Softwr

Cloud & Infrastructure · head to head

Neon vs pCloud

Neon logo

Neon

Cloud & Infrastructure

Serverless Postgres for modern developers

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
pCloud logo

pCloud

File Storage & Backup

Prices are final. No setup fees or other hidden charges

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Neon has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Neon compute pricing at $0.106-$0.222/CU-hour means costs scale directly with workload, unlike fixed-price alternatives; pCloud headline lifetime prices are discounted promotional prices; the Premium 500GB lifetime plan is listed at $299 struck through down to $199, and Ultra 10TB at $1,890 down to $1,190, so the full non-promotional price is materially higher

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Neon and pCloud actually diverge.

Attributes where Neon and pCloud differ
AttributeNeonpCloud
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelUnknownone-time
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsCloudWeb
CategoryCloud & InfrastructureFile Storage & Backup
Founded2021Unknown

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 Neon

  • Serverless PostgreSQL
  • Database Branching
  • Autoscaling
  • Bottomless Storage
  • Point-in-time Recovery
  • Connection Pooling
  • Read Replicas
  • Instant Cloning

Only in pCloud

Nothing recorded that Neon does not also cover.

What people use each for

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

Neon

  • Serverless applicationsnot pCloud
  • Development databasesnot pCloud
  • Preview environmentsnot pCloud
  • Testingnot pCloud

pCloud

No use cases recorded yet. See the pCloud review.

Where each one falls short

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

Neon

  • Compute pricing at $0.106-$0.222/CU-hour means costs scale directly with workload, unlike fixed-price alternatives
  • Separation of compute and storage may add complexity to cost prediction compared to all-in-one plans

pCloud

  • Headline lifetime prices are discounted promotional prices; the Premium 500GB lifetime plan is listed at $299 struck through down to $199, and Ultra 10TB at $1,890 down to $1,190, so the full non-promotional price is materially higher
  • Ultra 10TB plan's download link traffic is capped at 2TB, the same limit as the much smaller Premium Plus 2TB plan, despite the 5x storage difference

Pricing, plan by plan

Neon

Free
  • FreeFree
    • 100 CU-hours/month
    • 0.5 GB storage
    • 1 project
  • Launch$15/month
    • Pay-as-you-go compute
    • $0.35/GB storage
    • Multiple projects
  • Scale$31/month
    • Higher compute rates
    • 99.95% SLA
    • HIPAA compliance

pCloud

On request

No published plan breakdown. See the pCloud review.

Which should you pick?

Choose Neon if

  • You need serverless postgresql.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Cloud.
  • You also want database branching.
Neon review

Choose pCloud if

Nothing in the data separates pCloud from Neon on the points above - pick on price and on how each one feels to use.

pCloud review

Questions people ask

Is Neon or pCloud better?
Neither clearly leads. Neon starts at Free and pCloud at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Neon or pCloud?
Neon has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Neon and On request for pCloud.
Does Neon or pCloud run on more platforms?
Neon runs on Cloud. pCloud runs on Web.
Can I use Neon for free?
Yes. Neon has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. pCloud starts at On request.
What is Neon best used for?
Neon is most often used for serverless applications, development databases, preview environments, testing. Of those, serverless applications and development databases are not what pCloud is typically brought in for.
What can Neon do that pCloud cannot?
Neon covers Serverless PostgreSQL, Database Branching, Autoscaling, Bottomless Storage.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Neon: What is Neon and what makes it different?

Neon is a serverless PostgreSQL database that separates compute and storage, enabling automatic scaling and instant database branching. After acquisition by Databricks in May 2025, pricing has been significantly reduced.

Source
Neon: Does Neon offer a free tier?

Yes, Neon's free tier includes 100 compute units per month and 0.5 GB of storage. This is suitable for development and small projects.

Source
Neon: What are the paid plans and pricing for Neon?

Neon offers consumption-based pricing on Launch ($0.106/CU-hour, approximately $15/month) and Scale ($0.222/CU-hour, approximately $31/month) plans with separate storage billing at $0.35/GB-month. No monthly minimum required.

Source
Neon: What features does Neon provide?

Neon includes git-like branching for database copies, point-in-time recovery, data anonymization for testing, managed authentication, serverless functions, and object storage that branches with projects.

Source
Neon: What compliance and reliability guarantees does Neon provide?

Neon's Scale tier offers 99.95% uptime SLA, HIPAA compliance, SOC2 certification, and private networking via PrivateLink at no extra cost.

Source
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