Which is cheaper, Neon or PlanetScale?

Pricing varies by tier and usage. Check both tools for current rates.

Does Neon have a free tier?

Yes, Neon offers a free tier with projects: 100, branchesPerProject: 10, maxComputeCU: 2, restoreWindowHours: 6, monitoringRetentionDays: 1, manualSnapshots: 1, authMAU: 60000, computeCUHours: 100, storageGB: 0.5.

What is the switching cost between Neon and PlanetScale?

Neon has drop-in switching cost. PlanetScale has moderate switching cost. Neon is easier to switch away from.

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Neon vs PlanetScale

Database

Neon

Serverless Postgres platform with autoscaling, branching, and scale-to-zero

Switching Cost: drop-in

PlanetScale

Managed MySQL-compatible and Postgres database platform with horizontal sharding via Vitess

Switching Cost: moderate

Analysis

The free tier advantage goes to Neon, which offers a no-cost entry point that PlanetScale lacks.

Pricing philosophy differs — Neon charges usage-based, but PlanetScale takes a flat-rate approach.

For early-stage teams or experimental projects, Neon's free tier provides valuable runway without commitment.

Bottom Line

For early-stage teams or experimental projects, Neon's free tier provides valuable runway without commitment.

Free Tier

Neon

Has a free tier option

Pricing Model

Different

Tools charge using different pricing philosophies

Switching Costs

Neon

Lower switching costs for easier migration

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Alternatives

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PlanetScale Alternatives

Best Free

Best Free Database