Is PlanetScale or Remote better?

Neither clearly leads. PlanetScale starts at $15/month and Remote at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.

Which is cheaper, PlanetScale or Remote?

Remote has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $15/month for PlanetScale and Free for Remote.

Does PlanetScale or Remote run on more platforms?

PlanetScale runs on Cloud-hosted (AWS, GCP, Azure). Remote runs on Web, Ios, Android.

Can I use Remote for free?

Yes. Remote 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 Remote is typically brought in for.

What can PlanetScale do that Remote cannot?

PlanetScale covers Database Branching, Non-blocking Schema Changes, Insights, Horizontal Scaling. Remote covers Global Payroll, EOR Services, Contractor Management, Compliance. Both handle Web support.

Database & Data Management · head to head

PlanetScale vs Remote

PlanetScale

Database & Data Management

The MySQL-compatible serverless database

From: $15/month
Rated: -

Full review Website

Remote

Payroll & Benefits

The new standard for global employment

From: Free
Rated: -

Full review Website

The short version

Only Remote 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; Remote employer of Record costs $699 per employee per month, charged per head with no volume tier published
They diverge on capability: PlanetScale covers Database Branching, Remote covers Global Payroll.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which PlanetScale and Remote actually diverge.

Attributes where PlanetScale and Remote differ
Attribute	PlanetScale	Remote
Starting price	$15/month	Free
Free tier	No	Yes
Platforms	Cloud-hosted (AWS, GCP, Azure)	Web, Ios, Android
Category	Database & Data Management	Payroll & Benefits
Founded	2018	2019

Identical on both: pricing model (subscription), 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 Remote

Global Payroll
EOR Services
Contractor Management
Compliance
Benefits
Equity Management
HRIS
BambooHR

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

Remote

Employing staff in countries where you have no legal entity through an employer of recordnot PlanetScale
Paying and managing international contractors with compliant agreementsnot PlanetScale
Running payroll and HR records for a distributed workforcenot 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

Remote

Employer of Record costs $699 per employee per month, charged per head with no volume tier published
Global Payroll carries an implementation fee to set up entities plus a recurring payroll delivery fee on top of the $29 per employee per month rate
Contractor Management Plus is $99 per contractor per month against $29 for the standard tier
The Equity product is limited to Delaware C-Corps
The PEO product bills in USD only and requires a US bank account
Remote states it collects reserve payments in high risk circumstances, so an upfront deposit is possible

Pricing, plan by plan

PlanetScale

$15/month

No published plan breakdown. See the PlanetScale review.

Remote

Free

Contractor Management$29/month
- Contractor Payments
- Compliance
- Contracts
Employer of Record$599/month
- Global Employment
- Payroll
- Benefits

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 Remote if

You need global payroll.
You want to start without paying.
You work on Web, Ios, Android.
You also want eor services.

Remote review

Questions people ask

Is PlanetScale or Remote better?: Neither clearly leads. PlanetScale starts at $15/month and Remote at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, PlanetScale or Remote?: Remote has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $15/month for PlanetScale and Free for Remote.
Does PlanetScale or Remote run on more platforms?: PlanetScale runs on Cloud-hosted (AWS, GCP, Azure). Remote runs on Web, Ios, Android.
Can I use Remote for free?: Yes. Remote 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 Remote is typically brought in for.
What can PlanetScale do that Remote cannot?: PlanetScale covers Database Branching, Non-blocking Schema Changes, Insights, Horizontal Scaling. Remote covers Global Payroll, EOR Services, Contractor Management, Compliance. Both handle Web support.

PlanetScale vs Remote

PlanetScale

Remote

The short version

Where they differ

What each one covers

Only in PlanetScale

Only in Remote

Both cover

What people use each for

PlanetScale

Remote

Where each one falls short

PlanetScale

Remote

Pricing, plan by plan

PlanetScale

Remote

Which should you pick?

Choose PlanetScale if

Choose Remote if

Questions people ask

Related pages

More on PlanetScale

More on Remote

Keep looking

Other head to heads