Neon vs PlanetScale
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 creating full database copies for development or testing. PlanetScale is a managed database platform built by the creators of Vitess, historically known for serverless MySQL with its own branching and non-blocking schema changes, and now also offering managed Postgres, with no free plan but pay-as-you-go pricing from around $5 a month. Choose Neon if you want a free tier and Postgres-native scale-to-zero compute; choose PlanetScale if you want Vitess-grade MySQL scaling or prefer its schema change workflow.
Facts checked on against the official sources listed at the end. Usage numbers update daily.
Best for
Serverless Postgres with a free tier and scale-to-zero compute
Free plan.
Best for
Managed MySQL or Postgres with Vitess-grade scaling and schema branching
No free plan. Paid from $5 a month for a single-node Postgres instance.
Neon vs PlanetScale at a glance
| Compared on | Neon | PlanetScale |
|---|---|---|
| Primary database engine | Postgres | MySQL (via Vitess), also offers managed Postgres |
| Free tier availability | Yes: 0.5 GB storage, 100 compute hours/month | No free plan; pay-as-you-go from about $5 a month |
| Scale-to-zero compute | Yes, core feature | Not a core feature in the same sense |
| Branching | Instant, copy-on-write database branching | Schema branching with non-blocking schema changes |
| Underlying scaling technology | Neon's own storage/compute separation architecture | Vitess, the sharding system originally built at YouTube, open source under Apache-2.0 |
| Ownership | Neon, Inc., a Databricks company | PlanetScale |
| Open source | Yes, Apache-2.0 (core storage engine) | No, Proprietary (Vitess itself, which PlanetScale is built on, is open source under Apache-2.0) |
| Free plan | Yes: 0.5 GB storage and 100 compute hours a month per project, no credit card required | No, there is no free plan; the Base plan is pay-as-you-go with no monthly minimum contract |
| Paid plans from | Not listed | $5 a month for a single-node Postgres instance |
| Made by | Neon, Inc. (a Databricks company) | PlanetScale |
| Launched | 2021 | Not listed |
What's the difference between Neon and PlanetScale?
Neon's branching creates instant, copy-on-write copies of an entire database for development
Neon's branching creates instant, copy-on-write copies of an entire database for development or preview environments; PlanetScale's branching focuses on schema changes, letting you make non-blocking schema migrations safely without necessarily copying all the data.
Neon has a genuine free tier (0
Neon has a genuine free tier (0.5 GB storage, 100 compute hours a month); PlanetScale has no free plan at all, starting at pay-as-you-go pricing from about $5 a month.
PlanetScale's core technology is Vitess, built originally at YouTube to shard MySQL
PlanetScale's core technology is Vitess, built originally at YouTube to shard MySQL at massive scale, and it also offers managed Postgres; Neon is Postgres-only, built around its own storage/compute separation architecture rather than Vitess.
Neon automatically scales compute to zero when idle and resumes on the
Neon automatically scales compute to zero when idle and resumes on the next query, controlling costs for intermittent workloads; PlanetScale's pricing and scaling model is centered more on Vitess's sharding for consistently high-traffic relational workloads.
Neon vs PlanetScale pricing
Neon has a free plan (0.5 GB storage, 100 compute hours/month) and usage-based Launch and Scale plans billed hourly. PlanetScale has no free plan; its Base plan is pay-as-you-go from around $5 a month.
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, with more autoscaling, storage and features at each tier.
- Free
- $0 a month
- Launch
- Usage-based, billed hourly
- Scale
- Usage-based, billed hourly
PlanetScale
Base (Postgres single node) from $5 a month for development workloads; Base (Postgres Metal) from $50 a month for local NVMe storage; Enterprise custom pricing with bring-your-own-cloud options.
- Base (Postgres single node)
- From $5 a month
- Base (Postgres Metal)
- From $50 a month
- Enterprise
- Custom pricing
Prices in USD from the official pricing pages on 30 September 2026. They change often, so confirm on neon.com and planetscale.com before you commit.
