Neon vs Appwrite
Neon is a serverless Postgres database platform that separates storage and compute so databases scale to zero when idle, with instant copy-on-write branching for development or testing. Appwrite is an open source backend platform that bundles a database, authentication, file storage, serverless functions, realtime subscriptions and messaging into one self-hostable system, available as Appwrite Cloud or self-hosted. Choose Neon if you want pure, standard Postgres with branching and plan to assemble the rest of your backend yourself; choose Appwrite if you want auth, storage and functions bundled with your database from one provider.
Facts checked on against the official sources listed at the end. Usage numbers update daily.
Best for
Standard Postgres with instant branching, paired with your own backend services
Free plan.
Best for
A full backend platform bundling database, auth, storage and functions
Free plan. Paid from $25 a month per project for the Pro plan.
Neon vs Appwrite at a glance
| Compared on | Neon | Appwrite |
|---|---|---|
| Data model | Relational (Postgres) | Document-oriented database, plus relational-style collections |
| Built-in auth | No; requires a separate auth provider | Yes, included as part of the platform |
| File storage | No; requires a separate object storage service | Yes, built-in file storage |
| Database branching | Instant, copy-on-write branching for full database copies | No built-in equivalent |
| Self-hosting | Not applicable; Neon is a managed service only | Yes, fully self-hostable under BSD-3-Clause |
| Open source | Yes, Apache-2.0 (core storage engine) | Yes, BSD-3-Clause |
| Free plan | Yes: 0.5 GB storage and 100 compute hours a month per project, no credit card required | Yes: 75,000 monthly requests, bandwidth and storage included, unlimited projects |
| Paid plans from | Not listed | $25 a month per project for the Pro plan |
| Made by | Neon, Inc. (a Databricks company) | Appwrite |
| Launched | 2021 | 2019 |
What's the difference between Neon and Appwrite?
Database-only vs full platform
Neon is focused purely on the Postgres database layer, leaving auth, storage and functions to be added separately; Appwrite bundles a database with auth, storage, functions, realtime and messaging into one self-hostable system.
Branching is Neon-specific
Neon's instant, copy-on-write database branching lets you create a full copy of a Postgres database for development or testing in seconds; Appwrite has no direct equivalent for its database.
Self-hosting availability differs
Appwrite is fully self-hostable under a BSD-3-Clause license, giving you full control over where it runs; Neon is a managed service only, with no self-hosted option of its own.
Data model differs
Neon's relational Postgres model suits structured data with joins and transactions; Appwrite's database uses a more document-oriented collection structure, closer to NoSQL conventions, though it shares some relational ideas.
Neon vs Appwrite pricing
Neon has a free plan (0.5 GB storage, 100 compute hours/month) and usage-based Launch and Scale plans billed hourly. Appwrite Cloud has a free plan (75,000 monthly requests) and Pro from $25 a month per project; it's also free to self-host.
Neon
Free: 0.5 GB storage and 100 compute hours a month per project. Launch and Scale: usage-based, billed hourly for compute and storage.
- Free
- $0 a month
- Launch
- Usage-based, billed hourly
- Scale
- Usage-based, billed hourly
Appwrite
Free: 75,000 monthly requests, unlimited projects, community support. Pro: from $25 a month per project, 2 TB bandwidth, higher limits. Self-hosted: free, run your own infrastructure.
- Free
- $0 a month
- Pro
- From $25 a month per project
- Self-hosted
- $0, run your own infrastructure
Prices in USD from the official pricing pages on 3 October 2026. They change often, so confirm on neon.com and appwrite.io before you commit.
Usage and activity
Appwrite has 2.5 times as many GitHub stars as Neon (57.7k against 23.2k). Weekly npm downloads: 5.2M for @neondatabase/serverless and 53.8k for appwrite.
| Measure | Neon | Appwrite |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | 23,210 | 57,697 |
| npm downloads a week | 5.2M (@neondatabase/serverless) | 53.8k (appwrite) |
| Latest release | release-proxy-88…, 1 year ago | 2.5.0, 3 days ago |
| Releases in 90 days | 0 | 7 |
From the public GitHub and npm APIs, updated daily. Stars and downloads show developer interest, not product quality.
Should you choose Neon or Appwrite?
Choose Neon if
- You want standard Postgres with full SQL and relational features
- You want instant database branching for previews, tests or development copies
- You're comfortable assembling auth, storage and functions from separate services
- You want compute that scales to zero and back up automatically
Choose Appwrite if
- You want a database, auth, storage and functions bundled from one provider
- You want the option to self-host the entire platform
- You're building a mobile or web app needing realtime subscriptions and messaging
- You don't need Postgres specifically and are fine with Appwrite's database model
Switching between Neon and Appwrite
Moving from Neon to Appwrite means migrating relational Postgres tables into Appwrite's collection-based database model and replacing any separate auth or storage services with Appwrite's built-in equivalents. Moving from Appwrite to Neon means exporting Appwrite's collections into relational Postgres tables and adding separate auth, storage and function services to replace what Appwrite provided bundled.
Neon vs Appwrite: common questions
Can I self-host Neon the way I can self-host Appwrite?
No. Neon is a managed service only with no self-hosted option, while Appwrite is fully self-hostable under a BSD-3-Clause license in addition to its managed Appwrite Cloud offering.
Does Appwrite support Postgres specifically?
Appwrite's database uses its own document-oriented collection model rather than standard Postgres, so it's a different data model than Neon's relational Postgres, even though both can handle structured data.
Does Appwrite offer database branching like Neon?
No, Appwrite doesn't have an equivalent feature for creating instant copy-on-write copies of its database the way Neon does for Postgres.
Which is cheaper to start with?
Both have usable free tiers. Appwrite's free plan is request-based (75,000 monthly requests across unlimited projects), while Neon's free plan is based on storage and compute hours (0.5 GB storage, 100 compute hours a month).
Does Neon include authentication?
No. Neon is a database service only; you'd need a separate authentication provider, whereas Appwrite includes auth as part of its platform.
Other options to consider
All databases tools
Supabase
Open source Postgres development platform with auth, instant APIs, realtime, storage and edge functions.
Redis
In-memory data store used as a cache, database and message broker, available self-hosted or as Redis Cloud.
MongoDB Atlas
MongoDB's fully managed cloud database service, with a free tier and usage-based paid tiers.
Firebase
Google's backend-as-a-service platform for mobile and web apps: database, auth, hosting and functions.
Sources
More sources for each tool are on the Neon and Appwrite pages.
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