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Cloud & Infrastructure · head to head

Tencent Cloud vs Neon

Tencent Cloud logo

Tencent Cloud

Cloud & Infrastructure

Cloud solutions for global enterprises

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Neon logo

Neon

Cloud & Infrastructure

Serverless Postgres for modern developers

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Tencent Cloud standard SA5 2-core instance in Beijing is priced at 1567 CNY per year while an 8-core Standard S6 in Shanghai runs 5719 CNY per year; Neon compute pricing at $0.106-$0.222/CU-hour means costs scale directly with workload, unlike fixed-price alternatives
  • They diverge on capability: Tencent Cloud covers CVM - Cloud Virtual Machines, Neon covers Serverless PostgreSQL.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Tencent Cloud and Neon actually diverge.

Attributes where Tencent Cloud and Neon differ
AttributeTencent CloudNeon
Pricing modelusage-basedUnknown
PlatformsLinux, Windows, Api, CliCloud
Founded20102021

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Cloud & Infrastructure).

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 Tencent Cloud

  • CVM - Cloud Virtual Machines
  • COS - Cloud Object Storage
  • TencentDB
  • SCF - Serverless Computing
  • CDN
  • Load Balancer
  • VPC
  • API Gateway

Only in Neon

  • Serverless PostgreSQL
  • Database Branching
  • Autoscaling
  • Bottomless Storage
  • Point-in-time Recovery
  • Connection Pooling
  • Read Replicas
  • Instant Cloning

Both cover

  • Cloud deployment

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Tencent Cloud

  • Gaming platformsnot Neon
  • Social medianot Neon
  • Video streamingnot Neon
  • Asia-Pacific deploymentnot Neon
  • Mobile applicationsnot Neon

Neon

  • Serverless applicationsnot Tencent Cloud
  • Development databasesnot Tencent Cloud
  • Preview environmentsnot Tencent Cloud
  • Testingnot Tencent Cloud

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Tencent Cloud

  • Standard SA5 2-core instance in Beijing is priced at 1567 CNY per year while an 8-core Standard S6 in Shanghai runs 5719 CNY per year

Neon

  • Compute pricing at $0.106-$0.222/CU-hour means costs scale directly with workload, unlike fixed-price alternatives
  • Separation of compute and storage may add complexity to cost prediction compared to all-in-one plans

Pricing, plan by plan

Tencent Cloud

Free
  • Free TrialFree
    • Free trial credits
    • CVM instances
    • Cloud storage
  • Pay-as-You-GoFree
    • Flexible pricing
    • No long-term contracts
    • Global infrastructure

Neon

Free
  • FreeFree
    • 100 CU-hours/month
    • 0.5 GB storage
    • 1 project
  • Launch$15/month
    • Pay-as-you-go compute
    • $0.35/GB storage
    • Multiple projects
  • Scale$31/month
    • Higher compute rates
    • 99.95% SLA
    • HIPAA compliance

Which should you pick?

Choose Tencent Cloud if

  • You need cvm - cloud virtual machines.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Linux, Windows, Api, Cli.
  • You also want cos - cloud object storage.
Tencent Cloud review

Choose Neon if

  • You need serverless postgresql.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Cloud.
  • You also want database branching.
Neon review

Questions people ask

Is Tencent Cloud or Neon better?
Neither clearly leads. Tencent Cloud starts at Free and Neon at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Tencent Cloud or Neon?
Tencent Cloud starts at Free and Neon at Free.
Does Tencent Cloud or Neon run on more platforms?
Tencent Cloud runs on Linux, Windows, Api, Cli. Neon runs on Cloud.
Can I use Tencent Cloud for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Tencent Cloud best used for?
Tencent Cloud is most often used for gaming platforms, social media, video streaming, asia-pacific deployment. Of those, gaming platforms and social media are not what Neon is typically brought in for.
What can Tencent Cloud do that Neon cannot?
Tencent Cloud covers CVM - Cloud Virtual Machines, COS - Cloud Object Storage, TencentDB, SCF - Serverless Computing. Neon covers Serverless PostgreSQL, Database Branching, Autoscaling, Bottomless Storage. Both handle Cloud deployment.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Neon: What is Neon and what makes it different?

Neon is a serverless PostgreSQL database that separates compute and storage, enabling automatic scaling and instant database branching. After acquisition by Databricks in May 2025, pricing has been significantly reduced.

Source
Neon: Does Neon offer a free tier?

Yes, Neon's free tier includes 100 compute units per month and 0.5 GB of storage. This is suitable for development and small projects.

Source
Neon: What are the paid plans and pricing for Neon?

Neon offers consumption-based pricing on Launch ($0.106/CU-hour, approximately $15/month) and Scale ($0.222/CU-hour, approximately $31/month) plans with separate storage billing at $0.35/GB-month. No monthly minimum required.

Source
Neon: What features does Neon provide?

Neon includes git-like branching for database copies, point-in-time recovery, data anonymization for testing, managed authentication, serverless functions, and object storage that branches with projects.

Source
Neon: What compliance and reliability guarantees does Neon provide?

Neon's Scale tier offers 99.95% uptime SLA, HIPAA compliance, SOC2 certification, and private networking via PrivateLink at no extra cost.

Source
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Related pages

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