Cloud · head to head
Neon vs Zeabur
The short version
- 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; Zeabur free plan limited to single server with 48-hour log retention
- They diverge on capability: Neon covers Serverless PostgreSQL, Zeabur covers AI Agent.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Neon and Zeabur actually diverge.
Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Cloud).
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 Zeabur
- AI Agent
- Managed Servers
- Domain and DNS Management
- Email Service
- AI Hub
- Deploy Templates
- Git Integration
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Neon
- Serverless applicationsnot Zeabur
- Development databasesnot Zeabur
- Preview environmentsnot Zeabur
- Testingnot Zeabur
Zeabur
- Deploying full-stack web applications without DevOps expertisenot Neon
- Building AI agent infrastructure with integrated API accessnot Neon
- Managing multi-region deployments with automated scalingnot Neon
- Running containerized services with built-in domain and emailnot 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
Zeabur
- Free plan limited to single server with 48-hour log retention
- Small team size may limit support and feature velocity
- Building spec upgrades limited on lower tiers
- Enterprise support not clearly documented
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
Zeabur
Free- FreeFree
- 1 manageable server
- 2C4G build specs
- 48-hour log retention
- Dev$5/month
- 3 manageable servers
- 7-day log retention
- 250 MB file uploads
- Pro$19/month
- 10 manageable servers
- 4C8G build specs
- 30-day log retention
- Team$79/month
- 3 included seats
- Unlimited manageable servers
- 90-day log retention
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.
Choose Zeabur if
- You need ai agent.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, CLI.
- You also want managed servers.
Questions people ask
- Is Neon or Zeabur better?
- Neither clearly leads. Neon starts at Free and Zeabur at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Neon or Zeabur?
- Neon starts at Free and Zeabur at Free.
- Does Neon or Zeabur run on more platforms?
- Neon runs on Cloud. Zeabur runs on Web, CLI.
- Can I use Neon for free?
- Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
- 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 Zeabur is typically brought in for.
- What can Neon do that Zeabur cannot?
- Neon covers Serverless PostgreSQL, Database Branching, Autoscaling, Bottomless Storage. Zeabur covers AI Agent, Managed Servers, Domain and DNS Management, Email Service.
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.
SourceZeabur: What is included in the free plan?
The free plan includes 1 manageable server, 2C4G build specifications, 48-hour log retention, 50 MB file upload limit, and community support.
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.
SourceZeabur: How do additional seats work on the Team plan?
The Team plan includes 3 seats with additional seats available at $24 per seat per month.
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.
SourceZeabur: Is there a free trial period?
The Dev and Pro plans include 14 days free before billing begins.
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.
SourceRelated pages
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- Zeabur vs Fly.io
- Zeabur vs Anyscale
- Zeabur vs Fireworks AI
- Zeabur vs Podman
- Zeabur vs Railway
- Zeabur vs Render
- Zeabur vs Vault
- Zeabur vs Wiz
- Zeabur vs Beam Cloud
- Zeabur vs Cerebrium
- Zeabur vs DeepInfra
- Zeabur vs Go
- Zeabur vs Azure Functions
- Zeabur vs Caddy


