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PlanetScale vs RavenDB

PlanetScale logo

PlanetScale

Software

The MySQL-compatible serverless database

From
$15/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
RavenDB logo

RavenDB

Software

The fully transactional NoSQL document database

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only RavenDB 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; RavenDB the free Developer licence bars commercial use and expires every 6 months, requiring renewal
  • They diverge on capability: PlanetScale covers Database Branching, RavenDB covers ACID Transactions.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which PlanetScale and RavenDB actually diverge.

Attributes where PlanetScale and RavenDB differ
AttributePlanetScaleRavenDB
Starting price$15/monthFree
Pricing modelsubscriptionfreemium
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsCloud-hosted (AWS, GCP, Azure)Linux, Windows, Mac, Docker, Web
Founded20182010

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).

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 RavenDB

  • ACID Transactions
  • Auto-indexing
  • Full-text Search
  • Graph Queries
  • Distributed Counters
  • Time Series
  • Document Compression
  • .NET

Both cover

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

RavenDB

  • Running a distributed document database with ACID transactionsnot PlanetScale
  • Self hosting a multi node database cluster on your own hardwarenot PlanetScale
  • Replicating operational data out to analytics systems through ETLnot 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

RavenDB

  • The free Developer licence bars commercial use and expires every 6 months, requiring renewal
  • The free Community licence caps a customer at 60 cores and forces you to stay on the latest major version
  • The Professional licence is limited to a single database, a 5 node cluster, 40 cores and 240 GB RAM
  • Sharding across nodes, ETL to OLAP, Elasticsearch and Kafka, and data archival are Enterprise only
  • Enterprise and AI licence pricing is contact us only with no published rate

Pricing, plan by plan

PlanetScale

$15/month

No published plan breakdown. See the PlanetScale review.

RavenDB

Free
  • CommunityFree
    • 3 cores
    • 6GB RAM
    • Community support
  • Professional$499/year
    • Production use
    • Professional support
    • Advanced 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.
PlanetScale review

Choose RavenDB if

  • You need acid transactions.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Linux, Windows, Mac, Docker, Web.
  • You also want auto-indexing.
RavenDB review

Questions people ask

Is PlanetScale or RavenDB better?
Neither clearly leads. PlanetScale starts at $15/month and RavenDB at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, PlanetScale or RavenDB?
RavenDB has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $15/month for PlanetScale and Free for RavenDB.
Does PlanetScale or RavenDB run on more platforms?
PlanetScale runs on Cloud-hosted (AWS, GCP, Azure). RavenDB runs on Linux, Windows, Mac, Docker, Web.
Can I use RavenDB for free?
Yes. RavenDB 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 RavenDB is typically brought in for.
What can PlanetScale do that RavenDB cannot?
PlanetScale covers Database Branching, Non-blocking Schema Changes, Insights, Horizontal Scaling. RavenDB covers ACID Transactions, Auto-indexing, Full-text Search, Graph Queries. Both handle Node.js, Web support.
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