Cloud & Infrastructure · head to head
Neon vs PlanetScale
PlanetScale
Database & Data Management
The MySQL-compatible serverless database
- From
- $15/month
- Rated
- -
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; PlanetScale eBS High Availability requires 3-node configuration with replication overhead
- They diverge on capability: Neon covers Serverless PostgreSQL, PlanetScale covers Non-blocking Schema Changes.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Neon and PlanetScale actually diverge.
| Attribute | Neon | PlanetScale |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | Free | $15/month |
| Pricing model | Unknown | subscription |
| Free tier | Yes | No |
| Platforms | Cloud | Cloud-hosted (AWS, GCP, Azure) |
| Category | Cloud & Infrastructure | Database & Data Management |
| Founded | 2021 | 2018 |
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
- Autoscaling
- Bottomless Storage
- Point-in-time Recovery
- Read Replicas
- Instant Cloning
- Drizzle
- Data Encryption
Only in PlanetScale
- Non-blocking Schema Changes
- Insights
- Horizontal Scaling
- Query Caching
- Automatic Backups
- Global Replication
- Laravel
- Encryption at Rest
Both cover
- Database Branching
- Connection Pooling
- Vercel
- Prisma
- Django
- Rails
- Node.js
- SOC2
- GDPR
- TLS
- Cloud deployment
- Web support
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Neon
- Serverless applicationsnot PlanetScale
- Development databasesnot PlanetScale
- Preview environmentsnot PlanetScale
- Testingnot PlanetScale
PlanetScale
- MySQL database hosting with automatic failover and replicationnot Neon
- Vitess-based sharding for horizontal scaling across large datasetsnot Neon
- Cloud provider flexibility across AWS, GCP, Azure with 60+ regionsnot Neon
- Cost-effective database clusters using ARM64 architecture optionsnot Neon
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
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
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
PlanetScale
$15/monthNo published plan breakdown. See the PlanetScale 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 autoscaling.
Choose PlanetScale if
- You need non-blocking schema changes.
- You work on Cloud-hosted (AWS, GCP, Azure).
- You also want insights.
Questions people ask
- Is Neon or PlanetScale better?
- Neither clearly leads. Neon 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, Neon or PlanetScale?
- Neon has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Neon and $15/month for PlanetScale.
- Does Neon or PlanetScale run on more platforms?
- Neon runs on Cloud. PlanetScale runs on Cloud-hosted (AWS, GCP, Azure).
- Can I use Neon for free?
- Yes. Neon has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. PlanetScale starts at $15/month.
- 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 PlanetScale is typically brought in for.
- What can Neon do that PlanetScale cannot?
- Neon covers Serverless PostgreSQL, Autoscaling, Bottomless Storage, Point-in-time Recovery. PlanetScale covers Non-blocking Schema Changes, Insights, Horizontal Scaling, Query Caching. Both handle Database Branching, Connection Pooling, Vercel, Prisma.
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.
SourceNeon: 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.
SourceNeon: 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.
SourceNeon: 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.
SourceNeon: 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