PlanetScale vs Supabase: 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 PlanetScale vs Supabase.
PlanetScale vs Supabase: decision brief
Use this comparison to decide which tool fits the workflow, price ceiling, team maturity, and switching risk before you commit.
- Confirm the official pricing pages before purchase.
- Compare the workflow owner, not only the feature list.
- Run a narrow pilot before moving production data.
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Source and freshness check
Last editorial review: 2026-07-02. ToolPick compares official product information, pricing structure, workflow fit, and small-team cost impact. Verify live plan limits before purchase.
⚡ Quick Verdict
Supabase edges ahead with a 4.8/5 rating. However, the best choice depends on your team size, budget, and workflow needs. Read on for the full breakdown.
Keep comparing after PlanetScale vs Supabase
Comparison pages work best when they lead into pricing and review checks. Use this path to continue the same decision instead of starting over.
Read the Supabase reviewReview the likely pick in more detail.💰 Cost by Team Size
| Team Size | PlanetScale | Supabase |
|---|---|---|
| Solo (1 user) | $5/mo | $0/mo |
| Small (5 users) | $5/mo | $25/mo |
| Growing (10 users) | $5/mo | $25/mo |
| Free Tier | ❌ No | ✅ 500MB database. 1GB file storage. 50K monthly active users (auth). 500K edge function invocations. 2 projects. |
Pricing Plans
| Plan | PlanetScale | Supabase |
|---|---|---|
| Free Plan | ❌ No | ✅ Yes |
| Base Postgres single-node | $5/mo | $25/mo |
| Base Vitess / MySQL-compatible | $15/mo | $599/mo |
| Enterprise | Custom | Custom |
Feature Comparison
| Feature | PlanetScale | Supabase |
|---|
Pros & Cons
PlanetScale
✅ Pros
- Managed PlanetScale Postgres and Vitess/MySQL-compatible database options
- Branching workflow and non-blocking schema-change story for production teams
- Resource-based pricing can start small, then scale by instance, storage, and egress
- Enterprise paths for support, migration help, private deployment, and compliance needs
❌ Cons
- Do not rely on old Hobby/free-tier assumptions for new production adoption
- Pricing requires resource modeling, not only a per-seat comparison
- Can be overkill when a simple managed Postgres or self-hosted MySQL instance is enough
- Vitess/MySQL compatibility and Postgres paths should be evaluated separately
Supabase
✅ Pros
- Full PostgreSQL with Row Level Security — real database, not NoSQL
- Free tier is incredibly generous (500MB DB, 50K MAU auth)
- Built-in auth, storage, and edge functions — full backend in one
- Open source — can self-host to avoid vendor lock-in
- Dashboard with SQL editor is developer-friendly
❌ Cons
- Free tier pauses after 7 days of inactivity (can lose data if not careful)
- Limited to 2 free projects (need Pro for more)
- Edge Functions are Deno-based (not Node.js — learning curve)
- Pro plan jumps from $0 to $25/mo with no middle tier
- Some features (Branching, Log Explorer) are Pro-only
Who Should Use What?
✅ 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
✅ Choose Supabase if...
- You are a solo devs building full-stack apps who want a real database
- You are a startups needing auth + db + storage without managing infrastructure
- You are a developers who want firebase-like dx with postgresql power
🚫 Skip if...
- Apps needing sub-10ms latency (consider PlanetScale)
- Teams requiring MongoDB/NoSQL
- Production apps that can't tolerate free tier auto-pausing
🏆 Our Verdict
Both PlanetScale (4.3/5) and Supabase (4.8/5) are excellent tools in their category. Supabasetakes 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 PlanetScale better than Supabase?
It depends on your needs. PlanetScale excels in some areas while Supabase has its own strengths. Read our full comparison above to see which tool fits your specific requirements.
How does PlanetScale pricing compare to Supabase?
PlanetScale starts at $5/mo, while Supabase starts at Free / $25/mo. Both offer different value propositions — check our pricing comparison section for a detailed breakdown.
Can I migrate from PlanetScale to Supabase?
Yes, most B2B tools offer data import/export features. Supabase typically provides migration guides and sometimes even dedicated support for switching from PlanetScale.
Which is easier to use, PlanetScale or Supabase?
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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