Database & Data Management · head to head
PlanetScale vs BigQuery
PlanetScale
Database & Data Management
The MySQL-compatible serverless database
- From
- $15/month
- Rated
- -
BigQuery
Database & Data Management
Serverless, highly scalable enterprise data warehouse
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Only BigQuery has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- Each has a real cost: PlanetScale eBS High Availability requires 3-node configuration with replication overhead; BigQuery query costs can become substantial for organizations with high query volumes
- They diverge on capability: PlanetScale covers Database Branching, BigQuery covers Serverless Architecture.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which PlanetScale and BigQuery actually diverge.
| Attribute | PlanetScale | BigQuery |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $15/month | Free |
| Pricing model | subscription | usage-based |
| Free tier | No | Yes |
| Platforms | Cloud-hosted (AWS, GCP, Azure) | Web, Cloud API |
| Founded | 2018 | 2008 |
Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Database & Data Management).
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 PlanetScale
- Database Branching
- Non-blocking Schema Changes
- Insights
- Horizontal Scaling
- Connection Pooling
- Query Caching
- Automatic Backups
- Global Replication
Only in BigQuery
- Serverless Architecture
- Petabyte Scale
- Real-time Analytics
- Machine Learning
- Geospatial Analysis
- Streaming Ingestion
- Standard SQL
- Looker
Both cover
- Web support
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
PlanetScale
- MySQL database hosting with automatic failover and replicationnot BigQuery
- Vitess-based sharding for horizontal scaling across large datasetsnot BigQuery
- Cloud provider flexibility across AWS, GCP, Azure with 60+ regionsnot BigQuery
- Cost-effective database clusters using ARM64 architecture optionsnot BigQuery
BigQuery
- Business intelligencenot PlanetScale
- Data warehousingnot PlanetScale
- Real-time analyticsnot PlanetScale
- Reportingnot PlanetScale
- Machine learningnot PlanetScale
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
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
BigQuery
- Query costs can become substantial for organizations with high query volumes
- Data egress from Google Cloud incurs additional charges
Pricing, plan by plan
PlanetScale
$15/monthNo published plan breakdown. See the PlanetScale review.
BigQuery
Free- Free TierFree
- 1TB queries/month
- 10GB storage/month
- Standard support
- On-demand$6.25/TB
- Pay per query
- Pay per storage
- All features
Which should you pick?
Choose PlanetScale if
- You need database branching.
- You work on Cloud-hosted (AWS, GCP, Azure).
- You also want non-blocking schema changes.
Choose BigQuery if
- You need serverless architecture.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, Cloud API.
- You also want petabyte scale.
Questions people ask
- Is PlanetScale or BigQuery better?
- Neither clearly leads. PlanetScale starts at $15/month and BigQuery at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, PlanetScale or BigQuery?
- BigQuery has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $15/month for PlanetScale and Free for BigQuery.
- Does PlanetScale or BigQuery run on more platforms?
- PlanetScale runs on Cloud-hosted (AWS, GCP, Azure). BigQuery runs on Web, Cloud API.
- Can I use BigQuery for free?
- Yes. BigQuery has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. PlanetScale starts at $15/month.
- What is PlanetScale best used for?
- PlanetScale is most often used for mysql database hosting with automatic failover and replication, vitess-based sharding for horizontal scaling across large datasets, cloud provider flexibility across aws, gcp, azure with 60+ regions, cost-effective database clusters using arm64 architecture options. Of those, mysql database hosting with automatic failover and replication and vitess-based sharding for horizontal scaling across large datasets are not what BigQuery is typically brought in for.
- What can PlanetScale do that BigQuery cannot?
- PlanetScale covers Database Branching, Non-blocking Schema Changes, Insights, Horizontal Scaling. BigQuery covers Serverless Architecture, Petabyte Scale, Real-time Analytics, Machine Learning. Both handle Web support.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
BigQuery: How is BigQuery priced?
BigQuery charges $5 per terabyte of data processed in on-demand queries. Storage is billed separately: active storage is charged per GB, and data inactive for 90+ days moves to long-term storage at reduced rates.
SourceBigQuery: What is BigQuery's architecture?
BigQuery separates compute and storage, using Google's Colossus for distributed storage and Borg for computation, allowing independent scaling of each.
Source