Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Azure Database for PostgreSQL VS PlanetScale

Compare Azure Database for PostgreSQL VS PlanetScale and see what are their differences

Azure Database for PostgreSQL logo Azure Database for PostgreSQL

Try Azure Database for PostgreSQL to build reliable and intelligent applications for your organization.

PlanetScale logo PlanetScale

The last database you'll ever need. Go from idea to IPO.
  • Azure Database for PostgreSQL Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-02-05
  • PlanetScale Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-10-15

Azure Database for PostgreSQL features and specs

  • Scalability
    Azure Database for PostgreSQL offers high scalability with the ability to easily scale up or down based on demand, which ensures that you can efficiently manage changes in workloads without downtime.
  • Managed Service
    As a fully managed database service, Azure handles database management tasks like patching, backups, and monitoring, allowing developers to focus more on application development rather than infrastructure maintenance.
  • High Availability
    The service provides built-in high availability within the same region, ensuring that your database has minimal downtime and can manage failovers effectively.
  • Security Features
    Azure Database for PostgreSQL offers advanced security features such as encryption at rest and in transit, virtual network service endpoints, and integration with Azure Active Directory for comprehensive security management.
  • Integration with Azure Ecosystem
    The service tightly integrates with other Azure services such as Azure Data Factory, Azure Analytics, and Power BI, enabling comprehensive data solutions and seamless workflows across different applications.

Possible disadvantages of Azure Database for PostgreSQL

  • Cost
    While offering a broad array of features, Azure Database for PostgreSQL can be more expensive compared to managing your own on-premises or cloud-hosted PostgreSQL database, especially as the need for more resources and higher performance grows.
  • Limited Control
    As a managed service, users have less control over the server configurations and underlying hardware, which may be a drawback for applications requiring specific customizations or optimizations.
  • Dependency on Azure Infrastructure
    Relying on Azure's infrastructure means your database availability is tied to Azure's performance and data center outages, which may impact access and operations if issues arise.
  • Learning Curve
    New users transitioning to Azure Database for PostgreSQL from other environments might face a learning curve due to Azure-specific tools and interfaces, requiring time and resources to fully leverage the platform.
  • Feature Parity
    There might be delays in the availability of the latest PostgreSQL features or extensions within Azure Database for PostgreSQL, as updates undergo additional validation and rollout through Azure's platform.

PlanetScale features and specs

  • Scalability
    PlanetScale is designed for massive scale, leveraging the Vitess engine that powers YouTube. This makes it suitable for applications requiring high scalability for both read and write operations.
  • Global Distribution
    Offers multi-region deployment, ensuring low-latency access and higher availability, beneficial for globally distributed applications.
  • Serverless Approach
    The platform takes a serverless approach to database management, which means automatic scaling, less infrastructure to manage, and potential cost savings.
  • Branching and Sharding
    Supports database branching for isolated environments like development, testing, and production. It also supports sharding, which helps in distributing data across multiple nodes for better performance and reliability.
  • High Availability
    PlanetScale provides high availability with automated failover mechanisms, ensuring minimal downtime.
  • Strong Data Integrity
    Uses Vitess’s strong consistency models to ensure data integrity across distributed systems.
  • Developer Friendly
    Includes tools and features that make it easier for developers to manage, such as automatic migrations and simplified schema management.
  • Integration
    Can be easily integrated with various cloud service providers, making it flexible for different deployment environments.

Possible disadvantages of PlanetScale

  • Learning Curve
    The platform comes with a learning curve, especially for teams unfamiliar with Vitess or managing distributed databases.
  • Cost
    While it can offer cost savings in some areas, the pricing for large-scale deployments and multi-region setups can be relatively high.
  • Complexity of Advanced Features
    Advanced features like sharding and branching can add complexity to the database management operations.
  • Limited Ecosystem
    Compared to more established databases, the ecosystem and community around PlanetScale might be smaller, which can affect the availability of third-party tools and community support.
  • Vendor Lock-in
    Using a proprietary platform can lead to vendor lock-in, making it harder to switch to other database services if needed.
  • Early-stage Platform
    While promising, PlanetScale is relatively new compared to some other established database services, which means it may lack some maturity or have bugs that older platforms have ironed out.

Analysis of PlanetScale

Overall verdict

  • PlanetScale is a strong choice for developers and companies looking for a scalable, reliable, and developer-friendly database solution. Its foundations on proven technology and modern features make it a good option for various use cases.

Why this product is good

  • PlanetScale is known for its serverless database platform designed to be simple, scalable, and efficient. It is built on Vitess, which powers companies like YouTube and Slack, offering great performance at scale. PlanetScale provides features such as branching, sharding, and horizontal scaling without downtime, appealing to developers who need robust infrastructure. Additionally, it's designed to integrate seamlessly with developer workflows, providing tools like a CLI and a web console for easy database management.

