linux, Windows, Macos, Docker.
- You also want complex queries.
Questions people ask
- Is Earthly or Postgres better?
- Neither clearly leads. Earthly starts at Free and Postgres at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Earthly or Postgres?
- Earthly starts at Free and Postgres at Free.
- Does Earthly or Postgres run on more platforms?
- Earthly runs on Web, CLI. Postgres runs on Linux, Windows, Macos, Docker.
- Can I use Earthly for free?
- Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
- What is Earthly best used for?
- Earthly is most often used for enforcing engineering standards across ai and human developers, automating incident response procedures across all repositories, embedding compliance requirements into development workflows, standardizing build processes with earthfiles. Of those, enforcing engineering standards across ai and human developers and automating incident response procedures across all repositories are not what Postgres is typically brought in for.
- What can Earthly do that Postgres cannot?
- Earthly covers Policy as code, Multi-stage enforcement, AI agent governance, Repository-wide policies. Postgres covers ACID compliance, Complex queries, Foreign keys, Triggers.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
Earthly: What is the difference between Earthfiles and Earthly Lunar?
Earthfiles is an open-source build tool that reached 12,000 GitHub stars and is used by companies like NVIDIA, Intel, and Databricks. Earthly Lunar is a separate governance platform launched in 2025 for enforcing standards across development workflows.
SourcePostgres: How much does PostgreSQL cost to use?
PostgreSQL is completely free to download, install, and use. No licensing fees, subscription costs, or per-seat charges apply. The database is open source under the PostgreSQL License. Source: https://www.postgresql.org
SourceEarthly: How does Earthly Lunar enforce standards?
Lunar converts engineering standards, compliance requirements, and processes documented in AGENTS.md files, wikis, and incident postmortems into enforceable guardrails that apply consistently across repositories and development stages.
SourcePostgres: Are there commercial PostgreSQL support options available?
Official PostgreSQL (the project) is free. Commercial PostgreSQL services such as hosting, professional support, training, and managed database services are offered by third-party vendors, not the PostgreSQL project itself. Source: https://www.postgresql.org
SourceEarthly: What is the pricing for Earthly Lunar?
Pricing is not published on the website. Interested customers should contact Earthly's sales team for current pricing and feature tiers.
SourcePostgres: Do I need a license to use PostgreSQL commercially?
No. PostgreSQL is open source under the PostgreSQL License, which permits free commercial use without royalties, licensing fees, or support obligations. Source: https://www.postgresql.org
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