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Databases · head to head

Instaclustr vs PlanetScale

Instaclustr logo

Instaclustr

Databases

NetApp-owned managed service for Cassandra, Kafka, OpenSearch, PostgreSQL and Cadence with a bring-your-own-cloud model

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
PlanetScale logo

PlanetScale

Databases

The MySQL-compatible serverless database

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only PlanetScale has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Instaclustr pricing is only obtainable through a configurator or sales conversation, so comparing against AWS MSK or Confluent list prices requires several rounds of quotes rather than a spreadsheet.; PlanetScale pricing varies significantly across 17+ AWS and GCP regions
  • They diverge on capability: Instaclustr covers Unmodified open source, PlanetScale covers Database Branching.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Instaclustr and PlanetScale actually diverge.

Attributes where Instaclustr and PlanetScale differ
AttributeInstaclustrPlanetScale
Starting priceOn requestFree
Pricing modelquoteusage-based
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsCloud, LinuxCloud-hosted (AWS, GCP, Azure)
FoundedUnknown2018

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

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 Instaclustr

  • Unmodified open source
  • Bring your own cloud
  • Multi technology platform
  • 24/7 operations
  • Managed backups
  • Terraform provider
  • SOC 2 and compliance
  • Consulting and support

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.

Instaclustr

  • An enterprise running Cassandra and Kafka that cannot hire and retain specialists for bothnot PlanetScale
  • A company with cloud committed spend that wants managed data infrastructure to draw down that commitment through the bring-your-own-cloud modelnot PlanetScale
  • A team that left Elastic over the licence change and wants OpenSearch operated by someone else without another proprietary forknot PlanetScale
  • An organisation migrating off Amazon MSK or Keyspaces that wants the same open source software with vendor operations but portability intactnot PlanetScale

PlanetScale

  • MySQL-compatible applications requiring horizontal scalingnot Instaclustr
  • PostgreSQL deployments with custom cluster configurationsnot Instaclustr
  • Multi-region database deployments on AWS or GCPnot Instaclustr
  • Applications requiring transparent sharding via Vitessnot Instaclustr

Where each one falls short

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

Instaclustr

  • Pricing is only obtainable through a configurator or sales conversation, so comparing against AWS MSK or Confluent list prices requires several rounds of quotes rather than a spreadsheet.
  • It manages infrastructure, not data modelling, so a poor Cassandra partition key or a mis-sized Kafka topic still causes outages that the managed service will not prevent.
  • NetApp ownership since 2022 has put the roadmap inside a large storage vendor, and the product is now one line in a portfolio rather than the whole company.
  • The catalogue is broad but each technology is served at a general level, so teams needing deep, vendor-specific tuning often find a specialist provider goes further on their one technology.
  • Bring your own cloud reduces lock-in but shifts networking, IAM and VPC peering complexity onto the customer, which needs cloud engineering capacity the managed service was meant to save.

PlanetScale

  • Pricing varies significantly across 17+ AWS and GCP regions
  • Additional costs for EBS storage beyond base tier, backup storage, and egress
  • Dedicated PgBouncer and replicas incur separate charges
  • Metal tier pricing increases sharply with larger configurations

Pricing, plan by plan

Instaclustr

On request
  • Instaclustr Managed Platform$undefined/month
    • Priced per node size, technology, cloud provider and region
    • Interactive calculator requires configuration before a figure appears
    • Discounts on 12 month commitment

PlanetScale

Free
  • Postgres EBS Single-Node (ARM64 PS-5)$5/month
    • 512 MiB RAM
    • Single-node configuration
    • EBS storage included
  • Postgres EBS HA (ARM64 PS-5)$15/month
    • 512 MiB RAM
    • 3-node high-availability setup
    • 1 primary + 2 replicas
  • Postgres Metal (M-10)$50/month
    • 1/8 vCPU, 1 GiB RAM
    • 3-node HA configuration
    • 10 GiB NVMe storage included
  • Vitess Non-Metal 3-Node$39/month
    • Sharding-capable database
    • x86-64 architecture
    • 3-node configuration

Which should you pick?