Usage and activity
Neon has 19 times as many GitHub stars as PlanetScale (23.2k against 1.2k). Weekly npm downloads: 5.2M for @neondatabase/serverless and 491k for @planetscale/database.
| Measure | Neon | PlanetScale |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | 23,175 | 1,207 |
| npm downloads a week | 5.2M (@neondatabase/serverless) | 491k (@planetscale/database) |
| Latest release | release-proxy-88…, 1 year ago | v2.0.0, 1 week ago |
| Releases in 90 days | 0 | 2 |
From the public GitHub and npm APIs, updated daily. Stars and downloads show developer interest, not product quality.
Should you choose Neon or PlanetScale?
Choose Neon if
- You want a genuine free tier for a Postgres project
- You want compute that scales to zero and back up automatically to control cost
- You need instant, full-database branching for previews or testing
- Your workload is intermittent rather than constantly high-traffic
Choose PlanetScale if
- You need MySQL specifically, or want Vitess's proven scaling for high-traffic workloads
- You want non-blocking schema change tooling as a core workflow
- You're comfortable with no free tier and pay-as-you-go pricing from the start
- You want the option of a bring-your-own-cloud enterprise deployment
Switching between Neon and PlanetScale
Moving from Neon to PlanetScale for a Postgres workload is relatively direct since PlanetScale also offers managed Postgres, mainly involving a data export/import and adjusting to PlanetScale's schema-branching workflow instead of Neon's full-database branching. Moving from PlanetScale's MySQL to Neon requires converting a MySQL schema to Postgres, since Neon is Postgres-only, which can involve rewriting some MySQL-specific SQL and data types.
Neon vs PlanetScale: common questions
Does PlanetScale support Postgres, or only MySQL?
PlanetScale started as a MySQL platform built on Vitess and has since expanded to offer managed Postgres as well, so it now supports both engines.
Which one has a free plan?
Neon has a free plan with 0.5 GB storage and 100 compute hours a month. PlanetScale has no free plan; its Base plan is pay-as-you-go starting around $5 a month with no free tier.
What's the difference between Neon's branching and PlanetScale's branching?
Neon's branching creates an instant, copy-on-write copy of an entire database, commonly used for spinning up full development or preview environments. PlanetScale's branching is centered on making schema changes safely and non-blockingly, which is a narrower but related concept.
Is Vitess open source?
Yes, Vitess, the sharding system PlanetScale is built on, is open source under the Apache-2.0 license, though the managed PlanetScale service itself is proprietary.
Which is better for a workload with unpredictable, bursty traffic?
Neon's scale-to-zero compute model is specifically designed to handle idle periods cost-effectively, which can suit bursty or intermittent workloads better than a pricing model without that feature.
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 PlanetScale pages.
Related comparisons
NeonvsTurso
Neon is a serverless Postgres platform, now owned by Databricks, that separates storage and compute so databases scale to zero and support instant, copy-on-write branching.
NeonvsSupabase
Neon is a serverless Postgres platform, now owned by Databricks, focused on scale-to-zero compute and instant, copy-on-write database branching.
PlanetScalevsSupabase
PlanetScale is a managed database platform built by the creators of Vitess, offering pay-as-you-go MySQL and Postgres with no free plan, starting around $5 a month.
FirebasevsNeon
Firebase is Google's backend-as-a-service platform, offering a NoSQL database (Firestore and Realtime Database) alongside authentication, hosting, serverless functions and analytics in one product.
FirebasevsPlanetScale
Firebase is Google's backend-as-a-service platform, combining a NoSQL database with authentication, hosting, serverless functions and analytics in one product with a free tier.
NeonvsMongoDB Atlas
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 creating full database copies for development or testing.
NeonvsRedis
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 and testing.
NeonvsConvex
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.