PlanetScale
Serverless MySQL with branching, non-blocking schema changes (Vitess). Acquired by Vercel (rumored). Killed free tier in 2024 — entry plan now $39.
What is PlanetScale?
PlanetScale is a managed database / data-infrastructure service — Postgres, MySQL, Redis, vector store, or object storage with HA, backups, and operations handled for you.
Serverless MySQL with branching, non-blocking schema changes (Vitess). Acquired by Vercel (rumored). Killed free tier in 2024 — entry plan now $39.
What to look for in database
The questions you should ask before committing to PlanetScale or any alternative.
- Cold-start latency — deal-breaker for serverless / scale-to-zero workloads
- Per-PR branching for database schema changes
- Read-replica geography for your user base
- Backup retention + Point-In-Time-Recovery window
- Pricing predictability under traffic spikes
- Open-standards / portability (can you self-host the same engine?)
PlanetScale cost at scale
Modelled monthly cost as you grow. Estimates only — final pricing varies on plan discounts, volume tiers, and any negotiated enterprise SKU. Database scale is the axis we vary.
Forex assumed at ₹85/USD. Actual cost includes 2–3.5% forex markup unless paying with a low-fx card.
PlanetScale is great for
Production web apps wanting managed durability, scale-to-zero economics, and a sane DX around schema changes.
Probably not ideal if
Workloads with very tight latency budgets where colocated single-tenant infra wins, or 100% local-first apps that do not need a server-side database.
Alternatives to PlanetScale
Other tools in the database category we cover.
Neon
Serverless Postgres with branching (database fork per PR), scale-to-zero, autoscaling. The modern default for Next.js + serverless workloads.
Turso
Edge SQLite (libSQL fork) with multi-region replication. Sub-millisecond reads at the edge; pay per replica. Best for read-heavy global apps.
MongoDB Atlas
Managed MongoDB across AWS/GCP/Azure. Free shared-cluster M0; dedicated from $57/mo. Search + Vector Search bundled. Default for document-heavy stacks.
Upstash
Serverless Redis + Kafka + QStash, billed per-request. Generous free tier. The default rate-limit / queue / cache layer for serverless apps.
dbt
Transform data in your warehouse with version-controlled SQL. Replaces hand-rolled ETL scripts. dbt Core is open-source; dbt Cloud is the managed offering with scheduling + lineage.
Snowflake
Cloud data warehouse — separates storage from compute. Standard for BI / analytics workloads at $1M+ ARR. Pricing scales with usage; surprise bills are real.
PlanetScale head-to-head
See all PlanetScale alternatives →Side-by-side comparisons with the obvious alternatives.
Track PlanetScale in your stack
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Add to trackerFAQ
›What does PlanetScale cost?
Entry plan starts around $39 per user per month. Annual plans typically discount 15-20%. PlanetScale bills in USD; Indian businesses incur ~3.5% forex markup unless paying with a forex-friendly card (see below).
›Who is PlanetScale a good fit for?
Production web apps wanting managed durability, scale-to-zero economics, and a sane DX around schema changes.
›Who should NOT use PlanetScale?
Workloads with very tight latency budgets where colocated single-tenant infra wins, or 100% local-first apps that do not need a server-side database.
›Are there cheaper alternatives to PlanetScale?
Yes — popular database alternatives include Neon, Turso, MongoDB Atlas. Compare them side-by-side via the head-to-head comparisons we maintain.
Pay for PlanetScale with the right card
Picking PlanetScale is half the decision. The other half is the card you swipe — at $39/mo the right pick recovers 1.5–4% in forex savings + rewards compared to a default retail card.
EXPRESS
Amex Hilton Honors
No-fx US card — pay USD with USD, zero markup; 3% rewards on database spend
IDFC FIRST Wow
0% forex markup vs 3.5% on retail Indian cards
ICICI MMT Signature
1.5% rewards on database spend