Choose Instaclustr if

  • You need unmodified open source.
  • You work on Cloud, Linux.
  • You also want bring your own cloud.
Instaclustr review

Choose PlanetScale if

  • You need database branching.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Cloud-hosted (AWS, GCP, Azure).
  • You also want non-blocking schema changes.
PlanetScale review

Questions people ask

Is Instaclustr or PlanetScale better?
Neither clearly leads. Instaclustr starts at On request and PlanetScale at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Instaclustr or PlanetScale?
PlanetScale has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for Instaclustr and Free for PlanetScale.
Does Instaclustr or PlanetScale run on more platforms?
Instaclustr runs on Cloud, Linux. PlanetScale runs on Cloud-hosted (AWS, GCP, Azure).
Can I use PlanetScale for free?
Yes. PlanetScale has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Instaclustr starts at On request.
What is Instaclustr best used for?
Instaclustr is most often used for an enterprise running cassandra and kafka that cannot hire and retain specialists for both, a company with cloud committed spend that wants managed data infrastructure to draw down that commitment through the bring-your-own-cloud model, a team that left elastic over the licence change and wants opensearch operated by someone else without another proprietary fork, an organisation migrating off amazon msk or keyspaces that wants the same open source software with vendor operations but portability intact. Of those, an enterprise running cassandra and kafka that cannot hire and retain specialists for both and a company with cloud committed spend that wants managed data infrastructure to draw down that commitment through the bring-your-own-cloud model are not what PlanetScale is typically brought in for.
What can Instaclustr do that PlanetScale cannot?
Instaclustr covers Unmodified open source, Bring your own cloud, Multi technology platform, 24/7 operations. PlanetScale covers Database Branching, Non-blocking Schema Changes, Insights, Horizontal Scaling.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Instaclustr: Does Instaclustr modify the open source software?

No. Its stated commitment is one hundred per cent open source with no proprietary extensions, which is the main reason licence-averse buyers choose it.

PlanetScale: How much does a PlanetScale Postgres database cost per month?

PlanetScale Postgres pricing starts at $5/month for single-node ARM64 configurations with 512 MiB RAM and $15/month for the same specs in high-availability mode with 1 primary and 2 replicas. Metal tier starts at $50/month for M-10 configuration (1/8 vCPU, 1 GiB RAM). Exact pricing depends on cluster size, node architecture (ARM64 vs x86-64), storage configuration, and selected AWS/GCP region.

Source
Instaclustr: Who owns Instaclustr?

NetApp, which acquired the company in 2022. It is now branded NetApp Instaclustr.

PlanetScale: Is there a free tier for PlanetScale?

PlanetScale offers a free tier for development and testing workloads. After free tier limits are reached, usage-based pricing applies starting at $5/month for the smallest Postgres single-node configuration, with costs scaling based on cluster size, compute, storage, and additional features like dedicated PgBouncer or replicas.

Source
Instaclustr: Is pricing published?

No. There is an interactive calculator, but figures depend on technology, node size, cloud and region, and commitments are negotiated.

PlanetScale: What is the difference between PlanetScale ARM64 and x86-64 pricing?

ARM64 instances cost significantly less than x86-64 equivalents. For example, a Postgres EBS HA cluster with 512 MiB RAM costs $15/month on ARM64 but $39/month on x86-64. This pricing difference extends across all cluster sizes, with larger x86-64 configurations reaching up to $5,599/month compared to ARM64 alternatives.

Source
Instaclustr: Can clusters run in my own cloud account?

Yes, through the bring-your-own-cloud model, so the infrastructure spend also counts toward your cloud commitment.

PlanetScale: What is included in a PlanetScale cluster price versus additional costs?

The advertised cluster price covers the base compute and configured storage. Additional charges apply for EBS storage beyond the base allocation, backup storage, data egress, optional dedicated PgBouncer connections, and replicas beyond the base high-availability configuration. Regional pricing varies across 17+ AWS and GCP zones.

Source
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