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Database & Data Management · head to head

PlanetScale vs Vitess

PlanetScale logo

PlanetScale

Database & Data Management

The MySQL-compatible serverless database

From
$15/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Vitess logo

Vitess

Database & Data Management

Scalable database clustering system for horizontal scaling of MySQL

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Vitess 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; Vitess vTGate scatter queries without sharding key incur significant performance penalties
  • They diverge on capability: PlanetScale covers Database Branching, Vitess covers Horizontal Sharding.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which PlanetScale and Vitess actually diverge.

Attributes where PlanetScale and Vitess differ
AttributePlanetScaleVitess
Starting price$15/monthFree
Pricing modelsubscriptionUnknown
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsCloud-hosted (AWS, GCP, Azure)Linux, macOS, Docker, Kubernetes
Founded20182010

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
  • Query Caching
  • Automatic Backups
  • Global Replication
  • Prisma

Only in Vitess

  • Horizontal Sharding
  • Query Routing
  • Online Schema Changes
  • Shard Management
  • Replication Management
  • Automated Failover
  • MySQL
  • Kubernetes

Both cover

  • Connection Pooling

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

Vitess

  • Transaction processingnot PlanetScale
  • Data storagenot PlanetScale
  • Application backendnot PlanetScale
  • Reportingnot PlanetScale
  • Data analyticsnot 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

Vitess

  • VTGate scatter queries without sharding key incur significant performance penalties
  • Foreign key constraints not enforced across shards, requiring application-level integrity handling
  • Single primary per keyspace limits multi-region write capabilities
  • Distributed transactions without proper sharding key routing suffer performance degradation

Pricing, plan by plan

PlanetScale

$15/month

No published plan breakdown. See the PlanetScale review.

Vitess

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Vitess review.

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 Vitess if

  • You need horizontal sharding.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Linux, macOS, Docker, Kubernetes.
  • You also want query routing.
Vitess review

Questions people ask

Is PlanetScale or Vitess better?
Neither clearly leads. PlanetScale starts at $15/month and Vitess at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, PlanetScale or Vitess?
Vitess has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $15/month for PlanetScale and Free for Vitess.
Does PlanetScale or Vitess run on more platforms?
PlanetScale runs on Cloud-hosted (AWS, GCP, Azure). Vitess runs on Linux, macOS, Docker, Kubernetes.
Can I use Vitess for free?
Yes. Vitess 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 Vitess is typically brought in for.
What can PlanetScale do that Vitess cannot?
PlanetScale covers Database Branching, Non-blocking Schema Changes, Insights, Horizontal Scaling. Vitess covers Horizontal Sharding, Query Routing, Online Schema Changes, Shard Management. Both handle Connection Pooling.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Vitess: Is Vitess free to use?

Yes. Vitess is completely free and open source under the Apache 2.0 license. It is a graduated CNCF project with no licensing costs or pricing tiers.

Source
Vitess: What databases does Vitess support?

Vitess supports MySQL and MariaDB as backend databases. It acts as a middleware layer that adds sharding and orchestration capabilities on top of these databases.

Source
Vitess: Does Vitess require Kubernetes to run?

No. Vitess can run on Kubernetes using the Vitess Operator, but it can also be deployed on traditional infrastructure. Kubernetes integration is optional and provides additional automation benefits.

Source
Vitess: How does Vitess handle cross-shard transactions?

Vitess supports distributed transactions across shards, but they require queries to be routed through the sharding key. Transactions without a proper sharding key can result in slower performance.

Source
Vitess: Does Vitess enforce foreign key constraints?

Vitess does not enforce foreign key constraints across shards by default. Referential integrity must be managed at the application layer, though per-database support can be enabled with limitations.

Source
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