Neon vs PlanetScale: Which One Fits Your Solo Dev Stack?
Free tier limits, real costs for 1-10 users, and honest "not for" warnings. The Solo Dev decision guide for Neon vs PlanetScale.
⚡ Quick Verdict
Neon edges ahead with a 4.6/5 rating. However, the best choice depends on your team size, budget, and workflow needs. Read on for the full breakdown.
💰 Cost by Team Size
| Team Size | Neon | PlanetScale |
|---|---|---|
| Solo (1 user) | $0/mo | $0/mo |
| Small (5 users) | $19/mo | $29/mo |
| Growing (10 users) | $19/mo | $39/mo |
| Free Tier | ✅ 0.5 GB storage, 190 compute hours | ✅ 1 database, 5 GB storage, 1 billion row reads/mo. Hobby plan discontinued for new users in 2024. |
Pricing Plans
| Plan | Neon | PlanetScale |
|---|---|---|
| Free Plan | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
| Launch | $19/mo | $29/mo |
Feature Comparison
| Feature | Neon | PlanetScale |
|---|---|---|
| Ease of Use | ★★★★☆ | ★★★★☆ |
| Integrations | ★★★★☆ | ★★★★☆ |
| Documentation | ★★★★☆ | ★★★★☆ |
Pros & Cons
Neon
✅ Pros
- Modern and well-maintained
- Good free tier for solo developers
- Active community
❌ Cons
- Learning curve for advanced features
- Pricing can escalate with team growth
PlanetScale
✅ Pros
- Non-blocking schema changes — no more migration downtime
- Git-like branching for database schemas
- Vitess-powered, horizontally scalable
- Excellent integration with Prisma and Drizzle
❌ Cons
- Free tier removed for new users (2024)
- No support for foreign key constraints (Vitess limitation)
- Can get expensive at scale compared to self-hosted
Who Should Use What?
✅ Choose Neon if...
- You are a solo developers
- You are a small startups
- You are a side projects
🚫 Skip if...
- Enterprise with complex compliance needs
✅ Choose PlanetScale if...
- You are a startups needing zero-downtime deployments
- You are a teams using prisma/drizzle orm
🚫 Skip if...
- Projects requiring foreign key enforcement
- Budget-sensitive solo devs
🏆 Our Verdict
Both Neon (4.6/5) and PlanetScale (4.3/5) are excellent tools in their category. Neon takes a slight edge overall, but the best choice ultimately depends on your team's specific needs, budget, and existing tool ecosystem.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Neon better than PlanetScale?
It depends on your needs. Neon excels in some areas while PlanetScale has its own strengths. Read our full comparison above to see which tool fits your specific requirements.
How does Neon pricing compare to PlanetScale?
Neon starts at Free / $19/mo, while PlanetScale starts at Free / $29/mo. Both offer different value propositions — check our pricing comparison section for a detailed breakdown.
Can I migrate from Neon to PlanetScale?
Yes, most B2B tools offer data import/export features. PlanetScale typically provides migration guides and sometimes even dedicated support for switching from Neon.
Which is easier to use, Neon or PlanetScale?
Ease of use depends on your team's experience and workflow preferences. We evaluated both tools on usability — see our feature comparison scores above for details.
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