PlanetScale vs Supabase (2026)
By Noahlast updated
PlanetScale
PlanetScaleManaged MySQL (Vitess) and Postgres cloud databases with branching workflows and zero-downtime schema changes, starting at $5/month with no free tier.
- Pricing
- From $5/mo
- License
- Paid
- Best for
- teams needing a managed, horizontally-scalable MySQL (Vitess) or Postgres database with Git-style branching workflows, who don't need a permanent free tier
Supabase
SupabaseAn open-source backend platform built on Postgres, bundling a database, authentication, storage, realtime sync, and edge functions with auto-generated APIs.
- Pricing
- Free tier · paid from $25/mo
- License
- Open core
- Best for
- developers who want a Postgres-based backend (auth, storage, realtime, auto-generated APIs) they can self-host later, rather than committing to a proprietary NoSQL platform like Firebase
Choose PlanetScale if…
- You need horizontally-shardable, MySQL-compatible database infrastructure (Vitess) for large-scale workloads
- You want zero-downtime, non-blocking schema changes across both Postgres and MySQL-compatible product lines
- You want database branching for testing schema migrations on an isolated copy before merging to production
- You don't need a free tier and want multi-cloud deployment across AWS and GCP
Choose Supabase if…
- You want a genuine free tier to start a project without paying anything
- You need auth, storage, realtime sync, and auto-generated APIs bundled with your database
- You want a Postgres-only stack without also considering a MySQL-compatible (Vitess) option
- You want Row Level Security enforcing per-row authorization at the database layer instead of in application code
- You're building a project too small to justify PlanetScale's $5/month minimum
PlanetScale vs Supabase: feature comparison
| Feature | PlanetScale | Supabase |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | Yesfrom $5/mo (Postgres, single-node) | Yesfrom $0/mo (Free) |
| Free tier | Noeliminated in April 2024, $5/mo minimum for any database | Yes2 active projects, 500MB database, 50,000 MAU |
| Platforms | Yesweb only | Yesweb, Windows, macOS, Linux |
| License | Noclosed-source, paid | Partialopen-core (Apache 2.0 core, proprietary hosted dashboard) |
| Database branching | Yescopy-on-write schema and data branches | Nonot a listed feature |
| Zero-downtime schema changes | Yesnon-blocking on both Postgres and Vitess | Unknown |
| MySQL-compatible option (Vitess) | Yeshorizontally-shardable Vitess from $39/mo | NoPostgres only |
| Built-in auth | No | Yes20+ social providers plus Row Level Security |
| Built-in file storage | No | YesS3-compatible storage, 1GB free, 100GB on Pro |
| Realtime sync | No | YesWebSocket-based realtime sync |
| Auto-generated APIs | No | YesREST, GraphQL, and Realtime APIs from schema |
| Multi-cloud deployment | YesAWS and GCP | Unknown |
| High-availability tier | Yesfrom $15/mo (Postgres, 3-node HA) | Unknownnot itemized separately from Pro tier |
| External rating (Capterra/Product Hunt) | Yes4.0/5 from 1 review (Capterra) | Yes5.0/5 from 861 reviews (Product Hunt) |
PlanetScale vs Supabase pricing: which costs less?
Supabase costs less to start, since it has a genuine free tier, while PlanetScale requires at least $5/month for any database after eliminating its free Hobby tier in April 2024.
PlanetScale's cheapest option is a $5/month single-node, non-HA Postgres development database, with production-grade high-availability tiers starting higher and metal tiers running into the thousands per month. Supabase's Free tier covers 2 active projects with 500MB database and 50,000 monthly active users at no cost, and its first paid tier (Pro) is $25/month, though usage-based overages can push costs higher for accounts with multiple projects.
Which is easier to use, PlanetScale or Supabase?
PlanetScale has a lower learning curve rating (moderate) compared to Supabase (also moderate), though PlanetScale's Vitess sharding concepts add complexity the data notes explicitly.
Both products carry a moderate learning curve rating. PlanetScale's own listed weakness notes that Vitess-specific concepts like sharding add operational complexity compared to a plain managed Postgres instance. Supabase's own listed weakness notes Row Level Security has a steeper learning curve than simpler client-side security rules for teams new to SQL.
Which offers database branching, PlanetScale or Supabase?
PlanetScale offers database branching as a signature feature; it is not a listed Supabase feature.
PlanetScale's branching lets developers create copy-on-write branches of a production database's schema and data, test migrations on the branch, and merge them back without downtime. This Git-style workflow is central to PlanetScale's positioning and is not described in the Supabase bundle data.
