PlanetScale vs Turso: 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 Turso.
⚡ Quick Verdict
It's a tie! Both tools score 4.3/5. Your choice should depend on your specific workflow and team needs.
💰 Cost by Team Size
| Team Size | PlanetScale | Turso |
|---|---|---|
| Solo (1 user) | $0/mo | $0/mo |
| Small (5 users) | $29/mo | $29/mo |
| Growing (10 users) | $39/mo | $29/mo |
| Free Tier | ✅ 1 database, 5 GB storage, 1 billion row reads/mo. Hobby plan discontinued for new users in 2024. | ✅ 9GB storage, 500 databases |
Pricing Plans
| Plan | PlanetScale | Turso |
|---|---|---|
| Free Plan | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
| Scaler | $29/mo | $29/mo |
| Scaler Pro | $39/mo | — |
| Enterprise | Custom | — |
Feature Comparison
| Feature | PlanetScale | Turso |
|---|---|---|
| Ease of Use | ★★★★☆ | ★★★★☆ |
| Documentation | ★★★★☆ | ★★★★☆ |
| Integrations | ★★★★☆ | ★★★★☆ |
Pros & Cons
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
Turso
✅ 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
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 Turso if...
- You are a solo developers
- You are a small startups
- You are a side projects
🚫 Skip if...
- Enterprise with complex compliance needs
🏆 Our Verdict
Both PlanetScale (4.3/5) and Turso (4.3/5) are excellent tools in their category. They're evenly matched — your decision should come down to your team's specific workflow and budget requirements.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is PlanetScale better than Turso?
It depends on your needs. PlanetScale excels in some areas while Turso has its own strengths. Read our full comparison above to see which tool fits your specific requirements.
How does PlanetScale pricing compare to Turso?
PlanetScale starts at Free / $29/mo, while Turso starts at Free / $29/mo. Both offer different value propositions — check our pricing comparison section for a detailed breakdown.
Can I migrate from PlanetScale to Turso?
Yes, most B2B tools offer data import/export features. Turso typically provides migration guides and sometimes even dedicated support for switching from PlanetScale.
Which is easier to use, PlanetScale or Turso?
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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