Recommended for

  • Developers building cloud-native applications
  • Teams needing scalable databases with no downtime
  • Organizations requiring seamless integration with existing development workflows
  • Startups and tech companies looking for robust infrastructure

Azure Database for PostgreSQL videos

Introducing Azure Database for PostgreSQL and Azure Database for MySQL

More videos:

  • Tutorial - Azure #17 - Azure Database for PostgreSQL | Azure Tutorial
  • Review - New ways to get started with Azure Database for PostgreSQL | Azure Friday

PlanetScale videos

PlanetScale Beta - Release Radar

More videos:

  • Review - Using PlanetScale (MySQL) with Next.js and Vercel!
  • Review - PlanetScale and Prisma: building in the cloud - Nick Van Wiggeren | Prisma Day 2021

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Azure Database for PostgreSQL and PlanetScale)
Databases
15 15%
85% 85
MySQL Tools
100 100%
0% 0
Developer Tools
0 0%
100% 100
Database Management
100 100%
0% 0

User comments

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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, PlanetScale seems to be a lot more popular than Azure Database for PostgreSQL. While we know about 103 links to PlanetScale, we've tracked only 9 mentions of Azure Database for PostgreSQL. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Azure Database for PostgreSQL mentions (9)

  • Everyone Uses Postgres… But Why?
    Cloud deployment: PostgreSQL can be deployed in the cloud with AWS RDS, Amazon Aurora, Azure Database for PostgreSQL, or Cloud SQL for PostgreSQL. - Source: dev.to / 7 months ago
  • Configuring a Connection Pool
    Azure database for PostgreSQL supports built-in PgBouncer. - Source: dev.to / 10 months ago
  • Top 8 Managed Postgres Providers
    Microsoft Azure Database is a completely managed PostgreSQL database service made to manage important workloads with included high availability and ability to grow. - Source: dev.to / 10 months ago
  • DBT with Azure SQL Database
    I started writing a much longer post, but it really boils down to one thing - just use Azure PostgreSQL. It's great value, well supported by DBT, and an actual DW option. Source: about 2 years ago
  • Sharing a web layer fails with error 00231, despite the database already being registered as an ArcGIS Server data store
    I have a PostgreSQL database instance running in the Azure Database for PostgreSQL service. I am able to successfully connect and create enterprise geodatabases within. I am also able to successfully register the data store, both via ArcGIS Pro and ArcGIS Server Manager. However, when attempting to share a table in the database as a web layer (right click > Sharing > Share as web layer), it will ultimately fail... Source: over 2 years ago
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PlanetScale mentions (103)

  • Serverless Backend: A New Era for Developers
    Database: It helps storing, managing and retriving data in a structured manner (e.g. NeonDB, PlanetScale, DynamoDB). - Source: dev.to / 12 days ago
  • Ask HN: What's the best free database provider out there?
    Https://planetscale.com/ would be a good bet. - Source: Hacker News / about 1 month ago
  • List of 45 databases in the world
    PlanetScale — Serverless database platform built on MySQL and Vitess. - Source: dev.to / 11 months ago
  • Good alternatives to Heroku
    Planetscale - Directly from their website: "PlanetScale is a MySQL-compatible serverless database that brings you scale, performance, and reliability — without sacrificing developer experience.". - Source: dev.to / about 1 year ago
  • MySQL or Top Alternatives in 2024 and How to Choose One
    PlanetScale is a MySQL-compatible database that offers scale, performance, and reliability, and many more powerful database features. Leveraging cloud-native architecture, PlanetScale enables organizations to deploy, manage, and scale MySQL-compatible databases with ease. With features such as automatic sharding, distributed transactions, and high availability, PlanetScale enables businesses to handle large... - Source: dev.to / about 1 year ago
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What are some alternatives?

When comparing Azure Database for PostgreSQL and PlanetScale, you can also consider the following products

DBeaver - DBeaver - Universal Database Manager and SQL Client.

Valentina Server - Valentina Server is 3 in 1: Valentina DB Server / SQLite Server / Report Server

phpMyAdmin - phpMyAdmin is a tool written in PHP intended to handle the administration of MySQL over the Web.

MarkLogic Server - MarkLogic Server is a multi-model database that has both NoSQL and trusted enterprise data management capabilities.

Amazon Athena - Amazon Athena is an interactive query service that makes it easy to analyze data in Amazon S3 using standard SQL. Athena is serverless, so there is no infrastructure to manage, and you pay only for the queries that you run.

Datahike - A durable datalog database adaptable for distribution.