Can Supabase replace PlanetScale?
Partially — Supabase provides a full Postgres backend with auth, storage, and realtime features, but it doesn't offer PlanetScale's MySQL-compatible Vitess option or database branching.
Supabase covers general-purpose Postgres database needs plus auth, storage, realtime sync, and auto-generated APIs that PlanetScale doesn't provide at all. However, teams that specifically need PlanetScale's horizontally-shardable Vitess product for MySQL-compatible workloads, or its copy-on-write branching for schema migration testing, won't find an equivalent in Supabase.
Strengths and weaknesses
PlanetScale
Pros
- Database branching lets developers test schema migrations on an isolated copy before merging to production.
- Zero-downtime, non-blocking schema changes on both the Vitess and Postgres product lines.
- Offers both a MySQL-compatible (Vitess) and a native Postgres option under one platform.
- Multi-cloud support across AWS and GCP with multi-region deployment options.
Cons
- No free tier since April 2024; every database, including tiny side projects, costs at least $5/month.
- Pricing scales into thousands of dollars per month for high-availability metal tiers with meaningful storage.
- Vitess-specific concepts like sharding add operational complexity compared to a plain managed Postgres instance.
Supabase
Pros
- Full Postgres database rather than a proprietary NoSQL store, so existing SQL skills and extensions like pgvector and PostGIS carry over directly.
- Auto-generates REST, GraphQL, and Realtime APIs from the schema, with Row Level Security for per-row authorization.
- Apache-2.0-licensed core stack is self-hostable, avoiding hard vendor lock-in.
- Free tier includes unlimited API requests, 50,000 monthly active users, and a 500MB database with no time limit on the account.
Cons
- Compute is billed per project, so accounts running several projects stack recurring charges beyond the flat $25/month Pro fee.
- MAU overage ($0.00325/user past 100,000) and egress overage ($0.09/GB past 250GB) can produce unpredictable invoices at scale.
- Free-tier projects pause automatically after 1 week of inactivity.
- Row Level Security has a steeper learning curve than Firebase's simpler client-side security rules for teams new to SQL.
Which fits your use case?
| Use case | Pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Team needing a horizontally-shardable, MySQL-compatible database for large-scale workloads | PlanetScale | PlanetScale's Vitess product line is built specifically for horizontal sharding at scale; Supabase is Postgres-only. |
| Small project or prototype that needs to start on a genuinely free plan | Supabase | Supabase offers a free tier for up to 2 projects, while PlanetScale requires at least $5/month for any database since eliminating its free Hobby tier. |
| Team wanting to test schema migrations on an isolated branch before merging to production | PlanetScale | PlanetScale's copy-on-write database branching is its signature feature; branching isn't a listed Supabase capability. |
| Team building a full app backend without assembling auth, storage, and realtime separately | Supabase | Supabase bundles auth, storage, realtime sync, and auto-generated APIs on top of Postgres; PlanetScale is database-only. |
| Team wanting zero-downtime schema changes across both MySQL-compatible and Postgres options | PlanetScale | PlanetScale offers non-blocking schema changes on both its Vitess and Postgres product lines; this specific dual-engine option isn't available from Supabase. |
Neither a match?
Both lists carry verified pricing and honest weaknesses for every option.
Popular comparisons
PlanetScale vs Supabase: migration FAQ
Should I use PlanetScale or Supabase?
- Use PlanetScale if you need a horizontally-shardable MySQL-compatible database with Git-style branching; use Supabase if you want a full backend with auth, storage, and realtime features on a genuine free tier.
Is PlanetScale cheaper than Supabase?
- No — PlanetScale requires at least $5/month for any database since eliminating its free Hobby tier in April 2024, while Supabase offers a free tier for up to 2 projects.
Can Supabase replace PlanetScale?
- Partially — Supabase covers general Postgres database needs plus bundled auth, storage, and realtime features, but it doesn't offer PlanetScale's MySQL-compatible Vitess sharding or database branching.
Is there a free alternative to PlanetScale?
- Yes — Supabase offers a free tier covering 2 active projects with a 500MB database and 50,000 monthly active users, unlike PlanetScale, which requires at least $5/month for any database.
Which supports MySQL, PlanetScale or Supabase?
- PlanetScale supports MySQL-compatible workloads through its Vitess product line, starting at $39/month; Supabase is Postgres-only and doesn't offer a MySQL-compatible option.