Neon
Neon is a serverless Postgres database platform that separates storage and compute so databases can scale to zero when idle and scale back up automatically. It adds instant, copy-on-write database branching for creating full copies of a database for development, testing or preview environments. Databricks acquired Neon in 2025 and continues to run it as its own product and brand.
Facts checked on against the sources listed at the end of this page.
- Pricing
- FreemiumFree plan: Yes: 0.5 GB storage and 100 compute hours a month per project, no credit card required
- Open source
- YesApache-2.0 (core storage engine)
- GitHub stars
- 23,268+129 in the last 30 days
- npm downloads a week
- 5.2Mup 10% on the week before
- Latest release
- release-proxy-…1 year ago
A good fit for
- Postgres databases that should scale to zero during idle periods to save cost
- Teams that want an isolated database branch for every pull request or feature
- Serverless and edge applications that need a Postgres driver over HTTP or WebSockets
- Development workflows that reset or clone databases often
Not a good fit for
- Teams that want a single flat monthly price instead of usage-based billing
- Workloads that need to be fully self-hosted rather than a managed service
- Latency-sensitive applications outside Neon's supported regions
Neon pricing
Neon has a free plan and two usage-based paid plans, Launch and Scale, both billed hourly for compute and storage with no fixed monthly minimum.
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 a month | 0.5 GB storage and 100 compute hours a month per project |
| Launch | Usage-based, billed hourly | More storage and compute, autoscaling and a longer point-in-time restore window |
| Scale | Usage-based, billed hourly | Higher limits, more read replicas and features for production workloads |
Prices in USD, checked on 27 September 2026. Current prices on neon.com.
Main features
- Serverless autoscaling
- Compute scales up and down automatically, including to zero when idle.
- Database branching
- Create a full copy-on-write branch of a database in seconds for development or testing.
- Scale to zero
- Idle databases stop billing for compute until a new connection arrives.
- Point-in-time restore
- Restore a branch to an earlier point within the plan's history window.
- Read replicas
- Add read-only compute endpoints without copying the underlying data.
- Postgres compatible
- Works with standard Postgres drivers, extensions and tools, no proprietary query layer.
About Neon
Neon is a serverless Postgres platform built around a separation of storage and compute. Databases can scale down to zero when idle and scale back up automatically when a query arrives, so users pay only for compute actually used.
Its most distinctive feature is instant branching: a full copy-on-write branch of a database can be created in seconds, which teams use for per-pull-request preview databases, testing and safer schema migrations.
Databricks agreed to acquire Neon in May 2025 for about $1 billion, aiming to use its serverless Postgres technology for AI agent workloads. Neon continues to operate as its own product and brand under Databricks.
- Made by
- Neon, Inc. (a Databricks company)
- Launched
- 2021
- Free plan
- Yes: 0.5 GB storage and 100 compute hours a month per project, no credit card required
- Available on
- Postgres compatible, Standard Postgres drivers and clients, Hosted on AWS
Usage and activity
Weekly npm downloads of @neondatabase/serverless, last 12 months.
Recent releases
- release-proxy-88531 year ago
- release-compute-90731 year ago
- release-91291 year ago
- release-proxy-87861 year ago
- release-compute-90111 year ago
Neon alternatives
Neon compared
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.
NeonvsFirebase
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NeonvsPlanetScale
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.
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.
NeonvsPocketbase
Neon is a fully managed, serverless Postgres database platform that scales compute to zero when idle and offers instant copy-on-write branching for development or testing.
NeonvsAppwrite
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.
Getting started
Sign up and create a Neon project, which creates a default branch and database.
Copy the connection string from the Neon console.
Connect with any Postgres client or driver.
psql 'postgresql://user:[email protected]/neondb?sslmode=require'
Questions about Neon
Is Neon free to use?
Yes. The free plan includes 0.5 GB of storage and 100 compute hours a month per project. Paid Launch and Scale plans are billed hourly for usage beyond that, with no fixed monthly minimum.
Who owns Neon now?
Databricks acquired Neon in May 2025 for about $1 billion. Neon continues to operate as its own product and brand rather than being folded into another product.
What is database branching in Neon?
It's a copy-on-write branch of a Postgres database that can be created in seconds, used for development, testing or short-lived preview environments.
Is Neon open source?
Neon's core storage engine is open source under the Apache 2.0 license. The managed platform itself is a proprietary hosted service.
Does Neon support standard Postgres extensions?
Yes. Neon is Postgres compatible and works with standard Postgres extensions, drivers and clients.
Sources and links
Work on Neon? Claim this listing. Something wrong or out of date? Suggest a correction. Stats come from the public GitHub and npm APIs and update every day.