Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Neon Database VS PlanetScale

Compare Neon Database VS PlanetScale and see what are their differences

Neon Database logo Neon Database

Postgres made for developers. Easy to Use, Scalable, Cost efficient solution for your next project.

PlanetScale logo PlanetScale

The last database you'll ever need. Go from idea to IPO.
  • Neon Database Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-07-28
  • PlanetScale Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-10-15

Neon Database features and specs

  • Scalability
    Neon Database is designed to scale efficiently, providing flexible storage and compute resources that can expand based on demand, making it suitable for applications with varying workloads.
  • Managed Service
    As a managed service, Neon Database handles maintenance tasks such as updates, backups, and monitoring, reducing the operational burden on users.
  • High Availability
    Neon Database offers high availability features to ensure minimal downtime, including automated failover and data redundancy.
  • Developer-Friendly
    Neon provides built-in tools and integrations that enhance the developer experience, streamlining database management and application development processes.
  • Cloud-Native
    Being cloud-native, Neon Database integrates well with existing cloud infrastructure and services, enabling seamless deployment and management in cloud environments.

Possible disadvantages of Neon Database

  • Vendor Lock-In
    Relying on a proprietary managed service can lead to vendor lock-in, where migrating to another database platform may involve significant effort and complexity.
  • Cost Structure
    The cost of using Neon Database can increase with scale and usage, which might not be as cost-effective for all applications compared to self-hosted solutions.
  • Limited Customization
    Managed database services like Neon may offer limited customization options in terms of configuration and optimization compared to self-managed databases.
  • Data Privacy
    Storing data in a cloud-based managed service raises concerns about data privacy and compliance, requiring users to trust the service provider's security measures.
  • Dependence on Internet Connectivity
    Accessing Neon Database services requires a stable internet connection, which may be a limitation in environments with unreliable network access.

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

Neon Database videos

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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 Neon Database and PlanetScale)
Application And Data
100 100%
0% 0
Databases
22 22%
78% 78
Developer Tools
24 24%
76% 76
Vitess
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, PlanetScale should be more popular than Neon Database. It has been mentiond 103 times since March 2021. 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.

Neon Database mentions (59)

  • Django project setup - Part 1
    Part 6: Continuos Delivery. Configure staticfiles, in this case with whitenoise. Deploy on fly.io and neon.tech and, of course, using github action for that. - Source: dev.to / 8 months ago
  • PostgreSQL 17 Released
    It's been a while since I've looked at elastic pools in Azure, but maybe Neon (https://neon.tech/) or recently Nile (https://www.thenile.dev/) might work in terms of spinning up a bunch of separate logical DBs with shared compute/storage. - Source: Hacker News / 8 months ago
  • Configuring a Connection Pool
    Neon PostgreSQL database has a built-in PgBouncer. - Source: dev.to / 9 months ago
  • Show HN: Infinity – Realistic AI characters that can speak
    Designers in tech are completely driven by trends. The good news is this is pretty much restricted to tech companies. I think this particular trend of dark site + neon effects started with https://neon.tech a few years ago. - Source: Hacker News / 9 months ago
  • Full-Stack Starter Kit: Astro + Tailwind CSS + Neon Postgres + Drizzle ORM + TypeScript + React(Optional)
    This Starter Kit includes all the basics you need to build a full-stack application using Astro and Neon Postgres Database. You can follow the Step-by-Step guide in the following Starter Kit for building Full-Stack applications using Astro + Neon Postgress Database. - Source: dev.to / 9 months 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 / 1 day 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 Neon Database and PlanetScale, you can also consider the following products

Supabase - An open source Firebase alternative

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

GibsonAI - Your AI Database Engineer. Design, build, and deploy production ready databases and APIs in minutes using natural language.

Datomic - The fully transactional, cloud-ready, distributed database

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

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