🗄️ Databases Comparison
CockroachDB vs PlanetScale
A detailed comparison to help you choose the right tool for your needs.
Last updated: 2026-02-06
CockroachDB
Free tier (10 GiB storage, 50M RUs), from $0 usage-based
Strengths
- + Postgres-compatible wire protocol — use your existing Postgres drivers and ORMs
- + Free tier includes 10 GiB storage and 50 million request units per month
- + Multi-region by design — your data survives zone and region failures automatically
Weaknesses
- − Higher query latency than single-region Postgres (consensus overhead on every write)
- − Overkill for most solo founder projects — distributed consistency adds complexity you rarely need
- − Some Postgres features are missing or behave differently (no full-text search, limited extensions)
PlanetScale
From $39/mo (free tier discontinued)
Strengths
- + Database branching lets you test schema changes without touching production
- + Non-blocking schema migrations — no downtime during changes
- + Built on Vitess (the same technology that powers YouTube)
Weaknesses
- − Free tier was killed — $39/month minimum is steep for side projects
- − MySQL only — if you prefer Postgres, look at Neon or Supabase
- − No foreign key support in the default configuration (Vitess limitation)
The verdict
Which one is right for you?
Choose CockroachDB if you want
- → Postgres-compatible wire protocol — use your existing Postgres drivers and ORMs
- → Free tier includes 10 GiB storage and 50 million request units per month
Choose PlanetScale if you want
- → Database branching lets you test schema changes without touching production
- → Non-blocking schema migrations — no downtime during changes
In depth
About each tool
CockroachDB
Distributed SQL database that survives outages — Postgres-compatible with a generous free tier
CockroachDB is a distributed SQL database that speaks the Postgres wire protocol. Your existing Postgres drivers, ORMs, and queries work without changes. The key selling point is resilience — data is automatically replicated across nodes, so a zone going down does not take your database offline. The Serverless free tier gives you 10 GiB of storage and 50 million request units, which covers a moderate production workload.
For most solo founders, CockroachDB is more database than you need. The distributed architecture adds write latency (each write requires consensus across nodes), and you are paying that cost even if your app runs in a single region. Where it makes sense is if you are building something that genuinely needs multi-region availability or you want to avoid ever dealing with database failovers. For simpler use cases, Neon or Supabase give you standard Postgres with less overhead.
PlanetScale
Serverless MySQL with git-like branching for safe schema changes
PlanetScale brings git workflows to your database. Create a branch, change your schema, test it, then merge it into production with zero downtime. No more scary migration scripts run against your live database at 2 AM.
The big hit was losing the free tier in 2024 — it pushed many indie developers to alternatives like Neon and Supabase. At $39/month, PlanetScale is now aimed at production apps that need reliable MySQL with safe migrations. If you are still picking a database for a new project, Neon (Postgres, free tier) or Supabase (Postgres + extras, free tier) are more practical starting points.
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