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Technology · head to head

Monday.com vs PlanetScale

Monday.com logo

Monday.com

Technology

A platform built for a new way of working

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
PlanetScale logo

PlanetScale

Database & Data Management

The MySQL-compatible serverless database

From
$15/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Monday.com has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Monday.com expensive at scale with 3-seat minimum and costs increasing quickly with team size; PlanetScale eBS High Availability requires 3-node configuration with replication overhead
  • They diverge on capability: Monday.com covers Customizable workflows, PlanetScale covers Database Branching.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Monday.com and PlanetScale actually diverge.

Attributes where Monday.com and PlanetScale differ
AttributeMonday.comPlanetScale
Starting priceFree$15/month
Pricing modelUnknownsubscription
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWeb, iOS, AndroidCloud-hosted (AWS, GCP, Azure)
CategoryTechnologyDatabase & Data Management
Founded20122018

Identical on both: 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 Monday.com

  • Customizable workflows
  • Multiple views (Kanban, Gantt, Calendar)
  • Automation engine
  • Real-time collaboration
  • Mobile apps
  • Forms
  • Dashboards
  • Workload management

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.

Monday.com

  • Project managementnot PlanetScale
  • Sales CRMnot PlanetScale
  • Marketing campaignsnot PlanetScale
  • HR processesnot PlanetScale
  • IT ticketingnot PlanetScale

PlanetScale

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

Where each one falls short

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

Monday.com

  • Expensive at scale with 3-seat minimum and costs increasing quickly with team size
  • Limited free plan with only 2 users and 3 boards
  • Mobile app provides reduced functionality compared to web version
  • Email CC/BCC limitations for looping in stakeholders without full board access
  • WorkForms can only create new items, not update existing ones

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

Monday.com

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Monday.com review.

PlanetScale

$15/month

No published plan breakdown. See the PlanetScale review.

Which should you pick?

Choose Monday.com if

  • You need customizable workflows.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want multiple views (kanban, gantt, calendar).
Monday.com 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 Monday.com or PlanetScale better?
Neither clearly leads. Monday.com 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, Monday.com or PlanetScale?
Monday.com has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Monday.com and $15/month for PlanetScale.
Does Monday.com or PlanetScale run on more platforms?
Monday.com runs on Web, iOS, Android. PlanetScale runs on Cloud-hosted (AWS, GCP, Azure).
Can I use Monday.com for free?
Yes. Monday.com has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. PlanetScale starts at $15/month.
What is Monday.com best used for?
Monday.com is most often used for project management, sales crm, marketing campaigns, hr processes. Of those, project management and sales crm are not what PlanetScale is typically brought in for.
What can Monday.com do that PlanetScale cannot?
Monday.com covers Customizable workflows, Multiple views (Kanban, Gantt, Calendar), Automation engine, Real-time collaboration. PlanetScale covers Database Branching, Non-blocking Schema Changes, Insights, Horizontal Scaling. Both handle SOC2, GDPR.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Monday.com: Does Monday.com have a free plan?

Yes, Monday.com offers a free plan limited to 2 users and 3 boards. Paid plans start at around $9 per seat per month and require a minimum of 3 seats.

Source
Monday.com: Can I use Monday.com on mobile?

Monday.com is available on iOS and Android, but the mobile app lacks the full depth of the desktop version, making complex board management more difficult on the go.

Source
Monday.com: Does Monday.com support offline work?

Monday.com is primarily a cloud-based platform and does not have robust offline capabilities. You need an internet connection to access and edit boards.

Source
Monday.com: What is Monday.com's pricing based on?

Pricing is based on the number of seats and which product module you choose (Work Management, Sales CRM, Dev, or Service). Each module has different features and pricing.

Source
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Related pages

More on Monday.com

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