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Vitess vs PlanetScale

Vitess logo

Vitess

Software

Scalable database clustering system for horizontal scaling of MySQL

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
PlanetScale logo

PlanetScale

Software

The MySQL-compatible serverless database

From
$15/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Vitess has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Vitess vTGate scatter queries without sharding key incur significant performance penalties; PlanetScale eBS High Availability requires 3-node configuration with replication overhead
  • They diverge on capability: Vitess covers Horizontal Sharding, PlanetScale covers Database Branching.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Vitess and PlanetScale actually diverge.

Attributes where Vitess and PlanetScale differ
AttributeVitessPlanetScale
Starting priceFree$15/month
Pricing modelUnknownsubscription
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsLinux, macOS, Docker, KubernetesCloud-hosted (AWS, GCP, Azure)
Founded20102018

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 Vitess

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

Only in PlanetScale

  • Database Branching
  • Non-blocking Schema Changes
  • Insights
  • Horizontal Scaling
  • Query Caching
  • Automatic Backups
  • Global Replication
  • Prisma

Both cover

  • Connection Pooling

What people use each for

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

Vitess

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

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

Where each one falls short

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

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

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

Pricing, plan by plan

Vitess

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Vitess review.

PlanetScale

$15/month

No published plan breakdown. See the PlanetScale review.

Which should you pick?

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

Choose PlanetScale if

  • You need database branching.
  • You work on Cloud-hosted (AWS, GCP, Azure).
  • You also want non-blocking schema changes.
PlanetScale review

Questions people ask

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