Neon vs Supabase vs PlanetScale 2026
The definitive comparison of serverless databases for SaaS and startups. Compare PostgreSQL and MySQL options, free tiers, pricing, and find the best database for your application.
Quick Verdict
Best for serverless Postgres with branching, scale-to-zero, and pay-per-use. Powers Vercel Postgres.
Best all-in-one: Postgres + Auth + Storage + Realtime + Edge Functions. Open-source Firebase alternative.
Best for MySQL-only workloads. No free tier since April 2024 — minimum $39/month (Scaler Pro).
PlanetScale: Free Tier Removed (April 2024)
PlanetScale removed its free Hobby tier on April 8, 2024, and deprecated the Scaler plan in February 2024 in favor of resource-based Scaler Pro. The current minimum is $39/month (Scaler Pro) — there is no free tier. The company also had staff layoffs in 2024 as it pivoted to profitability. Technology remains excellent (Vitess, branching, non-blocking schema changes), but it's less accessible for indie hackers and early-stage startups.
If you need MySQL and can afford $39+/month, PlanetScale is still a strong choice. For $0 or low cost, prefer Neon or Supabase.
Platform Overview
Each platform serves different needs. Here's a quick breakdown of what each offers.
Neon
Serverless Postgres with auto-scaling and branching
$0 — Free tier
100 projects, 0.5GB/project, 2 CU compute
- Database branching (like git for DBs)
- Auto-scale to zero after 5 min inactivity
- Instant provisioning
- Read replicas, built-in auth
- Powers Vercel Postgres
- Up to $100K credits for startups
Best for: Serverless apps, scale-to-zero, branching, pay-per-use Postgres
Supabase
Open-source Firebase alternative on PostgreSQL
$0 — Free tier
500MB DB, 1GB storage, 50K MAUs
- PostgreSQL + Auth + Storage + Realtime
- Edge Functions, Vector (pgvector)
- Row Level Security (RLS) built-in
- Dashboard UI for everything
- 80,000+ GitHub stars
- Founded 2020, YC W20, $116M+ raised
Best for: Full backend in one place: DB, auth, storage, realtime
PlanetScale
Serverless MySQL on Vitess
$39/month minimum
Scaler Pro — no free tier
- Non-blocking schema changes
- Horizontal sharding via Vitess
- Read replicas, database branching
- MySQL-only (not PostgreSQL)
- Technology from YouTube/Vitess
Best for: MySQL-only workloads; teams with $39+/month budget
Pricing Breakdown
Free tiers and paid plans compared. Storage, compute, and limits vary significantly.
Neon
Additional:
- • Auto-suspend after 5 min (free)
- • Up to 16 CU (64GB RAM) on Launch
- • SOC 2, HIPAA on Scale
- • 99.95% SLA on Scale
Supabase
Additional:
- • Pauses after 1 week inactivity (free)
- • Pro includes $10 compute credit
- • Enterprise: custom
- • Email / priority support on paid
PlanetScale
Additional:
- • No free tier available
- • Resource-based pricing
- • Branching, read replicas
Feature Comparison
A detailed breakdown of what each platform offers.
Core
Backend services
Operations
Deep Dive: Neon
Neon is serverless Postgres from the team behind PostgreSQL development at Zenith. It offers database branching (create copies of your DB in seconds, like git for databases), auto-scaling to zero after 5 minutes of inactivity on the free tier, and usage-based pricing so you pay for compute and storage only when you use it. It powers Vercel Postgres under the hood, so if you're on Vercel, you may already be using Neon.
Free tier: $0/month, 100 projects, 0.5GB storage per project, compute up to 2 CU (8GB RAM), auto-suspend after 5 min. Launch tier is usage-based: $0.106/CU-hour compute, $0.35/GB-month storage, up to 16 CU, 7-day PITR. Scale tier adds $0.222/CU-hour, up to 56 CU (224GB RAM), 30-day PITR, SOC 2, HIPAA, 99.95% SLA. Neon also offers up to $100K in credits for early-stage startups.
Best for: Teams that want Postgres with minimal ops, scale-to-zero, branching for preview environments, and pay-per-use. Less ideal if you need built-in auth, storage, or realtime — pair Neon with other services or choose Supabase for all-in-one.
