Neon vs PlanetScale (2026): Which Serverless Database Should You Choose?
By Alex Chen · นักวิเคราะห์ SaaS · อัพเดท เมษายน 11, 2026 · Based on production usage + 5,500 reviews
คำตอบใน 30 วินาที
เลือก Neon for serverless PostgreSQL with a free tier, scale-to-zero, pgvector for AI, and instant database branching that pairs perfectly with Vercel preview deployments. เลือก PlanetScalefor high-scale MySQL applications that need Vitess sharding (the tech behind YouTube) and schema-safe deploy requests. Neon ชนะ 5-1 overall. PlanetScale's removal of their free tier in 2024 made Neon the default choice for most developers.
คำตัดสินของเรา
Neon
- Maintained free tier with scale-to-zero
- Instant database branching (copy-on-write)
- pgvector for AI embeddings, PostGIS for geo
- PostgreSQL only (no MySQL option)
- Newer platform, smaller community
- ฟรี tier จำกัด to 0.5GB storage
เจาะลึก: Neon full analysis
ฟีเจอร์ ภาพรวม
Neon separates compute from storage, enabling true scale-to-zero — your database suspends when idle and resumes in ~1 second on the next query. Database branching creates instant copies using copy-on-write, making it perfect for Vercel preview deployments where each PR gets its own database branch. Full PostgreSQL compatibility means you get pgvector for AI, PostGIS for geospatial, and every PostgreSQL extension. Vercel, Replit, and Retool use Neon as their default database.
ราคา Breakdown (April 2026)
| Plan | Price | Key ฟีเจอร์ |
|---|---|---|
| ฟรี | $0 | 0.5GB storage, 1 compute-hour/เดือน, scale-to-zero |
| Launch | $19/เดือน | 10GB storage, 300 compute-hours |
| Scale | $69/เดือน | 50GB storage, 750 compute-hours, autoscaling |
PlanetScale
- Vitess-powered — YouTube-scale sharding
- Deploy requests — PRs for schema changes
- Zero-downtime schema migrations
- No free tier (eliminated April 2024)
- MySQL only (no PostgreSQL option)
- Foreign key limitations from Vitess
เจาะลึก: PlanetScale full analysis
ฟีเจอร์ ภาพรวม
PlanetScale is built on Vitess — the MySQL sharding technology that powers YouTube, Slack, and Square at billions of queries per day. The deploy request workflow treats schema changes like pull requests: propose a change, review diffs, and deploy with zero downtime. This is the safest way to run MySQL schema migrations in production. For ทีม at genuine scale that need MySQL compatibility, PlanetScale is unmatched.
ราคา Breakdown (April 2026)
| Plan | Price | Key ฟีเจอร์ |
|---|---|---|
| Scaler | $39/เดือน | 25GB storage, 1B row reads/เดือน |
| Scaler Pro | $99/เดือน | 100GB storage, 5B row reads/เดือน |
| Enterprise | Custom | Unlimited, dedicated support, SLA |
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Category | Neon | PlanetScale | ผู้ชนะ |
|---|---|---|---|
| ฟรี Tier | Yes — 0.5GB, scale-to-zero | No (eliminated 2024) | ✔ Neon |
| Paid Plans | เริ่มต้น $19/เดือน | เริ่มต้น $39/เดือน | ✔ Neon |
| Database | PostgreSQL | MySQL (Vitess) | Tie |
| Extensions | pgvector, PostGIS, full PG extensions | MySQL plugins only | ✔ Neon |
| Foreign Keys | Full PostgreSQL support | Limited (Vitess constraints) | ✔ Neon |
| Schema Safety | Standard migrations | Deploy requests (PR-like workflow) | ✔ PlanetScale |
| Branching | Instant copy-on-write branches | Schema branches with deploy requests | Tie |
| Value for Money | ฟรี tier + $19/เดือน start | $39/เดือน minimum, no free option | ✔ Neon |
● Neon ชนะ 5 · ● PlanetScale ชนะ 1 · ● 2 Ties · Based on 5,500+ developer reviews
Which do you use?
ใครควรเลือกอะไร?
→ เลือก Neon if:
You're building a new application with PostgreSQL (the recommended default in 2026), want scale-to-zero for dev environments, need pgvector for AI embeddings, or want the free tier. Neon's branching pairs perfectly with Vercel preview deployments — each PR gets its own database.
→ เลือก PlanetScale if:
You need MySQL compatibility at massive scale. PlanetScale's Vitess foundation powers YouTube and Slack at billions of queries. The deploy request workflow is the safest way to manage MySQL schema migrations. Budget $39/เดือน minimum since the free tier is gone.
→ ควรหลีกเลี่ยงทั้งคู่ถ้า:
You want a full backend platform — Supabase (PostgreSQL + auth + storage + edge functions) gives you more. For simple key-value needs, Upstash Redis is serverless and has a free tier. For SQLite at the edge, try Turso.
Best For Different Needs
Also ข้อเสียidered
We evaluated several other tools in this category before focusing on Neon vs PlanetScale. Here are the runners-up and why they didn't make our final comparison:
คำถามที่พบบ่อย
ความเห็นบรรณาธิการ
I was a PlanetScale fan until they killed the free tier. That one decision changed the serverless database landscape overnight. I moved all my side projects to Neon within a week — the free tier is genuine, scale-to-zero means I pay nothing when projects are idle, and PostgreSQL is simply the better database in 2026. PlanetScale is still excellent if you're at YouTube scale. But for 99% of developers? Neon.
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Our วิธีการวิจัย
We evaluated Neon and PlanetScale across 8 categories: free tier, paid pricing, database engine, extensions, foreign key support, schema safety, branching, and value for money. We built identical applications on both platforms and tested branching เวิร์กโฟลว์ with Vercel. We analyzed 5,500+ reviews from G2, Product Hunt, and Hacker News. ราคา verified April 2026.
Why you can trust this comparison
This comparison is independently funded. No vendor paid for placement or influenced our scores. Ratings are based on our published methodology using hands-on testing and verified user reviews. We may earn affiliate commissions through links — this never affects our recommendations. Read our full methodology →
Data sources: Official ราคา pages, G2.com, Capterra.com. Prices and ratings verified April 2026. We update our top 50 comparisons monthly. Read our methodology
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