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PlanetScale vs Vultr

PlanetScale logo

PlanetScale

Software

The MySQL-compatible serverless database

From
$15/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Vultr logo

Vultr

Software

High performance cloud compute

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Vultr 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; Vultr vultr Cloud Compute pricing as captured 31 December 2022 started at $5/month (1 vCPU, 1GB RAM, 25GB storage, 1TB transfer), scaling to $10/month and $20/month with more vCPU/RAM/storage; bandwidth overage billed at $0.01 to $0.05 per GB depending on plan
  • They diverge on capability: PlanetScale covers Database Branching, Vultr covers Cloud servers.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which PlanetScale and Vultr actually diverge.

Attributes where PlanetScale and Vultr differ
AttributePlanetScaleVultr
Starting price$15/monthFree
Pricing modelsubscriptionusage-based
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsCloud-hosted (AWS, GCP, Azure)Web, Api, Cli
Founded20182014

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 Vultr

  • Cloud servers
  • Bare metal servers
  • Block storage
  • Object storage
  • Load balancers
  • Kubernetes
  • Firewalls
  • Private networks

Both cover

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

Vultr

  • High performance computingnot PlanetScale
  • Game serversnot PlanetScale
  • Streamingnot PlanetScale
  • Database hostingnot PlanetScale
  • Application serversnot 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

Vultr

  • Vultr Cloud Compute pricing as captured 31 December 2022 started at $5/month (1 vCPU, 1GB RAM, 25GB storage, 1TB transfer), scaling to $10/month and $20/month with more vCPU/RAM/storage; bandwidth overage billed at $0.01 to $0.05 per GB depending on plan

Pricing, plan by plan

PlanetScale

$15/month

No published plan breakdown. See the PlanetScale review.

Vultr

Free
  • Cloud Compute$2.5/month
    • 512MB RAM
    • 10GB SSD
    • 500GB bandwidth
  • Bare Metal$32/month
    • Dedicated hardware
    • High performance
    • Full root access

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 Vultr if

  • You need cloud servers.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Api, Cli.
  • You also want bare metal servers.
Vultr review

Questions people ask

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