Deep Dive: Supabase
Supabase is an open-source Firebase alternative built on PostgreSQL. Founded in 2020 (YC W20), it has raised $116M+ and has over 80,000 GitHub stars. You get PostgreSQL + Auth + Storage + Realtime + Edge Functions + Vector (pgvector) in one platform, with a dashboard to manage everything and Row Level Security (RLS) built-in.
Free: $0/month, 500MB database, 1GB file storage, 50K MAUs, community support; projects pause after 1 week of inactivity. Pro: $25/month (includes $10 compute credit), 8GB database, 100GB file storage, 100K MAUs, email support, 7-day backup. Team: $599/month with SOC 2, SSO, 14-day backup, priority support. Enterprise is custom.
Best for: Teams that want a single backend for DB, auth, storage, and realtime without wiring multiple services. Ideal for MVPs and startups. If you only need a database and prefer scale-to-zero or branching, Neon can be a better fit.
Deep Dive: PlanetScale
PlanetScale is a serverless MySQL platform built on Vitess (technology created at YouTube). It offers non-blocking schema changes, horizontal sharding, read replicas, and database branching. The technology is excellent — but PlanetScale removed its free Hobby tier on April 8, 2024, deprecated the Scaler plan in February 2024, and moved to resource-based Scaler Pro with a $39/month minimum. There is no free tier.
The company had staff layoffs in 2024 as it pivoted to profitability. For MySQL-only workloads and teams that can afford $39+/month, PlanetScale remains a strong option. For indie hackers and early-stage startups, Neon and Supabase are more accessible with generous free tiers.
Best for: MySQL-only stacks and teams with budget for at least $39/month. Not ideal if you want PostgreSQL or a $0 option.
Decision Guide
Best free tier
Supabase (most features at $0: DB, auth, storage, realtime) or Neon (true serverless Postgres with branching, scale-to-zero). PlanetScale has no free tier.
Best all-in-one (DB + Auth + Storage + Realtime)
Supabase. Neon is database-only; PlanetScale is MySQL-only with no auth/storage/realtime.
Best for serverless / scale-to-zero
Neon. Auto-scales to zero, pay per use, branching. Supabase free tier pauses after 1 week; PlanetScale has no scale-to-zero free option.
Best for MySQL
PlanetScale is the only MySQL option of the three. Note: no free tier; minimum $39/month.
Best for startups / indie hackers
Supabase or Neon — both have generous free tiers. PlanetScale's removal of the free tier makes it less competitive for bootstrapped teams.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does PlanetScale still have a free tier?
No. PlanetScale removed its free Hobby tier on April 8, 2024. The minimum paid plan is Scaler Pro at $39/month. For a free database, use Neon or Supabase.
Neon vs Supabase: which should I choose?
Choose Neon if you want a database-only, serverless Postgres with branching and scale-to-zero. Choose Supabase if you want Postgres plus Auth, Storage, Realtime, and Edge Functions in one platform. Many teams use Neon for DB and other tools for auth; others prefer Supabase all-in-one.
Is Neon the same as Vercel Postgres?
Vercel Postgres is powered by Neon under the hood. If you use Vercel Postgres, you're using Neon. You can also use Neon directly for non-Vercel projects.
Can I use Supabase as just a database without Auth/Storage?
Yes. Supabase is built on PostgreSQL; you can use only the database and ignore Auth, Storage, Realtime, and Edge Functions. You'll still get the free tier limits (500MB DB, 1GB storage, 50K MAUs for auth if you use it).
PostgreSQL vs MySQL: does it matter for Neon vs Supabase vs PlanetScale?
Neon and Supabase are PostgreSQL; PlanetScale is MySQL (via Vitess). If your stack or team is committed to MySQL, PlanetScale is the only option of the three. If you're flexible, PostgreSQL (Neon or Supabase) has a rich ecosystem and features like JSONB and extensions (e.g. pgvector).
Which is best for a solo founder or MVP?
Supabase or Neon. Both have free tiers. Supabase gives you DB + Auth + Storage + Realtime in one place. Neon gives you serverless Postgres with branching and scale-to-zero. PlanetScale's $39/month minimum is harder to justify for early-stage or side projects.
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