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Database & Data Management · head to head

PlanetScale vs Pulumi

PlanetScale logo

PlanetScale

Database & Data Management

The MySQL-compatible serverless database

From
$15/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Pulumi logo

Pulumi

Cloud & Infrastructure

Modern infrastructure as code using programming languages

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Pulumi 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; Pulumi the free Individual plan allows one user and one concurrent stack update
  • They diverge on capability: PlanetScale covers Database Branching, Pulumi covers Multi-language support.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which PlanetScale and Pulumi actually diverge.

Attributes where PlanetScale and Pulumi differ
AttributePlanetScalePulumi
Starting price$15/monthFree
Pricing modelsubscriptionfreemium
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsCloud-hosted (AWS, GCP, Azure)Linux, Windows, Mac, Api
CategoryDatabase & Data ManagementCloud & Infrastructure
Founded20182017

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 PlanetScale

  • Database Branching
  • Non-blocking Schema Changes
  • Insights
  • Horizontal Scaling
  • Connection Pooling
  • Query Caching
  • Automatic Backups
  • Global Replication

Only in Pulumi

  • Multi-language support
  • Multi-cloud
  • State management
  • Secrets management
  • RBAC
  • Stacks
  • Automation API
  • Policy as Code

Both cover

  • Cloud deployment

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 Pulumi
  • Vitess-based sharding for horizontal scaling across large datasetsnot Pulumi
  • Cloud provider flexibility across AWS, GCP, Azure with 60+ regionsnot Pulumi
  • Cost-effective database clusters using ARM64 architecture optionsnot Pulumi

Pulumi

  • Defining cloud infrastructure as code in TypeScript, Python, Go, C# or Java rather than a DSLnot PlanetScale
  • Managing Pulumi state and secrets in a hosted backend instead of self-managed storagenot PlanetScale
  • Policy, drift detection and deployment workflows for platform engineering teamsnot 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

Pulumi

  • The free Individual plan allows one user and one concurrent stack update
  • The Team plan is $40 per month base including 40 credits, and caps the organisation at 10 users
  • SAML/SSO, RBAC, audit logs and drift detection require the Enterprise plan at $400 per month base
  • The per-resource rate rises from $0.1825 per resource per month on Team to $0.365 on Enterprise, so upgrading raises the unit price as well as the base fee
  • Managed secrets are billed separately at $0.50 per secret per month on Team and $0.75 on Enterprise
  • Self-hosting, SCIM user sync, audit log export and 24x7 support are only in Business Critical, which is custom priced with no published rate
  • Team includes up to 500 resources and Enterprise up to 2,000, with everything beyond billed on demand as credits

Pricing, plan by plan

PlanetScale

$15/month

No published plan breakdown. See the PlanetScale review.

Pulumi

Free
  • Pulumi CommunityFree
    • Open source
    • Community support
    • Self-hosted
  • Pulumi Cloud$10/month
    • Hosted backend
    • Team collaboration
    • RBAC

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.
PlanetScale review

Choose Pulumi if

  • You need multi-language support.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Linux, Windows, Mac, Api.
  • You also want multi-cloud.
Pulumi review

Questions people ask

Is PlanetScale or Pulumi better?
Neither clearly leads. PlanetScale starts at $15/month and Pulumi at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, PlanetScale or Pulumi?
Pulumi has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $15/month for PlanetScale and Free for Pulumi.
Does PlanetScale or Pulumi run on more platforms?
PlanetScale runs on Cloud-hosted (AWS, GCP, Azure). Pulumi runs on Linux, Windows, Mac, Api.
Can I use Pulumi for free?
Yes. Pulumi 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 Pulumi is typically brought in for.
What can PlanetScale do that Pulumi cannot?
PlanetScale covers Database Branching, Non-blocking Schema Changes, Insights, Horizontal Scaling. Pulumi covers Multi-language support, Multi-cloud, State management, Secrets management. Both handle Cloud deployment.
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