🗄️ Databases Comparison
PlanetScale vs Turso
A detailed comparison to help you choose the right tool for your needs.
Last updated: 2026-02-06
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)
Turso
Free tier (9 GB storage, 500 databases), Scaler from $29/mo
Strengths
- + SQLite simplicity with multi-region replication — sub-10ms reads from the nearest edge
- + Free tier includes 9 GB storage and 500 databases — generous for per-tenant architectures
- + Built on LibSQL (open-source fork of SQLite) — no proprietary lock-in on the data format
Weaknesses
- − Write operations must go through a primary region, adding latency for writes
- − Ecosystem is young — fewer ORMs and tools have native Turso support compared to Postgres
- − Not suited for heavy relational workloads that need JOINs across large tables
The verdict
Which one is right for you?
Choose PlanetScale if you want
- → Database branching lets you test schema changes without touching production
- → Non-blocking schema migrations — no downtime during changes
Choose Turso if you want
- → SQLite simplicity with multi-region replication — sub-10ms reads from the nearest edge
- → Free tier includes 9 GB storage and 500 databases — generous for per-tenant architectures
In depth
About each tool
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.
Turso
SQLite at the edge — embed databases close to your users with LibSQL
Turso takes SQLite and makes it work as a cloud database. Each database is a LibSQL file replicated across edge locations, so reads happen in single-digit milliseconds from wherever your users are. The per-database model is ideal for multi-tenant apps where each user or workspace gets their own isolated database.
The free tier gives you 9 GB of storage and 500 databases, which is enough to run a real SaaS with per-tenant data. The limitation is writes — all writes route through a single primary region, so write-heavy workloads will not benefit from the edge replication. If your app is read-heavy (dashboards, content sites, analytics), Turso is fast and cheap. If you need complex relational queries or heavy write throughput, Postgres on Neon or Supabase is a better foundation.
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