Prisma vs Drizzle ORM
Prisma is a type-safe ORM from Prisma Data, Inc., paired with an optional managed platform, Prisma Postgres, that has its own free and paid tiers. Drizzle is an open source TypeScript ORM that favors queries mapping closely to SQL, with no managed database platform of its own, though PlanetScale became its main backer in March 2026. Choose Prisma if you want a schema-first ORM with an optional managed database bundled in; choose Drizzle if you want a lighter, SQL-like ORM to pair with any database provider.
Facts checked on against the official sources listed at the end. Usage numbers update daily.
Best for
Teams that want a schema-first ORM with an optional bundled managed database
Free plan. Paid from $10 a month for Starter (5 million requests, 1 million operations, 10 GB storage).
Best for
Teams that want a lightweight, SQL-like ORM to pair with any database they choose
Free plan.
Prisma vs Drizzle ORM at a glance
| Compared on | Prisma | Drizzle ORM |
|---|---|---|
| Query style | Schema-first, with its own query API generated from a Prisma schema file | Queries written to map closely to SQL, favoring a thin abstraction over a heavy one |
| Managed database platform | Prisma Postgres, an optional managed platform with a free tier and paid plans from $10 a month | None; Drizzle pairs with any Postgres, MySQL, SQLite or Turso/libSQL provider |
| Company backing | Prisma Data, Inc., a company built around the ORM and its platform | Drizzle Team, an independent group whose core team was hired by PlanetScale in March 2026 |
| Supported databases | PostgreSQL, MySQL, SQLite, MongoDB, SQL Server, CockroachDB | PostgreSQL, MySQL, SQLite, including Turso/libSQL |
| Studio/admin tooling | Prisma Studio, a GUI for browsing and editing data | Drizzle Studio, with a free local tool and paid tiers for hosted or embedded use |
| MongoDB support | Supported as a database provider | Not supported |
| Open source | Yes, Apache-2.0 | Yes, Apache-2.0 |
| Free plan | Yes: 200,000 database operations, 500 MB storage, up to 50 databases and 1 million requests a month, no credit card required | Yes, the ORM itself is free and open source; paid add-ons like Drizzle Studio and OneDollarStats are separate products |
| Paid plans from | $10 a month for Starter (5 million requests, 1 million operations, 10 GB storage) | Not listed |
| Made by | Prisma Data, Inc. | Drizzle Team |
| Launched | 2016 | Not listed |
What's the difference between Prisma and Drizzle ORM?
Prisma bundles an optional managed database, Drizzle doesn't
Prisma Data, Inc. offers Prisma Postgres, a managed database platform with its own free tier and paid plans starting at $10 a month, that pairs directly with the Prisma ORM. Drizzle has no managed database product of its own; it's designed to connect to whatever Postgres, MySQL, SQLite or Turso database you already have.
Drizzle's queries map closely to SQL, Prisma's use its own schema-first API
Drizzle favors writing queries that closely resemble SQL, with less abstraction between your code and the underlying query. Prisma uses a schema-first model, where you define models in a Prisma schema file and query them through Prisma's own generated client API, further from raw SQL.
PlanetScale became Drizzle's main backer in 2026, without acquiring it
In March 2026, PlanetScale hired the entire Drizzle core team, becoming Drizzle's biggest backer, but Drizzle continues to be developed and released as an independent open source project rather than being folded into PlanetScale's product. Prisma's ORM and platform are both built and released directly by Prisma Data, Inc.
Prisma supports MongoDB as a database, Drizzle doesn't
Prisma lists MongoDB alongside PostgreSQL, MySQL, SQLite, SQL Server and CockroachDB as supported database providers. Drizzle's supported databases are PostgreSQL, MySQL and SQLite, including SQLite-compatible databases like Turso, with no MongoDB support.
Prisma vs Drizzle ORM pricing
The Prisma ORM and Drizzle are both free and open source. The cost difference comes from Prisma's optional managed database platform, which Drizzle has no equivalent to.
Prisma
The ORM is free under Apache-2.0. Prisma Postgres has a free tier (200,000 operations, 500 MB storage) and paid plans: Starter at $10 a month, Pro at $49 a month and Business at $129 a month.
- Free
- $0 a month
- Starter
- $10 a month
- Pro
- $49 a month
- Business
- $129 a month
Drizzle ORM
Free and open source under the Apache-2.0 license, with no managed database platform. Drizzle Studio has a free local tool and paid tiers for hosted or embedded use; OneDollarStats, a separate analytics product from the same team, starts at $1 a month.
Prices in USD from the official pricing pages on 29 September 2026. They change often, so confirm on prisma.io and orm.drizzle.team before you commit.
Usage and activity
Prisma has 33% more GitHub stars than Drizzle ORM (47.7k against 36k). Weekly npm downloads: 22M for prisma and 31M for drizzle-orm.
| Measure | Prisma | Drizzle ORM |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | 47,695 | 35,979 |
| npm downloads a week | 22M (prisma) | 31M (drizzle-orm) |
| Latest release | None on GitHub | [email protected]…, 2 weeks 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 Prisma or Drizzle ORM?
Choose Prisma if
- You want a schema-first workflow with a dedicated schema file driving your models
- You want an optional managed Postgres platform bundled with the same company's ORM
- You need MongoDB support alongside SQL databases
- You want Prisma Studio's GUI for browsing and editing data during development
Choose Drizzle ORM if
- You want queries that map closely to SQL rather than a heavier abstraction layer
- You already have a database provider and don't want a bundled managed platform
- You're using Turso or another SQLite-compatible database
- You want a lighter-weight ORM with less generated code between you and SQL
Switching between Prisma and Drizzle ORM
Both connect to similar relational databases, so moving mainly means rewriting your schema definitions and queries in the other ORM's syntax and regenerating types. Projects using Prisma Postgres or MongoDB specifically need a separate database migration, since Drizzle has no managed platform equivalent and doesn't support MongoDB at all.
Prisma vs Drizzle ORM: common questions
Is Drizzle free?
Yes, completely free and open source under the Apache-2.0 license, the same license as the core Prisma ORM.
Does Prisma require its own managed database?
No, Prisma Postgres is optional. The Prisma ORM can connect to any supported PostgreSQL, MySQL, SQLite, MongoDB, SQL Server or CockroachDB database you already run.
Did PlanetScale acquire Drizzle?
No, PlanetScale hired the Drizzle core team in March 2026 and became its main backer, but Drizzle remains an independent open source project rather than a PlanetScale product.
Does Drizzle support MongoDB?
No, Drizzle supports PostgreSQL, MySQL and SQLite (including Turso). Prisma supports MongoDB in addition to those relational databases.
Which is closer to writing raw SQL, Prisma or Drizzle?
Drizzle, since it's designed so queries map closely to SQL. Prisma uses a schema-first model with its own generated query API, adding more abstraction between your code and SQL.
Other options to consider
All orm toolsKysely
Type-safe SQL query builder for TypeScript. It is not a full ORM.
Sources
More sources for each tool are on the Prisma and Drizzle ORM pages.